Making Music In The New Normal
Quarantine Presents Challenges And Opportunities for Indie Artists
While there are many ways to begin creating music, some musicians start their process by isolating themselves between their bedroom walls and using alone time to begin crafting their next project. For unsigned and independent musicians, bedrooms have always been and will continue to be recording studios and main creative spaces.
The effects of the novel Coronavirus have not stopped independent musicians from creating music despite the challenges and setbacks that come with creating their own material with minimal resources. It’s significantly harder to find a place in the music industry without the help of big record labels.
According to The Guardian, record labels help promote musicians with their access to press teams and marketing professionals. While artists may have the talent and motivation to create their own music, most don’t have the capability to promote themselves to the level of stardom enjoyed by Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake. Record labels not only provide a physical space for musicians to create their music but the service of promoting their brand on their behalf. This is a resource that most independent artists lack.
Pressparty is a website that allows record labels, publications, and other parties to post press releases and other news in an attempt to inform the public about upcoming events. It is a platform where many online publications and music reporters receive information about new music releases. Musicians who are signed with record labels, such as Republic Records and Universal Music Group, see positive benefits when a press release has been written on their behalf to announce new music.
Record labels are able to promote signed clients because they have the funds to pay for press releases and other marketing promotions. During quarantine, Taylor Swift released her seventh studio album, folklore, and Republic Records announced its release through a planned press release. Universal Music Group announced Lady’s Gaga’s Chromatica. Republic Records announced Ariana Grande’s new single Positions through a press release. Independent artists who don’t have access to third parties whose priority is promoting their clients often find themselves coming up with creative ways to get people to listen to their music.
But this isn’t deterring musicians. Quarantine has inspired many individuals to create and post their art on social media, which has expedited how quickly people see new content. Musicians have taken the time and opportunity to write, record, and release music under self isolation and see the amount of time spent indoors as an advantage to creating music.
The problem with promoting music isn’t necessarily the lack of support from a big record label but the amount of money (or lack of money) a musician is willing to spend to promote their music, branding, and image. Artists who enjoy the benefits of being signed to a corporation that seemingly has unlimited funds to promote their music don’t have to worry about their songs being played over the radio or being featured in major publications — they have a team of marketing professionals behind them doing all the work.
Without the guidance of a promotion team, unsigned musicians are forced to act as their own marketing strategist. In terms of promotion, many musicians are resorting to promoting their own songs through their social media pages and by word of mouth. Some release their music on streaming services such as Spotify and Soundcloud, and post a link to their work through social media. Others create Instagram posts and short clips to post on their profiles. Some are utilizing the popularity of the app Tik Tok to post short snippets of upcoming songs.
Lakotah, who is a Billboard-charting musician based in Los Angeles, speaks of the struggles surrounding promoting oneself without the guidance of marketing teams. Once signed with a record label, Lakotah compares and contrasts the level of difficulty, successes, and failures that come with having a third party assist with brand promotion and taking the initiative to promote oneself.
“You can sit down and play your songs but that’s gone in the sense of paying your bills and making a living. You have to have money behind you,” says Lakotah, referring to the presence of a promotion team.
While record labels have a vast amount of funds to promote their client, whether that be hiring a publicist, paying radio stations to play singles, or providing a budget for international touring, unsigned artists don’t enjoy the same benefits.
Lakotah speaks to this after admitting she used to tour around the country and perform live for audiences who paid to see her play. At the beginning of her music career, she was on track to becoming a Billboard charting musician with a record label that stood behind her to support her musical career. Making money, whether through a label or as an independent artist, is a struggle in the modern age.
“To make money by selling your music is not really an option. If you’re a top- tier artist who has their own money and power to hire people, like Taylor Swift, who started with a regular record deal before becoming the artist she is today, you can do it. When you’re on that tier, it’s like you’re the one percent,” says Lakotah.
But with the addition of multiple streaming services like Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music, people are expecting to enjoy music for free.
Websites like TuneCore, a digital music distribution company that aims to help musicians put their music on streaming services, has created a culture where listeners expect to listen to music for free if they subscribe to a service like Spotify or Apple Music. Napster, as Lakotah mentions, was the first Internet sharing software that gave listeners music online as opposed to purchasing albums and records. In some ways, there’s been no turning back since then. As with other creative content, from streaming television to podcasts, few consumers expect to pay to support it.
“At this point in my career, I rarely hire third parties and publicists. All the decisions are made by myself and my partner that I trust.”
A turn of events and a new direction in her life prevented Lakotah from achieving success through this route and she found success in creating music she’s proud to release. She now finds herself content with releasing songs at her leisure while producing and releasing music when she’s ready.
“At this point in my career, I rarely hire third parties and publicists. All the decisions are made by myself and my partner that I trust,” says Lakota, who is focused on the ability to make music for sheer pleasure instead of fame and fortune.
Other artists who have emerged during quarantine have encountered the difficulty of promoting themselves without the presence of a big record company, but continue to enjoy the process of creating music and sharing it with others.
Abdo Eleish, who had previously lived in Los Angeles before returning to Egypt for quarantine, voiced his appreciation for the natural process that comes with creating his own sound and building an image for himself.
“I realized I could make music because I wanted to,” he says. He and his writing parter, Dojo, who lives in Los Angeles, can still collaborate while being half a world away. “We make it work through FaceTiming and creating lyrics and beats on our own before sending them to each other. You don’t have to be in LA to make music.”
With previous experience working with signed artists such as Miles Parrish and Alec Benjamin, Eleish has had a taste of what it takes to produce music and working in the entertainment and music industry. For him, music is not about the amount of sales or music streams he can garner, but the process of making music for the sole purpose of doing it.
“For me, the issue with quarantine was being away from LA where I had connections with people who worked in the industry. In Egypt, I don’t have those connections available. But I worked with what I had, which was my family and the ability to learn how to produce my own music so I didn’t have to rely on someone to do it for me,” says Eleish.
While in Egypt, Eleish released Tang. He recorded and edited the music video on his own and credits his ongoing motivation to his friends and family who continue to encourage him to pursue his dream. The struggles that he faces includes the lack of connections and a promotion team that would’ve otherwise promoted his music video on YouTube or paid radio stations to play Tang, but this isn’t necessarily what Eleish’s ultimate end goal is. He wants to make music because he’s passionate about it.
Eleish plans to create a presence on his Instagram account through the use of personal branding and showing his followers the recording studio he plans to build in his bedroom. He wants to create a person connection with his audience and show authenticity in a world where that lacks. His marketing strategy includes being personable to those who already follow him and hopes to build a following who will stay for the music.
“I realized I could make music because I wanted to,” he says.
The same could be said for Cali Rodi, who is fortunate enough to have a writing and marketing team that believes in her music. The challenges she faced during quarantine were unique, but with her ability to adapt to changing times, Rodi was able to successfully maintain her passion for music .
“Quarantine, on one hand, has been great for my creativity because it’s forced me to back to my roots — on my bedroom floor with my guitar. The downside is that sometimes it’s just weird to cowrite songs through a screen, especially with people you’ve never met before,” says Rodi.
Based in Los Angeles, Rodi is lucky to have her creative partner, Emily Wright, in the same city. Her manager, Desi O’Meara resides in New York, and Rodi has expressed the frustration of communicating online but realizes that this challenge has taught her the importance of effective communication. Rodi recently released a single, God Save the Queen, which was a pre-quarantine project that was completed during self isolation.
“The release process was definitely more difficult than ever, and a lot of different pieces had to fall together for it to work. I had a lot of ‘now or never’ thoughts swirling through my head and decided to just release it,” Rodi explains.
Rodi has been performing remotely for her audience through online performances and shifted her focus to promoting her music. “This time has made me focus on social media and just getting my music out there on streaming platforms and building a world in that way. The biggest lesson I’ll carry with me into a new normal is that there is never a perfect time to release music,” she says.
The biggest lesson I’ll carry with me into a new normal is that there is never a perfect time to release music.
You can follow Lakotah, Abdo Eleish, and Cali Rodi on Instagram.
