Artist Development coaching

Artist development is the process of helping musicians grow creatively, professionally, and strategically. It goes beyond the music itself and focuses on everything that shapes you as an artist: your sound, identity, positioning, performance, and how you connect with an audience. The goal is to develop a clear artistic direction and a realistic path forward in the music industry.

At PopLab, artist development means giving you the knowledge and thinking traditionally provided by labels — without the cost of giving up ownership or creative control. This includes understanding how artists are developed, positioned, and grown at a professional level, while learning how to apply those principles independently to your own project.

While the term “artist development” is more common in the US and UK, the need for it is just as real in Switzerland. International labels invest heavily in this process for their artists. We help you build the same foundations yourself, so you can make informed decisions, stay independent, and grow your career on your own terms.

Artist development is a long-term process that unfolds over the course of a career, not something that’s “finished” in a few weeks. Your sound, identity, and direction evolve as you grow and move through different stages.

That doesn’t mean you need to stay with us for your entire career. Our role is to support your current stage, help you gain clarity, and give you the tools and frameworks to continue developing independently. How long the process takes depends entirely on where you’re starting, where you want to go, and what you need right now.

Because growth starts with clarity of identity and direction, not promotion. If your sound, message, and artistic identity aren’t clearly defined, releases don’t connect deeply or consistently with an audience. Without that foundation, every release feels like starting over.

Artist development creates the clarity that allows people to recognise you, understand what you stand for, and come back. When your identity is clear, growth becomes possible — marketing then helps scale what’s already working.

Artist development makes sense at any stage. Some artists use it early on to build a clear direction before releasing music, while others use it to refine and strengthen an existing project.

You don’t need finished or released music for this process. Developing your sound, identity, and direction can be part of the work at PopLab Zurich. Whether you’re starting with intention or looking to bring focus to what you’re already doing, artist development helps align your creative vision with real-world decisions.

Yes but to a certain extent. You don’t need any released material, but you do need songs or ideas we can work with, even if it’s just a rough demo or voice memo. Bringing something to work on shows commitment and motivation, which are essential at PopLab. We can develop the writing, production, and finishing together — but you can’t start from nothing.

Not at all. You can focus on just one area — like ads, branding, or release strategy — or combine topics over multiple sessions. We'll guide you based on your goals and current problems.

Yes. Bands are welcome. One member is included in the session fee; additional band members attending the same session are subject to an extra fee. If more than two members attend, we recommend online sessions to ensure a smooth and focused setup.

These are personalised 1-on-1 coaching sessions: focused sessions where we work with you step by step to develop your artist career with clarity and intent.

Yes, single sessions are available — though many artists, songwriters & producers choose to book multiple for deeper development. We also recommend this.

Yes. A trial lesson is always part of our selection process and serves as the second step after the initial application. It allows us to work together briefly and confirm mutual fit before moving forward.

Sessions are available in our Zurich studio in Kreis 5. We make exceptions for bands joining, they can be online for certain topics.