Today, art and audience are just a click away. Social media platforms are encouraging more and more individuals to seek their passion. Technology, on the other hand, has made it even easier to share their creations with the world. This sudden burst of democracy in the field of arts has presented the question – How relevant are the big record labels? Helping us answer this question is James William Awad a.k.a. Senior Musician.
“Like any career journey, the musician’s journey too has phases. We all invariably begin as solo artists. That’s how a musician is born. Prior to the current era of social media, an artist had very few opportunities to take their work to an audience. It was practically impossible to have a global audience in the past, which the artists of our times take for granted. For them, the record label was the ticket to the big wide world of success and fame. But things are beginning to change,” says James William, founder of TripleOne (111).
“A solo career, of course, cuts many layers of red tape that one would have to cut through if they choose to cast their lot with the giants (record labels). However, one must understand that be it record label or solo career, the final verdict comes from the audience. Record labels give data-backed guidance to artists to grow their careers. They also invest their experience and resources in promoting the artist. Many solo artists might not have the resources to match the budget allocated for promoting their music,” adds Senior.
“A record label is like a lighthouse, and the solo career is the boat that you sail. A musician must always aspire to sing for a record label, but they must also keep their boat afloat.”“The life of a musician is rather a stark one in most cases. Like all of us, musicians too have bills to pay. They too need to keep the job they have and be recognized as a success in their chosen career path,” concludes James William Awad.
