This guy has his hands in multiple things. He’s a digital marketer he’s done some other things in music industry being a manager. So you guys are going to get a lot of great information for you, I’m not from him, I’m not going to waste your time. I want to hop right into it. So what’s up Corey, I don’t pretty good man just now.
This heat, a man that he didn’t Georgia dawg all right so, like just start here, there’s always the best place to start tell everybody how you got into the music industry in the first place. So my background, pretty much comes from publicity. I started out being an intern, so I all right more, like an assistant to a publicist. I was more so in the media world. You know getting placements on blogs and like magazines and local press and stuff like that, and that kind of transferred into me working on the publicity and marketing team for like a boutique label, which was pretty much just like a upstart label between some guys with some Money without y’all want to start a label, come work for us, so that to me doing that for about a year to an anthem that kind of transition into managing artists, which I did up until about four or five months ago.
I, which led me into my own marketing thing but kind of freelance marketing working for people, don’t like influencer marketing and Spotify, playlists and stuff like that. Okay, but – and I cared to you guys – this guy is serious. I would even have them up here, especially him. Being in the marketing space, y’all know what I do so y’all going to learn some great things from him. Now, when we talk about this label, though you said, you worked at a label was just like a label.
He said two guys with some money he’s just talking about, they got the check and they said he want to start one where they’re already experienced in the industry, so it was pretty much. Two people saw one of the guys. His name is Jonathan, hey he’s the publicist that I was working for. It was his business partner who was a guy that was new to the music industry, but he had the fun. So I kind of get everything off the ground like I said these two guys were like yo.
You know we kind of have a vision for a label that we want to start. We have something that we want to do. We know can’t come kind of help. Us with it what my like first footprint or like real serious foot, praying the music. Ok came from now for all the marketers out there and managers. I know so many people want to start a label so before we get deeper to your personal story, what’s the biggest thing you felt like kept that label from surviving a lot of people trying to start labels these days, yeah, not really, not really, knowing the cultural Landscape, I would say because, like I said like, it was two guys who they had the money to do everything I that was really any idea like.
I could come up with about. How much is it yeah we could, she could say, yeah Thursday, so this pretty much them not not really knowing what they got themselves into. Like I said, with the other guy, coming from a publicity standpoint, he’s so used to pushing everything from like. Oh, like the the perspective of a publicist or journalists, which you know we all know like it comes it’s a lot more to comes with yeah starting to label.
So I don’t say that’s the only thing. I really saw wrong with them, because I had other things like like took like really not. We say cultural landscape. What you’re talking about there like knowing like you know, which press is good press for the demographics are trying to get into? You know sunlight which, which light influencers are like really making an impact on what you’re trying to get into, or like just observing like the overall like cultural landscape of like who are the people that we’re trying to get out of music in front of.
It was very much just like a thumb spaghetti at the world technique, but they were child going for it, as opposed to like you know. Who is this person that we’re trying to reach? Who is the fans of our music? So they understand how to like identify their needs to demographic in to reverse engineer from that so they’re, pretty much is like like they were. Also every pretty much is like. We also like doing the music side, which everyone from my experience, everyone who gets really involved in the music side doesn’t like to do the other stuff like they don’t like to kind of go that that customer profile you know.
So I honestly that’s really the only thing I see nothing like their artists were like cool artists. They weren’t, like the best like most serious. Are they also had artists, who kind of like took advantage of the situation? Okay, who, like did in the shouldn’t, have been taken advantage of the situation, so those things that I’m sure a lot of you guys are going through, but uh though some things definitely keep in mind when I started label and yet that money is not everything everybody.
I know a lot of people are like looking to get some money or they say all they need is money, but I’ve talked to people who have been on tours with artists that have had millions of dollars back in them, whether it is their own cuz. They got it somehow, or investors and artists, just straight flopped yeah, I’m talking about millions of dollars, so it’s not all just the money. If you don’t know the customer profile, I had a like to do a lot of things that he knows how to do.
You know, then, it’s not as easy as this game. Everybody lies, everybody makes the game see ya, like I said money. Isn’t everything like at some point? There’s only you like, no matter how much money you spend on something at some point it kind of has to like grow us all that isn’t what I’m saying like the money is to get the ball rolling, but once the ball start, the ball has to roll. That’s real like what do you? What are you doing more so today? What some more so your day to day when it comes to the services you offer artists, so I pretty much like you said, like focus more something like digital music marketing yeah.
It’s mostly me doing influencer marketing on Instagram YouTube and then some of it well actually most of it is Spotify playlist thing, so I pretty much figure out ways that we can check out these digital blogs and digital platforms and connecting with people who make sense with The audience that you’re trying to reach and then get you placed into those places, okay, so a lot of artists are trying to get in contact with people like you now for your from your perspective, what are some of the things that keep you from working with? Everybody because everybody, I know who’s taking it seriously, they aren’t scamming out here they filtered, they don’t just work with everything are that reaches out to them.
So what are some of the turn offs that you have when it comes to artists? Who hit you up? I mean with it being the music industry. I personally it helps if I really like the music it just if anyone working with music, it makes it a lot easier when you like this one because like when you hitting that point, it’s kind of saying no yeah, it makes you want to okay. I really do like this song. I believe it’s like, I believe in it.
So let me go so. Personal preference probably comes in two, like 70 %, like the clients I work with and the rest just like how serious do I believe me like I’m something like do. Are you doing this because, like your friend told you that you need to do this or you, it is something like you can’t look into and like you’re building your team, you realize by you I’m either guy that does what you do! None! No! None of us have the time to do it so like seriousness – and I like personally tell you got you the most.
So it’s nothing about like how their brand looks, aesthetically or like if they’re but oh music is mastered or something like that. Yes, okay, so quality. Definitely goes into it too, like I wouldn’t work with someone who, like recorded a song or like a phone soft way, so quality does definitely matter. So I, like the branding stuff that stuff can be changed. You know something like yeah, especially with like I’m, not at the point where, like I’m working with like superstars, I’m usually working with artists with China, I get that fan base started so like, luckily for them, they’re coming to a point where, like most people, don’t know Who they are like know just to be like honest, like you know, you might have like 100 200 fans but still know, there’s a hundred hundreds of millions of people out there who don’t know who you are yeah, so they have the luxury of like kind of Growing a lot developing their brain is that go which is look like what I like the most.
I don’t really worry about that kind of stuff, but even the worst brand or someone with the worst branch still has fans out there. They just have to figure out how to reach those fans and each other they’re, bringing light to that person. So I’m more so like interested in helping you figure out, like alright where’s your niche and whether you have to do like fit in that niche. Okay, yeah. So I know you’ve been a manager before what are some of the issues you see a lot of artists have when it comes to the manager, artist, dynamic um.
I think one realizing like the difference between what exactly a manager does, as opposed to like what artists like to think of as label services like managers are more so like, like strategic advisors in a sense, whereas, like they’re there to kind of help you map out The game plan to everything but they’re, not necessarily the people who, like fund the game plan, it’s pretty much like like in my opinion.
Imagine someone who looks at that network looks at your network and then figure out like how can we put a game plan together and make sense for what we do have yeah, and how can we figure out a way to get to the things that we don’t Have access to so I just thinking like a lot more artists have to just kind of like really like realize. Like? Are you at a point where you need the dynamic like? Do you really need a manager that you have anything going on so why you need to be managed? You know some I do have enough.
Do you have enough people trying to reach out to you in a week that you need someone to count my filter? All these conversations, if not any like honestly, you don’t like a manager in my opinion, is probably like the third thing. You should get like everything. After what a lawyer – and I wasn’t so good at counting – I guess – you’re – not making my manager would be a second. So I was like a lawyer an accountant any like a manager but like if you’re not making money in a lawyer.
First, definitely if you can like and then imagine okay, why you set up um. I just like. I feel, like a lot of artists, give themselves. Hang it up into legal situations just because they’re so stuck in it like it’s so stuck in the now, which is my big thing, is I try to get a lot of artists to think of their careers? Is like a business like you wouldn’t want to make a bad business isn’t decision today because you know say you’re in a tight spot.
Yo Carmen comes back on my bike. She now it’s like two or three years later yeah, so I feel like artists kind of needs to go into their situations, knowing, like all the legal things surrounding the things they think they’re. Just like you know everyday normal things for like the artists to do. You know, like I’m, going to take this song, that I have a sample and I’m going to upload a sound car anyway, because in their mind, like yeah, I’m going to be big one day, but this is going to be it then your song goes.
Viral gets two million streams, and then you have, you know, send the artists other artists, here’s about now. You have $ 500,000, losing it hands because yeah, you know something. You didn’t kind of talk to someone about this first and no one is more versed in legal matters than the lawyer like, even as a manager like, I would tell ourselves we’re going to like you’re like this is what I’ve seen from like I’ve heard, or what I’ve read yeah, but let’s not make any moves on it and lets me talk to somebody else.
Who knows you know if I know 20 % when he finds my nose 90 % about hey. That’s a manager. Lot of managers will not do that they’re just going to mislead the only going to our decision educated on stuff. Now and with that being said, I know what a bit of artists that have gotten caught up in some legal situations with their manager because they get in that relationship, for they really get poppin. But then they move into a label and then now the label can’t really move on things, and you know certain stuff gets right with the manager.
If that manager like y’all might be parting ways for whatever reason or the manager might be more demanding or something just harder to deal with, you know the same way of things like jay-z and Dave like their situation. I don’t know all the details, but I always know that Dame Dash was looked at somebody from the label standpoint that was hard to deal with yeah, right and and that could work for you, but some people that might work against them where they say.
I don’t want to be with this manager because they’re not savvy and they’re messing up my business. I got a part ways, but you can’t just part ways. We all have problems if you already got a legal agreement and that’s the best way to think about. It is like divorce. Yes, everybody talks about, never know who you win so y’all get the worst and how ugly these divorces and marriage you get same thing would have managed.
They all got something legal like y’all are legally married in business, and then you don’t like this person. Y’All are already had some disagreements and then next thing you know you know each other or people start acting real shady next thing. You know they they going to want a bigger cut than you think and like just just yeah having a lawyer first like even if you decide to get a manager and don’t have a lawyer.
That’s like long-term, like at least like for the agreement with the manager. Have like go find someone who knows of a lawyer like someone that you trust that can function the direction of a lawyer yeah like never signing, of course, like never sign anything yeah with someone. You don’t know – and I’ve heard horror stories too, about like managers who like to catch artists when they’re like in positions – I don’t know anybody they sign, so there’s no violating agreement and, like you said, like three years later, five years later, whatever yeah you’re stuck with This person, so I it does come down to like, like you said, like I feel like every business relationship is kind of like dating innocence, was like you know you, wouldn’t you want proposal growth, y’all haven’t.
Even when I got coffee, you know someone come up. You, like you out, like your music, I want to manage you. I want to see if I can develop something cool. You know come in yet a couple more of my shows, I was kind of talking to south you’ll, see. Let me figure out, as a person see how what I think this could be give me some some references about who yo yo, whoever says, but who are your three closest friends are like who, who are three artists that just know you that I can call math? Let yo, what’s this guy about yeah, because they’re people in the industry that might not even like that person that person might have, they might even be a decent at that time, but they might have messed up so many of their relationships in the industry.
They’re not going to be to move anyway, so you get a contact, get some referrals and see hey yo you heard of such and such you know this person and they can’t vouch for their character yeah. You know that they can’t vouch for their ability to actually perform and he really putting yourself in a position where you just added another you to the team, all right. Well, switching gears a little bit man.
I know you work with a Spotify playlist a lot and be working any other type of playlist other than Spotify um. No yes, like I’m learning, these are right now yeah and it’s not really as much as because like Spotify place and platform, is a lot more open than like other kind of streaming platforms like Apple has. The people that make sceptile is yeah. Youtube’s account. Oh yeah. I just make out laughs: oh yeah, do not know unless you know what it’s like you can’t.
You got company with the gatekeepers first say yes or no. Okay got you. So what is like? Maybe two pieces. He says when you talk about Spotify playlists, go for the little guy, like don’t cuz. Why I, like Spotify, has a monopoly on the large players, of course, because it’s their platform, yeah and then outside their labels, have the monopoly on the other large player. So, like probably about 80 % of all the players over, like 200,000, followers are owned by you.
The Spotify are these companies that made your labels on. So, like that’s kind of where I even myself, I kind of go into the special alright, who are these regular people that have built up playlists for whatever reason like? How can we find these people in every chart to them? Yeah? No, I didn’t tell clients all the time you know if I can get you a hundred five thousand five other playlists, that’s just as good as me.
Getting you one. You don’t sound like fifty thousand five hundred about the pilot playlist, so it’s kind of like it’s pretty much like micro influencing in the Spotify world is like going for. Those guys and tip number two I was saying is just no way your song fish. So I don’t think that, just because the playlist has whatever amount of numbers that your song is going to fit because, especially with play, let’s play, Spotify playlists are very like either you move curated or, like very tell it’s like a specific sound.
So it’s like you’re a trap: rapper your song isn’t going to do as well and like a chill right, platters, it’s like someone who makes music like sound like a sob or I can make jingles or something like vice versa, like you know, like a pop artists, Song isn’t going to do well on like a country, music playlist, just because it has having many people, thought you’re going to get the listeners which nothing not going to get like the return of listeners, not get the people who are like who generally like care about.
Just long past is first listen, so those are the two things I was looking, but let’s look for a like way. You make sense: let’s not just picture someone, because you know a lot of people come here like, but do you make sense that that make sense, Fe so last question when it comes to what you’re working on right? I know that you mentioned that at some point. You do want to have a late all right, so what does it take for anybody out there who wants to have a label at some point that maybe not already have some super connected positions like you saying you want to have a label one day and you’re Talking more so in the future, instead of just starting one.
Now, how come you’re not just trying to start one now like most people would just say: hey, I got a label and we get an artist, and after you talk about how it comes, what do you got? What do you feel like you need to do before you push yourself in that position to actually start one? I feel like. Luckily, I’ve been like blessed to kind of come from being inside of a machine, even though it wasn’t like a very large machine.
I still saw like the day-to-day operations of people who work like trying to sell a brand were actually like running a label from day to day yeah. So that means I know, issues work like I know this is like more work than I honestly could put on myself at the moment and then more work than like. I would be willing to like find artist who believes in that citizen. Like I don’t have my structure together, so it’s not your kind of putting like this belief in our structure.
That leaves me even though I were together so my game, frenemies a couple of years is just like. Let me find these people who can help me with the Lego when I do get to that point. Like do things like, I know I wouldn’t know how to do or like things are, like, I don’t know as much about like 20 % things, so it’s like yeah. I know at some point if I have a label like I’m, going to need some he’s going to have to start going doing doing towards the noise show.
I don’t know how to put it all together. So let me do what I’m doing now and let me meet some promoters know some who working with artists, get cool with announcing. Then when I come back in two years, not like y’all have his artists. I know you’re still touring shows up LA. Let’s put my artists on the show, it’s kind of breaking me: let us go from that, so I’m pretty much at the point where I would much rather build the connections and also build like the legal structure in the business structure that comes with you know only Labor, because it still is a business that in today, like I said you got ta have.
I would much rather focus on building those right now and come back in the year, because artists aren’t going we’re going to be ton of the artists every day of every year. You know somebody’s going to be out there right. So it’s just pretty much me like getting my networking my stuff in order before I like launch it out into the world like that. You know I mean coming from the marketing side, like marketing is one of the larger portions of light, how people break an artist, so it’s like even now, once I get I started late, but we don’t have to spend X amount of dollars on the marketing team Because I know what I’m doing I’ll just trained two people in the know kind of don’t it’s nothing.
I was doing now. At least we have a leg up. All right nobody’s got to figure out other pieces to the puzzle. So that’s kind of out look at it, but mmm makes sense. My perfect band of extreme value of the people – I already know you have been definitely y’all got ta. Follow this man at Corey. Does savor Savior, that’s Koh all right. He WA da SAV, oh I’ll, put it somewhere to the screen or something like that, but definitely follow a man.
You know if you need his services or whatever just follow mom. He stays up on game. He moves pretty heavy in Atlanta and I’m sure he’s in other cities as well as they do in the industry. Y’All are you know, bran mash, I’m looking forward to having him one blog again, because he has a knowledge, a lot of knowledge for you guys anything. You want to leave with best thing. One thing I do want to leave everybody with is just take this seriously and treated like a business and everything to move for you really easily.
I promise you pervy way for real for us all right. You know what to do hit that subscribe, but
My favorite musician as of right now.
https://soundcloud.com/myles-brown-321811388/laminar-flow
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