It’s the year 2025 and the search engine formerly known as Google is one of the biggest advertising companies in the world. Through years and years of data collection and use of new technologies we have begun receiving personalized ads. While this experience seemed great at its outset, it has become an obnoxious machine that feeds off our wants and needs. If you’re a business in 2025 and are not utilizing ads through Google, Meta, or even TikTok then are you really going to make it?

As musicians we are constantly sold these delusions of grandeur that if we put in enough hard work and put out quality music then we can finally “make it.” You’ll finally be able to tour the world, perform your songs to big crowds, and adhere to your own schedule just like a business owner. You’ll be known to many and leave behind a legacy that won’t be forgotten. This is the carrot that a lot of people try to sell you to buy into them and their own product. We often lose sight of why we even started writing music in the first place and instead get caught up in the rat race of making it.

‘If I just spend some money here to playlist my song I can start to get more listeners immediately. Maybe I should also buy that program that one ad on Instagram said would triple my monthly listeners on Spotify.’

Everyone is trying to sell you something on false promises just so you can hit that 10,000 monthly listener total on Spotify that unlocks discovery mode for you and then you’ll start exponentially increasing. These ads are preying on your musical ability and desires to give you instant gratification that your musical journey is worth it before you decide for yourself if it is or not. In a time where making music has the lowest point of entry possible, we are left wondering why we even create music if you can’t make a career out of it in a short amount of time.

While on my own music marketing journey, I have been targeted quite a bit with these ads. Some of these ads want you to spend hundreds of dollars to get curators to just listen to your stuff. There is zero guarantees they will add it to one of their playlists. This, to me, is a huge red flag. If I’m paying for something, I better get something in return that isn’t their ‘feedback’. If I want feedback, then I will just post a link on Reddit and let them demolish me for free. I’m not going to pay hundreds of dollars for a CHANCE to be on some playlist and I think artists need to stop feeding that machine. To me, these are all just more ways for instant gratification and making your musical journey feel worthwhile. Only you should decide if what you’re creating is worth it. What value does your music have for you and are you ok with it not having value for others? I believe that is the question every artist needs to seriously consider.

I personally don’t think music should be destination oriented as it is simply a form of expression. I’ve seen Instagram reels of artists basically praying, manifesting, or wanting to ‘be held accountable’ to meeting their lofty goals. Reaching 10k+ monthly listeners by years end and then achieving a record deal by the end of next year. While some people might think this is great that someone has this ambition, I find it very cringe as it really takes away from the purpose of art. I believe these people are the same people that have a hard time setting aside $50 each month for a retirement fund and would rather spend it trying to make it on a playlist that will net them pennies in the future. My approach is to continue investing, even in small amounts, and focus on having music be my form of expression that I can share with others regardless of the reward.

As a solo artist I see it as starting a business. I’m not going to excel at first, and that’s ok. I want to continue growing and fine-tuning my craft. I want to learn as much as I can about the parts of the process that I’m weak at. Maybe one day I’ll reach a point where I’ve hit a wall in growth and need to bring in others for additional help but now is not the time. I think I have a lot of room for growth and want to continue to push my own boundaries before starting to shell out money for a product that seems half-baked. Maybe this is a delusional take, but I just feel as though this is the way.

To wrap up, I really hope artists find their form of success regardless of the path they choose to take. I think everyone’s definition of success is different just like how everyone’s pace is different. I personally find that there’s zero need to sprint to the finish line when I can see potential growth where I am at, but that’s not everyone’s mindset. We all have different starting lines and it’s ok not to be where someone else is. Sometimes those people who have reached the destination we strive for are still not happy, and in the end that’s all I think that matters.