The 21st Century Musician: An Introduction

Welcome to my brand-new newsletter.

Briefly introducing myself, my name is Mary Spender, and I’m a singer-songwriter, filmmaker, content creator and business owner.

I’m a truly independent artist – no label, no management, no middlemen. It’s just me, and my trusted team.

I own 100% of my music, and have built a successful business from the ground up, entirely from my creativity and hard work.

No exploitative contracts, no 360 deals, no being at the mercy of ‘too-busy-for-a-reply’ executives.

I want what I do to act as a blueprint for my fellow independent musicians. We all have the potential to live by our creativity. Success as a musician doesn’t have to be selling out stadiums. 

This is a golden time to get involved. Independent musicians have increased their market share on streaming services year-on-year. The ‘artists direct’ sector’s total revenues quadrupled from 2015-2022, up from $375 million in 2015 to $1.78 billion in 2022. And it’s just getting started.

Some independent artists find viral fame relatively quickly – but that’s not been my experience. Building an engaged audience takes time. But it’s worth doing, and it’s worth doing right.

One recent MIDiA survey of hundreds of indie artists concluded that over half of them wanted to: ‘Become respected and recognized in [their] scene’ (53%); ‘be a successful touring artist’ (51%); and ‘build up a loyal fanbase of any size’ (50%).

How many wanted to eventually sign with a major label? Just 16%, or less than one in six.

We don’t need labels any more.

One thousand true fans is all you need to make a good living from your music. If you’re reading this, you’re interested in taking your career into your own hands.

So, in this weekly newsletter, I’ll be sharing some of the valuable lessons I’ve learned in the fifteen years I’ve been doing this – and the mistakes I’ve made – because believe me, I’ve made plenty.

We’ll cover all aspects of independently releasing and monetising your music, and using new technologies to build a direct connection with your true fans – because the more layers between you and your audience, the worse off you’ll be.

If I’ve learned anything from the past years, it’s that you just can’t rely on traditional media to promote your work – nor do you need to. If you’ve built your own audience, you don’t have to hope and pray that your email gets opened, your press release gets read, or your song gets listened to.

You have the means to do it yourself.

Because no one cares more about you and your work than you do. No one’s going to work harder, or longer – because believe me, the work is hard, and the hours are long. Not everyone will stay the course. But for those who do, the rewards are certainly worth it.

I’m not pretending to have all the answers. I’m not flying around the world in private jets, I’ve not had a hit record (yet) nor have I won any major awards. But I am living comfortably from my creativity, I can hire talented people to help my career, I’ve funded and made a debut studio record I’m really proud of. 

If you get to do what you love every day, and you don’t have to answer to anyone, shouldn’t that be considered a win?

Before we go any further, let me make one thing absolutely clear – there is a long road ahead. What I’ve built has taken a lot of hours. 

You will have to invest a lot of time and effort in yourself. 

I want to share what I’ve learned because I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to express themselves creatively and be rewarded for their work, without being exploited. 

I believe that’s a future worth working towards.

This is the 21^st Century Musician.

Mary x

(To respond to this newsletter, just reply or email [email protected]. I want this to be an active community. If you have a topic you’d like covered, a burning question, or knowledge and opportunities you’d like to share, then let me know.

I’ll read all replies – unfortunately, being human, I cannot guarantee an individual response, but I might cover the topic in a future newsletter.

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