You want to do this. You actually want to be an artist, and you want to have a career in music. It’s what you’ve always wanted. “I just need some way to make it sustainable.”

I’m gonna start by being so blunt: it doesn’t work like that. You don’t get the sustainability before making the leap. You get it from taking the leap, and even that isn’t enough. It’s about a calculated, decisive, and above all else empathetic leap. What the hell does that even mean?

FOR THE RISING MIDDLE CLASS OF ARTISTS

THE REALITY OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Here’s the thing: we’ve all been fed the same story. If you “grind it out” for long enough, and you stay believing, then things will inevitably work out. The thing is, that’s objectively not true. If it was, that wannabe rapper with seemingly AI generated flow from your high school would be in the big leagues by now. But he’s not. He’s put in tons of hours but just can’t seem to figure it out. Don’t let that be you.

The truth is, in our world (the artistic world) there are 0 guarantees. That’s partially what draws us to it in the first place. We know that this path relies on our ability to create value from our imagination and ability to express that which the rest of the world can’t. It’s something that we’re willing to bet on ourselves to do. However, while we know we want to be extraordinary, I can tell you first hand, 99% most new artists want to take the ordinary path.

If you’ve convinced yourself that you are going to stand out from the pack in one of the most saturated industries you can possibly take part in by playing it exactly how every other artist plans to—get a small buzz, opt for a manager, booking agent, distro deal, then possibly a major— I’ve got bad news. I’m not a gambler, but I would bet every cent I have against you making it in that fashion. In fact, I can’t tell you how many managers, A&Rs, and booking agents dread the mindset of artists who believe they can put in the bare minimum to have everyone around them explode their careers. This is actual delusion.

In an industry known for it’s exploitative nature, we (as artists) need to do what we do best: change the world around us.

NAVIGATING THE MIDDLE GROUND

Let’s look at the writing on the wall in music.

Music sales barely make money. How many thousands of times do you have to hear that streams make a fraction of a cent before it clicks that a corporation would pay 100x that amount for a “click” on an ad. Do you think it might benefit you in the alternative world (shoegaze, screamo, dream pop, darkwave, etc) to be able to bring your THOUSANDS of monthly listeners somewhere they might have the opportunity to give you $10 to support your career? Especially when you’re (currently) not making top 40 hits. Why are you competing for crumbs? Sounds silly, when a store owner would KILL to have that many people come into their brick and mortar store that month.

By adjusting your strategy, it makes total sense that an artist with 10 thousand monthly engaged fans can easily find a way to make $5,000 in revenue per month. In fact, there is literally no rule or law against it. If you find one, let me know.

When major labels are desperately trying to find new means to monetize, be it Roblox concerts, streaming 2.0, or 360 deals that allow them to get a cut of UGC brand campaigns, and you’re still playing the losing game of streams, touring, and 30% margin tee shirts…the numbers don’t look good for you.

If you’re still fixated on streams, you’re playing the losing game.

So now what? We’ve established that those things don’t work, well what does? What is the answer?

This is like asking what is THE best way to market something? It’s not a one-size-fits-all. I might have massive success marketing adult diapers by providing samples to nursing homes across the country. But if I try promoting my bands’ new death metal record to that same audience, it’s not going to go well.

Our promise at THE VELO CLUB is to help you find the means of success that works best for you. If you’re trying to be taken seriously as a new alt-rock band and you appear on a commercial for Hot Wheels cars, that may not be a great look. Or, maybe it is. There’s nuances that you need to decide that will help you deliver on your specific vision, and put together the world you want your audience to see you from.

Our frameworks are based on psychology, art, marketing, and understanding entrepreneurship. The things you learn here come from the experts like Dan Pink, Seth Godin, Eric Ries, Vanessa Van Edwards, and more. We collaboratively learn and implement these frameworks to allow you to take hold of the steering wheel in your career. You won’t have to rely on someone else making the best moves on your behalf. No one will try to make you do a TikTok dance or say you had the song of the summer. Instead, we might suggest you make a TikTok that uses your favorite niche horror game as a background and have a bandmate comment “What song is this? Sounds like _____”.

Every artist path has individual needs. We’ll show you how these opportunities present themselves, and how you can sustain your career while staying true to who you want to be. All those obscure words like “vision”, “brand”, and “marketing” that your drunk friend rambles about after watching a couple TikToks are going to make way more sense. You’ll be able to make fair deals quickly and easily without being scared, because you’ll know what to look for. As they say, knowledge is power.

It’s going to be a long road ahead. Instead of making you a passenger, we hand you the keys.

Buckle up.