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Every indie artist should be aware of this: being an independent entertainer is a challenging uphill struggle. Even if you can cover the expenses necessary to record, promote, and distribute a commendable project, your costs often exceed your earnings in the long run. Of course, this is assuming you have some kind of talent to showcase. A savvy indie artist or CEO must be adept and strategic in managing their time and finances. Then there are the critics who envy every bit of your progress. Many want to profit from your efforts, but their demands are unreasonable. To make matters worse, law enforcement may target you once you achieve your first breakthrough. That breakthrough could be a large following or receiving an award.
There are only a few people who will indeed have your back when the going gets tough. Trust me when I tell you, your so-called friends will walk away and leave you in the cold when your star shines brighter than theirs. I’ve come to see thriving within the underground or independent music industry as a success that comes with disappointment far more often than the coveted record deal. Radio DJs will know your songs are hot but won’t play them. Club DJs will be too busy to check out your new sound. Magazine and TV interviews will sometimes go unpublished without explanation. Critics will deliberately misinterpret your message to taint your image. In my experience, one should never measure one’s goal or success by another artist’s progress.
People tend to exaggerate and lie to make their movement seem better. So, follow your path and go where it leads you. This is why, when I make progress like becoming a Grammy-nominated artist, I tend to stand on top of a mountain and shout it out loud for the world to hear. Now, don’t get me wrong, every artist’s dream is to sign with a major company. However, there is some good in being independent. You control your puppet strings, dictate your own rules, and retain almost 100% of your profit. However, always remember to calculate the cost of miscellaneous expenses. They include, fast food for everyone in your posse, gas, liquor, cannabis, your gear, jewelry, shoes, maintenance, ass meeting tabs, and vehicle maintenance at the bare minimum.
Additionally, the game of making and selling music is akin to selling drugs, but can also bring the ills of drug dealing and gang banging. The competition is intense in this business. Situations can escalate far more easily than you can control them. It can become dangerous and costly if you don’t know how to steer clear. Groupies will always make it seem worthwhile when you’re in a nightclub. In our business, most of the best arrangements are formed in a nightclub. It takes a lot of level-headedness to maintain an independent career consistently. You will need plenty of alone time to create new materials, and you will need a clear head to reinvent a new swagger after you get swagger jacked. So they ask us, Why do we do this work?
Why choose to be in the public eye? Why put yourself out there for cops and rival crews? This is love. It’s the fans. It’s the burning desire to make an impact and stamp an unforgettable legacy in the history of this business. I do it for the love of Hip Hop because nothing else on earth makes me happier than bringing happiness to my fans. I use my art to put them in a state of mind that they can relate to, and hope it numbs away their pain. You have to enjoy entertaining people to make the sacrifices it takes to be remembered. So, when you see me pushing a final product, these are some of the challenges I deal with daily. I know I need to shoot slews of music videos, but at this moment, video costs are not a profitable option for my company.
It sucks your profit and yields nothing but show off which is not good business for an independent artist (in my opinion). I know my fans want to see videos of all their favorite Freddy Will songs, and I promise them that when the time is right, I will film videos of all of them (even the old ones from 2006). Nevertheless, I have a YouTube channel that should do for now. Currently, we at Freddy Will Industries are focusing our time and resources on production, marketing, distribution, and manufacturing. We are looking to expand globally first and foremost. But we hope to leap into a new stratosphere pretty soon. A special thank you goes out to everyone for your support, and we appreciate your continued belief in us.*
PHOTOGRAPHS BY: SAI KIT CHU
