Evan Logan on the modern music industry: “You can either play the game or be disadvantaged”

Traversing a digitised society as a creative has its proven challenges, a double-edged sword that can propel some artists to fame whilst rendering others irrelevant, causing them to fade into the background of endless, mind-numbing, short-form content. With the music scene continuously evolving, emerging artists must adapt to stay afloat in the cut-throat industry. I recently had the chance to sit down with 19-year-old singer-songwriter Evan Logan, who helped to shine some light on the experiences of young artists today and how social media can be utilised for promotion and outreach alongside traditional press methods.  

With 18.3K likes and over 2,000 followers on TikTok, Logan has persevered in building himself a faithful fanbase and increasing audience outreach

It seems that Logan has achieved small-town fame, with only a small social media presence leading him to become recognised locally. With open mics, TikTok, and Instagram as his only source of regular exposure, the importance of content creation for independent artists cannot be overstated. He claims that “social media for me has been rather positive. I did used to get some negative comments before, but I always look at it as engagement.” Although now more secure in his social media presence, Logan expressed some doubts when originally starting out. Claiming in a TikTok that he was “absolutely petrified” before posting, Logan elaborates: “I’ve never really fit in as a kid and never wanted to accept that, so the idea of then putting myself out there and putting the power of being accepted to people on social media was terrifying.” 

Yet, the risks have paid off. With 18.3K likes and over 2,000 followers on TikTok, Logan has persevered in building himself a faithful fanbase and increasing audience outreach. With the ephemerality of TikTok a concern for many with such a high turnover of content, Logan ensures viewers engage with his posts through relatability, probing “would you scream this in your car?”, “send this to someone who needed to hear this”, and “let me know if you relate to this”. He expands: “My aim is to feel relatable. I think people can forget that people on social media are people, and interpersonal connections are my focus.” In a world plagued by parasocial relationships, artists must walk the treacherous tightrope between overfamiliarity and community building with fans, endeavouring to effectively market themselves without sacrificing the dynamic distance between artist and fan.  

“I think virality is mainly a social media strategy. Obviously, talent helps with that, but it’s not a direct correlation”

– Evan Logan

But is it necessarily fair that social media fame correlates with artists’ success? Should digital exposure really dictate the value of music? Logan confides: “I don’t think it is really a matter of fairness. It’s just the way things are, and you can either play the game or be disadvantaged.” It seems that artists are left with a simple choice: either adapt to the times or be left behind, sink or swim. With short-form content the most used content format among marketers globally, coming in at around 60%, tracks must be cut short and immediately attract the audience’s attention. Logan claims that shortened attention spans “definitely affect how I write to an extent with catchy lyrics”, making memorable hooks essential to grab viewers’ attention. He later affirms that virality is not a true reflection of a musician’s talent: “I think virality is mainly a social media strategy. Obviously, talent helps with that, but it’s not a direct correlation.” 

Logan also cites Lia Armitage Szpiro as a source of advice: “It has accelerated my growth a lot; she’s genuinely amazing.” Without a press agent, independent artists are left to source advice on content direction, production and marketing themselves, causing a wide fluctuation in the quality and quantity of content across platforms. Logan’s main takeaway from his experience navigating the digital landscape is that “consistency and lives are a great way of connecting and showing your personality. That’s what gave me the most growth.” Ultimately, it is clear that a social media presence has made a difference for Logan, for he acknowledges successful engagement with his fans, claiming: “I have met people through social media and it’s been great. I genuinely have so much time for every one of my followers.” 

Despite the tumultuous trends of social media, the vitality of authenticity and transparency whilst making music in the digital age remains Logan’s priority

As a result of this growth, Logan’s upcoming single ‘Embers’ is set to be released next year; he confides: “I can’t wait, it’s a super personal song and will be my debut release”. Yet, Logan is unwilling to negotiate his fan engagement for success: “I want a career without a doubt, but I still want a connection with as much of my audience as I can.”  

Despite the tumultuous trends of social media, the vitality of authenticity and transparency whilst making music in the digital age remains Logan’s priority. Whilst social media can be used as a marketing tool, attracting viewers and followers, the numbers do not negate the effort and talent of small artists such as Evan Logan.