In our modern always-on digital-first society, we’re beginning to see the breakdown of the barriers between artist and audience. Never before in history have we had the ability to so directly contact some of the most prominent artists in the world. Think about it; if you wanted to send a tweet speaking to Jay-Z directly through a social media platform like Twitter. There is every chance in the world that he could see it. For many people, this can be a bit daunting. As some artists have responded to this kind of contact ability by shrinking away from the spotlight. However, some special few have embraced this trend in technology by taking these things one step further and cutting out the middleman entirely. These people are artists who have turned the music world on its heads by choosing to release their music without a label entirely.
This is something that would have been unheard of in the music industry thirty years ago, as artists were reliant on their labels for things like advertising and music distribution. Fast Forward to 2023 and the digital landscape has removed the need for a label to handle all of that. Due to social media artists have become their own marketing team. Their reach is now defined by their platform and their follower count. Their releases are now dictated by fan demand, and artistic intention. Rather than something that was finished four to eight months prior and turned into a label with enough lead time to make CDs. Yes, things are almost unrecognizable in the musical landscape. But for this article, we wanted to focus on some of the artists who have turned the idea of a self-release into a career path, and not just a last resort!
Frank Ocean
The most famous example of an artist self-releasing to a rapturous reception is Frank Ocean. His 2016 release Blonde, was created in pure secrecy so that his label wouldn’t catch on to one of the most ambitious hat switches in music history. After having long been tired of the restraints his label was putting on his creativity, Frank Ocean decided to split the album he was currently working on into two. The first project to be released was called Endless. This was an album that although had some stunning highs was initially seen as a bit of a disappointment to longtime fans who had been waiting fervently for the artist’s next release. While not bad by any means, Endless lacked the meticulous attention to craft that Frank Ocean songs are known for. However, we would later find out that this was all part of the plan. As it turned out Frank had been recording a second much more ambitious album behind the scenes and kept it secret from his label. You see, Endless as it turns out was only made to fulfill the contract he had with his label. What he released after was an entirely self-released effort titled Blonde. This project was meant with commercial and critical adoration for its grand scope and intricate introspective songwriting. It is one of the classic albums of the 21st century and will be remembered for decades to come. Now as astonishing as that release is, Frank did already have a leg up from having made his name with a major release prior. For a group that has built itself up totally from the ground up, let’s shift our focus across the pond to a little group hailing from the lands of Sweden.
Drain Gang
Drain Gang is a group of Swedish rappers that have blown up in the last couple of years, due to their forward-thinking production style and lyrical content that speaks to the existential loneliness of growing up in the digital age. Now, I’d like to take a second to make a small distinction here, because the title of this article does specify that these artists are without a label. Drain Gang’s releases are put out via a label, however, it’s a label that they started as they have released music they own and operate outright. Therefore we’re calling it semantics and including them in this list. What started as a series of music videos put up in the early days of Youtube, has now blown up into international stardom with members showing up alongside some of the biggest names in music. What’s so special about Drain Gang is that as a unit they’ve been able to raise their status slowly but surely over the last decade from filming music videos on their phone into a place where they’re spotted in pictures hanging out with the likes of Drake and featuring on Skrillex albums. The young Swedish rap group has become some of the most prominent figures in the underground music community and is notorious for their DIY work ethic and artistic restlessness. One of the most prominent members of the group, Bladee has released three albums in the past two years, and rumors are already circulating about a 2023 release. They are a group who are young and hungry and shows no signs of slowing down!
Conclusion
We are living on the verge of a whole new mode of being. Technology frees artists from the need of having multiple stops in the pipeline from creation to release. Now because of social media, people can share their music with as far a reach as their follower count will allow. This can only be beneficial as the hurdles to getting your music out there are starting to shrink. If you’re an artist looking to make their first release, but don’t have a label backing you up. Fear not! Because with the power of today’s technology it’s well within the realm of possibility for your release to jumpstart a long and happy career!
