Some emerging hip hop artists have absolutely no plans of going the independent route. Their plan is mostly centered around finding one of these industry gatekeepers that will open up the magical gates of the hip hop mainstream, and that little industry elves will do all of the promotional and marketing grunt work for them. First of all, none of the people on the other side of that gate is going to take interest unless you have built a substantial buzz on your own. The “BUZZ”rules and the bigger the Read the rest of this entry »
Not much commentary to add to this video other than the fact that I like finding stories of other indie hip hop artists doing it themselves and making it happen. You can do your own shit, march to your own drummer, and find an audience that’s feels you. Be inspired! Read the rest of this entry »
Naughty by Nature is now releasing their music on their own label, Illtown. I caught up with them in Chicago and asked them about the benefits of being independent artists.
Check out their new single, “Get To Know You Better’.
Drake is often used as a prime example for how struggling independent hip hop artists can succeed in the music business. In order for that to be the case, Drake’s path to success would have to be reasonably attainable by other artists who begin their careers in hip hop. But Drake’s path is not your typical success story.
1. Drake grew up wealthy. Having money doesn’t garuantee your success in the hip hop game but, it sure puts you a lot further ahead of the other runners on the starting block.
2. Drake was a TV star when he started dropping mixtapes. Drake not only appeared in a few films but he developed a healthy fanbase from his Read the rest of this entry »
Great interview of Chamillionaire talking about everything from how he’s been able to be in control of his business to the power that comes with being a successful independent hip hop artist. I wish we could get more in depth interviews like this from hip hop artists instead of the typical bullshit about beefs.
5. Artist gets locked up for 5 to 20 just before the project is finished.
4. Artist is so frantic about the recording that he plays it for everyone and prematurely leaks the music.
3. Artist (usually female) has a psycho, jealous boyfriend who hates on his girl’s success and continues to sabotage the project by screwing with her head. Read the rest of this entry »
Starting a label is easy. Running one…well that’s another story. Most
independent artists start record labels only to release their own, personal material. Sometimes they never go further than creating a name and logo, but at some point they feel the need to take the potential growth of the label more seriously. This involves getting licensed as a business and signing other artists. I’ll outline some of the important steps to starting a functional, indie record label.
1. Funding: You first need to figure out how you’re going to pay for the costs associated with running a label. This usually covers the recording of projects, manufacturing, marketing and promotion.
2. Your business plan: So many businesses fail because their starters don’t take the time to plan out how their business will consistently earn money or how they’ll face the many challenges of running it. Create a business plan to measure how your label will sustain itself.
In this clip, Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, discusses the difficulties of finding distribution for your independent label and what you need to have sufficient leverage in the relationship with your distributer.
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