Listen & Learn:
New Indie Music: Raising Awareness
Our friends at just mediaworks are raising money and awareness for victims of sexual assault/intimate partner violence. Good music can do good work. Great job, guys.
Check ’em out 3/18 Scrub LIVE + Gaslight indie music STL
new indie music preview: FameMachine – The Culprit Manifest + i7iu7e
St. Louis has it’s own sound! We watched this thing get built from the ground up. Congrats to TCM+i7iu7e and Gaslight!
indie artists & bedroom producers: find a business partner.
We happen to believe very strongly in the power of building strong partnerships within indie music. Listen, if you believe a truly indie artist can win a Grammy or donate 1M to a cause, then this site isn’t for you. I’m not opposed to having a benefactor or a VC fund backing you, but I think calling yourself independent isn’t truly fair to all of the unsigned people who don’t have the backing. I digress. If you’re struggling to make moves due to budget restrictions, we get you. Would it be in your best interest then to partner with someone who could help? So if you want to make a video, can you form a partnership with a videographer in your city? Make a deal that’s fair to you both and grow together. In the case of just mediaworks, they partnered with Gaslight to record a project and release it this April. The power of partnerships cannot be understated. It is beneficial to both parties to focus on the increased value of working together than fretting over having the money for individual projects. Find a person or a group of people with skills you need and figure out how to work together and grow both of your businesses at the same time. The Indie Music Playbook: Promote Your Music Like The Pros Do
indie artists: control the narrative
Jay Z now has a VC Firm
I’m just going to say I think Jay is a genius. He is basically our generation’s Warren Buffet. Look, we may never grow our businesses to this level but you gotta appreciate the blueprint he’s providing. See what I did there? The Blueprint
Arrive has arrived. He also has great taste in names…
Use code DRIZLYFIVE and you’ll save $5 on your next beer, wine, or liquor delivery!
Mogul Moves
I have been reading this 700 plus page book for the past two weeks. It’s an incredible tale. But while I respected a lot of the moves (the amounts of money are staggering), I did learn that I don’t ever want to be reviled because of greed. One partner was beloved (and still is) and one is hated (still is). I learned what kind of leader I would like to be from this book and the pitfalls to avoid. This book doesn’t deal in the realm of music specifically, but there was hardly anything this agency didn’t touch in terms of entertainment for about 25 years. Gordon Gekko was wrong: greed isn’t good. Unmitigated greed is especially not good…
Powerhouse: The Untold Story of Hollywood’s Creative Artists Agency
Make an investment in yourself!
We meet a lot of different types of people in the music business. Some are working hard at full-time jobs while pursuing the music on a part-time basis while others live with four other dudes and feast on PBR every payday. As I keep emphasizing, no matter how you’re living in this music business, you’re an entrepreneur. And as a business person (and in some cases business owner) it’s very important that you strategize. Make a plan and really do something every day to make it a reality. What’s a win in the music business look like for you? And one point I am emphasizing to all of the entrepreneurs I’m working with now is stop wasting time if it’s costing you money. I know someone who makes a great salary as a full-time developer but complains of a part-time job he took to help a friend. So the friend has moved on but he still shows up and barely makes enough money at the job to cover his gas. Why? Why do that? That’s time that could be devoted to the business he says he’s planning to start. Waste. You have no time to waste. Invest in yourself at all times. And always make sure your actions match your words. Keep hustling!!
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Indie Music Moguls 