How small artists strive to hit the right note
By Bryan Laprise
Local Journalism Initiative
Music is an essential part of modern culture and it has become easier than ever to soundtrack one’s life through the plethora of streaming services that have made their appearance in the past two decades. However, even though people can access music with the touch of a button, local and indie artists have to fend for themselves in an industry dominated by big names
The Eastern Townships is, and has been, home to many talented musicians, yet their art is often lost in the flood of products that dominate the airwaves, presenting significant challenges and barriers to a music career.
Fannie Gaudette teaches music at both Champlain College and Bishop’s University. With a passion for music—often accompanying other artists as a musician or writing accompaniment to songs—she decided to step into the spotlight as a singer-songwriter with the release of her debut album, “L’invention humaine” at the start 2022.
The singer was quickly forced to confront the harsh realities of the music industry. Her biggest challenge, she said, was trying to understand the “complicated” industry.
As a French singer, Gaudette pointed out particular struggles faced by those entering the Quebec music scene, which has slowly become overshadowed by foreign artists with the globalization of music. Artists can no longer rely on labels to become known through radio or TV as streaming has become more common.
“There’s no longer anyone who knows the recipe for success,” the songwriter said. “Even big music companies are struggling and take poorer care of their artists. Everything is working at a slower speed.”
Frankie Kobelt, who studied at both Champlain and Bishop’s and now resides in Montreal is also pursuing a music career as a sideline. Her first single came out in 2022 and her EP, “Characters from a small town,” was released earlier this year.
Kobelt currently has written many songs that she would like to record, but has to save up as each song costs around $1,000 to produce, excluding an annual subscription to DistroKid for streaming distribution. “Recording a song, if you want it really properly done, is expensive, so you have to save up,” she said.
A challenge for Gaudette is balancing her music career and her family life within the spare time she has outside of her teaching hours at the college and university.
Gaudette has produced a new show titled “Une vie” which she believes would interest many, but the struggle becomes building a platform and a following so people will go to see it. Becoming known entails TV appearances or performing with established artists, which can be impossible with the biggest companies having a monopoly, leaving little room for indie artists to grow.
Her strategy has thus been to collaborate with other musicians to become known within their fanbase. She mentioned a song recorded with Albin de la Simone, a French artist, set to release within the coming year.
“It’s not enough. My promo team told me that when I release the song in France, I need to have shows in France. If people like you, they’re going to see you in concert and if you come back a year later, it’s too late and they’ll have forgotten the song,” said the singer. It’s like “putting together 1000 pieces.”
Kobelt said one of her strategies has been “busking,” performing in metro stations, which can be done by getting a permit from the STM. “It’s awesome. There’s a lot of freedom in it, people stop and talk to you, you meet a lot of people, and I get a lot of followers through that,” she said. Word of mouth has also been a way to get listeners.
Gaudette noted that with all the songs she’s released and her participation on other artists’ songs, she makes approximately $26 per month. On Spotify alone, over nearly four years, Gaudette believes she has only made around $20 in total for her album.
“I make more money from people buying CDs at my shows. That’s what has given me the most money, a lot more than the [streaming] platforms,” she explained. She also gets money through side contracts like advertising campaigns and others wanting original music created for them.
It’s become normal for music to be free, which can de-incentivize people from paying for music and concerts. “There are so many free concerts during the summer, people see everything they want to see and spend the winter in front of Netflix and don’t pay to go to a concert,” said the Bishop’s teacher.
Another form of support for Gaudette has been grants from the Canadian and Quebec governments. “I’ve been really lucky because more than 75 per cent of my requests have been accepted,” she acknowledged, explaining that to get the grants, the process of creating the project must be started so there are two or three demos to send with the application. “You already need to invest before even applying, so that’s a cost for the artists.”
It can take up to five months to get an answer, with the majority of applicants not receiving money to support their endeavors. Awaiting an answer that receives a negative response is the most challenging aspect of the process for Gaudette, as she would have musicians waiting for her to start the project but there’s no revenue to get started.
Money has also been Kobelt’s biggest challenge as her musical projects are entirely self-financed. She hasn’t made any revenue from Spotify, pointing out that it’s preferrable to purchase music when possible (a feature on Apple Music). “That’s why so many artists have merch—it’s so that they can make money. You must have high numbers to make money from streaming.”
However, she doesn’t have time to manage merch or apply for grants while pursuing her main career of being a singing teacher. Instead, she saves up to move on to the next project.
“I’m a bit worried for my students who want a music career, because you can’t survive from it,” the Bishop’s teacher said, adding that students performing in bars and concert halls are making less money now than she did when she was their age.