Music? Money? Maybe.

FEATURE | PUORO O AOTEAROA / LOCAL MUSIC

Written by Sofia Kent (she/her) | Contributing Writer

Once upon a time in a land of plentiful gigs, physical media and cheap rent, musicians were able to conjure the mythical creature called “making a living”. Scary Streaming ™ came silently in the night, mutating from its tangible, physical form to a digital one that captivated us with an endless abundance of music of every desire. And while the climb of making a living gradually steepens, the hope of burgeoning musicians becomes one of diminishing horizons.

Albeit, new music persists! So what does this landscape look like? Let’s go to Erin who, while studying Communications and Marketing at AUT, released her first single as Chiwi Hapa artist “Erin G”. The electronic-indie music was the culmination of a musically inclined life, and though not studying music, the comms/marketing conjoint was serendipitous as Erin G became her own campaigner, manager, and accountant all at once. Their music released in 2021, on streaming services which have become, for many artists, the hallmark of the start of “serious music making”. However, unlike selling tickets for a gig or vinyl sales, the monetary reward is more complex, and in most cases, miniscule..

“In the beginning, it was quite exciting, I remember getting my first invoice for 10 bucks from my streaming, but as I was growing it was like, yeah, there absolutely needs to be better value for artists in that sense. Bandcamp, Tidal, even Apple Music pay better than Spotify and through distribution companies my music gets put out there on all of them, but the majority of my listeners are on Spotify, I think because it is so mainstream and the access is so easy”

Spotify’s payment per stream stands at an average of 0.005 NZD per stream and requires a minimum of 1000 streams of at least 30 seconds of listening time to be considered. 1 thousand streams = $5. 1 million streams = $5,000. The streaming royalties are split between the mechanical copyright (who owns the recording), and songwriting copyright which is usually processed through a third party such as APRA (Australisian Peforming Right Association), publishing companies, management and so on. Registering work as a songwriter, composer, or sole artist can be done through organisations such as APRA or OneMusic, where royalties from streaming to live performance are more easily accessible. . But when these rates are in dire straits, the million-dollar question persists: how do streaming musicians make their money? The anecdotal answer from Erin G weaves between different hustles, funding, and reality checks.

“For performing, when you go through the right people and the right organisations, the pay is really good, but it doesn’t sustain you in the long term. It’s always one off, like freelance work. If you have a consistent stream, that’s when you think, “Okay, cool I could actually live off of this”, but when you’re a smaller artist, it’s harder to do so. I think as an artist you have to be multifaceted in how you spread yourself and the sacrifices you’re willing to make for the art. I received my first piece of funding after four or five years of applications, and it gave me the opportunity to try my vision and work with people I really wanted to work with. It felt like a really big privilege to have and to have that support from the government, but it is so so hard to get. During COVID, I was really lucky as I lived at home, and alongside uni and a part-time job I was able to feed into my music. When I graduated, I realised I couldn’t do music and work a 9-5. I lived that life and there was no time or energy because it was so hustle and bustle, early mornings and late nights. I spent the year figuring out what I could do to live in a societal way and earn money, but to also have enough time and freedom. I didn’t know when I became an artist it meant learning how to be an accountant and a social media/ marketing person, I had to have all these hats.”

“Now, I’ve got 4-5 jobs that I juggle; so my sacrifice for the life that I want means I work seven days a week, but it gives me the freedom to do what I want. I had to figure out how to rearrange life in a non-traditional way because I think being an artist already means you’re living a very non-traditional lifestyle and so everything else has to fall to it.”

Streaming is king, one that doesn’t pay well. There is undeniable prevalence as shown in recent statistics of streaming numbers from October to December 2024 in Aotearoa of Kiwi artists was 216.5 million, up 19% from the previous quarter (Q3). Individual purchasing of tracks doesn’t revel in streaming success as digital single sales of Kiwi artists decreased 23% from Q3. We see here that in making music, sacrifice is necessary and of course easier to do from a position of privilege as feeding the soul is trumped by being fed. Even years into a musical career, Erin G states that their mindset with music is not about making that money back, but is instead being willing to play the capitalist game that ‘makes a living’ to create something that serves herself and resonates with listeners. Whatever is financially gained from the music is put straight back into it, from recording studios to engineers and visual artists; the integral parts of creating a song, who end up receiving that hard earned money before the artists themselves.. The Kafkaesque logistics of the music realm necessitates knowledge, perseverance, and a sprinkle of delusion. Self-managed, Erin G learns a new aspect every day of how the industry functions, praising online resources. When asked for her sage advice for those willing to try, we are left with optimistic words that may resurrect this bleak picture.

“Shoot your shot. Put yourself in places with people that are in the industry and don’t be afraid to ask questions. I felt a lot of imposter syndrome that I didn’t deserve to be in those spaces or that I needed to be more “ahead” to be there. Just know that you can and you are allowed to be there. Time is your biggest asset. Keep doing what is important to you, art or not, and it’s the true key to happiness. I sound like a freak , but I really believe in that.”

Erin G’s point of recognising the value of artists may be the wishful crux to our musical horizon. Though the consumption and technology of music have changed, the value of work should remain unchanged. Perhaps there is already a resurgence in the growth of physical music sales as displayed in 2024 stats that show album sale units increased by a delightful 59% from Q3. If we can return, even exceed, in valuing the art form that gives so much to us, making music may even be a feasible, sustaining future for your bank and soul. Maybe.