30,000 Followers and You Can't Pay Your Rent ?
I had lunch the other day with someone from Universal Music.
At some point I asked him a question. I said — imagine we're living in a parallel reality. Someone shows up in your office. Turns out it's Michael Jackson. Nobody knows him yet. He has Thriller in his hands, fully recorded, fully produced, exactly as we know it.
The guy can sing, the guy can dance, the guy can hold an audience. He has the charisma, the talent, the record. Everything.
The guy can sing, the guy can dance, the guy can hold an audience. He has the charisma, the talent, the record. Everything.
Would you sign him?
He didn't hesitate. He said no.
I looked at him. Are you serious? Are you kidding me?
He said no ! We need artists who already have a fan base. We need a community we can capitalise on and transform into revenue.
I sat with that for a moment. And then it all made sense.
The System Has Been Flipped
Before, an artist developed their talent, found their audience through that talent, and success followed the work. Today, you're required to show proof of success before being allowed to do the work that leads to success.
Talent has become a secondary variable. The algorithm is the audition.
The Trap Nobody Talks About
Every week I meet young artists. Or I hear about them. They have 10, 20, 30,000 followers. They're posting every day, creating content, spending hours chasing the algorithm. They're working hard.
And they can't pay their bills.
So I pushed the Universal guy further. I said, if an artist walks in with 100,000 followers and the music is just okay, would you sign them?
He said yes.
There it is.
The music is just okay, but the community is there. And the label knows how to turn that community into money. Data, distribution, rights, marketing, they have the machine.
The young artist doesn't.
The young artist doesn't.
So here's what's actually happening. Young artists are doing all the hard work, building the audience, feeding the platforms, generating the data. And someone else comes to collect.
The data you generate on TikTok belongs to TikTok. Your followers on Instagram belong to Instagram. Your streams on Spotify feed their algorithms. And when you finally have something valuable, the label shows up and monetises the audience you spent years building.
You are not the beneficiary. You are the content.
You're Playing Someone Else's Game
The rules you're following, post every day, chase the algorithm, grow your followers, those rules weren't written for you. They were written by platforms and industry players who profit from your compliance.
They need you to keep playing. Because when you play, they win.
The young artist struggling to pay rent while posting three times a day doesn't understand this yet. Not because they're not smart. Because nobody told them. Because the system is designed to keep them busy, keep them producing, keep them building audiences they don't own and can't monetise.
What Actually Belongs to You
I'm not saying ignore social media. I'm saying understand who it belongs to and build what's actually yours alongside it.
What you own:
- Your website. Your home. Your space.
- Your email list. The only fans nobody can ever take from you.
- Your catalogue. Your rights. Your work.
Build that first. An email list of 500 real fans who bought something from you is worth more than 50,000 followers you can't reach without paying for ads.
The algorithm is not your friend. It's a tool. Use it, but don't work for it.
To Every Young Artist Reading This
You're not failing. You're playing the wrong game.
The sooner you understand that, the sooner you can start building something that actually belongs to you.
Steev Crispin
Limitless creative mind, music producer, and brand storyteller. Founder of ColorWorld Music, he blends music, branding, and visual arts to craft emotion-first experiences for brands, artists, and audiences worldwide. Known for his non-linear thinking and passion for innovation, he thrives on connecting ideas, people, and disciplines—always exploring new ways to move and inspire.