I'm an "independent artist," which means I have total creative freedom of the things I make, I have a do-it-yourself approach to creation, and I have no label. I've been a DIY guy for a long time. I record myself and keep my production costs as low as possible. My philosophy as an independent artist has always been personal. I love having all kinds of listeners, but there's something special about connection I have with the people who see true value in what I do and want to see me succeed. I don't practice a mentality of wanting anyone and everyone to know me. I don't play bar gigs, I don't busk, and I even have a bit of resistance to using social media because I care more about meaningful direct connection. In the domain of algorithms and influence, sometimes a number of views can be perceived as higher in value than a meaningful connection. But meaningful connection is what matters most to me.
I appreciate the competitive world of publicly-shared creativity. But I started a Patreon in 2021 because I wanted to create a certain kind of home for the people who support me the most. I operate just like any other small business. I "sell" directly to my patronage. I don't have a record company behind me. As weird as it may feel sometimes, I am the person who has to think about the finances. The music business is different than having a storefront that people can come to. But I wanted to offer that same "brick-and-mortar" experience for the people who appreciate what I'm making.
It's no secret that the creative economy is saturated with brands, creatives, and products. Almost every business has an Instagram, a TikTok, a Facebook, a website, a podcast, and a YouTube channel. So in addition to these pieces, I wanted a place where I could share with those who want to help me get to where I'm going. Unlike the social media platforms, Patreon gives me a reliable direct line to the passionate. They hear the songs first in their rawest and simplest form. They get secret updates. They get a first look. They even hear the ones I never release publicly. They see more than the final output. They're part of an inside community.
Artistry is often distant and secretive. But I'm able to use Patreon to turn the creative process into a shared adventure that I can tread with those who are most interested in where it leads. And this is helping me go against the grain by building a stable structure around my music so that I can create full-time.
THE ECONOMICS OF MUSIC
As of recent estimates, around 100,000 songs are uploaded to Spotify every day
On average, Spotify pays artists between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream
An artist generally needs between 200 and 334 streams on Spotify to make $1
The cheapest option for putting a song on Spotify costs $9.95 per single
It takes approximately 2,000–3,333 streams for one song to break even after distribution to Spotify
This does not account for the cost of recording, mixing, mastering, copyrighting, & marketing
To put it simply and honestly, the economics of music have gotten pretty silly. People with large budgets promoting their music have the ability to use streaming, touring, and other sources of revenue to make money off of music (sorta). But on the independent end, it is very hard to make a living. And that's okay. It's hard to make a living doing anything daring. It's so affordable to make music these days, it's understandable that the value of music has gone down. But lots of artists are paying more money to make music than they're making from the music. And for someone like me, it makes sense to seek out opportunities for support. We are consistently losing small venues. We've lost the demand for CDs. We are running out of ways to make money from music, so we need to be open-minded to new methods for supporting the artists that we want to see succeed.
Direct support on Patreon keeps the forge burning. It provides stability. This is why I started a Patreon – to build a supportive community around my music, to create a space where each creation can be shared directly, to give my biggest supporters something special, and to stabilize my income so that I can keep doing this. I'm embracing independent artistry by cultivating a direct line with the people who wish to support me.
I realize that a monthly commitment is something the average consumer reserves for Hulu, Netflix, or Spotify. But that is how we have found ourselves in this position. And that is why something like Patreon makes so much sense. Small amounts of monthly support create an environment for ongoing creation. Crowd-sourcing is also an awesome way for artists to make their dreams come true, but they don't do as much to keep a roof over an artist's head. So Patreon is my chosen method for building more stability for myself, and I have lots of features in place to ensure that it is valuable to my Patron's lives.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM MY PATREON
Full videos of concert footage
Your name listed as a sponsor of my podcast and my music videos
Early access to everything I make (including uncut podcasts)
Exclusive content like my "Open Journal" post series
Discounted & Free merchandise
FULL LPs (+ the stuff I don't release on Spotify)
THE VAULT (huge digital catalog of early & unreleased material)
+AND+
You'll help me work toward my goal of making my income as an independent artist
My first landmark goal is to reach 300 Patreon members. That number of supporters would be a huge step toward making music and creative content full-time.
If you're interested in supporting my path toward stable independent artistry, and if you're passionate about the things I release, I encourage you to try out my Patreon. If it isn't for you, you can cancel anytime. For a small amount of monthly support ($3, $5, $10), you can gain access to the perks and be notified when I release something new. You can also access my full library of music, including my exclusive new releases. When I released my DEVIL album a few years ago, I released 3 songs on Spotify, but I released 6 songs on the LP exclusively through Patreon and my website. Soon I will be putting more of my LPs behind the Patreon paywall. If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, follow this link.
-Tyler Nail
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