Musical artists have always had to do some self-promotion. But in the age of TikTok and Instagram, some now feel like they spend more time on marketing than music.
By denouncing on social media the flood of TikTok and Instagram posts that she has to publish to promote her songs, the singer [américaine] Chelsea Cutler has sparked a debate around burnout in the music world.
“It’s exhausting having to constantly think regarding how to transform my daily life into ‘contents’”, writes the 25-year-old singer-songwriter, who is enjoying growing success and will perform at the Coachella festival [en avril prochain]. His message did not leave anyone indifferent. Other singing stars have praised his frankness. “There was an outpouring of approval in the artist community, says Maggie Rose, a 33-year-old singer-songwriter from Nashville. It sounded like both a rallying cry and a sigh of relief.”
Increased pressure on artists
Mastering social media is essential for pop stars today, but some artists have had enough. Industry pundits push them to constantly feed their TikTok, Instagram and Twitter accounts, and singers regret not having enough time to devote themselves to writing and performing. The pressure is especially high for emerging or modestly successful artists who have found their audience but don’t have enough fans to hire a team to trust with their online posts.
Making a living from music has never been easy. Whether it’s handing out flyers announcing shows or getting up early for a radio interview or music video shoot, self-promotion is essential. And the pandemic has made matters worse, as much of the marketing is now done online.
Less and less stable income
According to some artists, leaders and experts in the sector, however, the problem is not limited to the pandemic: the democratization of music has a cost. Thanks to their laptop, streaming and social media, artists can now create, release, distribute and promote their tracks without the help of labels. Content that has gone viral on YouTube or TikTok provides access to success without going through traditional decision-makers. Singers can test snippets of songs on social media and conduct studies
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Neil Shah
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