Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Crowley.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 2011, I started posting YouTube videos of me performing both covers and original songs. I slowly built an audience and in 2013 released my first book-based song, “Warrior,” which started me on the trajectory I’ve been on since. It now has over 20 million streams on Spotify and was a big reason I was able to fund my first album in 2014 through a Kickstarter campaign.
From there I went on to record two more full-length albums, three EPs, and over 60 singles with Daniel Dennis, my producer since 2014. As a completely independent artist, I’ve cultivated a listener base of 190,000+ YouTube subscribers and 150,000 Spotify monthly listeners, film numerous music videos, and write multiple commissioned songs for various novels and book series.
In 2024, I released my first book with an accompanying 10-song soundtrack of original music, and the audiobook is set to come out in early 2026.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an independent artist definitely has its challenges. So much of the job ends up being administrative work rather than creating because you’re wearing all the hats. You never feel like you are truly off the clock- there is always something you can be doing, It makes having a work-life balance challenging.
The landscape of the internet has also changed a ton since I first started. Trying to keep up-to-date on understanding algorithms and making content is pretty taxing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a songwriter, lyrics are my bread and butter. I love the challenge of telling a story that resonates with someone on an emotional level within just a few minutes. My goal is always to create something deeply personal yet universally relatable.
I’m most proud of the fact that I have been doing this as long as I have. It’s a really tough industry. But I’ve been persistent and worked diligently, and I think that is the reason I’ve been able to make a career out of doing what I love.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
With social media and ever-changing algorithms, it is impossible to say where the music industry will go in the next 5-10 years. But I do think AI will be one of the biggest challenges that the industry has ever faced. There are now fully AI bands with fully AI-produced songs that are getting tens of thousands of streams on Spotify. Personally, I don’t think AI will ever be able to capture the humanity in the storytelling that comes with songwriting, but I hope music listeners will continue to support and value real artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bethcrowley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethjcrowley
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethcrowleymusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/bethjcrowley
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bethcrowley
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bethcrowleymusic
Image Credits
Portrait photos: Hannah Kik Photography
1st performance photo (blue): Kate Johnson
2nd performance photo: Fodder Photography
