The importance of branding strategies in the music industry

With the rise of digital streaming platforms, the music industry is gradually becoming an oversaturated market, with high competition and lower barriers to entry. The ability of an artist to stand out from the competition and sustain a career has become extremely important. The main key to break into the music landscape, especially in pop music, is the implementation of branding strategies into the artists’ musical identity. Branding is about how artists define themselves, connect with their audience, and communicate their identity through everything they do: from their music, to their public persona. This thesis examines the pivotal role of branding in the mainstream music industry, beginning with an analysis of the current landscape and then exploring how top artists craft compelling brand identities to achieve and sustain relevance. Focusing on Sabrina Carpenter's recent surge in popularity, the thesis provides an in-depth look at how long-term branding strategies have shaped her success through the use of empirical resources gathered in my role as the founder of her Italian Official Page. Her evolution from a rising star to a prominent pop artist is a great example of the importance of consistent messaging, visual identity, and audience engagement to stand out from the competition. To further examine how branding can also drive recurring revenue for artists, this dissertation dives into key branding concepts and theoretical frameworks that can be associated to the music industry, such as Kevin Roberts’ "Lovemarks”. This study introduces the notion of "loyalty beyond reason”, a powerful concept that can ensure artists a long-term presence within the industry. This research further draws on examples from pop artists in music, analyzing cases in the past and in the present of effective and ineffective branding strategies, demonstrating that branding is not a secondary consideration but a fundamental element for any artist seeking not only mainstream success, but also deep trust from stakeholders and the audience in general.