Artists survey 2022 - MIDiA asks music creators: how will you grow your audiences, earnings and career?

As the music industry continues to debate the many pros and cons of ‘the streaming era’  (while enjoying the unprecedented industry growth that it has brought), the spotlight can sometimes move away from those artists and songwriters who make a living from music but are not the big stars or household names that we know and read about in the news. 

At the same time, the ‘creator economy’ continues to boom, something MIDiA has been following, researching, and supporting for the past few years. As part of our work with music creators, we have spent the past 12-months speaking to artists, songwriters, producers and their managers about their priorities, concerns, challenges and hopes for the future as they make music, release it and, just maybe, establish a career in doing so.

MIDiA 2022 artists survey, USA and Canada - complete to win $1000

We have learned a lot from these conversations. There is great insight from in-depth interviews with artists and songwriters, many of whom will (and should) capture the attention of all of today’s industry players, from streaming services to labels and creator tools companies.

For example, we have learned that the most proactive, ambitious artists see themselves as small businesses / startups, with a key goal to ‘bootstrap’ their own careers, thus creating a self-sustaining business with existing resources, rather than borrowing money or hurtling headlong into a ‘record deal’. In the streaming era, for many up and coming artists, success is more about making a sustainable living from music than it is about fame and riches.

Another great insight we have found is that artists are focused very much on core, loyal fans rather than large audiences that may come and then go. While most artists would love to ‘have a hit record’, even more of them appreciate not needing or relying on that rare event happening. Artists are focused on building 100-1,000 core fans rather than marketing to the masses, hence they are looking for tools that will help them directly reach fans, as well as helping them collect all the actionable data about their fans, which will ultimately guide them into creating relevant and engaging content for them.

As for monetisation, many artists are, of course, concerned that streaming does not pay the bills. Many of the artists we have spoken with have the perception that streaming is passive listening, and while it is great for profile and promotion, it is the other revenue streams that they need to focus on (for example, live touring, live stream sessions, merch, sync, and even teaching and session work for other artists). Many have launched Patreon pages or are looking to commercialise their own fan channels, and when it comes to new technology, there is both excitement and trepidation surrounding NFTs.

As part of MIDiA’s mission to understand and support artists, and work towards a more sustainable future for creators, we have launched the first tranche of our 2022 artist survey, focusing, at this stage, on North America and Canada. We want to hear from up and coming artists who are just setting out on their musical journey, direct artists who are using creator tools and distribution services in particular, but also established artists who are a few albums into their careers. 

If you are an artist, songwriter, producer or manager, please help us by filling in the short, 10-minute survey here, and note, we are looking for 200 or so views and have five prize draws from this sample to provide $1000 in vouchers. 

Beyond our role in analysing, reporting, predicting and consulting within music and media, MIDiA is a team of people - many of us creators too - who are committed to making a fairer, more sustainable and creator-friendly music industry. This survey is your chance to make a contribution - so please help!