How Indie Musicians Use Social Media to Build a Brand

Introduction: What Makes Indie Music Distinct

What makes indie music special in the music industry is the fact that it is produced outside the studio system. Indie artists rise up out of obscurity through their own grit and determination, their own ability to publicize themselves and gain traction, their own talent and genius, and their own development of a fan base. Unlike the many artists today who are groomed from childhood — their fans brought to them via a range of media conglomerates with overlapping boards of directors, their music written for them by ghostwriters, their look developed for them by stylists, their persona created for them by marketing specialists — indie musicians carve a name out for themselves via the tools of the 21st century: social media, streaming services, and DIY (do-it-yourself) merchandise.

One of the legends of the indie music scene exemplifies the raw talent and tenacity of this particular group: Daniel Johnston, who recorded his songs on a tape deck in his parents' basement, handed them out to customers at the drive-through where he worked, made a t-shirt that ended up being worn by Kurt Cobain on MTV, and suddenly saw his fame skyrocket, with his songs being covered by a range of popular artists. Today, the indie music scene is even different from what it was when Johnston got going in the early 1980s. The ability to get one's name out there as a bedroom artist like Clairo far surpasses anything that could have been done in the past. This paper shows how indie musicians today — bedroom artists like Clairo and the actor-turned-singer Childish Gambino — build a brand and identity for themselves by developing relationships with the public via social media, and through the development of their own fan base, thereby build a relationship with the music industry.

Social Media as a Launchpad: From Justin Bieber to Macklemore

Justin Bieber is not an indie artist — but he got his start as one. Bieber was discovered by his agent on social media. As Schawbel notes, Scooter Braun saw Bieber on YouTube and arranged to have the young boy meet Usher, Braun's partner in Raymond Braun Media Group. Bieber ended up signing a record contract with Island Records, sold millions, won Grammys, and now boasts more than seven million followers on Twitter and 20 million followers on Facebook (Schawbel). Bieber catapulted from social media — barely a young tween indie artist — to being a celebrity virtually overnight, thanks to the keen eye of a manager-producer and the packaging talents of the music industry.

Bieber, however, does not do the indie music scene justice, as he was barely established when Braun discovered him. He is simply an example of how social media is used today to help get music careers started. A better example of how indie musicians develop their songs, music videos, fans, and reputation without any initial help from the music industry is the duo of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, whose debut album won a Grammy and whose 2013 song "Thrift Shop" went straight to the top of Billboard's charts. The duo directed a music video that garnered more than 40 million views when it dropped on YouTube, and their growing following gave them enough clout to secure a contract with the music industry: "backed by radio-promotion muscle from Alternative Distribution Alliance and Warner Bros.," Macklemore and Ryan Lewis became the biggest indie artists to find mainstream success since Lisa Loeb did it with help from actor friend Ethan Hawke (Horowitz; Feeney).

What made everything work for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis was a combination of ingenuity, artistic talent, understanding of social media, technical skill, and the most important thing of all in the indie world — the DIY mentality. Instead of waiting to be discovered like Justin Bieber, they went out and announced themselves to the world with a full-on press campaign. Social media helped them cultivate their brand and status, and from there they were able to show Warner Bros. that they could command attention. Warner Bros. then got them airplay on the radio, which put the duo in the minds of radio listeners, and the rest was history. Self-promotion was at the heart of it all — and self-promotion is what the indie music scene has generally always been about.

The DIY Mentality and the Culture Industry

What social media has enabled is for indie artists to take self-promotion to a whole new level, reach new audiences, develop a brand and a core of followers, and create and share music videos to help sell both the brand and the songs. Today's indie artists show that "the heart of the industry, the record companies," may not be quite as important as they used to be (Shuker 9) — at least when it comes to recording studios. Today, everyone can have their own personal recording studio with the right software and a computer. Pro Tools gives every indie artist access to the same caliber of gear as professional recording studios, meaning the recording industry is less powerful in that specific sense than it was in the past.

However, recording studios are just one part of a much larger ecosystem. Where the music industry remains dominant is in "publishing; music retail; the music press; music hardware, including musical instruments, sound recording and reproduction technology; tours and concerts, and associated merchandising (posters, t-shirts, etc.); film, television, and MTV; and royalties and rights and their collection/licensing agencies" (Shuker 10). The music industry is part of the overall culture industry, a term coined by Adorno and Horkheimer of the Frankfurt School (as Shuker points out). The culture industry is responsible for putting up the capital to get ideas, images, sounds, and moving pictures out into the public arena. Movies cost money to make; songs cost money to be distributed. As Garnham puts it, the culture industry uses "the characteristic modes of production and organization of industrial corporations to produce and disseminate symbols in the form of cultural goods and services, generally, though not exclusively, as commodities" (25).

For an indie artist to break into the culture industry and establish a relationship with the music studios is remarkable — and yet today it is increasingly common, thanks to the influence of social media and the ability of indie artists to market themselves and demonstrate to studio executives that they have enough brand appeal to justify investment and promotion on a larger stage.

Conclusion: Social Media as the New Bridge

Social media is the new link between indie artists and the music industry. It is the bridge between creativity and originality on one side, and the power of the culture industry on the other. The emerging indie artists of today offer a range of products — from bedroom art like that made by Clairo one morning when she felt like expressing something new and unique, to the sleeker, hipper, and bigger productions of artists like Macklemore and Childish Gambino. In any case, once they establish their credentials, they can move on to the next stage in the business: getting signed by a major label or at least working with the industry to promote their work. The majors win by getting a cut of the new pie; the indie artists win by gaining exponentially more exposure.

Works Cited

Feeney, Nolan. "Macklemore's 'Thrift Shop' Is First Indie Hit to Top Charts in Nearly Two Decades." Time, 2013.

Garnham, N. "Concepts of Culture: Public Policy and the Cultural Industries." Cultural Studies 1, no. 1 (1997): 2–37.

Horowitz, Steven. "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Crash Radio With 'Thrift Shop'." Billboard, 2013. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/1484126/macklemore-ryan-lewis-crash-radio-with-thrift-shop

Mench, Chris. "But I'm Not a Rapper: Everything You Need to Know About Childish Gambino's First Three Mixtapes." Complex, 2015. https://www.complex.com/music/2015/08/everything-you-need-to-know-about-childish-gambinos-first-three-mixtapes

Schawbel, Dan. "Inside the Brand of Justin Bieber: An Interview with Manager Scooter Braun." Forbes, 2011. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2011/02/11/inside-the-brand-of-justin-bieber-an-interview-with-manager-scooter-braun/

Shuker, Roy. Understanding Popular Music Culture. Routledge, 2013.

Zoladz, Lindsay. "The Curious Case of Clairo." The Ringer, 2018. https://www.theringer.com/music/2018/7/25/17610744/clairo-diary-001-music-industry