What do you sell as an artist?
Is it music?
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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
What do you sell as an artist?
Music is just a small part of what’s actually for sale.
Why it matters
Ask a typical emerging artist what they sell, and the answer arrives instantly: music, meaning streams. Every campaign, every caption, every paid ad leads back to the same call to action: stream this.
About a decade ago, I built a marketing website for a promising emerging artist. I included the entire marketing playbook: email capture, videos, a small merch shop. Their reaction summed up an entire industry mindset: nice, but how do we get people to Spotify?
Don’t get me wrong: It always starts with music, streams matter and are very important, and artists should absolutely think about driving traffic to DSPs. But music and streams are not the only products that drive artist careers.
It’s what made me ask a more basic question: what are artists actually selling?
How it works
These four levels of what artists sell are loosely inspired by how brand equity thinking describes a product turning into a brand:
Level 1: Music. The song is the entry point, the thing that first earns someone’s attention. But alone, it doesn’t explain why a listener becomes a fan.
Level 2: Identity. Fans use an artist’s music and image as identity markers that signal taste and a position within a certain culture. At this level, artists sell a way for fans to recognise themselves, and be recognised by others.
Level 3: Experience. Beyond identity comes shared experience: a room full of people who feel the same rush at the same moment. You’re not selling the setlist, but the feeling of being there, together.
Level 4: Belonging. At the top of the ladder, fans aren’t just identifying with an artist or sharing an experience. They belong to something ongoing.
Yes, but..
Don’t diminish the importance of music and streams. It always begins with music. Period. However, it doesn’t end with music. Many artists can sell music. Only successful artists can sell belonging on a large scale.
Take action now
Artists can try this exercise: For the next four months, don’t use the word “music” in your communication. Not in social media captions, not in captions, not in emails.
After four weeks, look back and evaluate. What has it brought you? What did you miss?
Your thoughts
Further reading
Why strong artist brands matter to fans, not just artists (The Fanbase Builder)
Music is a social accelerator (The Fanbase Builder)
Why your live show should be more than just your album played loud (The Fanbase Builder)
Market value is the music industry’s hidden currency (The Fanbase Builder)