The rise of “doing it yourself”
Depending on when you were born, DIY could mean a few different things to you. It could mean designing your own clothes because the ones you saw in the store don’t fit your style (Gen X). It could mean trying to fix things in your home before calling in a professional (Boomer!) or even watching a YouTube video on how to re-paint a bedroom because you have a specific vision you want to execute on a budget (Looking at you, Millennials!). Once upon a time, being a DIY musician meant recording demos in your parents’ garage or busking on street corners and handing out free CDs burned in your bedroom. However, if you’re a musician in 2026, DIY takes on a whole new meaning. That’s because 20 years ago, doing it yourself was a last resort, but today it’s often a first choice.
Taking the DIY route
More and more artists are taking the DIY route which is not a big surprise when you think about it. Record labels are great, but not signing to one doesn’t mean you can’t have a viable career. There are so many tools that allow musicians to put out music on their own terms, from SongTools (read our interview with one of their founders here), to STRUT VIP’s annual membership program for emerging artists to Play MPE’s Caster, Player & MTR tools for radio. If you have a laptop, patience and perseverance, you have as good a chance as anyone to get your song on the radio, a playlist or reviewed online. The internet has made the world global and whereas it was once impossible to service your single to radio in Australia, it’s literally a button click with the right app.
An up-and-coming band can easily find tools that will help them start to build a fanbase. A singer/songwriter can focus a small budget on social media and start booking regional shows once they feel like they have an engaged following. DIY is no longer something other musicians look down upon, and, in fact, artists are helping one another succeed. Lots of Reddit pages find musicians trading advice on tools that have helped them and point out ones that weren’t as worthwhile. Community is a big part of the independent artist world and they’re happy to pay it forward.
Self-education is key
Even established artists are taking their careers back into their own hands. A platinum selling artist can put together their own team and take full advantage of their catalogue. Often that’s more appealing to them, especially when they have the wherewithal to put together a team to help guide them. And the best part of a team is they can employ them when they’re putting out a record and when the album cycle is over, so is the contracted work until it’s time to put out an EP or single.
More and more artists are seeing the appeal of DIY. Self-education is key; learn all you can about monetization, distribution, analytics, branding, publishing – the list goes on and on. That knowledge allows you to make smart and informed choices about your career. There’s a passion in promoting your own music that a third party could never duplicate. And owning your masters, a dream come true! There are countless artists – some that may even surprise you – who use Play MPE tools to promote their music to radio and satellite. Others use our analytic tools. There are just so many ways for artists to steer their own careers in a meaningful way. Being an independent artist is no longer a last chance; it’s becoming the blueprint.