Why Managing Expectations Can Save Your Music Career (Especially as an Independent Artist)

Ruben
Jan 24, 2023
3 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

If you’re an independent artist starting out, you’ve probably dealt with disappointment already, a song underperforming, a collaborator not delivering, or an opportunity that looked huge but ended up going nowhere. It’s a tough feeling, and it can mess with your momentum fast.

But here’s the truth a lot of us learn the hard way: managing your expectations is one of the most important skills you can develop as an independent artist.

Because the moment you let external things determine your mood, your confidence, or your work ethic… you lose control of your career.

The Opportunity That Taught Me Everything

A while back, I got selected by a major streaming platform for a special “support independent artists” campaign. They told me they loved my music. They told me they wanted to push my next release. They called me the “perfect fit.”

I was hyped.

So hyped, in fact, that I rushed a collaboration just to get the song out in time. The track wasn’t finished the way we wanted, but we trusted their promise.

The song came out.

And then… nothing.

One single Instagram post. That’s it.

No playlisting. No push. No spotlight.

And I went through every emotion, disappointment, anger, frustration. I stopped creating for a while because I was busy feeling let down.

That experience taught me one of the most important lessons of my career so far:

If your happiness depends on something you can’t control, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

1. Don’t Expect External Opportunities to “Save” You

It’s easy to think:

This playlist will change my life.
This shoutout will blow me up.
This collab will unlock everything.

But when you expect that, you give all your power away.

Focus on working consistently, improving your craft, and moving forward regardless of who does or doesn’t support you. Anything external that helps you is a bonus, not the plan.

2. Don’t Expect Collaborators to Match Your Energy

One of the fastest ways to get frustrated is assuming everyone cares as much as you do.

People have different priorities, different schedules, and different levels of discipline. Some people cancel sessions. Some move slow. Some mean well but don’t follow through.

Instead of trying to “fix” people or get upset:

Work with the people who naturally move like you.
Let people show you who they are, and adjust accordingly.

If someone bails because they partied last night? Cool. Now you know how serious they are. Use the extra time to work on your own music.

3. Don’t Have Expectations About How Your Music Will Perform

When you drop a song expecting thousands of streams, there’s a big chance you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

And that disappointment kills creativity.

Instead:

Focus on creating.
Focus on improving.
Focus on releasing consistently.

The artists who win long-term aren’t the ones who got lucky once, they’re the ones who kept going, kept growing, and kept falling in love with the process.

Your creativity is too valuable to ruin with unrealistic expectations. Protect it.