This is a special report—and something I’m bringing in a free webinar for all songwriters and artists at every level of their career. If you’ve ever wondered how to be successful in the music industry, this free 80-minute presentation (link below) unlocks a lot of epiphanies and insights. For yourself, I think it will be so important and vital right now for you to review.
In my opinion, the music industry is in crisis. Have you felt it?
As someone who talks with everyone from hitmakers to up-and-coming artists, songwriters, and producers, the sentiment is clear:
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For professional songwriters, royalties keep shrinking and the number of quality artists who can truly move the needle continues to dwindle.
And for established or even viral artists—when was the last time your new release outperformed your top streaming single?
In my candid opinion, things are a mess. Here are just some of the hurdles we’re facing.
Right now, nearly 1 million songs are released every week. That number is only growing as AI ramps up. The competition for streams, attention, and survival has never been fiercer. And here’s the brutal truth: most of those songs—even those that are getting the coveted “new music” playlists—will likely be forgotten in three to six months or less. People digest the songs, scroll up on TikTok, and then move on to the next.
Even singles from major labels (songs with millions in marketing behind them) often fade quickly and generate pennies in royalties. I’ve seen the statements firsthand. One artist who had a billion-streaming single one year later can barely crack 1 million streams. This is a crazy reality.
But don’t worry—this is not all doom and gloom at all. Because I think there’s a silver lining here for those who are listening and willing to do the work. That’s right, I do believe that right now is the biggest opportunity ever for an artist or professional songwriter! Yes, this is a time to get excited!
But for you to capture this opportunity, you can’t be doing what everyone else is.
So if you’re wondering how to be successful in the music industry, you need to face the silent crisis head-on. That’s why I created The State of the Music Industry Webinar, which I’m giving away free. Yes, free! Just click on that link and watch the eighty-minute webinar that I made for you.
It’s not just a quick overview. It’s a full module straight from my flagship course, The Hit Songwriter Accelerator. And if you sign up, you’ll also get an exclusive link to join the program at 15% off.
The Pain Points Holding Songwriters Back
The State of the Music Industry Webinar
If you want to know how to be successful in the music industry, here’s what we’re up against today:
Decreased Quality of Songwriting: There’s more music than ever, but in reality, fewer “classics” or songs that truly matter. The bar has been lowered. As a listener, you’ve probably felt it too. And the songs that do get attention often just seem to be getting worse and worse—at best “meh.”
Competition for Attention: Your song isn’t just competing with other artists but with TikTok, Netflix, YouTube, gaming, and more. For new artists, this often feels like an impossible uphill climb, and it can be very discouraging to gain any traction.
Lack of Real Hits or Evergreens: We’re facing a shortage of perennial songs (the kind that last for years). Most new releases are “fluff songs” that nobody will care about in six months. Even artists with viral moments or strong fan bases often struggle to replicate their wins.
Technology in Everyone’s Hands: Everyone can release music, but not everyone knows how to make it matter. And I mean “everyone” (to borrow Gary Oldman’s famous line).
Isolation and Echo Chambers: Many artists are working in a vacuum with little to no guidance, writing in the same circles, repeating the same trends, hearing how great they are from their TikTok feeds—yet unaware of how to break through.
Increased Song Releases: As mentioned, we’ve gone from about 75,000 releases a year pre-streaming era to 250,000 a week eight years ago to nearly 1 million music releases per week today! Along with AI emerging, the flood is only getting bigger.
How to Be Successful in the Music Industry: The Path Forward
So, how do you cut through?
The answer in my opinion is not to write more songs. The answer is to write better songs. No, not just better songs—OUTSTANDING SONGS. That’s right, not just better songs but true hits. Perennial songs. Songs overflowing with emotion, energy, and originality. Songs people will play again and again. Songs that go the distance and create maximum emotion, regardless of whether that’s getting on the dance floor or expressing the emotions of a broken heart. But how do you do that?!
Tony Robbins
Also, what’s been happening is most songwriters and artists generally become acclimated to today’s new standards and what the minimum is to get on a “new music” of the week playlist versus rising to the level of the all-time greats who have come before us.
Here’s just one slide from the webinar—and a key thing I’ve learned about how to be successful in the music industry from 30 years in publishing:
10% = 100X: Theoretically, and I do believe in actual practice, if you can make your song just 10% better (through stronger hooks, sharper lyrics, better production, or more emotion), you can unlock a potential of 100X the results. This is the difference between obscurity and something career changing. And this works if you’re going from 10,000 streams to 1 million (easily achievable) or 1 million to 100 million! This is what the pros do when they’ve got a potential hit. They’re relentless in focusing on squeezing out every small percentage of quality!
The State of the Music Industry Webinar
Find Your Gold: Most ideas are average. You have to be ruthless in discarding the 80 to 90% of song ideas and doubling down on the 5 to 10% of ideas that truly have potential. If you’re on top of the gold, keep digging!
Mindset Is Everything: Success is 85% mindset, identity, and beliefs. The greats aren’t always more talented. They’re more relentless, more willing to rewrite, and more confident that hits happen to them and that they’re worthy of receiving the value.
Collaboration Matters: Some of the greatest songs in history came from collaborative “skunkworks” environments like Motown or Cheiron Studios, where multiple brilliant minds pushed songs to excellence. You don’t have to do it all alone.
Step Outside the Sandbox: Stop playing it safe. The biggest songs often come from breaking rules, aiming for 10X, and writing outside the cookie-cutter trends.
Why You Need This Webinar
The State of the Music Industry Webinar
I designed The State of the Music Industry Webinar to show you exactly how to navigate this new reality. It’s pulled straight from The Hit Songwriter Accelerator, my complete program for serious writers who want to create hits that last.
Inside the free training, you’ll discover the secrets of how to be successful in the music industry:
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- The real state of the music business right now (with insights pulled directly from royalty data). If you’re a songwriter, you’ve probably already seen it. Those royalty checks are dwindling dramatically year after year.
- What’s different about the environment today than the golden era of popular music of the 1960s to 1990s and how you can re-create that environment today.
- Why most songwriters and artists are failing, and how to avoid those mistakes.
- How to identify and write perennial songs that last.
- The proven strategies that can turn a decent song into one that creates true value.
- The mindset shifts you need to actually win in today’s industry.
Time-Stamped Directory
Whether you’re an artist, songwriter, or music executive, this on-demand free 80-minute webinar breaks down every critical insight in actionable segments:
1:30 – The Biggest Opportunity That Exists Right Now for You as an Artist or Songwriter
7:00 – Most Songs (Even Written by the Pros) Are Now Auto-Deposited to the Spotify and Apple Wasteland
11:00 – Solutions Part 1: 10% = 100X
16:00 – How Is 10% = 100X Even Possible?
17:30 – Where Can 10% Come From?
18:30 – Solutions Part 2: Getting on Top of the Gold
21:30 – Your Success = Skills, Mindset, or Personal Identity?
26:00 – Solutions Part 3
33:00 – Klondike Ben: Gold Prospecting and Writing Hits
38:00 – The Past Is the Way to the Future
41:00 – 1960–1989 Versus Today: What Is Different Today From the Era of Classic Songwriting? A Hell of a Lot
54:00 – We Don’t Need No Artists in the Room
55:00 – The Fake Promise of Getting an Artist in the Room
58:45 – Your Greatest Opportunity. Really, This Is Right Now
1:03:30 – Excuses From Your Co-Writers. Solution: F*ck Them. They’re Sabotaging Your Success
1:07 – My MTP (Massively Transformative Purpose): Save Music
1:12:30 – Billion Streaming Song Recipe (…Just Try This On)
1:15:30 – Other Billion Streaming Takeaways (From the Joshua Tree Moonshot Camp)
The State of the Music Industry Webinar
And remember: when you sign up, you’ll also receive a private link to join The Hit Songwriter Accelerator at 15% off. This deal isn’t available anywhere else—it’s exclusively for people who take action by joining the webinar (coupon code on the link).
Your Time Is Now: How to Be Successful in the Music Industry
The silent crisis is real. Most songs are fluff, written to evaporate, and most songwriters and artists will continue to struggle. You may have even sensed that something isn’t quite right in music today. You’re not imagining it. But understanding how to be successful in the music industry means knowing that the ones who create perennial songs will find their work more valuable than ever.
The flood of music is only getting bigger, but the good news is so is the value of songs that truly matter. Writers who lean in, adapt, and create timeless music will be the ones who thrive.
And to reiterate, I do think that right now is the biggest time and opportunity ever for artists and songwriters. It’s up to you, though, to seize it.
Register for The State of the Music Industry Webinar and learn how to rise above the noise, write songs that last, and finally claim your place in this business.
Lastly, I truly hope the above and, of course, the free on-demand webinar provide a lot of massive value for yourself and others. I do this because I’m passionate about my own clients’ breakthroughs (and consequently also my own), as well as sharing the observations I’m seeing from both sides of the desk.
Enjoy and see you on the charts and playlists!
Credits:
Brian Solis, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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