Audiomack ARTIST GUIDE
Artists 101
How do I define my artist story?
Defining your artist story is a key part of starting your career in music. It’s important to know who you are, what you want to say, and how you want to say it. Your artist story allows listeners to identify with you beyond your music, and should inform your marketing, branding, and online presence. You should know your sound and find your unique voice, and start finding your unique voice before you start pitching yourself for press, playlist consideration, and new audiences.
“Defining the artist story has to come easily to the artist. They should do some soul-searching and figure out what they’re trying to say through their art. Sometimes, when you make music, what comes out isn’t what you thought would come out. Sometimes, what’s coming out might be your true musical self, and that defines your artist story. It has to be genuine. To me, it’s about looking within and seeing what you and your music stand for, and being honest with yourself.”
—Benjy Grinberg, Owner of Rostrum Records
“The narrative or the essence of an artist and who their character is—their ethos—it works through something literal. Not every artist is going to have the life experience to where their pure story is the most compelling thing. So, when I think of the story, it’s ‘What is the essence of what you’re trying to speak from?’ Not just lyrics. It has to all be comprehensive, from the look to what they’re posting on their socials, to their artwork. You can create that story as much as that story is a part of you. How do you want people to listen to your music?”
—Karl Fricker, VP of A&R, RCA Records
“It’s about where you fit in the market: what genre, what playlists, and what comparable artists. And it sucks, because no artist wants to say they’re similar to somebody else, but you gotta be influenced by someone for the playlisters, especially, to know where to put you.”
—Liz Eason, Label Services, Vydia
“Find out where you come from and why you’re making music. Intent is important in everything, and understanding who you’re making music for. Hone in on craft, and what the product in this industry is going to be. As someone who is in the studio with the artist, I try to have these conversations before we make any music. Having those conversations early on is really important, whether that’s with your producer, your A&R, your management team, or your marketing team. You tell them who you are, where you’re going and who you wanna be.”
—Adam Small, A&R, Saweetie
“You’re trying to define yourself in three ways: sonically, aesthetically, and behaviorally. In doing so, you really want to ask yourself two questions. The first: What do I stand for as an artist? What do I represent as an artist? That’s a key component. The second thing you want to think about is what inspires you as an artist, not only musically. It’s easy to say, ‘I like this genre, this band from the past…’ I encourage you to think beyond music: What literature inspires you? What food? What travel experience? What brands?”
—Seth Faber, Head of Artist and Label Strategy, Stem
“Your artist story is part of your branding, the process of creating a clear and consistent way to express who you are. Explain why you are unique and what fans can expect from you. By making your story relevant and believable, it becomes a promise that builds trust. To create a strong brand, think about who you are and what you represent; write it down, and consider what you can do every day to manifest it. Your story is how you express all of this; it tells your audience what to expect, gets them to look forward to hearing from you, and prepares them for your marketing messages.”
—Mark Tavern, Music Industry Educator
“The story of who you are comes after what you’ve been through. When you first start, there’s not much to tell, but as you go through and do more things, and experience more things, that’s when you gon’ have your story. As with anything, you gotta go through the bullshit to get to the bullshit.”
—Sonny Digital, Artist
