Artist development stage check

Five questions, about a minute. The first one you can't say yes to is your stage, and that tells you what to work on this month. It's the five-stage check from our guide to artist development, turned into something you can click through.

STAGE 1: CRAFT
Do you have three finished tracks you'd play a stranger without apologising for the mix?

Five questions, about a minute. No sign-up, nothing stored.

How to use it

1Answer honestly. Five questions, in order. Yes only if it's true today, not if it will be true after the next release.
2Stop at the first not yet. The first stage you can't say yes to is your stage. The questions after it don't matter yet.
3Take the month's three moves. Each stage comes with three things to do in the next month. Put them in your calendar.
4Read the guide for your stage. The result links the guides and the free tool that go deepest on that stage.
5Check again in a month. Stages move. When the answer changes, the work changes with it.

What artist development actually is

Artist development is the work that turns songs into a career you can keep: the craft, the world around the music, the people who'd show up on day one, the money, and a rhythm that lasts longer than one release. Labels used to do it for a few artists. Most independent artists now do it alone, in the wrong order, and wonder why each release starts from zero. Our guide to artist development has the whole picture, what each kind of help costs, and the numbers that show it's working.

Why the order matters

Every stage leans on the one before it. A brand built on unfinished songs has to be rebuilt. A release with no one to tell lands in silence, however good the pitch. Money arrives more easily when there's a list and a date behind it. That's why the check stops at the first not yet: it's the cheapest place to put your next month, and the one that makes the rest of the work count.

Questions

What are the five stages of artist development?

Craft, brand, support, money and sustain. Finished songs you'd stand behind; a world a fan can describe in three words; people you can reach directly; music paying you something; and a weekly rhythm you can keep. Each one makes the next one work.

Why does the first no decide my stage?

Because the stages stack. Paying for promotion before you have a list, or building a brand before the songs are finished, spends money and time on something the next stage can't hold. Fix the first gap and the rest gets easier.

I said yes to everything. What now?

Then the groundwork is in place and the work is reach: bigger rooms, new cities, press and radio, and following your listeners to where they're growing. The result gives you three moves for that.

Is this the same as artist development with HyperTribe?

It's the first conversation. With us, the stage sets your weekly plan, someone keeps you on it, and you're in a room of artists at the same stage. The check itself is free and stays free.

Most artists I know are at stage 2 or 3. Is that normal?

Yes. Most artists who look this up are at stage 2 or 3: they have songs, and a few hundred followers who don't open anything. It's where the right month of work changes the most.

THE GUIDE BEHIND IT

Artist development: what it is, what it costs, and how to tell it's workingWhat artist development means for an independent artist, the five stages, what each option costs, and the numbers that show it's working.How to grow as an independent artist: the next 90 daysA 90-day plan for growing as an independent artist around a job: one action a week, three releases a year, and the four numbers that tell you it's working.

MORE FREE TOOLS

Release countdown calculatorPut in your release date and get every deadline before it, as a calendar file.Split sheet generatorWriters, shares and who owns the master, checked to add up to 100, ready to print and sign.Artist bio generatorYour own words turned into the three bios you need: one line, 50 words and 150.PRS, PPL or both? checkerUp to six questions give you the UK music registrations that apply to you, in order, and what can wait.Spotify pitch builderYour own words turned into a short pitch for the playlist editors, with the date to pitch by.Booking email builderThe two-line pitch a promoter will read, from your own words, plus a fallback note for a venue.Press release builderA one-page release for your single or launch night, laid out the way editors read them.EPK templateA one-page press kit from your story, bio, one track, a live video and two photos, in your own colour.UK music funding checkerFive questions match you to the UK grants, bursaries and showcase calls open now, soonest deadline first.Release budget templateYour own quotes against each line of a release, what's a must and what can wait, printed for a funding application.

All free tools

Want the whole plan done with you, week by week, around your music? Your first month of HyperTribe is £1 until Sun 29 Nov, then £29 a month.

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