Pressured to go viral? Report finds it rarely leads to long-term financial gain

A new report from music financing platform Duetti has found that going viral on social media rarely leads to long-term financial value for artists.

More and more artists are turning to social platforms like TikTok to boost their music and go viral, sometimes even with pressure from labels to do so. However, Duetti’s Music Economics Report finds that virality is “almost impossible to achieve”.

The report draws on proprietary data from over six million tracks. Its analysis focuses on indie creators earning between $100 and $350k annually and defines a durable catalogue as one with an annual decay of less than 10 percent.

Duetti’s findings suggest that instead of virality, musicians should instead take a strategic approach that “leverages optimal release timing, clear audience focus, and YouTube-led growth”, which is a more reliable driver of catalogues that keep paying.

Despite TikTok being the go-to platform for artists to market themselves, it seems that YouTube is actually the place to start from. Artists who grow on YouTube first are 16 percent more likely to develop a durable catalogue than those whose growth began on any other platform.

Other key data reveals that only 1.14 percent of tracks go viral, and that only 0.11 percent of those tracks sustain virality after six months. Tracks that exhibit slower, steady growth are 60 percent more likely to build durable catalogues.

Interestingly, those who release music more frequently (at least three tracks per year) also benefit from higher revenue, and despite many believing that singles are the way to go, albums are actually more powerful; independent artists that released at least one album per year saw an average of 16 percent higher revenue per track in the first year post-release compared to those who only released singles.

“Duetti’s Music Economics Report provides actionable insights to help independent artists and songwriters make informed, long-term decisions about their careers,” says Angelo Sasso, Head of Growth at Duetti. “This data is typically reserved for large companies, and sharing it reflects our commitment to provide meaningful information to artists and their teams.”

You can request the full report via Duetti by simply submitting your email address.

Rachel is a DIY musician who began learning guitar and keyboard from her bedroom at 14. She has written news and features for MusicTech since 2022, and also has bylines across Kerrang!, Guitar.com, and The Forty-Five. Though a lover of heavy music, her guilty pleasure is 2000s pop.