The music industry is a big machine that might be approaching its expiration date, but it still has undeniable power over artists and their work. The role of the machinery is simple: the music industry will provide some assistance to artists, in the form of studio time and marketing, for example, to maximize the monetization potential of the artist.
As times have changed, the models of extraction of value from artists have followed suit, as have the benefits artists got from the deal. Today, deals that take a piece out of every dollar the artist earns from every possible source, live gigs and merch included, are commonplace. The machinery has never been more equipped to swallow artists whole.
Austin Godsey knew this all too well when he decided to start his music career. The talented singer-songwriter from Houston, Texas understood the importance of signing with a record label. He also saw and heard plenty of examples of it going bad for the artist, too. Even some of the biggest musicians of the day are coming out with horror stories dealing with their labels, leading Godsey to chart a different course.
A great thing about being an artist in the 21st century is that no one needs the support of a record label to get their music to the people who might want to listen to it. There are many different ways to use the internet to communicate with audiences and spread work to them, and Austin Godsey became an expert in most of them. From creating mailing lists to filming music videos for YouTube, he took it upon himself to get his career where he wanted it to be, and it worked.
After years in the making, Austin Godsey can finally say that his gamble has paid off. He managed to make a name for himself on his terms, without signing away any of his rights over his work or the proceedings from it to any record label. It might have been rough at times to keep the course, but he soldiered on and managed to find a loyal audience in the process.
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