Between Algorithms and Ideals

What does reality look like when you’re a young artist ready to send your music out into the world?

Streaming, social media and algorithms have transformed how music is created, shared and experienced – but also how you can make a living from it. For many emerging artists, the dream of living off their art collides with a digital economy where exposure often outweighs income.

To better understand how new artists can navigate this landscape – and the choices and values that come with it – we spoke with Alexander Julin Mortensen, editor-in-chief and more, who has many years of experience covering music and artistic practice in Denmark’s emerging art scene.

In the conversation, Alexander shares his perspectives on the realities young musicians face, how streaming affects artistic work, and what you can concretely do to build a sustainable career as an artist in a digital age.

What reality do emerging artists meet today?

You enter an economic ecosystem that has changed dramatically. Streaming platforms have taken over the role that music sales used to play – but without carrying the economy with them.

Today, you distribute your music through platforms that rarely generate real income. It obviously depends on where you are in your career, but streaming is rarely a path to financial stability – especially in the beginning.

Where you used to be able to release a single and earn a bit from sales, streaming today is primarily a strategic tool to generate attention. That doesn’t mean you can’t earn anything from it, but it’s marginal.

As an emerging artist, you therefore have to look at streaming as a means – a way to reach your audience – rather than an actual source of income. It rarely pays the bills, but it can open the door to new opportunities.

What does this shift mean for the music itself and the artistic element?

It’s difficult to generalize, because it depends a lot on how you approach it as a musician. I don’t think many emerging artists consciously let streaming logic dictate their work – that’s more prevalent in the commercial layers of the industry. But in the extreme, digital platforms can influence how music is written, down to the compositional level.

On streaming services, it can matter that a hook or chorus appears very early in the track, because it increases the chances that listeners stay long enough for the play to count. And on platforms like TikTok, you see that music which quickly conveys a mood – joy, melancholy, energy – performs best. That leaves less space for more ambiguous, slowly unfolding music that simmers and takes its time.

Still, I believe most emerging artists hold onto their artistic expression rather than trying to write for the algorithm. But that also means acknowledging that your music may not naturally fit the formats favored by the platforms – and that, in itself, can be a challenge.

What alternatives do you see to the major streaming services, and how can artists work with them in practice?

It naturally depends on the kind of music you make – but when you look at digital options, there are alternatives that are far more sustainable for artists than the large streaming platforms.

Platforms like Bandcamp and newer initiatives such as Nina and Subvert give a much larger share of the revenue directly to the artist. A digital purchase of even a single track is equivalent to many, many streams. For many emerging artists, it therefore makes more sense to focus on direct sales than chasing streams, if the goal is to build an economic foundation for their work.

It also creates a different type of relationship with your audience. When someone chooses to buy your music – digitally or physically – it’s often because they feel genuine engagement. They don’t treat your song as background sound, but as something that matters to them.

In that sense, it’s not just about economics, but about awareness: how we as artists and listeners can help create a more fair and sustainable music economy. And here even small actions, like buying a track instead of streaming it, can make a real difference.

What is your most important advice to young emerging musicians?

It’s hard to give just one piece of advice, but maybe there are three things I hope people take with them:

First: It’s not a natural law that you have to be on all streaming platforms to have an audience. Streaming can be a tool, but it’s not necessarily a requirement. There are other ways to release and distribute your music – ways that demand more communication and presence, but can align better with your values and make more economic sense.

Second: Don’t be afraid to be clear about your values. Taking a stand – whether it’s about Spotify, social media or something else entirely – can actually be a strength. Many listeners sympathize with artists who are open about the conditions they accept for their practice. It can become part of your artistic narrative, not just a private principle.

Third: Regardless of which platforms you use, you can’t avoid the work of communication and strategy. Your music won’t find its audience by itself. If you want to scale down your presence on the big platforms, you’ll need even more clarity about your plan: How will you create encounters with your audience? What is your story as an artist? And who can you ally with to get it out into the world? It’s hard work. But the questions you ask yourself along the way – What value do I create? What do I want to contribute? – can be just as important to your career as the songs you write.