I've been thinking about the rise of the creator economy, which has exploded over the past few years, and how it benefits musicians like you and me.
10 years ago, no one even knew what being a "creator" meant.
10 years ago when I started this segment of my business, I was a total outlier. No one I knew was doing what I was doing (trying to make money creating content and building an audience online that I could monetize).
Sure, there were those few people who had blown up on YouTube, but they were an anomaly.
I felt like what I was doing was so "weird" that I had to do it in secret until I could prove to people that it was legit.
I didn't tell anyone in my immediate circles about it. I kept it a "black box" for several years (basically until I was profitable).
After all, I had chosen not to pursue going back to work in the corporate world to take a chance on being a creator. I had a lot to prove!
Way back in late 2015, I remember creating a video where I talked about those uncomfortable moments around the Thanksgiving table with family where some seemingly well-meaning relative would say something to the effect of:
"How's that pie-in-the-sky music thing going? Have you come back down to earth and found a real job yet?"
Then there would be murmurs around the table and jokes about being a starving artist while you nervously shifted in your seat.
I'm guessing most of you can picture the scene and have had a conversation or two like that.
Back in 2015, I got a LOT of response from artists who said those encounters had left them feeling isolated, misunderstood and unsupported...even shameful.
In some cases, the guilt and shame around it gnawed at them until they "returned from la-la land" and left their dream behind for a more accepted path.
It hurts me deeply to think of the individual creativity that died in those situations and the loss of new music we will never hear because of it.
But the days of patronizing conversations like that are all but over. And if they do happen, you've got ample ammunition to fight back!
With the rise of the creator economy, even the most old-school, stuck-in-the-corporate-mud traditionalists can't argue with statistics like this:
More than 2 million professional individual creators make content full-time, and around 46.7 million do it part-time.
It's finally cool and LEGIT to be a creator.
Indie musicians have been blazing this trail for a very long time. Before it was universally understood that people could make a living off of building and monetizing an audience, WE were doing it.
Well done YOU.
All this to say that there are more ways than ever to be a Profitable Musician today in the creator economy, and to even be respected for it.
And my mission is stronger than ever: to help you make money from your art in the way you want (part time, full time, hobbyist who wants to buy more gear, etc.).
This is the best time to be an Indie Musician. Let's make the most of it together.
Always in your corner,
Bree Noble
