What Is Artist Development?

Artist Development is a combination of creative and business issues that must be dealt with to make your music career run smoothly. It includes vocal training, songwriting, artist persona development and image and branding. It also involves music and video production, live performance coaching and career planning and strategy.

In the old days of the record label system, if an A&R professional believed that an artist had potential, they would invest in them for a period of time. During this time, the artist would work on creating an EP or album and improving their stage presence and persona. The label would then release the artist to the world with a contract guaranteeing them a certain percentage of Sunset Revenues (revenue earned on sales of recordings that have been sold during the ten years after the term ends).

These deals ranged from mutually beneficial and artist friendly to downright exploitative, but they all involved significant investment in an artist by a development company or label. They were generally a great deal better than today’s “demo deals” where the artist must invest in recording studio costs and pay for their own touring expenses before the label will give them a penny of royalties.

The first pillar of Artist Development is the creation of songs that have commercial appeal. This is not always a straightforward process, especially for musicians who are new to the craft and have yet to learn how to write songs that fit into a specific genre or music niche. A good Artist Development coach can help a musician find that niche and guide them through the process of transforming their ideas into great songs.

Musicians need to be comfortable in front of an audience and know how to interact with a crowd. Whether it’s through mastering stage movement or fine-tuning the timing of their performances, an experienced coach can improve a musician’s confidence and ability to connect with their audience. A good Artist Development plan will also make sure that musicians are aware of the different revenue streams that they can realistically exploit, including streaming royalties, merchandising and sync deals.

Artist Development is a vital component of the music business and should be considered an essential element of any musical project. Without it, your chances of making some money from your music are slim to none. It’s also important to understand that you need both Artist Development and Product Development to be successful in the music business.

Christopher Knab is a music business consultant who helps artists navigate the challenges of the modern music industry. He is the author of several books on the subject, most recently The Music Business for Dummies. For more information, visit his website at FourFront Media and Music.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I’d be happy to discuss your situation and provide guidance.

Music Gateway offers an affordable suite of artist development services. We can tailor our services to your needs, ensuring that you get the best value for your money.