Reflections for Indie Artists - City of Moreton Bay #1

Hello!

In 2025-2026 I was supported by City of Moreton Bay & RADF to release new music with Old Fashioned Records. During this time I was able to reflect on possible learnings and reflections for my fellow Independent artists. Over the past few years I’ve been considering writing a book about this first chapter of my career and this grant timeline allowed me to share some thoughts and reflections here and making some contributions to Old Fashioned Records indie artist blog. If you are an artist looking for inspiration or feedback in a certain area, read on! If you are someone interested in going behind the curtain - enjoy :)

Thoughts and Reflections on PR

In the case of PR, the companies and marketing designers would advise and almost guarantee promotion and advertising was needed to raise your profile. But with deeper exploration I found that while trying to reach this previously guaranteed outcomes, I was asking several questions

  • Why is this “thing” I have been told would work not working for me?

  • What am I doing wrong?

  • Am I applying this tool at the wrong time?

These questions allowed me to identify the various stages / elements that I had been through as an artist to this time. As I started to give them labels I realised how many various elements there are to the evolution of an artists work and career.

  • Hobby / I love music and enjoy playing for fun

  • Serious Hobby / above, but I’m also applying structure and targeted practice

  • Creative / I’m using what I’ve learnt to start making my own music

  • Serious Creative / I’m making enough of something that a body of work is showing itself

  • Early Sharing / I’m ready to show what I’m doing with people

  • Early Sharing with Payment / I’m sharing in a ticketed environment

  • Investing finances in what I’m making

  • Formalising what I make into a brand/profile/real offering

  • Creating my first ‘product’

  • Marketing my first ‘product’

  • I am an early career artist releasing music while improving my skills

  • I’m an established artist that understand my art and how to make it

  • Looking to earn back funds from what I’m investing

  • Building an audience for what I make

  • Building towards paying my bills from what I make

  • Paying my bills from what I make

  • Have an existing audience from what I’ve previous made

  • Learning the skills needed to effectively share / markers / distribute what I’ve made

  • Building relationships to develop a team for the sharing of what I’ve made

  • Have a revenue stream in physical products

  • Have a revenue stream in digital products

  • The list goes on….

In short, each of these areas revealed serious findings that once learnt, affect ones understand of whether that is the best use of ones time and finical resources.

For example - if you are a new artist in modern times, it is my belief now one should focus on

  • Developing an audience on social media through a social media strategy

  • Develop an audience via live shows, either through ticketed and/or paid opportunities at functions/events/functions

Only when these two areas begin to demonstrate some amount of revenue should an artist consider PR spending.

The modern suggestion for an artist is to release as many singles as possible - and this is something I agree with. These requires an artist to still create a release plan / strategy, examine and refresh ones branding and art design, explore how to engage with your audience and consider the idea of ‘marketing’ for the first time, or improve ones marketing skills/concepts.

A release schedule for singles can still be utilised digital only - and without PR. With effective use of social media, as I write this in March 2026, an artist can develop a real audience and begin to explore these ideas.

As an artist comes to understand themselves better they can then, using this concept I have developed, consider which next steps would suit there stage of artist development.

In my case, this grant period has revealed to me I have been blessed to explore many stages through private investment and the building of my record label - without starting to effectively build a stream of income.

I had performed all over the world for a decade before releasing my first actual product. This means I had an amazing live show with incredible credits - while still having very little understanding of marketing or release schedules. Where as a 18 years old artist in 2026 can release an EP recorded on their laptop without having played a show live. This means there challenges are completely different to another artist like myself.

Bradley McCaw