Indie Hip-Hop balance
Hey,
Changer here. I’ve grown up reading KRS-ONE in interviews before I started in 2004 on CDBaby with my indie Hip-Hop goals. The mind frame of being a jack of all trades is deemed negative by many books and society but for being an entrepreneur it is darn important. Being able to shoot and edit your own photo’s, videos and graphic design, is cost effective and very time consuming with youtube tutorials, research, trial and error but is worth it. The hustle is a juggle and helps know when the people you contract to do photo’s or web work, are worth it or not. Indie life is one about planning and executing and evolving from doing it all, to outsourcing, finding grants and loans/investore/etc…
It doesn’t end, so having a personal/family life balance aids in recharging your focus for targeted results. Self investment in on and offline courses is crucial as well. Networking and seeking feedback is amazing and feeds into the saying “Your net worth equals your net worth”. Indie Hip-Hop is me and my lifestyle since before I started; I mean, I would check out Music Business books as a teen and read the boring law requirements for contracts and options way before starting my company and endeavors. Archiving media files and being a full media functioning company as one person, until profits allow otherwise, goes hand in hand with time consuming planning, revamping and research and development. Music making is thee smallest portion of the ingredients to surviving, because marketing analytics, research, budgets, A&B testing, cold vs warm audience statistics and manipulation tactics will benefit your company more then an amazing new album no one knows about. I’ve produced over 14 albums, from underground and Pop Hip-Hop to Folk, Reggae and R&B music. 7 of those haven’t been released due to budget, timing, planning and lack of an effective network/database of contacts. When you know you have hits, waiting to release them is vital. It’s hard as an excited artist and owner to do so but it’s better to give it a fair shot at recouping all your financial risks/investments then releasing it for the project to go no where, like 4 of my 5 projects taught me. I may not be financially rich and successful but being able to bounce back from downfalls and hang in there is what makes me feel proud and successful despite what society, family and life may say. Self confidence and persevering is what keeps us Hip-Hoppin’.
There’s no loosing if you keep going. Failures make success. For every winner there’s a so called looser. Find your work life vs family balance to hang in there. Most companies fail within 2 years. Most fortunes are made globally over decades. Invest in your gear and knowledge. Go to conferences, promote, boost posts, buy more new gear, like lighting to film and then software to edit and market your work. Social sites block your content every 3 hrs so you need 3 posts a day, times 365 days a year. WOW!! Busy busy, bizzzzy!!! Just to meet that factor and stay in your audiences mind, is pushing it to 1,150 posts a year. A social marketing company would be a blessing to afford, but most indie Hip-Hop artists and company owners just can’t swing it, so go get your gear, a location (I shoot in my garage) and edit weekly. Having goals is important but having work vs personal balance will bring you more peace. No one will do you, like you will do you, is the indie spirit to me and how I’ve been and build.
Good luck. Hip-Hop and God to me is worth it and is what helps me to Keep Hip-Hoppin’.
Sincerely,
ChAnGeR/Joseph
