Ludacris Speaks on the Beauty of Being an Independent Music Artist

Ludacris and Tyrese were on Power 105.1 FM's The Breakfast Club show last week to promote the latest Fast and Furious movie that they both star in, and the discussion veered towards their individual music careers and the fact that they are both on independent music labels right now. And then Ludacris took time to speak on the beauty of being independent.

Dave East Signs Deal with Def Jam

New York rapper, Dave East just signed a deal with Def Jam Records. Nas signed him two years ago to his Mass Appeal records, but now he is signed to Def Jam Records. I guess he feels the major label can take him where he wants to go faster than Mass Appeal could. He is probably still signed to Mass Appeal, but with a joint deal with Def Jam. I wish him all the best.

Stat Quo Speaks on Advantages of Indie Over Major

A lot of artists are going the independent way, and saying 'fuck you' to the major labels. Why sign to a major label to get a $500k advance, and get 35 cents off each of your CDs sold, when you can put up the music on iTunes yourself, and keep up to $5 on each CD sold to yourself. Former Shady-Aftermath artists, Stat Quo, during a recent interview with HHDX, spoke on the advantages of being Independent over being signed to a major label.







“You can put your own music on iTunes. iTunes takes 30 percent of it. That means essentially if they sell it for $9.99, you’re getting $7. Even if you go through an online distributor, they take 20 percent and you get 80 percent of it. You’re still winning. If I sell a CD, and lets say that I’m just putting it on iTunes, I’m getting $7 in my pocket for every CD that I sell. Whereas if you go through a label, what do they give you? A dollar? Some change? A label is only good at building your brand to where you can go all over the world and be who you are.”





True, established acts that have money saved up are better off going the indie route. I hope Stat Quo and Game can pull off that 'The Firm Records' they started together a couple of years ago, so Game doesn't have to sign with Cash Money. I am a Game fan, and I know that at this point in his career, he can barely go platinum with an album again. If his albums are flat-lining at about 300k sold, it will only be wise to go the indie route. Even if he doesn't sell that much with the indie deal, and he sells just about 150k copies total, it is still a good look...that is about $750k made off the album if he got $5 off each CD. He wouldn't even get that much if his album sold a million copies on a major label.

Mac Miller Comments on Possibility of Signing With A Major Label

After Mac Miller's Blue Slide Park topped the Billboard chart at number 1back in November, selling 144,000 copies in its first week, independently, people started wondering how he did it. Most people that sell that much do it with a major label machine behind them. And these unknown white rapper did it all by himself, with the support of an independent label (Rostrum), and his twitter and facebook fans. I think that's incredible. Instead of settling for a dollar on each of his CDs sold if he was on a major, he would be making like 6 dollars on each CD on an indie. I think that is really cool for someone just starting out.


Even established acts don't normally want to take the risk of lower promotions with an indie label...the Majors put bigger budgets behind their artists albums. Now, he is beeing questioned if he would consider going the Major way-


“So my whole thing is, I’m more into keeping independent because I’m more into working with people who I know very well,” he said. “But if I reach a point where there’s things I can’t do, which we haven’t reached that point yet, but if I ever reach a point where there’s something I can’t do and I need some help with a major, who knows. I’m not anti-major, like I hate the majors. I’m not that type of person.”



I wish him all the best in his career. I still haven't heard his album, so i can't say what stuff he is made off. But, for pulling off that stunt by himself, i think he might be hear for a while. It shows he really believes in his skill...i keep telling people- TALENT IS NEVER ENOUGH.