75% of artists make a loss when they release Music according to new study

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Music

Research conducted by Pirate suggests that musicians are likely to lose money when releasing music.

Pirate Studios have surveyed 1,000 musicians and artists to reveal how many people are actually profitable through releasing music. The international studio group recently asked live musicians, producers, rappers and MCs from the UK and US how they promote their music. This research comes as Spotify becomes the latest platform to reward promotional videos.

Dan Davis, the head of community at Pirate reflects on the nature of releasing music in the digital age.

“Making music in the social media age means constantly jumping on new promotional trends. However, making content is rarely free and new revenue sources for artists aren’t emerging at the same rate as new trends.”

The results of the survey can be summarised below:

– 91% of artists promote their releases independently.
– 75% of musicians who spend money on promoting their releases don’t make their money back.
– 56% of music creators will make visuals for their next release.
– 54% of musicians use social media for self-promotion above socialising, 56% use social media every day.
– 51% of artists have taken a social media detox at least once.

Dan reflects on the pressures and impact on releasing music as ‘content’.

“As an artist doing your own promo, it’s both harder and easier in the social media age. Platforms reward a constant stream of content which takes a lot of work, the payoff is that you can build your own audience rather than just trying to break through gatekeepers.

Seeing artists take time off social media is a really positive sign that more creators are prioritising their mental health. For a lot of musicians in our studios, music is on top of full-time or part-time jobs; it’s important to take breaks from work, music and everything else that comes with being a musician.”

More info HERE.