Artists or Content Creators?
The struggle of the modern day artists.
In the past 15 years, the world changed irreversibly. Social Media became a huge part of our lives, sometimes indistinguishable from the “real“ life out there. We’ve come to a point where being online approved has become even more important than having an actual “out there“ life.
Being an artist in 2022 is a lot different than it was back in the 90s and lots of people that are old enough to have experienced the old days are struggling to keep up with the pace the Social Media algorithms demand.
It is almost impossible to build a career right now without being active on Social Media, whether it’s Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, etc. But the real problem with this situation?
The problem starts with the way Social Media operates in the first way. The infamous algorithms demand that you are daily active on your socials, post regularly (almost daily) to be in their favor. This way, you will be able to get promoted and reach your audience and potential new fans.
That may seem easier for a wannabe “influencer“ that just takes selfies in his/her bathroom, but for artists, and in our case musicians, is a lot harder than it seems. To be able to create a piece of music, or music-related content daily is almost impossible and if you do it, you will burn out quickly. Art isn’t the same as a bathroom selfie. It requires time, effort, inspiration, and being in a creative state. Yes, there are ways to hack it (and we will talk about this in an upcoming post), but that’s not how things were meant to be.
Artists require space and time to create. They need to take some time away from the art to recharge and they are certainly not art (content?) making machines. It is just not the way it works.
Another issue is that, in the rush of regular posting, it is inevitable that you will lose quality. You cannot constantly deliver your best music by grinding in your DAW. And the worst thing is that you can end up trying to create music that will get likes and comments instead of making music that resonates with your vision and artistic value. Producers can easily get lost on the road of creating “engaging“ content and not the kind of content they want to create.
Even Spotify wants artists to release singles regularly to get people back on their app. Albums are now dead in favor of frequent single releases that also result in composers’ burnout.
On the opposite side, the modern world has given a lot to independent artists. Technology has advanced so that you can have a full-blown recording studio on your laptop, self-releasing music is now easier than ever before and you have access to the whole world to promote your music through social media apps on your phone.
All these are true but with a catch. This is the only option you’ve got. And you must play by their rules no matter what. It’s either your way or you’re out. And as we all know, all these mediums are huge capitalist corporations that want to make money. They don’t care about your career or your well-being as an artist and a person. They just want to make money by making you have back problems by looking on your phone all the time.
That’s the main reason, this so-called content, has become so ridiculous, sometimes dangerous, and with no substance. It needs to be engaging to the masses. Fine art, niche genres, time-consuming artistry has no spot in the never-ending cyclone of useless “content“. They just want eyes don their platforms. Period.
How to survive.
So, what can we do to survive all the craziness? Here are my top tips:
Set your goals straight. Likes and comments don’t pay a cent. You should decide what do you want to accomplish in your musical journey and you’ll quickly figure out that Instagram likes won’t get you there. Invest in your vision and think of social media just as a promotion tool, and nothing more.
Don’t compare yourself with others using numbers. Followers, Streams, Views do not represent success. Having a small and loyal audience is a lot better than having thousands of bots following you.
Quality over quantity. Post as regularly as you feel comfortable. But make sure that when you post your art, it is the best you can do. Don’t rush it. It only takes one song for your breakthrough and countless lifeless jams won’t make you a career.
Support other artists. Doing good always comes back to you. Supporting other artists in your community the way you want to be supported will definitely be appreciated. Bandcamp is a company with a mission to support artists, so use this instead of Spotify and other streaming platforms. Buy your favorite musicians’ albums, get their merch, go to their shows. That’s how artists pay their rent and if you want this for yourself, it would be much easier if you have actual supporting fans.
Take care of yourself. If you would take only one piece of advice, take this one. The most important thing is to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. Relax, enjoy the journey and work on your mind and heart. If you start having anxiety or feel burned out, take some time off, I’m sure Johny69 can live another week without your posts and so can you. Nothing is more important than being a healthy happy person so be that person.
Colcusion: The world is constantly changing (probably to the worse) and we only have one life to live and create something meanigful. Do you and don’t fall into the trap that it’s right around every corner. Focus on yourself and to real, meaningful relationships. If you are going to make it as an artist, fine. If not, you make sure you enjoyed the journey and know that you did your best. That’s what matters in the end.
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