Welcome to the Studio, the Stage, the Life, this blog
highlight’s great music, music trends and amazing artists. For this first blog
post, I want to highlight one of my favorite independent artists, Ryan Leslie. Ryan Leslie is a genius;
graduating from Harvard at the age of 19 with a degree in economics. Enough of
all that stuff; Ryan Leslie has been a force on the music scene for some time. From revolutionizing YouTube to more recently removing all his
music from I tunes in order to connect more with his fans, Ryan Leslie is
definitely an artist for independents to look up to.
To be honest, Ryan Leslie is not the traditional
artist. Not having the traditional
R&B vocal tone or having the usual story of the up and coming rapper. Ryan Leslie is a breath of fresh air to this
oversaturated music industry, especially in the urban genres. Being outside the
box in today’s music industry can mean the death for a new and independent
artist. Ryan Leslie shows independent
artist how they can celebrate their independence with consistent
creativity. Most independents try to
mold themselves into what is on the radio or on television now, often resisting
creativity to fit in. Ryan’s business
moves and music creativity gives a more creative independent the confidence to
do whatever they feel musically.
This year, there have been a few major album releases that
were unconventional. The most popular
artists like Jay
Z, who released his album via Samsung through an application. In addition, Beyoncé, who
released her album at 2 A.M. with no leading single or marketing, Ryan Leslie
released his music with no label or distribution. His latest music is only
available via his website http://www.renegadesnyc.com
. He did this in an effort to thank all his fans personally for supporting him. You can even call, text and email him and he
will respond if he can.
With all this being said, what does this mean for an
independent artist? These practices just
say how the music industry is undefined.
The music business is not what it used to be; the formula is
broken. Yes, huge artists are still
going to be successful, but artists like Ryan Leslie and Macklemore can definitely compete on a large
scale. So, if you are about to hit the
studio, get on stage or live the music life, be confident in your artistry and
create originally, there’s definitely bright lights in your horizon.
