Title: Creativity Isn’t Enough — Why Today’s Artists Must Also Be Entrepreneurs...

Art has always been the currency of culture. Yet in our era of instant virality, streaming mountains of content, and relentless monetization, a tragic paradox unfolds: artists rise fast, shine bright, and too often die poor. They are celebrated in headlines, streamed by millions and then buried like destitute—admired but not sustained. Tsholofelo Ross, our guest, insists this pattern is no accident. It is the product of an ecosystem that prizes visibility over viability, exposure over equity, and applause over agency.

Why popularity often doesn’t equal prosperity

1) The math of modern distribution is stacked against creators

Digital platforms deliver audiences at scale, but payment models often pay per-stream rates that are tiny and pooled through intermediaries. Even large streaming numbers can translate into modest income unless artists own publishing, master recordings, or have other revenue channels. Touring and merchandise can be lucrative, but they’re expensive to mount and fragile in crises (e.g., pandemics, travel restrictions).

2) Early-career compromises create lifelong leakage

Young artists under pressure to “get a break” often accept unfavorable deals: giving up master rights, signing away publishing, or agreeing to opaque splits with managers and labels. These compromises can be irreversible and drain downstream income from licensing, syncs, and catalog exploitation that accrue most heavily over time.

3) Fragmented income streams are difficult to manage

An artist’s revenue can come from streaming, sales, syncs, publishing, live shows, merch, sponsorships, session work, teaching, and grants. Tracking, invoicing, and collecting across multiple territories and platforms requires expertise and infrastructure many creators lack. Royalty collection is especially complex across borders and rights types.

4) Lack of formal financial planning and protection

Irregular cash flows demand different financial strategies than salaried jobs: emergency funds, tax planning, retirement savings, and insurance. Without these, artists are vulnerable to sudden shocks—medical emergencies, legal disputes, or periods without work—which can deplete savings and force asset sales or bad deals.

5) Power asymmetry with industry gatekeepers

Major labels, promoters, brands, and broadcasters still hold leverage over access to large audiences and lucrative placements. Where bargaining power is unbalanced and legal support limited, artists may accept inequitable partnerships just to gain exposure.

Concrete examples of what goes wrong (non-exhaustive)

- A hit single generates millions of streams, but the artist’s share is a fraction once label recoupment, producer points, and publishing splits are paid.

- An emerging musician signs a 360 deal promising marketing but retains limited control over music rights and little clarity on recoupable costs.

- A visual artist’s image is used in advertising without permission; lack of registered copyrights and legal counsel make enforcement costly and uncertain.

Actionable steps for artists (practical, prioritized)

- Learn basic business literacy: budgeting, taxes, contracts, basic accounting. Short courses, local arts organisations, or online modules can provide essentials.

- Own what you can: strive to retain publishing and master ownership, or negotiate reversion clauses that return rights after a fixed period.

- Diversify income: combine streaming with sync licensing, direct-to-fan sales, subscriptions/patronage, teaching, workshops, and brand partnerships aligned with values.

- Set up simple financial systems: separate business and personal bank accounts, automate tax set-asides, build an emergency fund (3–6 months of expenses where possible).

- Use collective services: join performance rights organisations (PROs), neighboring rights societies, and digital aggregators that offer transparent reporting.

- Get affordable legal advice: use pro bono clinics, arts-law nonprofits, or capped-fee agreements to review contracts before signing.

- Build a long-term brand strategy: cultivate direct fan relationships (mailing lists, membership platforms) to reduce reliance on algorithmic discovery.

What industry players must change

- Transparency and standardised reporting: contracts and platform statements should clearly show gross receipts, splits, recoupable expenses, and payment timing.

- Fairer revenue models: explore higher per-stream payouts for verified creators, better direct-payment tools, and clearer licensing marketplaces for syncs and samples.

- Investment in infrastructure: labels, distributors, and platforms should offer artist education, affordable legal clinics, and accounting tools as part of service offerings.

- Ethical standards for intermediaries: codified best practices for managers, agents, and promoters, with penalties for predatory behavior.

Policy and public-sector interventions

- Strengthen copyright enforcement and simplify international royalty collection: support modernization of rights registries and cross-border collaboration among collecting societies.

- Fund artist resilience programs: emergency relief funds, pension schemes adapted to freelance careers, and subsidised legal/financial counselling.

- Tax incentives for cultural production and for companies that license local content fairly.

- Support arts education that pairs creative training with entrepreneurship, digital literacy, and rights management.

The role of audiences and civil society

- Value paying for art: subscribing, buying, attending shows, and directly supporting creators through memberships and patronage matters more than passive streaming alone.

- Demand accountability: consumers can prefer platforms and services that publish creator pay models and support fair compensation.

- Support local ecosystems: attend local shows, buy merchandise, commission work, and participate in community funding.

Long-term cultural shifts needed

- From romanticising poverty to celebrating professionalism: change narratives so financial competence is seen as part of artistic mastery, not a betrayal of “pure” creativity.

- From short-attention metrics to durable value: industry and audiences should reward sustained craft and catalogue-building as much as momentary virality.

- From isolated creators to collective power: cooperatives, unions, and guilds can rebalance bargaining power and provide benefits that individual artists struggle to secure alone.

A final challenge to artists and the ecosystem

Tsholofelo Ross urges artists to own two crafts: the art itself and the means by which it is sustained. That requires humility to learn new skills, courage to negotiate and say no, and foresight to plan for legacy. Industry leaders must stop measuring success only by clicks and headlines and start measuring whether creators earn livelihoods that let them create for a lifetime.

If we wish our culture to thrive, we cannot afford to let brilliance burn bright and then vanish into poverty. Fame without financial stewardship is a hollow triumph. The remedy is collective: educate artists, reform industry practice, legislate protections, and change audience behaviour. Only then will the applause translate into security—and artists be buried, if ever, with dignity rather than destitution.