Victor Burnett epitomizes this day and age’s music manager by vertically integrating the artist as the business model.
It is unanimous that Blxst held the crown as 2020’s breakthrough artist of the year. The Southern LA native captured the nation, crooning catchy hooks and verses reminiscent of the late G-funk legend, Nate Dogg. Blxst’s success is no accident. Instead, it is an intentional plot to build brand infrastructure for the future.
Victor Burnett a.k.a. @victharuler serves as the President of Blxst’s record label, Evgle. Prior to meeting the No Love Lost singer, Vic helped local LA artists become innovators in monetizing their artistry.
“Around 2014 I saw that there was a big gap, where a lot of artists didn’t understand how to monetize their content,” says Burnett.
His innate, entrepreneurial spirit and experience with artists, paired with product management history at Dame Dash Studios and Benny Boom, set a precedent for what was to come.
Upon meeting Blxst at Burnett’s creative studio, Groundwurks, the two formed an organic alliance based on mutual goals, business acumen and entrepreneurship.
The “Be Alone” artist launched the company back in 2018 with an Eagle’s mannerisms in mind.
“He told me that an eagle is the highest flying bird that doesn’t fly in flock,” Burnett explains.
According to Vic, these are the characteristics that they look for when hiring for Evgles.
When it was time to sought out a music partnership, Vic and Blxst stood firmly on vertical integration, which happened to be Burnett’s senior thesis in college. After major record companies labeled their business model as outrageous, they sought a partnership with Red Bull during the height of the pandemic.
“We knew the Hip-Hop space at Red Bull was irrelevant. With Blxst being a self-made creative and my want to see what a label can do for us creatively other than distribution, that’s how we got to Red Bull,” says Vic.
Evgle not only delivered the No Love Lost project in September, but completed 4 music videos in 3 days including Blxst’s breakout singles “Overrated” and “Be Alone.”
“With creativity and understanding how to allocate these marketing funds, in addition to having a friend in Karl (Fowlkes), as an attorney, we’re able to have the advantage,” Burnett says.
Blxst and Evgle announced their re-signing and joint venture partnership with Red Bull last month, solidifying the mutual benefit of the two parties’ relationship.
With Victor Burnett at the helm, Evgle continues to set the new business model for entrepreneurs within the entertainment space.
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