Focus on input, not output
Win the game by ignoring the score.
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Focus on input, not output
Next year, stop looking at outside metrics and start managing your career through input metrics instead.
Why it matters
We are kicking off the second half of December, and naturally, my writing starts to read like a New Year’s resolution. If you are looking for one, this might be the most impactful change you can make.
It’s tempting to open Spotify for Artists or Instagram Insights first thing in the morning to see if you are “winning.” But this approach is risky. It ties your sense of progress to factors like algorithms, playlist editors, and luck.
Artists who focus solely on results risk burnout. You might write a great song, but if the algorithm buries it, you feel like a failure. Shifting your focus to the work you put in might bring the fun back into marketing music.
How it works
Think of your career like an athlete training for the Olympics:
Athlete output metrics: Winning gold. No athlete can wake up and simply decide to win today. Winning depends on training and external factors such as the weather and the performance of competitors. You can have the best race of your life and still lose because someone else was faster.
Athlete input metrics: The training. The hours spent in the gym, the strict diet, the sleep schedule, and the mental preparation. An athlete has 100% agency over these variables. If they focus on the training, the probability of winning increases, but the outcome is never guaranteed.
Athletes compete in objective games: the fastest runner wins. For musicians, the dynamic is even more complex. Music is a subjective market. You can deliver a flawless creative product, but that alone isn’t enough to “win”. You also have to build the fandom, tell the story, and engage the community.
Artist output metrics: Streams, monthly listeners, ticket sales, revenue. This is the scoreboard.
Artist input metrics: The consistency of your newsletters, the quality of your fan interactions, and the frequency of your demos. This is the training.
By focusing on inputs, you accept that you cannot control the external factors that are so important in music marketing, but you can control your “fitness level”.
Yes, but...
Artists need output metrics. Promoters need to know you can sell tickets, and labels want to see streaming momentum. But the best way to grow them is to put in the hard work.
Assume there are no shortcuts. Don’t skip steps. Use input metrics to drive your daily to-do list. Don’t stress about the numbers; adjust the inputs.
Take action now
Consider managing your career in 2026 by focusing on what you put in, rather than what you get out.
Here is a model to try, using the only two essential metrics artists should track:
Set an Internal North Star: Instead of a goal like “I want 10k followers” (Output), try: “By December, my content creation workflow will be consistent and stress-free.” This places the focus on your system, not the result.
Define your OMTM (One Metric That Matters): Select a single, trackable input metric for the next four weeks. Start simple, like “I will spend 5 minutes commenting on similar artists’ posts daily.”
The monthly review: Evaluate your OMTM after four weeks. Did you hit the target?
Your thoughts
Comment below if you’ll take this on as a New Year’s resolution, and begin managing your career in 2026 by focusing on input.
Further reading
How artists can regain control over their marketing efforts (The Fanbase Builder)
Why artists should focus on what they can control (The Fanbase Builder)
Artists should focus on only two metrics (The Fanbase Builder)
Measurement fallacies in music and fandom (The Fanbase Builder)
Why artists shouldn’t skip steps (The Fanbase Builder)