UNSIGNED ARTISTS: HOW TO SUCCEED (1)

Last month we spoke to pop Producer/a cappella artist/viral video sensation Peter Hollens about how to build a musical career outside of the major label paradigm. Thanks to social media, video sharing sites, and resources like Patreon, taking charge of your own artistic career is more doable than ever before. (In fact, thanks largely to Patreon, Hollens is able to make a healthy living from his art. Sounds too good to be true? Keep reading.)

We caught up with Hollens again to get his advice on how to foster fan/artist relationships which really matter and why you shouldn’t let a record label control your career, and by extension, your dreams. This is advice you won’t hear anywhere else, tailored to unsigned artists who want to make it outside of the traditional music industry in 2017. So, what’s the key element to success in today’s evolving entertainment landscape? “Be real,” Hollens says. “Be authentic. Be a person first and a musician second. Do it all yourself; don’t let anyone come between you and your fanbase. You open your own doors. You knock those doors down.” Whether you’re an aspiring Rapper or a Singer-Songwriter, here’s how to do it.

You don’t need a label.

Hollens doesn’t mince words when it comes to his experience with and opinions on major labels. “Don’t sign with a label,” he says. “You will regret it more than anything you’ve done in your life. Take it from someone who has done this with a major.

There’s no longer a viable reason, truthfully, to sign with a major. Right now, a label only has relationships which are becoming less and less valuable — like radio. You can go to companies who are doing different pieces of what a label does, without signing your soul over to them.

Out of all the people I’ve met in this industry, I can tell you I came into contact with one artist who was actually happy they signed with a label; yet we still believe we need to sign with a label to make it. I believe this will obviously change with time, but my goal is to help it occur exponentially faster by educating my peers it’s all about what it really means to ‘make it’ — which is to make art and support your living with art. That’s what making it is, not being the next Beyonce or Ed Sheeran — that’s not really attainable anymore.

Instead, you could focus on making a living doing what you love, churning your content out, and treating yourself like a Silicon Valley startup. Then you’re setting yourself up for more success. Eventually, you’ll get really good at what you’re doing and be able to do it instead of waiting tables.

Different people are born for different things. I think some people are born with the gumption, guts, and desire to make something. There’s no excuse anymore. We all have the ability to do it. Don’t let somebody else take control of your dreams.”

(READ 2)

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