🤖🎤 Musicians + AI: Find Your Best Path Forward


PROFITABLE MUSICIAN WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

May 7, 2025

Welcome to Profitable Musician, your guide to growing your fanbase, increasing your income and becoming more profitable. Shared with ~16,000+ readers every Wednesday. Was this forwarded to you? Subscribe here so you don't miss the next one.


Hey there, Profitable Musician!

I've been sitting with a big, messy question lately, and I want to bring you into the conversation.

As a Gen X musician who started out long before Spotify, Instagram, MP3s or even home recording. I've spent decades figuring out how to use the newest technology to write and produce better music, run my business efficiently and connect with the people who I can best serve.

But now AI has blasted through the creative industries like a freight train, and I've got to admit, it feels very different than my previous experiences with new tech.

If you've felt overwhelmed, skeptical, or even a bit defensive about AI, you're not alone.

What I don’t want is to approach it from a place of fear. This is not an "adapt or die" scenario. That narrative is everywhere, and it’s not helpful. Instead, I want to suggest that we, as musicians and creative entrepreneurs, have more than two choices here...

In this issue

🥽Musicians + AI: Find Your Best Path Forward


🛠️Listen To The "Celebrating Motherhood" Series


📰Need-To-Know Music Industry News & Tips


🎧How I Built My Music Career Around Being A Mom


The 3 Paths for Musicians Facing AI

The Human-Only Artist
This is the artist who keeps their work fully human. They might use AI for boring admin tasks (scheduling, summarizing notes), but their art, marketing, and business decisions stay rooted in human hands, ears, and heart.

And guess what? This path is valid.

As more of the world gets flooded with synthetic content, there may be an increase in demand (and value) for purely human, handcrafted work. Think about the rise of analog vinyl or handcrafted instruments. Sometimes, scarcity and authenticity win.

The AI-Augmented Musician
This is where many of us might naturally land.

We remain at the center: making the creative calls, shaping the vision, connecting with fans. But we let AI help us write faster social posts, analyze our Spotify data, brainstorm merch ideas, or design visuals that match our brand.

The goal here isn't to replace yourself, but to amplify your strengths and cover your weak spots.

For example, I’m not a graphic designer. But with Canva's AI tools, I can create something visually polished without hiring a pro. That lets me move faster, save budget, and still stay in control.

The AI-Driven Entrepreneur
This is the musician who wants to build systems: automated marketing funnels, AI-generated compositions, virtual agents handling fan engagement.

It's a programmer's mindset: building systems that mostly run themselves, so you (the human) can step back and focus on the big picture or move on to other ventures.

This path isn’t for everyone. It requires different skills, priorities, and temperament. But it is a legitimate option — especially for musicians who enjoy the tech and want to experiment.

Where Do You Fit?

Here’s the thing: you don’t need to pick one path forever. But knowing where you are now can help you make smart, intentional decisions.

Ask yourself:

  • Do I want my hands directly on the craft, or am I okay outsourcing parts of it?
  • Am I using AI to help me do more of what I love, or to avoid what I hate?
  • What parts of my business are sacred, and what parts am I willing to automate?

For me, teaching, writing, singing, and connecting directly with musicians are where I find meaning, healing, and purpose. So, while I’ll happily let AI draft a caption or transcribe a podcast, I don’t want it crafting my ideas for this newsletter or composing my next song.

Why This Matters

AI is not just about tools; it’s about identity.

Are you someone who values the process because you do it? Or someone who values the outcome, no matter how it gets done?

Neither is inherently better, but knowing your own answer can shape the way you move through this next phase of the music industry.

Let's Keep This Human

I know some of you are already experimenting with AI in your music careers, while others are staying far away. I’d love to hear where you stand right now. Hit reply and tell me: Which path feels most true to you today?

Always in your corner,
<3 Bree

Sponsored by: The Rundown AI

Start learning AI in 2025

Everyone talks about AI, but no one has the time to learn it. So, we found the simplest way to learn AI in as little time as possible: The Rundown AI.

It's a free AI newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the latest AI news, and teaches you how to apply it in just 5 minutes a day.

Plus, complete the quiz after signing up and they’ll recommend the best AI tools, guides, and courses – tailored to your needs.

NEEd-to-know

Music Industry News & Tips

Click worthy

Music For Mother's Day!

Enjoy our annual Women of Substance "Celebrating Motherhood" Music Series. Binge the Podcast Episodes and/or Listen & Follow the Spotify Playlist.

ON THE PODCAST

Balancing motherhood and a music career isn’t easy, but it’s absolutely doable. In this episode, you’ll hear practical insights and real-life strategies for building a thriving music career as a parent.

  • How becoming a mom shaped the way my music career developed from the start
  • Creative, family-friendly gig opportunities and why traditional late-night bars weren’t necessary
  • Strategies for efficient time management while juggling family and music
  • Bringing kids along on tours and integrating them into the music business
  • Encouragement and advice for musicians navigating parenthood, plus resources for celebrating moms through music

Bree Noble

Say "Hello' on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads or BlueSky

When You're Ready, here are 3 ways we can help you become a more Profitable Musician:

Female Musician Accelerator: (this month's training: Own The Stage Every Time You Perform)

If you choose to Unsubscribe, it will remove you from updates on programs you've purchased. We won't be able to let you know when we're playing your music on the podcast, and we can't let you know about any calls for specific music, free training, awesome articles, new podcast episodes and tools for musicians, etc.
38396 Sierra Lakes Dr., Oakhurst, CA 93644

The Profitable Musician Newsletter

Whether you're a career artist, a passionate side hustler, or a hobby musician looking to fund your next project, The Profitable Musician Newsletter will help you become more profitable in just 3 minutes. Join 16,600+ musicians 3 times per week as we grow our fanbase, amplify our income & become more profitable together.

Read more from The Profitable Musician Newsletter

PROFITABLE MUSICIAN: FEM FRIDAY EDITION June 27, 2025 Happy FEM Friday! Have you ever had one of those weeks where you looked at your to-do list and just felt your shoulders slump before you even started? Where your passion projects kept getting pushed down the list because you were too busy doing everything else "needed" to keep your music career running"? I know that feeling far too well. I remember this one season where I was doing all the things. Booking gigs. Designing graphics. Managing...

Podcast image

PROFITABLE MUSICIAN WEEKLY NEWSLETTER June 25, 2025 Hey there, Profitable Musician! One of the biggest myths I see floating around the indie music world is this idea that you need a manager to be legit. Or that once you find the right manager, everything in your career will finally click. But here's the truth: having a manager too early can actually slow you down. And not being ready when the right one comes along? That’s a missed opportunity. In my recent podcast interview with Janice Shen...

PROFITABLE MUSICIAN: FEM FRIDAY EDITION June 20, 2025 Happy FEM Friday! Can we talk about something that doesn’t get nearly enough airtime? That creeping feeling that maybe you’re not cut out for this. That voice that whispers, “Who do you think you are?” when you go to post something about your music or share a new video. The pit in your stomach when you see someone else doing what you want to do, only better, faster, with shinier graphics and more followers. If any of that sounds familiar,...