> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.hypebot.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Artists Need to Stop Thinking Like Entrepreneurs and Start Thinking Like Philanthropists - URL: https://www.hypebot.com/artists-need-to-stop-thinking-like-entrepreneurs-and-start-thinking-like-philanthropists/ - Published: 2026-10-14T13:37:42.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-14T13:37:42.000Z - Description: The entrepreneurial mindset gave artists more control — now it’s costing them real fans. Here's what to do about it. - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Revenue, Opinions, Indie Artists, advice, artist advice, growth, money, career advice, value, philanthropy *By *Chris Nardone*, Founder & President of* [***Venture Music***](https://venturemusic.com/?ref=hypebot.com) In April 2026, two researchers published [a decades-long study](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1751742/full?ref=hypebot.com) of **Bruce Springsteen fans**. They aimed to understand what really kept people so deeply connected to the singer through decades. Three themes emerged from the responses of 1,100 participants: - **He was a friend or family member.** - **He was a teacher, mentor, or spiritual guide.** - **He was a source of therapy, healing, and hope.** Almost none of the feedback had anything to do with the music itself. That gap, between what fans actually get from artists and what the industry measures (or understands) has become a massive problem. ## **Framing the Problem** Over the past two decades, the creator economy has turned artists into mini startups. They record, distribute, market, and monetize with little to no outside help. That freedom forced them to become entrepreneurial, and much of that mindset shift has been good. But we’ve overcorrected. The entrepreneurial mindset that gave artists more control is now costing them real fans. As business owners, artists need to think entrepreneurially. But when that mindset takes over, the relationship with fans turns transactional. The more transactional it becomes, the harder it is to attract *real* fans. Thinking less like an entrepreneur - and more like a philanthropist - creates a trickle-down effect that fixes three fundamental flaws holding artists (and their teams) back from a better and brighter future: 1. **We don’t really understand the value artists have to offer.** 2. **We focus too much on growth, instead of impact.** 3. **Artists think the goal is to make everyone happy.** ## **Stop confusing consumption with value** Somewhere along the way, we decided music should be marketed like a consumer product: build a funnel, drive traffic to the top, optimize conversion at the bottom. We reduced the value of music to consumption: sales, streams, engagement. Except consumption has never been worth less in the eyes of fans. Case in point: [**Luminate’s**](https://www.hypebot.com/author/spotlight-by-luminate/) most recent report notes there are [now 253 million tracks](https://luminatedata.com/reports/yearend-music-industry-report-2025/?ref=hypebot.com) on streaming services, with roughly 106,000 new ones delivered every single day. In 2025, 88% of those tracks were streamed less than 1,000 times. Nearly half were streamed less than 10 times. Meanwhile, **Pollstar** reports the [world's top 100 tours](https://news.pollstar.com/2025/12/23/year-end-business-analysis-a-return-to-earth-2025-grosses-ticket-sales-drop-averages-increase-beyonce-oasis-coldplay-have-top-tours-venues-stadiums-rock/?ref=hypebot.com) grossed $8.9 billion in 2025, up 61% from 2019, and **Goldman Sachs** expects live music to [keep growing](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/emerging-markets-superfans-and-price-rises-7-takeaways-from-goldman-sachs-new-music-in-the-air-report/?ref=hypebot.com) 7.2% a year through 2030. So value didn't vanish. It just moved somewhere consumption metrics can't predict. Therein lies the new frontier. ## **Before asking fans to create value for you, get clear on the value you create for them.** In 2013, [a team of researchers](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3741536/?ref=hypebot.com) conducted one of the largest studies to date on why people listen to music. They combed decades of prior work across philosophy, psychology, anthropology, musicology, and neuroscience, distilled more than 500 proposed functions down to 129, and had participants rate each one. After stepping back, they realized every function could be sorted into three categories: 1. **Mood Regulation:** Using music to manage energy and emotion: to get pumped up, calm down, process feelings, relieve stress, focus, etc. 2. **Self-Awareness:** Using music to connect with feelings, find meaning, express identity, and better understand oneself or the world. 3. **Social Connection:** Using music to bond with other people, feel connected, experience new things, and become part of something bigger. Often, artists and their teams spend little to no time trying to understand the role the artist and their music play in fans' lives. Before asking fans to [create value](https://www.hypebot.com/tag/value/) for you, get clear on the value you create for them. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3a/95/3a957c06-c825-4057-9939-0a274cc16d23/content/images/2026/10/3-9-video-game-sync.jpg) ***+Read more:*** [*"What Independent Artists Learn When Their Career Data Starts Disappearing"*](https://www.hypebot.com/what-independent-artists-learn-when-their-career-data-starts-disappearing/) ## **Worry about impact, not growth** An entrepreneur is trained to focus on [revenue](https://www.hypebot.com/tag/revenue/) and [growth](https://www.hypebot.com/tag/growth/): *How can we expand our customer base? How can we be more profitable?* A philanthropist thinks about the work in terms of service and impact: *Who am I here to serve? What impact can I make in their life?* Being successful as a philanthropist means having a mission with a cause worth caring about. It means being selective about where you allocate your resources. And it means keeping a different scoreboard. Philanthropists don't just count how many people they reach. They measure what changed because of the reach. We find the best results for artists when we treat the work the exact same way. ## **Super-*serve* people who care deeply** Too many artists approach their social strategy with self-serving questions: *What do I need to post? How can I get noticed?* When everything you do online benefits you - watch this, stream this, buy this — people feel it, and they check out. We can't help it. We're selfish too. The philanthropist's mindset is selfless: ***What do people need from me? What can I give?*** Ask these questions honestly and two realities emerge: your resources are limited, and our needs as human beings vary widely from person to person. You can't serve everyone well, so world domination can't be the goal. No philanthropist funds every cause. They pick one, find the people it matters most to, and go deep. The fans who already care are not a stepping stone to a bigger audience. They *are* the audience. Super-serve them, and they'll spread the word for you. ## **Run your business like an entrepreneur. Approach the work like a philanthropist.** If you’re an artist, run your business like an entrepreneur. Just remember to approachthe work like a philanthropist. Understand the value you can provide. Know who you’re here to serve. Focus on the impact you’re making, not the dollars you’re taking. Do this work right, and the numbers follow. ***+Read more:*** [*"Fan Appreciation Isn't a Tactic. It's a Mindset."*](https://www.hypebot.com/fan-appreciation-isnt-a-tactic-its-a-mindset/) --- **Sources** - \[1\] Mangione, L. and Luff, D., "Bruce Springsteen's fans and the deep significance of creative works," *Frontiers in Psychology*, April 13, 2026\. 2014 (1,152 responses) and 2021 (742 responses). [Link](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1751742/full?ref=hypebot.com) - \[2\] Luminate, *2025 Year-End Music Report*, January 2026\. 253 million tracks on streaming services; 106,000 new tracks delivered per day on average; 88% of tracks streamed 1,000 times or fewer in 2025; 120.5 million tracks (about 48%) streamed 10 times or fewer. [Link](https://luminatedata.com/reports/yearend-music-industry-report-2025/?ref=hypebot.com) - \[3\] Pollstar, *2025 Year-End Business Analysis*, December 2025\. Top 100 worldwide tours grossed $8.9 billion, up 60.8% over 2019 (down 6.1% from 2024's record $9.5 billion). [Link](https://news.pollstar.com/2025/12/23/year-end-business-analysis-a-return-to-earth-2025-grosses-ticket-sales-drop-averages-increase-beyonce-oasis-coldplay-have-top-tours-venues-stadiums-rock/?ref=hypebot.com) - \[4\] Goldman Sachs Research, *Music in the Air*, June 2025\. Live music forecast at a 7.2% compound annual growth rate, 2024 to 2030\. [Summary](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/emerging-markets-superfans-and-price-rises-7-takeaways-from-goldman-sachs-new-music-in-the-air-report/?ref=hypebot.com) - \[5\] Schäfer, T., Sedlmeier, P., Städtler, C. and Huron, D., "The psychological functions of music listening," *Frontiers in Psychology* 4:511, August 2013\. [Link](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741536/?ref=hypebot.com) --- **Chris Nardone* is the Founder and President of* [***Venture Music***](https://venturemusic.com/?ref=hypebot.com)*, a Nashville-based artist development and marketing company he launched in 2012\. With more than 15 years of experience in artist management, marketing, behavioral science, and audience psychology, Nardone helps artists build authentic brands, meaningful fan communities, and sustainable careers.*