Things Top Independent Artists Do Well
Have you ever wondered what fosters the growth of great indie artists? In this article, we'll break down five observations that showcase things Independent Artists do well.
1: They're Organized & Consistent
As an indie artist without a huge team by your side like major-label artists, it's imperative to have your house in order. In other words, be organized. One thing that's for certain is that for an indie artist, organization, as they scale their careers, is paramount.
Without having an organized catalogue, brand message or marketing strategy, it makes growth incredibly unpredictable and chaotic.
Artists who are conscientious (reliable, organized, structured), tend to go on to be more successful later on in life.
2: They Release Music often & Are Active
Now more than ever, artists are releasing more music, more often. Although artists signed to record labels are also churning out music at record speed, they still can't compete with the speed of independent artists. Why? Because indie artists generally run their own release cycles, and without a department/team like a major label artist would. What this means, then, is that they're able to put out music at any time, even without much planning with their own permission.
The great thing about such freedom is that indie artists are able to appease their fans' need for regular releases as well as having the ability to release music based on trending events or topics – or, just whenever they want to.
3: They build great teams
With notoriety comes great responsibility. Although independent artists flourish on the outside, you can be that it's also because of a kick-ass team assisting them behind the scenes.
In his song, "The Best Party", Indie artist, Russ, said: "Shoutout Cara Lewis always gets me a backend, meaning you can sleep but we got that covered".
What Russ means by this is that one of his music managers handles his tours, back-end royalties, and so on while he sleeps and does what we love best – creating music.
As you develop your career, we highly suggest surrounding yourself with knowledgeable folk who can help you scale your career without headaches.
4: They foster relationships with their fans
Unlike many major-label artists who have teams of people managing their socials, indie artists tend to run things themselves, which means they're able to engage deeper with fans.
One of the reasons – we believe – that indie artists appreciate their fans so much is because they lacked the distribution power and promotion that their major-label counterparts got to begin with. Thus instilling in them an even deeper appreciation for those who support them.
A simple response to a DM or comment goes a long way in turning followers into super fans.
5: They Build Extensive Catalogues
Many of today's successful independent artists have built extensive, quality-filled music catalogues. One of the reasons for building a good-sized (at least 10-20+ song) catalogue is largely due to the falling attention spans within the music industry.
If an independent artist has a wide selection of music released, he's more likely – in theory – to keep potential fans more engaged, as opposed to an artist who has one good track and nothing else released.
Conclusion: Things Top Independent Artists do well:
- They're organized and structured.
- They release music often and consistently for their fans.
- They build great teams to help skyrocket their growth.
- They engage with fans and do their best to show their supporters how much they value them.
- They focus on building a catalogue of great quality music over a long period of time for their audience.