Independent Music Artist Reveals the Shocking Out-of-Pocket Cost for a 6-Minute TV Appearance (Exclusive)

Piper Phillips tells PEOPLE she wants to give other up-and-coming artists a realistic look at what it takes to make it on TV

NEED TO KNOW

• Piper Phillips spent $2,385 on her first live TV appearance, including rehearsal, equipment rentals and paying her band
• The opportunity came after a viral video led a producer to invite her on the show, boosting her visibility
• Phillips uses her marketing background and social media to grow her music career as an independent artist

For independent musician Piper Phillips, the show must go on — even if there’s a high upfront cost to make it happen.

The 26-year-old artist recently made a brief appearance on Good Day New York, where she performed her single “Talk to Me.” Though she was only on the screen for six minutes and 36 seconds (three of which were to perform the song), the experience had a hefty out-of-pocket price tag.

In a now-viral Instagram video, Phillips broke down the expenses required to get on air for less than seven minutes. While she didn’t have to outright pay for the slot on the show, she ended up spending $2,385 in preparation and wages.

This cost included $210 for a two-hour studio rehearsal, $1,175 in equipment rentals and $450 to pay the band who accompanied her on stage — which she notes was actually a cheaper alternative, as her dad flew out from Chicago to be her drummer and didn’t ask to be paid.

“This was my first live TV appearance. I got the call from the producer asking me to come on the show when I was sitting on a stoop in the West Village. I immediately said yes without realizing how much logistical work it would take,” Phillips tells PEOPLE. “I had about 10 days to prepare and didn’t realize how expensive it would be, but knowing I’m in the early stages of my career, and knowing my love for storytelling on social media, I had a feeling I would be able to make the experience worthwhile!”

The opportunity, Phillips says, came after a different video of hers went viral, in which she found a tick on her neck on the way to a performance in the Hamptons and her friend had to rip it out “with her acrylic nails.” A true professional, Phillips still performed her two-hour set that night.

“I, of course, filmed and posted the whole experience on Instagram, and the producer of Good Day New York actually found that video first,” she explains. “He then listened to my singles, and DM’d me asking if I wanted to come on the show! I thought it was a scam at first, but then the next day saw the official invite in my email inbox. So I guess I kind of have that tick to thank?”

Phillips has been pursuing her dream as a musician for the last two years. She moved to New York City four years ago after getting a job in marketing at a startup before deciding to pursue music full-time and “grow my own personal brand.”

“I’ve always felt split: part artist, part entrepreneur,” Phillips says. “So lately, I’ve leaned into that, and have been posting about what it’s like to have a ‘non-traditional career path’ in N.Y.C. As part of that, I’ve been posting about my journey of truly beginning my music career. I’ve also realized how this might actually be a superpower, and that ‘knowing business’ is key to being an independent artist. It’s very much like a startup.”

She credits her marketing career with giving her the funds to launch her music career, as she uses her savings from that job to “reinvest into my dream.”

“However, I haven’t quite decided how much I’m going to allocate to press or live events like this on a regular basis,” she admits. “As an independent artist with no record label, it means that every cost is coming directly from my pocket — so I’m going to have to get picky moving forward!”

Though the brief television appearance made her “$0 in cash,” she says that the opportunities it’s afforded her have ultimately led to a positive return on her investment. In addition to the “millions” of impressions online, she’s also received offers from various N.Y.C. venues to host her as a headliner, an invite to audition for a movie and more than 10,000 new followers across her Instagram and TikTok accounts.

“Oh… and maybe even a PEOPLE magazine story if you’re reading this?” she adds.

While people always told her that “the music business is expensive,” she “didn’t know what they meant until now.”

“I worked at a startup when I moved to N.Y.C. I’m used to investing costs to grow a business: you put money in, you see money out, but what’s crazy about the music business is that you put money in, and you sometimes still don’t see the ‘money out’ portion for years — if ever, for some people,” she shares.

“You’re not able to track ‘sales’ in the same way that you can with selling a physical product,” she continues. “Much of the necessary traction for early artists is seen in small gigs, 1:1 fan interactions, social media traction and streaming… none of which are exactly cashflow positive.”

Though she would love to eventually sign with a record label, she’s doing what she can now to put her in a position with bargaining power when the time comes.

“What I’ve learned from the industry is that labels can’t really take you from zero to 10 anymore… however, I’ve heard they’re great for taking you from 10 to 10,000,” she says. “Also, the businesswoman in me feels the need to point out — if you’re an artist, negotiating with a record label when you already have some traction, you’re going to have way better leverage for negotiating a fair deal.”

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Until then, she’ll continue sharing all the steps she’s taking along the way — and being transparent about the financials of it all “because as I’ve just experienced firsthand… it takes money to make money!”

“I think talking about money is great. It’s important because it gives people realistic expectations. Like yeah, it’s all fun and glamorous looking to get to be on TV, but let’s talk about what it actually costs to make that happen,” she says. “The only way we can empower women to make more money is if we talk about money! Social media can be so fake and misleading, and I never want to contribute to that.”

Going from playing in a cover band with her dad in Chicago as a kid to her current platform and two singles — “Talk to Me” and “Growing Pains” — Phillips is taking every step in stride and trying to maximize every opportunity she can. Her social media is a key tool in that.

“Social media really is the most powerful tool for an independent artist,” she says. “Even if someone pays a publicist to get them on TV, that these days is still not enough; you need to maximize the event across social media to really see a return on investment!”