Guest
Jesse Flores
Jesse Flores is Head of Artist and Label Partnerships at Intercept Music, as introduced on the show.
Episodes (1)
Jesse Flores of Intercept Music explains how independent artists should pick a distributor, budget for ads and keep ownership of their masters.
Questions these episodes answer
How much should a new independent artist budget for marketing a release?
Flores says a new artist realistically needs at least $1,000 to run a serious release campaign, split roughly between a publicist, YouTube ads if there is a video, and social media ads, just to see whether there is real engagement before spending more.
From: Independent Music Success: Distribution, Marketing & Ownership
Should an independent artist worry about owning their master recordings?
Flores says ownership means holding the masters and having final say over your music, while a major label deal hands those decisions and most of the royalties to the label instead. Independent artists take on more risk without a big label budget behind them, but keep the majority of the income and full creative control.
From: Independent Music Success: Distribution, Marketing & Ownership
Why do more artists now choose independent distribution over signing to a major label?
Flores says independence gives artists control over release timing, sound and image, without a label dictating those decisions for them. He adds that almost half of industry revenue now comes from independent labels and distributors, a trend he expects to keep growing as more artists see the model working at scale.
From: Independent Music Success: Distribution, Marketing & Ownership
How can an independent artist build a fan base beyond streaming numbers?
Flores recommends networking at industry conferences and joining a performing rights organization such as ASCAP, BMI or SESAC, since these events are where artists meet collaborators and learn what actually works. He says live performance, social content and streaming each matter differently, and artists have to test which channel their audience responds to.
From: Independent Music Success: Distribution, Marketing & Ownership