BK The Great
Veteran
alot of these major artists starting to move independently, i'm pretty sure Jay Z is now an indie artist. other artists just stuck in their deals like Eminem, Dr. Dre, Lil Wayne etc.
is it better to stay independent than to sign to a major label ?
- Thread starter Raheem95
- Start date
C-Styles
Superstar
far from it my dude
JAY-Z himself will tell you he's comfortable being major and the perks
BK The Great
Veteran
far from it my dude
JAY-Z himself will tell you he's comfortable being major and the perks
Jay Z says he no longer has a record deal, opts to release music through TIDAL
Roc Nation founder is now an independent musician
Jay Z says he no longer has a record deal, opts to release music through TIDAL
Suleiman Bey
Banned
If I'm going indy, I might as well keep my 9-5. I'd sign a 360 deal before I went Indy.
Suleiman Bey
Banned
If I'm going indy, I might as well keep my 9-5. I'd sign a 360 deal before I went Indy.
Kilgore Trout
Banned
Its so easy to say what you would do when you're on the outside looking in. Nobody knows everyone situation. Chance might be "independent" but he has definitely had meetings and sit downs and is connected to the pipeline in some kinda way. Back in the day the majors were the only way you got access to The Fesitival Circuit, Radio, The plugs at the magazines. Now that stuff is way more assessable to the regular person so if you are being managed by someone with those connects its almost like being on a major without the resources haha.
If you have a team of talented people that you trust and know will work their asses off for you then going Indy is preferable. But if you don't have a team ready for the grind its probably smarter to take that cash and start building something small on the side. It really depends on what kind of artist you are and how you market yourself.
If you have a team of talented people that you trust and know will work their asses off for you then going Indy is preferable. But if you don't have a team ready for the grind its probably smarter to take that cash and start building something small on the side. It really depends on what kind of artist you are and how you market yourself.
The Devil's Advocate
Call me Dad
you got cats like Chance The Rapper who is 100% independent but got one of the best management, publicists in the industry. he makes all his money from touring and merchandise. he got people loving his tapes, he doesn't have to release an album at all. he actually plans to never release a project for retail sale. he got the ability to do a song with Madonna just from a Jay Z co-sign/recommendation, he is performing on late night talk shows, he sells out shows, he was on Kanye's new album, etc. he gets to do whatever he wants without being forced to by a label.
go download his new tape that's coming May 13th
here is a song that is on the tape that he performed on jimmy fallon's show
i like this shyt, he raps about relatable shyt and positive shyt.
depends on what you want...
go ask 99% of hip hop fans about chance the rapper... they'll be like who??
now ask those same people about j. cole
yes those are the extremes but that's the balance... do you want your shyt on every station/stadium tours/big budgets with a multibillion dollar company pushing you... but not all the money
or do you want all the money.... but smaller reach/shows/tours/exposure
chance is not the norm... chance got obama ties... hollywood caa management... shyt that a normal indy dude would never have in a million years... and he still ain't really known in the public circle, never had a song on radio, and will never chart nothing or get awards
MegaTronBomb!
Power is in my hair nikka
Think about this breh.... what fukking leverage do you as a new artist have in negotiating a deal? How is the label to ensure that they get a return on their investment?
how are you to ensure that the label will provide you with what you need?
Better yet,what in the entire fukk would you have to offer to make such demands?
MegaTronBomb!
Power is in my hair nikka
Being Indy is a real 9-5..... and most musicians aint cut out for it.
a 360 deal isn't the boogeyman or worst deal ever either... tons of rappers have 360 deals, it's all about what you make of it, understanding how to maximize your deal.
rappers need to stop signing to major labels, it needs to get to the point where there wouldnt even be a rap category at music awards cuz their wouldnt be anybody to hand them out to. We havent had any reconizable talent in the game for years due to the game being filled with puppets under contracts
010101
C L O N E*0690//////
deadlines and demands to meet be the shyt you try to dodge in the first place
if you're starving then take the money and work for the suits
but to me working on my own time at my own pace is more ideal
different paths to pick from
*
if you're starving then take the money and work for the suits
but to me working on my own time at my own pace is more ideal
different paths to pick from
*
RhymesWell
All Star
Like many have already said, many who are thought to be indie are not. It's a much harder road than it seems unless you have an investor with big bucks and even then if the money ain't getting spent right you're still going nowhere fast.
Vinny Lupton
Superstar
It's s worth mentioning that Chance has one of the most powerful agents in the world. And at that level the agent isnt just gonna set up your tour, but also do things like nurture you from early on and get you on tv shows, and other things a major label would have done for you 15-20 years ago
and his album on TIDAL will get more promotion than darn near every artist on a major label.
again, these are bad examples.
