ellevate Coaching Principles

At ellevate, we believe every artist has the potential for a lucrative and fulfilling career. Our role as coaches is not just to offer tactical advice, but to inspire and empower artists to build sustainable, authentic careers rooted in their unique identity. We also believe that every artist deserves access to coaching, no matter where they are in their journey.

Your job is to support them, keep them on track towards their goals and challenge them to be better.

This guide outlines the core principles for coaching ellevate artists.

1. The Foundation: Brand Identity & Story

The bedrock of any successful artist's career is a strong, authentic brand. This isn't just a logo or a colour palette; it's the very essence of who the artist is and what they represent.

  • Core Identity First: Start by helping the artist articulate who they are beyond their music. What are their unique strengths as a human being? What makes them tick?

  • Embrace Authenticity & Niche: Encourage artists to be unapologetically themselves, even if it feels "weird" or "cringe." Trying to appeal to everyone often leads to diluting their unique voice. The goal is to serve a small, dedicated community exceptionally well, rather than being generic to a mass audience.

  • Uncover the Story: Dig deep into their background. The "weirder the better" when it comes to unique references that can be woven into their brand narrative. Every artist has a story; our job is to help them find and tell it compellingly.

  • Visual & Emotional Branding: Once the core identity is understood, translate it into a cohesive visual and emotional language. This includes styling, content aesthetics, and the overall "world" they are building for their audience. Every element should reinforce their core message.

2. Getting Started: Building Your World

With a strong foundation, artists can begin actively building their presence and connecting with their audience.

  • Deep Audience Understanding: Move beyond basic demographics. Help artists understand who their fans truly are, where they "hang out" online, what other media they consume, and most importantly, what emotional connection their music provides. "What value are you providing fans?"

  • Strategic Content Creation:

    • Types of Content: Use your own personal approach to this – key themes or topics that define their brand.

    • Quantity & Authenticity: Encourage audience building on platforms through consistency on their chosen platforms.

    • Ease of Creation: Help them to find a balance in content creation that pushes them creatively but also prevents burnout.

  • Platform Selection: Advise artists to prioritise platforms they genuinely enjoy using, rather than feeling obligated to be everywhere.

  • Meet the Audience Where They Live: While socials are important we also encourage artists to critically examine who their potential fans and where they might discover new music.

  • Legal & Administrative Basics: Guide artists on essential administrative tasks like registering their music with collection societies (e.g., PPL, PRS) and understanding basic contract terms and royalty splits. Stress the importance of "protecting yourself" with clear agreements, even with collaborators.

3. Focusing on Goals: Strategic Momentum

Help artists define clear, actionable goals and develop a strategic roadmap to achieve them.

  • Realistic & Measurable Goals: Shift focus from vanity metrics (e.g., follower count) to tangible achievements like selling out a small venue, building a mailing list, or securing sync placements.

  • Strategic Release Planning: In today's "singles market," advise a strategy of consistently releasing singles, even from a cohesive album, to maintain audience attention and provide a growing catalog for new listeners to discover.

  • Organic Networking & Collaboration: Encourage artists to connect with peers, writers, and producers in their scene. Authentic collaborations can open doors and naturally "plug you into the scene," leading to new opportunities and a stronger team around them.

4. Moving Towards Monetisation: Beyond Streams

Guide artists on diversifying their income streams beyond traditional streaming revenue, which is often minimal for early-stage artists.

  • Direct-to-Fan (D2F) Engagement:

    • Build Owned Audiences: Strongly advocate for building mailing lists, text groups (e.g., WhatsApp communities), or Substack newsletters. These platforms allow artists to own their fan data and communicate directly, bypassing algorithm changes. This is where "fans over followers" reside.

    • Provide Value to Community: The key to D2F is providing consistent, exclusive value to their core community. This could be behind-the-scenes content, personal insights, early access, or unique experiences, rather than just discounts.

  • Merchandise & Physical Products: Encourage the creation and sale of merchandise, especially items that align with their brand identity (e.g., custom bandanas). This is a direct revenue stream and a way for fans to show support.

  • Sync Licensing: Educate artists on the potential of sync (music in TV, ads, movies). Help them prepare their music (masters, instrumentals, lyric sheets, clear splits) for pitching to sync agents.

  • Brand Partnerships: As their brand solidifies, explore authentic brand collaborations. Emphasize that brands seek genuine alignment with an artist's core values and unique story, not just large follower counts.

  • Understanding Royalties & Deals: Continue to demystify the complexities of the music business, ensuring artists understand how their music generates revenue (publishing, master recordings) and how to protect their rights in any deal.

Overall Coaching Mindset:

  • The "Experiment" Approach: Remind artists that their career is "one big experiment." Encourage them to test ideas, learn from results (both successes and "failures"), and adapt. No one has all the answers, and the industry is constantly evolving.

  • Persistence is Key: "The way you win is the consistency. It's not in the big moments." Artists who endure and remain consistent, even through setbacks, are the ones who ultimately succeed.

  • Empowerment: Our role is to provide the tools, knowledge, and encouragement for artists to take ownership of their careers and feel inspired that they can achieve abundance.

  • Be You: We have matched you with an ellevate artist because of your unique experience and point of view so feel free to get creative with it.