Why It’s Hard to Get Heard, Even if You’re Good

I don’t often write about the business side of songwriting. The reason is that it’s vast, with nooks and crannies that aren’t my area of expertise, and I value my own time too much to waste other people’s time on articles that talk a lot but don’t say much. That said, here I go talking business. I’ll stick to the side I know, and only dip a toe in areas I hire out for expert advice.

I know that songwriters these days eventually ask themselves “what’s the point?” There is so much noise it’s difficult to get our music heard. The truth here is that the normal channels of communication are already tangled with too much content. Too many songs uploaded to Spotify, too many artists vying for the same opportunities, and too few opportunities to place music made by real humans. There is no shortage of reasons why getting heard seems next to impossible.

But something I also recognize amongst creatives of my kind is confusion around what we can do about it. If the goal is to get heard, then the next question should be “by whom?” In conversations with artists and writers just starting out, the belief surfaces that simply popping a song on Spotify should result in someone listening, as if Spotify is an effective promotional tool instead of a distribution warehouse. There’s also the growing sense that once we’ve claimed our digital space on social media, people should somehow care about the content we’re putting out and return for more. The thing that seasoned writers and artists know that beginners don’t, is that it’s hard to get heard even if you’re good. And the reason is that most of the time, it’s got very little to do with the music.

I hated hearing that when I started out. It disgusted me, as if someone was sucking the nutrients out of the thing I love and replacing it with sawdust. But the longer I stayed in the industry, the more I understood that I could keep what I loved and add the business side to it. We tangle music and business in a way that appears to overestimate or underestimate the value of our own work. But neither are true. We’re simply unaware of the boundary.

To be heard in the industry, creators need to be able to answer the question of “why.” Why would a publisher believe my catalog to be a good investment? Why would a label believe I am ready for larger venues, or a bigger tour? Why would a fan want to return to my music again and again? Real answers move beyond a valuation of the music, and into a valuation of the artist and writer to be a vehicle for the music. It’s not personal, it is indeed just business. 

I have known several publishers and A&R over the years who shared with me how fanatically pumped they were about a particular artist or writer, and at the same time distressed that they couldn’t sign them. The artist wasn’t consistent enough, the writer didn’t collaborate well, the match between company direction and creator wasn’t strong enough. 

When potential fans hear our music, they may generally like what we make, but it’s up to us to tell them what to do next. Party with us at our next show, wear our cool t-shirts, become part of our inner circle fan club and get to hear our newest song before everyone else. Even more engaging is ‘let us relate to you as a person writing the songs of your life.’ If we really want our music to reach people, we’ve got to be people, too.

So before you go shelving the idea of writing and recording more songs because it’s impossible to get heard, consider what listening to your music and relating to you as a person will hold for everyone you come in contact with through your music. Then, dive into the ‘how’ of marketing and promotion, without letting go of the fact that the music is meaningful apart from all that strategy and noise. Whether anyone or everyone hears your music doesn’t bear weight on the value of it. You already decided that simply by putting time and enjoyment into it, with the genuine desire to share it.