Artists like Dallas of America invest in themselves and expand business offerings to boost their music careers.    

Reaching #1 and staying at the top takes more than a good voice or a bomb beat. To thrive in this era of the music industry, artists need more if they want to stand-out. According to a 2020 report by Chartmetric, the label, producer union, and YouTube channel, Internet Money had the biggest growth in Spotify monthly listeners with more than 24M downloads. With Spotify being arguably the go-to digital streaming platform for American listeners, its industrious design has changed the way listeners discover music. When it comes to Internet Money’s success, it is in part attributed to the group offering more than just good music. Let’s face it, artists can’t make it in the industry without being multifaceted on all fronts and that’s something Internet Money has; from the artistry to knowing the business of music.

On the economics side, owning the rights to your music and having a strategic approach to audience outreach are key to multiplying profitability. Many of the most popular artists use social media as a key marketing tool to have with fans. Today’s fans expect their favourite artist to be present on multiple platforms, from having a YouTube channels, podcast, TikTok following and more — artists are pressured to cleverly use these multimedia platforms if they want to give fans insight into their creativity and their real life.

The third layer of an artist’s profitability is their concerts and events. Dallas of America, founder of exclusive event planning company, Eden Clan, coordinates unique events for artists with the experience changing from city to city. Whether it’s a video release, listening party, or other product release, Eden Clan customizes so that they happen only once, curating an experience that is exclusive for both the fans and the artist.

“As the demand increases for performances in cities worldwide, we want to be able to feature special guest musicians, dancers, and other talents that may be unique to the region and in this way create experiences unique to each show,” says Eden Clan. “The styles of events will be diverse, as well as the kinds of product releases and performances.”

As artists resume tours and performances after over a year of quiet venues due to the pandemic, Dallas of America is banking on more than his voice to create longevity in his music career. As a singer, songwriter, producer, chief executive officer, curator, and entrepreneur, his titles are numerous, just like his approach is to genre-blending music. He says his music is influenced by afro-beat, dance, and rhythm & blues, all which are undeniable in his debut single “Honeymoon.” In this track, listeners will hear the sax weaving around the bass beats in this energetic love song Dallas of America both produced and wrote. His unique voice has been compared to the sound of America’s idols, such as Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder.  His newest song released in May with an official music video to premiere this June was released under the Eden Clan Records label he runs.

Dallas of America says he was motivated to create Eden Clan from his experience of disenfranchisement when a collaborating producer leaked his record. It was that along with other nefarious situations that he says taught him entrepreneurship is the path to quality control for an artist.

“I believe in artists utilizing entrepreneurship and brand ownership to protect the integrity of their art,” he says. “I am constantly looking to establish effective partnerships to further my business without diluting integrity or vision.”

Today, it’s not uncommon to hear of artists like Dallas of America who independently release music online. It gives artists the ability to own their sound from start to finish, and to disseminate it in a way that suits their aesthetic vision. Streaming platforms have brought artists another step closer to their fans while simultaneously eliminating the traditional need of a major label, which in the past was the first stepping stone in an artist’s career. Now, streaming music is vital to the financials of the industry and very much accessible to the artist.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, in the U.S., streamed music made up 85% of recorded music revenue in the first half of 2020, valued at $4.8B. Paid subscriptions, such as Amazon Music, Spotify and Apple Music,  made up 67% of that revenue at $3.8B. The pandemic also buoyed the uptick in paid subscription registrations, jumping up 24% to 72M in 2020, with streaming music listeners continuing to rise. These listeners made up an overwhelming majority of recorded music revenue during the same time period in 2019, at 80% or $4.3B. Physical music record sales accounted for only 7% of retail revenue, at $376M.

The allure to most fans with streaming music is that it allows for customization and curation. Listeners can create stations or shareable playlists, rocking out to their favorite songs, uncovering new music, and sharing it with friends. The demand for a personalized music experience is what matters says Dallas of America. His vertically integrated campaigns will allow artist to execute an envisioned concept from when the pen meets the paper to the time the artist hits the stage. His own musical endeavors transform over many stages of production and continue to evolve as he interacts with fans on Instagram and live events.

“The most exciting part of making music is turning abstract inspiration into a blossoming flower of emotion,” the Eden Clan creator says. “For me, every care and detail of polishing the product is a serving of water that contributes to its bloom.”

It’s the artist’s authority over their final product and exploring new ways to build valued intimacy between them and their fans that is the route that will extend the life of artist’s music career.

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