This is the finding from new research conducted by the new music blog Right Chord Music and Musosoup, The Musician's Census 2024 was completed by 300 independent artists across 64 countries and is one of the most comprehensive studies of grassroots musicians and their challenges.
One of these challenges is fair payment. A staggering 40% of respondents admitted, "I honestly don't know if I get paid the money I'm owed." A further 22% report “I definitely don’t get paid what I’m owed.” It’s hard to imagine many other jobs where payment is such a problem.
Beyond payment ‘Getting music heard’ remains the most significant challenge for most respondents (54%). Meanwhile over two-thirds (68%) of respondents believe it’s becoming harder to be an independent musician. When asked why three major themes emerge:
Oversaturation of the market: The sheer volume of new music being released daily makes it difficult to get noticed.
AI-generated music: The rise of AI-generated music is contributing to the difficulty for independent artists. The presence of low-quality acts or AI-generated content is diluting the music landscape.
Challenges in building a fanbase: The continued difficulty of gaining a loyal following and leveraging social media effectively.
The research highlights the lengths independent artists go to, to promote their music. It’s a time-consuming, multi-channel process. On average artists report using five different social media platforms. Instagram dominates as the primary promotional channel.
In addition to social media, artists use an average of five further services. A music distribution service was the most frequently mentioned, followed by a Link Page provider and a Press/promotion service. DistroKid was the most recognised distribution service, but also the most polarising, reported as the most liked and disliked service.