Trailblazers is an interview series from MBW that highlights music entrepreneurs with the potential to become the global economic players of tomorrow. This time we speak to artist and producer Russ. Trailblazers is supported by TuneCore.
As the name of this series suggests and explains in the opening above, MBW’s Trailblazers highlights some of the most interesting entrepreneurs in the contemporary music industry.
For the final installment of 2023, we caught up with Russ, an independent artist who has been challenging the power dynamics of the music industry for over a decade.
Russ (Russell Vitale) is a rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, record label owner And best-selling author who achieved significant success independently before signing a deal with Records of Colombia at the end of 2016, releasing his first label on a major, There really is a wolf, in May 2017.
His career has been defined by the DIY ethic: writing, producing and engineering. There really is a wolf himself – and releasing a vast volume of self-produced works before gaining mainstream attention following the release of this album.
Russ highlights his “do it yourself” approach and great creativity on the track, I am here, Since There really is a wolf, in which he proclaims: “Singing, rapping, mixing, mastering, engineering/It’s every song without exception, plus the catalog longer than many veterans’.”
He released 11 mixtapes independently between 2011 and 2014 and one song per week on SoundCloud for “two and a half years straight” before signing with Columbia.
Russ has arguably gone from being a successful DIY musician to a self-contained hit factory as he nears his major label debut with There really is a wolf, which reached No. 7 on the US Albums Chart and featured two US Top 100 hits; What they want And To lose control.
Both of these tracks have since been released for streaming 530 million times and 670 million times respectively, the Spotify alone.
“I was still making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month from TuneCore while being in partnership with a major.
Russian
Russ was already generating significant income as an independent artist before signing a record deal and says he was “still making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month” from his catalog (pre-Columbia) through TuneCore in partnership with the label.
In June 2020, Russ published TuneCore’s income statements at Instagram “for inspiration purposes” showing his monthly income from his music between 2013 and 2017.
His income is reported in these states as $48.66 for the month of August 2013, amount well above $100,000 on average per month from June 2016 to October 2017, when during that month his declaration shows that he earned more than $280,000.
It is described by BelieveTuneCore, owned by the distribution platform “greatest achievements”.
When asked why he decided to sign a record deal when he was already making a healthy living from his music through a DIY distribution service, Russ explains that the reasoning behind signing a deal was strategic. “The music business had a different landscape back then,” he says..
“Playlisting and streaming in general was pretty new and not really talked about. Apple Music was only released in 2015.
“I was always focused on getting on the radio and at that point everyone on the radio was signed, so I said, ‘Okay, let me level the playing field and get myself’ partner with a major so I can get on the radio.”
Russ’s partnership with Columbia Records continued for two more albums following the release of There really is a wolfwith zoo (2018) and Shake the snow globe (2020) both respectively reaching #4 on the US Albums Chart. In June 2020, he announced via Instagram that he was “100% independent” again.
Russ has released several projects independently since ending his partnership with Columbia in 2020, including the Chomp EP in 2020 (released via TuneCore) featuring high-profile guests from DJ Premier to Busta Rhymes.
THE Chomp 2 The album followed in 2021 (released via Gamma-owned Vydia), and again featured various superstar guests including Snoop Dogg, Big Sean, Ghostface Killah and more.
More recently, he published the Chomp 2.5 EP in May 2023 via his own DIEMON Records which he spear alongside long-time collaborator Bugus in 2022 and is distributed via Vydia. Russ released his latest LP, Santiago, (DIEMON, distributed by Vydia) in August 2023.
Russ runs his day-to-day business alongside his longtime manager Milan Ackerman, who discovered the superstar rapper’s music on SoundCloud in 2014.
“We use our PR, digital marketing and creative agencies to help us when needed,” Russ says of their day-to-day operations.
“Other than that, it’s just me letting the songs go and letting the fans do what they do.”
Here, Russ talks independence, record deals, advice for aspiring artists and music entrepreneurs, and much more…
Looking back at the start of your professional music career, to what do you owe your early success as an independent artist and entrepreneur?
Believe in myself and not fall into the “one size fits all” path of the music business. I believed I could do things my way.
How was your deal with Columbia structured and what was your experience like working with a major music company?
It was a profit sharing agreement, which was very rare at the time, especially for a new artist. There were only three albums and I owned my masters and I would get 100% of the profits in a few years now.
I had full creative control and was able to retain full ownership of my old catalog on TuneCore. So I was still making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month with TuneCore while partnering with a major label.
“I’m happy to have partnered (with a major label) because when I talk about independence, I’m not talking from a place of ignorance.”
After the second album I realized the label wasn’t doing anything I couldn’t do myself, which is why I left. Labels can’t guarantee radio play or playlisting, so it didn’t make sense to stay once I realized that.
I’m glad we collaborated, because when I talk about independence, I’m not talking from a place of ignorance. I have worked with majors at a very high level, so I can speak confidently about this system from real experience.
I think this validates my view on independence because I have also seen the opposite.
What do you think today about the interest for an artist, whatever their genre, to sign with a record label rather than looking for other options for distributing and monetizing their music?
I think artists just need to be honest with themselves. If you’re not entrepreneurial and just want to show up, sing, and let everyone else do the rest, you should probably get yourself a label.
“Being self-employed takes a lot of work and all the responsibilities fall on your shoulders. »
Being a freelancer takes a lot of work and all the responsibilities fall on your shoulders. If that’s not for you, go with a label, but understand the trade-off. If you want someone to invest millions in you and do all the work outside of the studio, chances are you won’t get a great deal.
What are your predictions for the power dynamic between the established recording industry and the independent artist sector in the years to come?
People want large sums of money immediately and lack foresight so labels will always exist, I think. But I think more and more artists will use labels and then leave, like what I did. Juice just isn’t worth the squeeze at some point.
In 2020, you announced that you were 100% independent again. Could you talk about this transition from working with a major to operating independently and what that means for your artistic business?
It hasn’t changed much to be honest. I was always the driving force behind the success of the music. I was simply able to move forward with my ideas more quickly because I didn’t have to have anyone execute them. The freedom is unmatched.
Besides good music (and hard work), what are the most important things (from technology platforms to networking for example) that an independent artist should focus on to have a good chance of making a living from their music?
An independent artist must focus on their craft and their mentality. Networking and all that is cool, but if the music and spirit aren’t on point, it won’t work.
Constantly work on learning more about yourself so you can present the most authentic version of yourself to the world.
How do you think the streaming industry could be improved?
Get rid of fake streams and create all playlists strictly based on real streams. If you reach a certain threshold, you enter the playlist. Simple. Otherwise, it’s politics and picking favorites.
If there was one thing you could change about the music business, what would it be and why?
Fake streaming and sales. This is dishonest and misleading. Or allow everyone to do it and be honest. In a sense, legalize steroids if you don’t want to penalize EVERYONE who uses them…haha.
With what you know now about the music business, if you could go back and give yourself some advice when you were starting out, what would it be?
It would be: Stop seeking industry approval. Approve and validate yourself. Also, find a mentor as soon as possible.
What does success look like to you?
A combination of peace and progress.
Trailblazers is supported by TuneCore. TuneCore provides self-published artists with technology and services for distribution, publishing administration and a range of promotional services. TuneCore is part of Believe.Music Business Worldwide
