Most independent artists who promote their own music releases make a loss, according to new research.
The research by Pirate.com, a global music studio hosting 350,000 artists worldwide, found that 75% of musicians who spend money on promoting releases don't make it back.
Over 1,000 live musicians, producers, rappers and MCs from the UK and US were asked how they promote their music.
Of these, 91% said they did so without the support of a label or manager.
Of the musicians surveyed 54% said they use social media for self-promotion, with 56% of these using it everyday.
The research highlights the increasing need for musicians to create additional, visual content in order to promote their work.
More than half (56%) of music creators said they will make visuals for their next release.
Dan Davis, Head of Community at Pirate.com, said: "Making music in the social media age means constantly jumping on new promotional trends.
"However, making content is rarely free and new revenue sources for artists aren’t emerging at the same rate as new trends."