In 2025, there are several generally accepted truths in the music business. One: Streaming has lifted the industry back to growth. Two: It is easier than ever for artists to record and distribute their music globally than at any time in music history. And three: The sheer volume of music being released each day and uploaded to streaming services is making it harder and harder to cut through the noise and move the needle than it ever has.
Not that success in the music business has ever been easy. Hard work, great music and innovative marketing have always been part of the equation, alongside radio play, media looks, live touring and dozens of other levers that have come, gone and endured through the years. But these days, the daunting task of building a career in music can sometimes seem futile, in an era when 100,000 new tracks are uploaded daily and the looming threat of AI is looking to swell those ranks even further.
That, arguably, makes the role of a great record label or services team even more essential for an artist, as they look to build a fan base and break through that noise. And these days, there are more ways to build a successful career in music than ever, as social media apps, direct-to-consumer initiatives, fan subscription platforms and more allow artists and their teams to get their music in front of the people who will love it.
As part of Billboard’s annual Indie Power Players issue, we asked 84 top executives from the independent community what they feel moves the needle for artists in 2025 — from authentic connections, to building strong narratives, to converting viral moments into fandom and, yes, to the power of a song. As Partisan Records COO Zena White puts it, “Great art is still, and will always be, the thing that moves the needle the most.”