New study reveals massive struggles for new artists

Earning a career in the music industry has always been a difficult path of passion, luck, and talent. New artists today are saying that it is harder than ever to obtain a music career.

In a new report from Toolroom Academy, new artists discuss the struggles, pitfalls, and sometimes harsh reality of navigating a music career. While certain sectors and legacy artists are still receiving major payouts, the path to gaining that level of stability has evolved in ways that can feel insurmountable to those just getting started. The report was put together following research and discussions with students at the beginning of their music careers and covers issues from earning money to gaining fans, to navigating algorithms.

‘We have sensed a frustration among our student community that despite doing the hard yards of production, and contributing great music to the scene, this effort was not mirrored with opportunity in return. Our feeling was that the gap between our students’ ambitions, and the opportunities to build sustainable careers in electronic music, seemed far too wide.‘ – Miles Shackleton, C.O.O. at Toolroom

The somewhat alarming statistics and research reveal that an incredible 76% feel that their career path is financially unsustainable. As the industry has evolved to rely on a model of music going viral, those who fail to do so, 62% of responders, say they struggled to grow an online audience. With the days of major record labels spending exorbitant amounts of money to hone and grow artists and their careers, most are left to navigate the often grueling demands of social media and viral algorithms. A staggering 88% of new artists revealed the struggle to understand and gain traction in this model while also working to create art for their projects.

Read the entire Toolroom report right here for all the stats and insights.