Our Music Industry Journey

I'm interested in the self releasing route. maybe a video on this would be better but, which distributions would be recommended and when one is chosen what are some Definitely Do and Do not.

I got super emotional watching this because you guys have been striving for so long and started from such a high point - also the bit about people valuing authenticity- I absolutely am so blown away by the integrity yall have for your work. I loved seeing the humble beginnings and how you included the art of your early stuff too. Thanks for being so vulnerable about your journey

As Whispermode already said, it was emotional to watch that as a long time follower. Thanks a lot for making this video. There is just something in your music that resonates with me in a way I haven't felt ever before. Hence I am super greatful that you guys do what you do. Much love to both of you <3

Thanks for sharing this Will + Jim! Something that I've been struggling with is being able to talk music production with someone locally (esp in North Carolina which seems to have a dead scene) or finding online communities where I can share with other producers and learn likewise. Are you guys aware of any online groups or forums that are still active?

This was super interesting since I jumped on board shortly after Funkblaster, but I’m always curious and wanted to hear some numbers / figures like the size of your advances, how much did you end up spending on marketing yourselves and how, what’s a good contract look like for a group your size - what IS your size, fan base wise. Idk I’m always interested in that stuff cuz some artists spend 200K on an album and 100 on marketing and some can do it all under 20K - I’ve been curious since I haven’t been in a signed band in like a decade. The internet is probably full of interesting ways artists can make money now outside of playing live - even tho that seems pretty lucrative right now unless those expensive tickets are mostly just going to Ticketmaster/Live Nation which wouldn’t shock me at all. Anyways awesome stuff tho, I’m glad Patreon has been good for you guys - it’s a much easier decision to pay for something that I know goes (mostly) directly to the artists.

Man, you said you feel like you alienated some people with the experimentation and feel like it was a bad business decision, but those are always my favorite bands that I keep up with and respect for life. Whenever an artist puts something out that feels like “we’re not gonna give u what we know you love just to keep printing money, we do this for a deeper reason” it makes me want to dig in so much more (when it’s done well) and you might have lost some casual listeners but you turned people like me into lifetime true believers. And I’d rather have 1000 true believers than a million casuals cuz the believers stay with you forever and will always help u pay your rent. So actually, it was a great business decision. 🤟🏻

Thanks for sharing this, Jim. It's a pretty emotional watch as a long-time fan as it explains so much of the the vibe behind the sound over time. The music industry sounds like a mf unless you sell your soul, so I'm glad you guys are where you are today. Legends, always. 🙌