The rise of the songwriter ‘brand’

If you have been drawn into the particular orbit of pop music that includes Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter, you probably know a thing or two about Dan Nigro. Fans have been joining the dots between Nigro and this cluster of emergent pop artists on social media — not only discovering his credits on hits like Chappell’s “Good Luck, Babe!” and Rodrigo’s “Vampire”, but also clocking that he is in the studio with Reneé Rapp and followed Carpenter on Instagram.

Songwriters have traditionally remained in the background of artists’ stories. It has often been assumed that fans would be turned off by the knowledge that their favourite artist did not write all their songs alone, and that fans would not care to know much about the writers behind the curtain anyway. But today’s fans might tell you otherwise. Songwriter “brands” — and perhaps especially, songwriter-producer ones — are becoming more prevalent. Just ask FINNEAS’ three million TikTok followers, the Etsy sellers behind unauthorised Jack Antonoff merch drops, or the fans who admire Victoria Monét as much for her own music as for her portfolio as a songwriter to other stars. A more recent example is up-and-coming singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams, who is often interviewed alongside Audrey Hobert, her best friend and songwriting collaborator. The majority of songwriters surveyed for an upcoming MIDiA report on songwriter services are using social media to build a brand and fanbase around their songwriting, across generations.

Several larger trends have helped centre songwriters in music consumer culture:

• With every detail about their favourite artists — from hometown to preferred chicken nugget sauce  — just a Google search away, behind-the-scenes, “if-you-know-you-know” information is becoming more valuable to fans

• In part because of this availability of information, today’s consumers are far more savvy about how their favourite products are made and marketed, including music

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• Social media has simply made songwriters more visible, appearing in the background of recording artists’ studio videos, tagged in their photos, etc. It is also (finally!) common for streaming services to show songwriter credits and lyrics, helping fans join the dots

Today, songwriters have the ability to become “brands” in a way they did not a decade or even five years ago. Artists like Nigro and Antonoff are known for certain sounds, and are integral characters in music scenes. This brand-building can help songwriters build industry networks, with social media profiles often acting as interactive “resumes” that lead to opportunities. 

This is also opening the door to the potential for songwriter fandom. The most successful recording artists diversify their revenue beyond streaming, into sources like merchandise and touring — in other words, monetising fandom. Songwriters have historically had fewer options, but this could change, with songwriters leveraging their followings into brand partnerships and even merchandise. This is not unusual in the K-pop industry, home to celebrity songwriters who are known for their work with specific acts, like Teddy Park (BLACKPINK) and G-Dragon (BigBang). 

Of course, many songwriters are attracted to the craft because it allows them to create art without the spotlight. However, others will view brand-building as an opportunity for greater recognition and new ways to monetise. Indeed, “help building a brand / image” was the second most popular service sought by the songwriters surveyed. 

Look out for MIDiA’s upcoming report on the songwriter services market, based on a global survey of songwriters. If you are not a client but would like to learn about how you can access this report, please reach out to enquiries@midiaresearch.com.