A new survey from the Danish Artist Association paints a picture of a working environment where digital platforms have become a necessary part of reaching audiences. The survey shows a consistent picture of pressure on the artist for presence in the form of work and digital performance - with no guarantee that it will pay off.

Social media has become an integral part of life as a professional artist. It's where audiences discover new music, with TikTok in particular becoming A driving factor.

According to the survey, it is mainly on digital platforms that artists announce concerts and new releases. For many artists, these platforms now serve as the primary contact with their audience.

A new survey from the Danish Artist Association provides new insights into working with social media. By timing how many hours artists spend on social media and what it means for their career, we get an insight into how social media has become an inevitable part of an artist's career.

In the spring of 2025, the Danish Artist Association conducted a survey among a sample of its members to gather individual experiences about a collective working condition.

The survey points to a consistent description of presence on the platforms as a task that is neither directly rewarded nor always feels meaningful.

Social media requires work every day

The majority of respondents said they spend between 30 minutes and 4 hours a day on social media in a professional context.

They describe a development where platforms were previously seen as an opportunity to reach audiences outside of traditional media - but are now seen as a requirement. All nine participants say they feel they need to be present on social media to maintain visibility and relevance.

None of the respondents see it as realistic to completely or partially withdraw from social media to pursue a professional career as an artist.

Several describe a sense of dependence on the platforms in their work. This is a result of the fierce competition for audience attention that takes place on and off the platforms.

" Right now I feel like I can't afford to opt out. I'm in competition with so many others "

Impenetrable algorithms pressurise

Half of the participants point to the platforms' opaque algorithms as a major frustration. They describe that it's hard to understand why some content gets a wide reach and others disappear.

"The terms of use are absurd. You never know what you're buying or who sees what you post," says one participant.

The same goes for the business model on which the platforms are built. Many find that their posts reach fewer people than expected and that it's impossible to know who the content is actually being shown to.

"The terms of use are absurd. You never know what you're buying or who sees what you post"

The artists are responsible for the content

All the artists in the survey confirm that they are ultimately the ones at the keyboard when it comes to communicating with their followers.

However, five out of nine say that they occasionally get help from a record label or management, typically when releasing or publicising tours. Here the help is limited and often temporary

Working without pay - and without guarantees

None of the respondents are paid directly for the time they spend on social media. Some find that their efforts can lead to increased awareness, streams or ticket sales - but the effect is often difficult to measure, they say.

"It's hard to say anything concrete. When you work the way I do, it's a bigger picture, where something I do now might not be realised for six months," says one artist in the survey.

Several describe working with social media as something that doesn't necessarily match their skills or desires, but is nevertheless essential.

" I've definitely posted things I've regretted. I don't want to be someone who talks to the camera and sells things. I don't want to be an influencer"

Pressure and regret

All participants mention that they have experienced pressure from record labels, management or venues to post more, more often or in a certain way.

How this pressure is handled varies from artist to artist. Some see it as part of the business - a kind of business proposal that you can say yes or no to.

A third say they've posted content that they later regretted and have since deleted.

Mental costs

Four out of nine participants also point out that being active on social media requires mental energy. In particular, sharing something with thousands of followers is perceived as demanding and challenging.

"My impression is that nobody likes it. It's hard to be an influencer when you just want to make music," says one artist in the survey.

Several people mention that they choose to post during periods when they are most confident, such as right after a successful concert.

Most people would rather be free

The most obvious commonality among the respondents is that most would prefer to be without social media. But as long as audiences are discovering new music via digital platforms and alternatives are lacking, an absence from the platforms doesn't feel like a real option, they say unanimously.

Follow the upcoming series of articles where the Danish Artist Association will focus on social media as working conditions for the artist. The focus will be on how artists work with the platforms in practice and how digital demands affect their working life, finances and mental well-being - in the form of advice from artists themselves and experts.

The key findings of the rune question:

  • Seven out of ten artists report spending over an hour a day on social media in a professional context.
  • None of the respondents see it as realistic, at this point in time, to completely or partially withdraw from social media if you want to have a professional career as an artist.
  • All the artists interviewed confirm that they are ultimately the ones at the keyboard when it comes to communicating with their followers.
  • Five out of ten have occasionally received assistance with planning or designing specific adverts, but the help is limited and often temporary.
  • None of the respondents are paid directly for the time they spend on social media.
  • All participants mention that they have experienced pressure from record labels, management or venues to post more, more often or in a certain way.
  • A third say they've posted content that they later regretted and have since deleted.
  • Half point to the platforms' opaque algorithms as a major frustration.
  • Similarly, half of the artists point out that being active on social media requires mental energy.

 

Facts about the survey:

In the spring of 2025, the Danish Artist Association conducted a survey of a small sample of members to gather qualitative experiences with the use of social media in working life. The participants in the survey are composed in terms of genre, age, gender and audience. Common to all participants is that they work professionally as artists and music creators.

The respondents are most active on Instagram and Facebook, where their followers range from around 1,100 to 151,000 followers on Instagram and 3,000 to 78,000 followers on Facebook.
On average, they have around 26,500 followers on Instagram (median: 5,229) and 23,257 followers on Facebook (median: around 4,500).

Participants were interviewed about their work practices, experiences and reflections in relation to social media. The interviews were conducted by telephone and have formed the basis for the themes and quotes presented in this article. All participants are anonymised. The study is not intended to be statistically representative, but to provide a qualitative insight into the everyday lives of professional artists who manage their own social media communication.

READ ALSO: Do the many hours on social media pay off for the artist?

Text and illustration: Trade journalist, Mathias Krogsøe