Congratulations Indie Artists – People ARE Listening to Your Music

So much of the talk around indie artists always ends up coming back around to streaming and the royalties earned (or not earned) from such.  Am I right?  This could be just two or it could be two hundred indie artists gathered together (well, pre-coronavirus, in the case of the latter).  Or, it could be you thinking about your own music distribution and the consumption of what you put out.

We hear more and more people speculating about the extent to which vinyl might (or might not) come back.  And really, it’s almost the opposite with CDs.  You just don’t really hear too many people talking about a CD they’re going to release.  (I’m being literal and talking about physical units.)  And, of course, this thought process will go from format to demand to potential income.  It’s those last two that certainly get into the psyche of an indie artist – especially the guy or gal who has committed to this being their living.

It can get lonely.  There can be times when you (gulp) ask the scary question, “Why am I even doing this?”  Or, “Does anyone even really care?”

Part of the problem is, you start comparing yourself – sometimes with no evidence – to others and you form irrational conclusions.  And, when there’s a wildcard thrown in like something such as this pandemic that we’ve been under for what you might as well call two months now, it becomes easier to believe those voices in your head.  Those unsubstantiated thoughts that you form seem to make sense to you.

I’ve had people say to me, “My podcast – nobody’s listening to it!”  When I’ve asked them, “How do you know that,” the question has been met with, “Because I don’t get any emails from listeners.”  Since podcasters are often profiled as always checking their stats, I come back with, “Well, you’re checking your stats, right?  People are downloading your podcast, right?”  And, of course, they tell me, “Yes.”  Okay, so there, people are listening to that podcast.

From the pages here on this website to the data I can see on SoundCloud to similar info I can access through iTunes (Apple Podcasts) and other apps, I know that people are listening to my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast whether I get one email from a listener or 21 emails or no emails.

So, similarly, with music, you recording artists all have access to reports of your iTunes downloads and your Spotify numbers, for starters.  With digital distribution, you see that people are buying.  People are downloading it.  (Some of you might possibly even be monetizing it through YouTube.)  Heck, at the end of the year we all see you posting those social media graphics that Spotify makes available to report the number of streams, countries, time listened, and more.

The fact of the matter is, people are buying your music.  It might not be at the level that you want it – yet.  But, take solace in the fact that people are spending money on the songs that you are recording.  With the possible exception of the Taylor Swifts and the Maroon 5s and Ed Sheerans of the world, every artist wants and needs more downloads.  You’d be hard-pressed to find performers other than those A-listers who would say, “I’m happy plateauing where I am right now.”

So, don’t be so hard on yourself.  Don’t let the pandemic get you down and talk you into that you're no good and that nobody likes or wants or buys your music.  You’re doing it, and every day that you get one more stream or download than the day before, you’re trending upward.  Keep aiming in that direction.

In our Facebook group that includes others from the music community, talk about metrics that you use for monitoring sales and consumption of your music.