As the world of music becomes increasingly accessible to audiences than ever before, social media has emerged as a tool to help independent musicians build a platform from scratch. 

Whether an artist is writing the next “song of the summer” or performing covers of their favorite tracks, it is no secret that musicians use social media to expose their work to new listeners from the comfort of their homes. Against this backdrop, two independent artists with ties to North Georgia shared the challenges they face as they work to bring their creative visions to life.

Gainesville-based singer-songwriter Rebecca Skelton started writing and recording her own music nearly a year ago. She released her first play EP “In My Head” in August  2024. 

Skelton shared that, like most independent artists, she pays completely out of pocket to produce her work. However, because she is not signed to a label, she is able to make all creative decisions for her music – including how she promotes herself on social media. She shared her process as she has worked to promote singles for her upcoming full-length album. 

“There’s got to be a good hook, if it’s not a good hook, then [they] will just swipe away. And so thinking of good ideas… it can’t just be like, ‘oh, look, professional video with lip syncing,’ … if I don’t have a huge following, that doesn’t work. If no one knows who I am, that doesn’t work. So because nobody knows who I am, I kind of have to think a little extra harder.” – Rebecca Skelton, singer-songwriter

Skelton posts clips of her original songs and covers on her social media accounts. While multiple videos have gained over 100,000 views on TikTok alone, Skeleton emphasized that her approach to promoting her first single, “Delusional,” which was released in June 2024, has differed from her approach to promoting her latest song, “let it all go,” which she released in February. 

“The algorithm is so different than it was last year,” she said. “I felt like I had a lot of potential with ‘Delusional.’ … With “let it all go,”  I know that I do have to go all out for it. I know with ‘Delusional’, it’s a whole lot easier to just think of pokes to catch people… I kind of want to lean towards more professional promotion for the next one.” 

As Skelton is in the early stages of her journey with music, North Georgia native Jon Moore, also known as Blaqk Van, has been writing and recording independently for two decades. Now working to release his newest album “20 Year Walk Through N.Y.C.,” Moore said the dynamic for self-promoting one’s music has dramatically shifted from when he first started his career. 

Moore described that when he initially started making music, most artists would rely on playing live shows or sending demos to labels in hopes of finding a new audience. Now, the “next big thing” could be just a swipe away. 

“People want instant gratification now with the internet and they constantly need to be updated,” Moore said. “If you’re not signed, you have to do all these posts on TikTok and Instagram, and still, labels really don’t take notice unless you have a giant following. [It’s] unfortunate because there’s a lot of talent out there that gets overlooked because they don’t have the numbers, and I think that’s really hurt the music industry.”

While Moore has been working to adapt to new tools for promoting his music, he recently signed a publishing deal with New York-based company Killphonic. A publishing deal differs from signing with a record label in that it is an agreement between an artist and a company that outlines terms under which the company will manage and benefit from an artist’s work. Usually, these deals enable a company to promote an artist’s music and handle licensing negotiations for their songs to be used in a variety of contexts, including TV shows, movies or other forms of media. In turn, publishing companies collect a portion of royalties made from promoting the music.

Moore gave advice to aspiring musicians and songwriters. 

“Write as much as you can,” he said. “You’re going to write a bunch of bad songs before you write good ones… Tap into emotion and play with all your heart. Don’t phone it in, ever.” 

Moore’s album is expected to be released in mid-March. To listen to Skelton’s music, check out her Spotify and TikTok.