If I had $10k for a release, how should I spend it?

Work out your goals first, then split it between the release and the artist.

Think about how you found your favourite musicians: someone sent them to you, a collaborator or someone you follow shared them, they turned up as a sound on TikTok or you saw them on tour, and it’s rare that anyone outside your audience clicks an ad for an artist they’ve never heard of and listens. Do the groundwork to get people into your orbit, and then the budget can remarket to them.

If you’re with a label, they’ll most likely put their budget behind the release itself, the pre-save, the listen now and smart links, or pre-ordering the vinyl, so as the artist I’d put yours into growing yourself as a brand.

Even if you had a hundred thousand dollars, I’d still pace it over time, and rather than spend it all on one record I’d spread it out over three years and do the audience development side of it as well. I’m big on short-term goals too, and checking in along the way, especially when you’re putting money into something.

It’s also why I think A&R has it backwards at the moment, putting the pressure on artists to arrive with the audience already, when labels should be investing in the artist first and then using the label budget to sell records to that audience.