Do student musicians even have a chance?

Well, of course they do. However, the definition of underground has changed since the advent of social media. The days of mixtapes and pirate radio stations are gone in favour of TikTok, BBC introducing and Soundcloud. This begs the question, is it easier to build a following or is the market just too saturated to be heard as an independent musician. Nonetheless, an independent student musician. Brunel University alumni Hardy Caprio managed to balance his studies alongside a musical career and the same can be said about pop singer Pink Pantheress who has gone strength to strength in 2023. However, the two artists have shredded their association with the “underground” and have become bona fide superstars. So, how do you even gain a following in such a difficult market? 404Crow and Molatov are students at Kingston University but alongside their studies are attempting to launch successful rap careers from their student accommodations.

Lebanese-born, 404Crow is releasing his new single ‘Zelda’ in early April and has hit a wall in terms of marketing. Among student musicians this is a common theme, 404Crow said in an interview: “A reliable platform to promote is not readily available. however I have come to learn how to build my own platform to promote my music, even though it’s not the most efficient platform.” The British music scene is full of talent and to find an artist that caters to your exact interest is as easy as whipping your phone out of your pocket. Despite this, artists that have managed to break through have struggled to shake the ‘industry plant’ title. Artists such as Flo and A1xJ1 have been victim to this. So, what is an industry plant and how do they negatively impact underground student musicians? 404Crow defines an industry plant as: “ When a record label takes a young unestablished musician and grooms them into superstars by keeping them in touch with trends and helping them get co-signs from established artists.” Many musicians feel hard-done by when they witness a relative unknown receives such a large degree of backing in a short period of time. Whereas they struggle to break 1000 views on TikTok because they cannot hit the algorithm.

South-east London-based rapper Molatov is currently thriving in the underground with his recent release ‘Not Yet’ surpassing 5K streams on Spotify. He has achieved this figure by relentlessly promoting the track on TikTok and Instagram Reels amassing a total of 1.5K followers on both platforms respectively. Molatov has also had some difficulties in marketing his music however, he has acknowledged his shortcomings and is attempting to solve them: “I struggled to have my music heard. I feel like the first 3 years were just spent being ignored, despite having the level of talent and consistency I have now. And it all boiled down to my lack of marketing and lack of access to equipment and other artists. but I've made the appropriate changes, and thankfully I'm seeing results from it.” According to Music Business Worldwide nearly 80 percent of artists on Spotify have less than 50 monthly listeners. Highlighting the intense struggle musicians have, to be heard in the modern-day.

Both artists are in the midst of a battle with hundreds and thousands of musicians here in London to receive your attention. The secret is distinguishing yourself from the rest, but how? Molatov believes: “What distinguishes me is in the sonics. No one is currently using the same BPMs or instruments in the exact same way I'm using them. Because they can't. It sounds like a generic answer, but it holds true, a lot of people tell me that my sound is something they haven't heard before.” It’s a confident answer but his comment sections back up his statements. 404Crow puts more emphasis on collaboration, as aligning yourself with other upcoming artist can be a mutually beneficial. “My music can be classified in the same sub-genre of rap, that many up-and-coming artists choose to create, which helps me work with multiple artists around me very easily,” said 404Crow.

What cannot be argued is that social media has forever changed the way that we consume music and those who take advantage of the change and adapt accordingly will be known as the victors. Building a loyal following while studying full-time requires innovative approaches and a distinctive sound. Ultimately, the ability to distinguish yourself from the rest and capitalize on the opportunities presented by social media is key to achieving success in the modern British music scene.