A Practical UK Guide for Independent Musicians: Promotion, Press, Merch and Mental Health

Being an independent musician in the UK isn’t easy. The industry still leans towards major-label acts, and streaming royalties remain low. You are competing with tens of thousands of new artists releasing music every week, trying to get a small share of attention. Traditional media coverage has shrunk, student radio budgets have been cut, and most national music publications focus on artists who already have momentum behind them.

All of this happens while you are battling self-doubt, comparing yourself to others, and wondering whether anyone will ever hear the songs you have spent months shaping. Plenty of brilliant musicians struggle to get beyond a few thousand streams, and that can feel exhausting and unfair.

Yet despite everything, artists continue to break through. Small scenes still thrive. Fans still go to local shows. Independent artists still build sustainable careers. You might be one of them.

Our Mission: Helping You Succeed

We are here to give musicians practical advice, based on what we have seen work for real artists. The aim of these articles is to help you build a foundation you can rely on for every release, not only the next one.

If something here helps you, please share it. If you disagree or want something explained in more detail, reach out and tell us. We want to improve this series and support as many musicians as possible.

Fans: Your Most Important Asset

Fans are the one advantage an independent musician has over every algorithm.

Local support is still the strongest starting point for most UK artists. Open mic nights are a proven way to build confidence and test your material in front of real people. But pick your events carefully. A Camden punk night might not welcome your folk-pop sound. A Leeds songwriter circle might be perfect for it.

You might travel to get the right space for your music, but if a dozen people turn up every time you play, you are building something others will take seriously. Those supporters will bring their friends, and that is how small scenes turn into something bigger.

Plenty of artists have built sustainable income by focusing on 500 to 1,000 loyal fans who buy tickets, merch, and music. A passive audience of 50,000 casual Spotify listeners is less valuable than 500 people who will support your work long-term.

Navigating Fan Interactions Safely

Most interactions are positive, but some musicians, especially women and non-binary artists, deal with inappropriate messages or intrusive behaviour. If you ever feel uncomfortable, blocking someone is not unprofessional. You deserve boundaries, and your safety matters more than pleasing a stranger on the internet.

When to Start Promoting Your Next Single

There are two common extremes in UK indie circles:

1. Promote six months before release
2. Do almost no promotion and let the song speak for itself

Both approaches make things harder than they need to be. A realistic approach is to start about four weeks before release, beginning when you upload your track for distribution.

Start with short clips, rehearsal snippets, lyric teasers, behind-the-scenes footage, or story updates. One month gives you enough time to collect pre-saves, pitch to press and radio, and warm up your existing audience without exhausting them.

You want to aim for websites and publications to start sharing news of your upcoming release about a week before it debuts – later than that and you will get fewer pre-saves, before that and you’re likely to find that the publication may forget about you as you get closer to release. You really want to work with them on a sharing a few things in that final week – ask if they will run an interview with you, or even just ask if they’ll share links to your pre-saves on socials as well as their site.

Creating a Release and Promotion Plan

You will hear people say that too much promotion annoys your followers. In reality, your real supporters want to hear from you. They want to be involved.

Reaching Out to UK Media Outlets

Once your track is uploaded and scheduled, start emailing smaller publications, student radio, and independent music sites. Some examples often covering new and unsigned artists include:

Unsigned Music UK
Amazing Radio
Future Hits
BBC Introducing (your local uploader)
Totally Music Official
And of course, TuneFountain.

Follow them on socials. Message politely. Include links that work. If you share the track early, make sure it is private or password protected. This is also when you should approach radio presenters about airplay.

Never pay for coverage. If a publication charges you to be featured, reviewed, or playlisted, walk away. Good outlets support artists because they value the music, not because someone paid them to pretend to.

Build Relationships Before You Need Them

Some outlets will not reply. Do not take it personally. Many are run by volunteers. If one does reply, stay in touch. Share their work, thank them, and support their posts. The best results happen when a music outlet becomes invested in you.

Sending a Press Release

A simple press release helps. Include:

1. Your artist bio
2. Info about the new track or upcoming project
3. Social media links
4. A pre-save link
5. A private listening link (SoundCloud private, Dropbox, or Drive)
6. Artwork and press images

You might use AI to tidy up grammar or phrasing in the press release, but avoid letting it write music descriptions or generic text that removes your voice. A light polish is acceptable. Letting AI speak for you is not.

Avoid image-only PDFs. Journalists need text they can copy and images they can download quickly.

Using Social Media Without Burning Out

Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Facebook Groups still matter. Tag outlets you admire, but avoid tagging dozens at once. It works better to build a relationship with three supportive platforms than to spam thirty.

TuneFountain often shares tagged posts from independent artists, so if you want a repost, tag us.

Keeping music human

AI tools are already being used to generate songs, vocals, and entire press campaigns. Independent musicians are already fighting to be heard, and flooding the industry with machine-made content harms everyone working hard to create something real.

If you write your own music, you deserve support from human listeners. If you write about artists, they deserve language shaped by lived experience, not automated text stitched together without meaning. Keep music human, keep coverage human, and protect the culture you are part of.

How to price merch without losing money

Merch often funds the next release. To avoid losing money:

1. Calculate base cost per unit (print, garment, packaging, delivery to you)
2. Add your time cost if you pack and ship orders yourself
3. Add VAT if you are VAT registered
4. Add a margin that makes the risk worthwhile

Example UK T-shirt cost:

Minimum sale price to avoid loss: £10
Suggested selling price: £15 to £20

You can charge more for limited runs, signed items, eco-friendly garments, or bundles.

How PRS, PPL, and live royalties work in the UK

There are two main royalty organisations most UK artists should register with:

Submit your live setlists to PRS via Setlist Hub. Venues with PRS licences trigger payments. PPL pays out when radio stations or businesses play your recorded music.

When to hire a manager or PR

A manager or PR might help if:

• You are turning down opportunities because you cannot handle workload
• You have regular gigging income or strong fan growth
• You want structured campaigns, tour planning, or brand partnerships

Red flags:

• They promise playlisting, fame, or guaranteed press
• They ask for large upfront fees with no clear deliverables
• They want ownership of masters or publishing
• They refuse written agreements

Good managers earn a percentage of income they help you generate, not every penny you make.

Mental health support resources for musicians

The pressure of constant self-promotion, financial uncertainty and comparison can take a toll. Support exists.

Speaking to someone is a strength, not a setback.

Stay Persistent

Your first singles may get little coverage. That does not mean your music lacks value. Every time someone becomes a fan, they might listen to everything you made before. That is how momentum builds.

Share your music. Talk about it. Do not apologise for wanting people to hear it.

Rethinking the Label Dream

Signing to a label might still be your goal, but independent musicians are proving that success no longer depends on it. A self-sustaining, loyal audience often gives you more freedom and income than a deal that takes ownership of your work. We will explore this in a future article.

Photo Credit: Dejan Krsmanovic