Ditto Music’s Independent Music Report 2026 found that 74% of independent artists earned less than $1,000 from music in the last year, and 82% said they cannot afford to tour. The survey collected responses from 5,039 musicians across 112 countries.
Income and touring
Live performance remains the second-largest income source for independent artists, behind streaming. However, 82% of respondents said they cannot currently afford tour expenses, and without label tour support, many are unable to use touring as a revenue and merchandise channel.
The report indicates that music remains a side income for most creators, with many relying on outside earnings. In the U.S., 43% of artists said they considered quitting music in the past year.
Marketing and mental health
Without label marketing budgets, promotion falls on artists. Marketing and self-promotion ranked as the second-largest source of stress at 23.5%, behind financial pressure.
AI in production
Nearly half of surveyed artists, 47%, said they use artificial intelligence mostly as an assistant for mixing, mastering and vocal tuning.
Survey scope
The study covered artist demographics, career experience, income, streaming, music discovery, social media, artificial intelligence, live performance and mental health. The largest respondent markets were the U.S. with 1,180 artists, the U.K. with 1,003 and South Africa with 929.
“Independent artists have unprecedented access to audiences, technology and global distribution, but turning that access into a sustainable career remains a major challenge,” said Matt Parsons, CEO and co-founder of Ditto Music. “The annual report sheds light on this reality for today’s independent musicians, and how social media, touring costs and AI are reshaping what it means to build a career.”
