Pros and Cons of Being an Independent Artist

In the Cameroon Music Industry, it’s getting harder to release your music and build a music career without the backing or support of a record label. 

Digital music distribution, streaming platforms, social media, online marketing tools, and technology advancements are changing the way artists release music and reach fans but will still take time for this type of artist to penetrate using these factors.

So we are going to be looking at the Pros and Cons of being an independent artist in Cameroon as follows:

THE PROS OF BEING AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST

1. Full control:

Independent artists have complete control over their music. They also have full control over distribution, marketing, artwork, messaging, deadlines, and more. Moreover, an independent artist has free will to make decisions about their creative vision. It’s the ideal thing for many artists who want to dance to their own drums as they finally don’t answer to anyone.

2. 100% ownership of your music:

Independent artists own the master rights to their music. They also have the freedom to negotiate music licensing and publishing deals. Moreover, they don’t have to worry about confusing contracts, expensive lawyers, and signing over their music rights.

3. Enjoys all the profits:

Independent artists keep 100% of the profits generated from music sales, shows, streams, endorsements, merchandise, and other revenue sources.

THE CONS OF BEING AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST

1. Limited Time:

Pursuing the independent artist route is time-consuming. Self-releasing your music can seem like a full-time job. It requires a lot of time to set up distribution, create all the release assets, develop a marketing strategy, track sales, book shows, and everything else associated with releasing music. All this extra work also takes away valuable studio time from the artist.

2. Limited network:

Independent artists starting their music career have a limited network of fans and industry contacts. Whereas record labels will have a larger fanbase and connections with music industry professionals such as promoters, booking agents, media, etc.

3. Limited music business experience:

Learning the ropes of the music business is challenging. It takes time and experience to learn all aspects of the music business. There are a lot of parts to manage, changing trends, music laws, and much more. It’s a complex world! It can also be an expensive lesson to figure out what works and what doesn’t.

4. Limited Resources and Finance:

Funding mastering, distribution, marketing, merchandise, touring, and other expenses are costly. Many independent artists don’t have the resources and money a record label can provide. So it’s very difficult to blow up as an independent artist than in a record label.

So there you have it. The Pros and Cons of Being an Independent Artist in Cameroon. Feel free to drop your opinion in the comment section below!