The Path of Independence in the Music Industry : Exploring how independent artists promote themselves through digital media and how record labels support artists in their careers

Sammanfattning: Background: In this world of rapidly developing technologies, it has become less of a challenge for individuals to start a career within music and promote their brand. The emergence of social media has revolutionized digital marketing and facilitated the distribution of music across different online platforms. Artists working independently in the music industry have been challenged to undertake a dual role of being both a creator of music, as well as a marketer. Purpose: This research covers an uninvestigated topic. The paper firstly explores the various possibilities for self-promotion for independent artists, provided by living in a technological world. The second aspect which is examined is how record labels can support artists in their careers through doing their promotion campaigns and establishing their brand identity. Method: This is an exploratory qualitative study, which was conducted deductively. Eight semi- structured interviews were held with independent artists working with music in Sweden, the findings from which were organized through a thematic analysis. The design of the research follows a case study approach. Conclusion: The empirical findings suggest that independent artists use a DIY (Do It Yourself) approach in their careers, specifically in the marketing of their music and their personal brand. Using features provided by social media channels, distribution companies and music streaming services, as well as having consistent personal branding were some of the ways in which independent artists digitally self-promote themselves. On the other side, labels support artists by having bigger budgets and doing more outspread digital promotion campaigns, which allows the artists to focus on the creation of music, rather than on marketing planning and decision-making. The study contributes to research within the field of music marketing. Furthermore, suggestions for future research are provided.