Bring Back the Middle-Class Songwriter; Reinvented, Not Forgotten
In the so-called “glory days” of the music industry, there was room for the middle-class songwriter. These writers were a creative force who weren’t famous, but could make a sustainable living writing album tracks, contributing to niche projects, or landing syncs in ads and TV. They weren’t household names, but they were the engine of musical diversity and innovation. Today, that space has all but vanished. The industry has shifted towards extremes: chart-topping stars at the top, struggling independents at the bottom, and a vast void in between.
MIDiA Research just published the results of their 2025 Songwriter Survey and I thought it was a perfect time to share some thoughts I’ve been having for a while about the new world that songwriters are finding themselves in.
In the so-called “glory days” of the music industry, there was room for the middle-class songwriter. These writers were a creative force who weren’t famous, but could make a sustainable living writing album tracks, contributing to niche projects, or landing syncs in ads and TV. They weren’t household names, but they were the engine of musical diversity and innovation.
Today, that space has all but vanished. The industry has shifted towards extremes: chart-topping stars at the top, struggling independents at the bottom, and a vast void in between.
So, what Happened?
In the album era, songwriters thrived because every physical sale (whether of CDs, cassettes, or vinyl) generated royalties. Even non-hit tracks contributed to a songwriter’s income. Publishers championed their catalogs, and licensing was a viable income stream.
But with the rise of unbundled albums through digital downloads and then streaming, the floor fell out. As piracy decimated revenue in the 2000s, streaming emerged as a solution, but not one built for the long-term sustainability of most songwriters. Digital deconstructed the album, rewarded quantity over nuance, and offered thin royalties, which were then divided across the ever-increasing number of co-writers, producers, and intermediaries.
Importantly, this isn’t a call to villainise streaming platforms. Streaming was a logical, even necessary response to piracy, as music industry revenues dropped by more than 40% from its late 90’s high to Spotify launching 10 years later. However, it is undisputed that streaming has reshaped the music economy in ways that has many creators feeling left behind.
As revealed in MIDiA’s 2025 Songwriter Survey, today’s songwriters aren’t just writing, they’re teaching, producing, performing, and posting. Only a rare few survive by writing songs alone. Most are building hybrid careers out of necessity. Reinvention of the craft is their new reality.
“There are more versions of the ‘songwriter’ than ever before,” the report notes. “And a rare few who only write songs.”
Creative fulfilment remains a core success metric, but even full-time professionals define success more by income than fame. In fact, only 4% of songwriters view fame as a goal, and less than 10% care about awards. Instead, they value doing meaningful work, finishing songs, and making a living.
That being said, royalty checks are still small and arrive slowly (if they even come at all). Many songwriters don’t even know when (or if) their songs will be released. Most miss out on mechanical royalties simply because they’re not enrolled with Mechanical Rights Organisations, forfeiting up to 54% of potential income compared to those who are.
Licensing, once a lucrative fallback, now resembles a lottery. Landing a sync deal can feel like a golden ticket; but even then, payouts can take an unnecessarily long period of time, meaning that writers can’t plan their own finances effectively.
More than 80% of songwriters now promote themselves on social platforms; something which previous songwriters never needed to do. Instagram remains the top tool, serving as both résumé and networking hub. Higher earners tend to diversify across TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn, often finding collaborators via DMs and building audiences through Reels.
This isn’t just brand-building; this is survival. The modern songwriter must market, connect, and monetise, often directly with fans and clients, without the support of the traditional music industry.
So, what do we do?
We don’t need to bring back the industry of the past, but we must build a future where songwriters can sustain themselves without having to be megastars, especially as AI starts to chip away at some of the core areas of the industry which has been a lifeline for these middle class songwriters.
Here are some ideas:
- Leverage the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC): The U.S.-based MLC helps songwriters collect mechanical royalties more transparently. Yet many still aren’t enrolled. At Confessions Music we’re helping to unlock royalties for independent songwriters and make sure that no money is left on the table.
- Support indie-friendly platforms: Tools like BeatStars, SoundBetter, and BandLab empower creators to monetise directly and collaborate globally.
- Rethink live royalties: A more equitable system would compensate songwriters at all performance levels, not just arena tours. The US needs a major overhaul here as other markets don’t have the same issues with compensating songwriters when their songs are played live.
- Streamline the payment chain: Antiquated infrastructure and excess intermediaries still eat into songwriter earnings. This has been one of my primary focuses at Imbr, as eliminating inefficiencies and pass the savings directly to creators will immediately increase a writer’s earning potential.
- Unite for collective bargaining: As Marc Caruso of Angry Mob Music suggested a while back, independent publishers would benefit greatly from forming alliances akin to Merlin for labels, giving them more leverage at the licensing table.
Losing the middle-class songwriter isn’t just a personal or professional loss, it’s a cultural one. This group once fuelled musical innovation, genre experimentation, and community vitality. Without them, we risk an industry defined only by viral moments and superstar monopolies.
But the good news? Songwriters are already adapting, evolving, and showing the rest of us how reinvention can work. The industry now needs to meet them halfway with infrastructure, compensation, and advocacy that reflect the new reality.
It’s time to bring back the middle-class songwriter. Not to preserve the past, but to build a future where creativity and sustainability can thrive together.
(Check out MIDiA's report here: https://www.midiaresearch.com/reports/songwriter-survey-2025-reinvention)