{"id":47176,"date":"2016-12-06T13:19:27","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T19:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=47176"},"modified":"2016-12-06T13:19:27","modified_gmt":"2016-12-06T19:19:27","slug":"5-steps-to-branding-indie-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/5-steps-to-branding-indie-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"5 steps to branding Indie artists"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Thaddeus Tukes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since I started playing music professionally as a teenager, I\u2019ve run into countless people whose shining star fizzled out — and most of them believe it was too early.<\/p>\n

Many initially took the independent artist route, but said they lacked the resources to make it work. They couldn\u2019t attract consistent visibility or their finances were limited or the record label created dissension or the band stopped liking each other.<\/p>\n

On Nov. 11 and 12, Blavity hosted its first AfroTech<\/a>, a conference dedicated to connecting techies, employees, and founders of start-up companies across the continent. Multiple panelists throughout the weekend had prior experience in the music industry, which led to some key insights on building a brand as an independent artist. Some words of advice:<\/p>\n

There Are Riches In Niches<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to be hyper specific,\u201d said John Henry, founder of CoFound Harlem<\/a> and saxophone player. Starting entrepreneurs frequently have expectations that exceed their realistic reach, he said, which can be costly and ineffective.\u00a0 For example, the Legendary Roots Crew has arguably become the most successful hip-hop band in history, with multiple Grammys, production credits on a Broadway musical, and a nightly gig on Jimmy Fallon. Founded by ?uestlove and Black Thought, they have maintained a band structure since their inception, even though the personnel has changed over time. Prior to them, there were no hip-hop bands, as the genre was pioneered by DJs and MCs.<\/p>\n