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Modern music demands that you're just as savvy in business as you are a talented musician. If you don't learn the business, you risk being exposed to the lying, sneaky side of the music industry, being taken advantage of, and having your dream of making music for a living taken from you. If you dream of making music your career this podcast is designed to help you learn the business of music so you make can informed decisions as your navigate the industry and increase your chances of success.
Speaker 1: DbFS is a podcast dedicated to presenting
Speaker 1: helpful and educational information about
Speaker 1: music as a business.
Speaker 1: It's hard to make music your full-time
Speaker 1: career, but not impossible.
Speaker 1: There's many, many roads to go down, with
Speaker 1: their own set of opportunities, but they
Speaker 1: aren't always talked about and many don't
Speaker 1: know about them.
Speaker 1: The most sought-after path in the music
Speaker 1: industry is becoming a touring artist,
Speaker 1: releasing original signals and albums,
Speaker 1: winning Grammys and finding fame and
Speaker 1: fortune.
Speaker 1: We're going to be releasing a series called
Speaker 1: the Artist Chronicles, a series where we
Speaker 1: take a look behind the curtain of the
Speaker 1: careers of some of the most famous artists
Speaker 1: and bands.
Speaker 1: We want to talk about some of the pitfalls
Speaker 1: and hardships they faced at the hands of
Speaker 1: their own record labels.
Speaker 1: Welcome to the first episode of the Artist
Speaker 1: Chronicles.
Speaker 1: Let's take a closer look at T-Pain.
Speaker 1: T-pain, also known as Fahim Rashad Najm, is
Speaker 1: an American rapper, singer and songwriter
Speaker 1: from Tallahassee, florida.
Speaker 1: He is known for his unique use of auto-tune
Speaker 1: in his music, which, for most of his career,
Speaker 1: has become his signature style.
Speaker 1: But these days, t-pain is putting his
Speaker 1: natural voice out there, showcasing his
Speaker 1: talent and letting the world know that he
Speaker 1: never needed auto-tune.
Speaker 1: To begin with, it was used only as an
Speaker 1: effect.
Speaker 1: T-pain released his first album in 2005.
Speaker 1: It was a commercial success and included
Speaker 1: hit songs such as I'm Sprung and I'm in
Speaker 1: Love with a Stripper.
Speaker 1: He followed this success with the release
Speaker 1: of his second album, epiphany in 2007,
Speaker 1: which included the hit single Buy you a
Speaker 1: Drink.
Speaker 1: In addition to his solo work, t-pain has
Speaker 1: also collaborated with many other artists,
Speaker 1: including Lil Wayne, chris Brown and
Speaker 1: Flowrider.
Speaker 1: He has also been featured on many artists'
Speaker 1: tracks, including Kanye West's Good Life
Speaker 1: and Jamie Foxx's Blame it.
Speaker 1: T-pain has become recognized for his
Speaker 1: contributions in the music industry,
Speaker 1: winning two Grammy awards for Best Rap Song
Speaker 1: and Best R&B Performance by a duo or group
Speaker 1: with vocals.
Speaker 1: He has also been nominated for several
Speaker 1: other Grammy awards and has received
Speaker 1: numerous other accolades and awards
Speaker 1: throughout his career.
Speaker 1: Overall, t-pain is a successful and
Speaker 1: influential rapper and singer.
Speaker 1: But all this success didn't come easy and,
Speaker 1: as always, the suit-wearing,
Speaker 1: number-counting business people of the
Speaker 1: music industry tried their best to suck
Speaker 1: every ounce of money, making creativity,
Speaker 1: out of him as possible.
Speaker 1: Recently, he's spoken out about his
Speaker 1: experiences with record labels and his
Speaker 1: thoughts on being an independent artist.
Speaker 1: T-pain began addressing his concerns with
Speaker 1: record labels and the music industry at
Speaker 1: large.
Speaker 1: He's highlighted the substantial investment
Speaker 1: required, mentioning that it took around
Speaker 1: $200,000 of advertising to propel an album
Speaker 1: to the top of the charts whenever a single
Speaker 1: was released, emphasizing the necessity of
Speaker 1: spending a significant sum.
Speaker 1: He pointed out that allocating $200,000 for
Speaker 1: radio promotion was crucial to ensuring a
Speaker 1: track's widespread popularity.
Speaker 1: T-pain expresses critique of the industry's
Speaker 1: practices, stating that it often presented
Speaker 1: a facade.
Speaker 1: Additionally, he criticized the industry's
Speaker 1: reluctance to acknowledge the challenge's
Speaker 1: artist face, suggesting that there was a
Speaker 1: reluctance to dispel the illusion that a
Speaker 1: career in the industry is the ultimate and
Speaker 1: most rewarding path.
Speaker 1: T-pain often discusses his struggles with
Speaker 1: record labels and their tendency to try and
Speaker 1: control the creative direction of an
Speaker 1: artist's music.
Speaker 1: He explains that in the past, record labels
Speaker 1: would often try to dictate what kind of
Speaker 1: music he should make and how he should
Speaker 1: present himself, leading to a lack of
Speaker 1: creative freedom.
Speaker 1: It's funny, because T-Pain's music and
Speaker 1: creativity is what made him popular in the
Speaker 1: first place.
Speaker 1: Doesn't that mean he knows best what his
Speaker 1: listeners want?
Speaker 1: Wouldn't trying to force him into typical
Speaker 1: conventions of the music industry machine
Speaker 1: take away all that is unique about him and
Speaker 1: his music?
Speaker 1: T-pain revealed that he was in a difficult
Speaker 1: financial situation when he signed his
Speaker 1: first record deal.
Speaker 1: He was not familiar with the music industry
Speaker 1: or the contracts he was signing.
Speaker 1: As a result, he ended up signing a deal
Speaker 1: that was not in his best interests and left
Speaker 1: him with little control over his own career.
Speaker 1: Most, if not all, major labels would try to
Speaker 1: hide their greed in controlling ways by
Speaker 1: confusing industry newcomers with complex
Speaker 1: legalese and a sales pitch that is
Speaker 1: manipulative and malicious.
Speaker 1: T-pain explains that the contract he signed
Speaker 1: gave the record label a significant
Speaker 1: percentage of his earnings from album sales
Speaker 1: and touring.
Speaker 1: This meant that, even though he was making
Speaker 1: a lot of money, he was not seeing the full
Speaker 1: benefits of his success.
Speaker 1: He also had little control over how his
Speaker 1: music was promoted and distributed, which
Speaker 1: led to further financial losses.
Speaker 1: This is nothing new, and the industry is
Speaker 1: littered with stories that sound exactly
Speaker 1: the same for so many of your favorite
Speaker 1: artists and musicians.
Speaker 1: Despite the challenges he faced, t-pain has
Speaker 1: continued to make music and has recently
Speaker 1: released a new album titled One Up, but
Speaker 1: independently this time.
Speaker 1: He says that being an independent artist
Speaker 1: has given him the freedom to experiment
Speaker 1: with different styles of music and to be
Speaker 1: more in control of his own career.
Speaker 1: Overall, t-pain's experiences with his
Speaker 1: record deal highlight the importance of
Speaker 1: understanding the terms of a contract and
Speaker 1: the potential financial consequences of
Speaker 1: signing with a record label.
Speaker 1: While record labels can provide valuable
Speaker 1: resources and support for artists, it is
Speaker 1: important for artists to protect their own
Speaker 1: interests and ensure that they are getting
Speaker 1: a fair deal.
Speaker 1: T-pain is also vocal about the changing
Speaker 1: landscape of the music industry and the
Speaker 1: growing popularity of streaming services.
Speaker 1: These days, these streaming services have
Speaker 1: firmly taken their place as the go-to way
Speaker 1: listeners consume music.
Speaker 1: He explained that while the rise of
Speaker 1: streaming has made it easier for
Speaker 1: independent artists to gain a following, it
Speaker 1: has also made it more difficult for artists
Speaker 1: to make a living from their music.
Speaker 1: His transition to being an independent
Speaker 1: artist highlights the challenges and
Speaker 1: opportunities that exist in the modern
Speaker 1: music industry.
Speaker 1: While being an independent artist can
Speaker 1: provide more creative freedom, it also
Speaker 1: comes with its own set of challenges.
Speaker 1: Despite these challenges, t-pain has
Speaker 1: continued to make music and remains a
Speaker 1: popular and influential figure in the world
Speaker 1: of hip hop, r&b and more.
Speaker 1: In recent years, the rise of streaming
Speaker 1: services and the decline of the physical
Speaker 1: album sales have led to a shift in the
Speaker 1: music industry.
Speaker 1: Many artists are now choosing to release
Speaker 1: their music independently, giving them more
Speaker 1: control over their careers and allowing
Speaker 1: them to retain their creative freedom.
Speaker 1: Despite the challenges they face, many
Speaker 1: independent artists are finding success in
Speaker 1: gaining a loyal following.
Speaker 1: In my opinion, there are several reasons
Speaker 1: why record labels may try to control the
Speaker 1: creative direction of an artist's music.
Speaker 1: Record labels are businesses first, and
Speaker 1: they need to try to make a profit.
Speaker 1: They invest a lot of time and money into
Speaker 1: developing an artist and promoting their
Speaker 1: music, so they want to make sure that the
Speaker 1: artist's music will appeal to a wide
Speaker 1: audience and be commercially successful.
Speaker 1: As a result, record labels may try to steer
Speaker 1: an artist's music in a direction that will
Speaker 1: appeal to a broad audience and generate the
Speaker 1: most revenue, disregarding the artist's
Speaker 1: uniqueness.
Speaker 1: Record labels also often have a specific
Speaker 1: image or brand that they want to maintain
Speaker 1: themselves.
Speaker 1: This can include a certain genre of music,
Speaker 1: a certain image or style or certain types
Speaker 1: of lyrics.
Speaker 1: If an artist's music doesn't fit with the
Speaker 1: image, the record label may try to change
Speaker 1: it to fit their brand.
Speaker 1: And finally, record labels often have a lot
Speaker 1: of experience in the music industry and may
Speaker 1: have a better understanding of what will be
Speaker 1: successful.
Speaker 1: They may try to control an artist's music
Speaker 1: in order to guide them toward success and
Speaker 1: help them reach their full potential.
Speaker 1: This may sound like a good thing, but what
Speaker 1: it really does is create a musical
Speaker 1: landscape that is void of originality and
Speaker 1: produce songs that all sound the same.
Speaker 1: Overall, while record labels can provide
Speaker 1: valuable resources and support for artists,
Speaker 1: their tendency to control the creative
Speaker 1: direction of an artist's music can be
Speaker 1: frustrating.
Speaker 1: Stifle creativity can sometimes take as
Speaker 1: much as they can from you.
Speaker 1: In 2005, t-pain founded his record label
Speaker 1: Nappy Boy, with a label that is based in
Speaker 1: Tallahassee, florida, and has released
Speaker 1: music by T-Pain and several other artists.
Speaker 1: He started Nappy Boy Records after signing
Speaker 1: his first deal with Jive Records.
Speaker 1: He wanted to create a platform for himself
Speaker 1: and other artists to release their own
Speaker 1: music independently, without the
Speaker 1: constraints and limitations of a major
Speaker 1: record label.
Speaker 1: Nappy Boy Records has also expanded into
Speaker 1: other areas of the entertainment industry,
Speaker 1: launching a clothing line and a radio show
Speaker 1: with a full production team.
Speaker 1: The label has also been involved in several
Speaker 1: charitable endeavors, including the Nappy
Speaker 1: Boy Foundation, which provides financial
Speaker 1: support to aspiring artists and
Speaker 1: underprivileged youth.
Speaker 1: Today, nappy Boy Records is a successful
Speaker 1: independent record label founded by T-Pain
Speaker 1: and dedicated to supporting and promoting
Speaker 1: independent artists.