Theriz Journal

Creating Art & Sharing Love Since 2009

How The Role Of The Modern Musician Is Changing Before Our Eyes

Aspiring musicians had it easy in decades past. Their role was clearly defined: you make music, find a record label, and everything steamrolls from there. It was still competitive (obviously), but the role of the modern musician is changing dramatically before our very eyes.

It’s no longer a case of being just a musician who sings or plays music - more is expected of musicians in 2025 and beyond. Rather than assuming one role, you have to take on many.

Malgosia Bela in Vogue Paris December 2012 by Lachlan Bailey

The All-in-One Modern Musician

Loads of up-and-coming musicians now wear various hats. They write and perform their own music - but they also produce and publish it. They’re handling the business side of things and basically end up becoming an independent record label all by themselves.

It’s no surprise that Clive Davis - CCO of Sony Music - set up the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music to help aspiring musicians with all of this. Music schools like this are popping up more frequently, with a focus on learning everything about the music industry.

Instead of simply training vocally or learning how to play instruments, modern musicians understand how to produce and promote their own stuff. You’re learning about financial planning and, basically, how to run a music business. Cast your mind back a few decades ago, and could you imagine The Beatles or BeyoncĂ© doing all of this?!

Why Are Modern Musicians Changing Roles?

You can see how the role of a modern musician is changing, but why is this happening? Two words: social media.

That may seem like a stretch, but the rise of social media has changed the music industry forever. Artists like Shawn Mendes and Olivia Rodrigo are now internationally recognized figures, but they owe their success to social media. Both amassed followings on various platforms - and then went viral.

The mere presence of social media gives musicians a platform like never before. Now, you can post songs on TikTok or Instagram and receive thousands of views in an instant. It emphasises the need to be more “business savvy” as you basically have to grow a social media presence and create your brand from the ground up.

Alongside social media, you can also point to the growing distrust between musicians and big record labels. Artists now realize how little control they have over their own music when a record company is involved. Taylor Swift is the highest profile example of this: she had to buy back her master recordings, otherwise she had no control over them. Musical artists are growing to realize that they don’t always need big record labels to help them succeed - and that’s also mainly down to the power of social media. It makes self-publishing and self-ownership more achievable, hence this massive shift in roles.

The modern musician is no longer just a performer or a composer. They’re a jack-of-all-trades handling everything from music production to distribution. We’re in a quite exciting time where many artists no longer need record labels and understand that the best path to success lies within themselves. Could we see a world in the future without record labels at all? It seems unlikely right now, but if things continue in this trend, then who knows…