Case Study: Independent Artist Brownbear

16.12.2025: As part of UK Music's This Is Music report into the economic health of the sector, independent artist brownbear offers an insightful case study into the challenges facing self-releasing acts in today's industry.

This Is Music found that the UK music industry contributed a record £8 billion to the economy in 2024, with exports revenue hitting a new high of £4.8 billion.

But while that £8 billion contribution marked a record high, the rate of growth was down by more than half on 2023, highlighting the need for urgent action to address this significant drop. You can read more about the report here.

You can read brownbear's case study in his own words below.

"Being a creative is a blessing in life and to be able to do this for a living is a privilege that none of us take lightly. The passion for what we do is often what keeps us driven in the face of adversity. We work tirelessly to better ourselves at every turn, even when there is no financial reward. We are our biggest supporters, and our own biggest critics. Our love of what we do aside, this is a business, and for artists, particularly self-releasing, independent artists, what is the current state of affairs in the UK?

"As an independent self-releasing artist, I am my own manager, agent, label, publisher all whilst being the sole creative. I am juggling many different parts of my career, but as a songwriter, nothing is more important than the song. Without that, we have nothing.

Writing takes time and space. This part of the process is often unpaid so I rely on funding to be able to support myself through this time. Making the record is also costly, of course gigs and merchandise can help subsidise releases but without the investment of a label, public or charitable funding becomes the source that many artists now rely on to be able to sustain their creative practice.

I have been very fortunate to have been supported by Help Musicians, PRS Foundation and Creative Scotland over the past few years. Music funding bodies and charities are currently lifelines for many creatives in the UK right now. Then we come to touring. Previously, this along with merchandise, could help to sustain your career. With the rising cost of living, and ticket sales being down across the board, artists and venues alike are feeling the strain.

This has meant that even touring in the UK has become increasingly less sustainable for brownbear. Adding in visas for Europe, America or beyond would just feel completely unachievable at this point without considerable investment or support from funding organisations. For venues and promoters, it is increasingly more difficult to take risks on new acts. I don't want to have this all sound negative; there are many positives. One being that in Scotland, several promoters and venues have started to focus on audience growth for the venue rather than acts. There has been a real growth in venue membership clubs, it is wonderful for both fans and artists.

On a personal level, we have spent time developing unique one-off shows in locations we know will sell, to help us grow both as artists, and as an act, and in turn increase our chances of being able to sustainably tour again. Self-releasing artists are a growing force in the UK music economy. We are resilient and we have learned how to do things differently.

A lot can be learned from this often-unheard sector. We excel at direct-to-fan content, and in building relationships with fans. We are often far outperforming any expectations or financial restrictions. One huge gap is that being an artist that does it all themselves, means you often miss the contacts that may be able to get involved and take the project to even greater heights. There is not one person who gets into this business for any other reason than a love of music.

I believe that if we all could talk a little more and have an increased focus towards the writers and creators that make the content that is the basis of all sectors of the business, then we could be in a much healthier place. Music has an impact in all of our lives, in ways that we can't measure in volume or profit. We should never lose sight of that. We have to put people first, not metrics. There are vast numbers of people across UK not engaging in music, we must do more to bridge that gap.

Grassroots venues are essential not just in the career trajectory of music artists and creators but also music fans. It is likely the place you see your first show and perhaps become a lifelong fan of a band that you got to support from day one. They are the lifeblood of the industry, and we are in danger of losing them. Investing early, and in communities not just individuals, is what is going to give us the chance of returning the UK's tradition of generating trail-blazing musical icons.