This is a guest post from Geoffrey Granka of Fresh Produce Productions. Find him online at www.freshaudio.ca and @gmgranka on twitter.
“I haven’t had a day job since September of 08! And I ain’t ever going back!”
The economy is crapped out. So is the music business. One could easily be tricked into thinking it’s a bad time to be in the business. EMI almost sold Abbey Road Studios at a discount, and other big three similarly desperate.
What’s good is that now people have to use their brains instead of their chequebooks to “make it”. Acts like Lily Allen all the way to Drake have achieved success with the bargaining power on their side of the table. Getting big on their own dime, and having labels beg to sign them.
Outasight is an enviable position. Through strategic placements of his songs and good old word-of-mouth, he’s gotten over 250k downloads of his debut album Further, and he’s just inked a deal with Warner Music. We could all learn something from him.
How important do you think that fan interaction has been in getting this far?
I personally love interacting with fans who reach out to me, as it’s important in the growing stages to build a relationship with the people who can support and help your career all the way through.
When did you first start to have fans that you didn’t personally recognize?
Over the past few months that has really started to happen, random stuff, you know people coming up to you at events and parties, and even a few times in the street. It’s really flattering, especially knowing that I still have a long way to go, and I certainly appreciate it.
How early in your career was online marketing a part of your marketing campaign?
From the beginning of me taking my career serious online marketing was integral. A few years ago the dream started with a MySpace page and a couple songs. Now more than ever there are a million (free) mediums to try and expose your music to new people all over the world, and I definitely took advantage of that from the get-go.
I first heard your music as the closing music on a high subscription YouTube channel called BreakingNYC. How did that come about?
Ray reached out to me through a public email saying that he has been a fan and would like to use some of my music. I was unfamiliar with his work and a little confused at first, but the exposure has been incredible… He has a loyal and awesome fan base that really took a liking to what I do as well, and I am thankful for such a great exposure opportunity!
How many downloads have you reached on your free album?
As of right now, because of Ray’s help, and also all the major hip hop blogs support, we are over 250,000 downloads of “Further”. It’s almost too good to be true really, every time I see or hear a new number I have to shake my head like, “Did I hear that correctly?” Haha.
If you give away your music for free, where do you expect the money to come from to support yourself?
Artists today release music for free to gain fans and exposure, and if your good enough, work hard enough, and get some lucky breaks, you can turn those fans and exposure into a financial gain. It’s a little sacrifice for the big picture.
Where do you expect to be career-wise in 3 years?
Well, I just signed to Warner Bros, so my goals right now are to get my music ready for a mainstream audience and push through to millions of listeners. So in 3 years, maybe a Grammy or 2, sold out shows across the world, and a great fan base that I will always work hard for!
If you weren’t in music what would you do?
Most likely creative writing, with a focus on fiction and short stories.
When were you able to quit your day job?
I haven’t had a day job since September of 08! And I ain’t ever going back!
What would you tell a young musician looking to market him/herself effectively?
I would say first focus on your music. Artists have become better at marketing than music in some instances, and I think that’s the backwards way of going. If your music is solid, and it’s something you continue to work on and get better at, then the ideas for marketing will come because you will know what you want to do. Persistence is also a huge key, stay on it, keep growing, and be honest to your craft and if you’re good, things will happen…
Check out Outasight here: http://www.myspace.com/iamoutasight Follow Outasite on Twitter @imOutasight
