The Grammys sparked a conversation over new artists’ struggles

Chappell Roan is hoping to make it a bit easier for future Midwest princesses to rise in the music biz.

At Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, the 26-year-old pop star used her Best New Artist acceptance speech to draw attention to the struggles young artists face when trying to break into the industry.

• Roan shared her vow that if she ever won a Grammy, she would “demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially developing artists.”

This is personal for Roan: The “Hot To Go” singer was signed by Atlantic Records in 2015, but got dropped five years later when her music didn't take off as anticipated, leaving her without a steady income or health insurance.

🎶 Big picture: The problems identified in Roan's speech are commonplace in the music industry, according to many modern artists, who report facing an array of bureaucratic, strategic, and financial obstacles to making a living.

• These include substantial upfront costs of touring, meager payouts from streaming giants like Spotify, and typically being classified as contractors by record labels (meaning no health insurance or other benefits).
• Overall, 76% of new artists say their music career is financially unsustainable, while 82% rely on jobs unrelated to music to support themselves, per a recent industry study.