Temps de lecture/Reading time : 2 minutes

In an era where artists are expected to be influencers, community managers, videographers, marketers, algorithm experts, and sometimes even professional clowns, it may be time to restate a simple truth: an artist is supposed to make art.

The work should be at the center of everything. Not the persona. Not the strategy. Not follower counts. Not posting frequency. Not the latest marketing hack.

Art was not created to feed platforms. Platforms were created to capture the attention generated by art.

Today, musicians are told they must post three videos a day, share their private lives, expose their emotions in real time, follow TikTok trends, reply to comments, show their daily routines, their relationships, their dog, their breakfast. Some go even further and end up selling their image before selling their music. Showing their body, provoking, staging themselves artificially—everything becomes acceptable as long as it generates clicks.

But when did we accept that music should become secondary?

When did we decide that an artist should spend more time producing content than producing work?

The history of art is filled with obsessive creators, demanding, sometimes difficult, often misunderstood. They did not ask permission from algorithms. They did not build their work around current trends. They pursued a vision.

An artist should be uncompromising about their work.

This does not mean being arrogant. It means knowing why you create. It means refusing to sacrifice the essential just to gain a few seconds of attention. It means accepting that some people will never like what you do, rather than diluting your identity in order to please everyone.

Art is not a popularity contest.

Of course, works must reach an audience. Of course, musicians need to be able to make a living from their work. Of course, communication tools exist and can be useful. It would be dishonest to pretend otherwise.

On my podcast, I regularly share marketing advice, promotional strategies, or career development methods. I do so because I want to help as many musicians as possible get their work heard in an increasingly competitive environment.

But these pieces of advice must never become a religion.

My personal point of view is simple: the work comes first.

Marketing should serve art. Never the other way around.

If a strategy pushes you to betray your identity, to fabricate an artificial version of yourself, to turn your creation into a manufactured product, or to beg for attention on social media, then that strategy likely costs more than it brings.

The digital world loves obedient artists. Those who produce content endlessly. Those who adapt their creation to platform demands. Those who confuse visibility with value.

Art, however, has often been carried by individuals who refused the rules of the game.

The punk spirit has never been about getting more likes. It has been about preserving integrity.

Making music because you have something to say.

Writing because you cannot do otherwise.

Creating because the work demands to exist.

Everything else is noise.

So yes, share your music. Present your work. Find your audience. Use the available tools if you want to.

But never forget why you started.

You did not become an artist to serve an algorithm.

The algorithm is supposed to serve the artist.

And if one day you must choose between the work and visibility, choose the work.

Because a sincere piece of work can last for decades.

A viral post rarely survives the following week.

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay