It’s Time for Artists to Face the Music: Nobody Works for Free
In the music and entertainment industries, many artists still cling to an outdated belief—that managers, agents, lawyers, business managers, and other advisors should work on commission or a percentage, investing their time and energy “for the love of the art” until the big money rolls in. It’s a romantic idea, and decades ago, it even made sense.
But times have changed. The industry has changed. And it’s time for artists to wake up.
The Old World: When the Pie Was Huge
In the golden age of album sales, when CDs and vinyl flew off the shelves and a platinum record could fund a small empire, the commission model worked. Managers could afford to work without immediate pay, confident that a hit record or a sold-out tour would eventually produce a payday big enough for everyone to share. Lawyers took 5% of massive deals, managers took 15–20%, and agents earned their cut from high-paying gigs.
Back then, “investing” in an artist’s career was a calculated risk with a high potential return.
The New Reality: A Smaller Pie and More Players
Today, streaming has replaced album sales, and per-stream payouts are measured in fractions of a penny. Touring is more expensive and competitive. Label deals are rare, and when they happen, they come with smaller budgets and fewer perks.
The good news is that technology has leveled the playing field—any artist can record at home, release music globally, and build a following without a label. The trade-off is that fewer artists are making millions. The middle class of independent artists is bigger than ever, but the mega-star windfalls that once justified commission-only work are now the exception, not the rule.
Nobody Is Working for Free Anymore
Here’s the truth: most professionals are no longer willing to work solely on commission. The risk is too high, the returns too uncertain. What hasn’t changed is the artist’s need for those services—marketing, social media management, business management, legal representation, booking, and career strategy.
If you can’t afford to hire a marketing team, a social media manager, a business manager, a lawyer, a manager, or an agent, then you have two options:
Pay for those services as you need them.
Do the work yourself.
There’s no third option where a team of skilled professionals works for free while you “make it.” That’s not how the industry works anymore—and expecting it to is unrealistic.
A New Model for a New Era
The future for independent artists is fee-for-service:
Pay a lawyer a flat fee for contract review.
Hire a marketing consultant for a campaign.
Retain a business manager at a monthly rate.
Bring in a tour manager for the tour—and only the tour.
This approach lets artists control their expenses, and it ensures professionals are paid fairly for their time and expertise.
Wake Up and Own Your Career
The days of sitting back and waiting for a label or a manager to “discover” you, bankroll you, and carry you to success are over. If you’re serious about your career, you must invest in it—just like any other business owner.
That means putting your own money into the resources you need or learning how to wear those hats yourself until you can. It means respecting the value of the professionals who can help you grow. And it means accepting that in today’s music world, nobody works for free.
The sooner artists face that truth, the sooner they can start building sustainable, independent careers—on their own terms.
