On Getting Dropped By Your Record Label…
In Part 2 of the “On Getting Signed” interview I talk about what happened after I landed my deal with Interscope Records and how things eventually took a turn for the worse and I was dropped by the label. In the interview you’ll hear what that’s like, and how I eventually turned things around.
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In this episode I also mention my new music marketing agency, Direct to Fan International (DTFI). To secure a spot as one of only 10 initial clients we will be taking on over the next few weeks, submit your details here.
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Very informative– and I would love to see that documentary so I hope it becomes available (soon?). I would definitely pay to see it!
Hi Hanna,
Thanks, I appreciate your interest. If I do ever release the documentary, I’ll be sure to reach out to you.
thanks for sharing more of your story. great stuff. too bad about DTFI, wish you could take another swipe at it. I think it was an amazing company. Always great to interact with you in any case John.
Thanks Mike, the shift away from DTFI has more to do with personal things going on in Michael’s life and his inability to continue on with the company. I will still be offering done-for-you packages as a branch of MMM, but that won’t really be up and running until next year.
Hey John! Thanks for the info. Your journey is a motivational inspiration. I am an artist interested in DTFI. How can I get involved or take advantage of this service?
Hi Vernon,
Thanks for the kind words. You can learn more about the agency here: http://www.directtofaninternational.com/
Let me know if you have any questions.
John,
I totally loved your interview. Both parts were very inspirational. Thank you!
Thanks Charley, Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Hi john .thank you very much for this .your integrity and journey is inspiring .be interested to see documentary when you get chance to do it .Keep up great work .
Thanks John, I’ll see what I can do about getting the documentary out there sooner rather than later.
Sorry to hear about your experience John. It’s a harsh reminder that people in the industry are treated as products at the end of the day. Not always personal, just doesn’t work out and although we search for something to blame or explain the reality is that it didn’t work out…this time. Investing your time and passion into something that has better odds of achieving lasting happiness and joy for you is the answer. If music is the only joy then look at ways to sustain that joy on a less unstable platform. It took me years to learn this as a wannabe pop star. The music industry is not good for me. How many of our heroes have been eaten up and self destructed by such a machine. Too many. I hope u find what works for you. Best wishes from UK
Thanks Llewellyn, I’m guessing that maybe you didn’t have a chance to listen all the way through. The ultimate point of this interview was to express that it was that bad experience that led to developing the MMM marketing approach. That has led to a tremendous amount of satisfaction, both as an artist and as an educator/consultant in this industry. The key for me was simply developing a strategy that did not leave me relying on anyone else. Thanks again and all the best.
This is great-Thank you! Austin Musicians are listening to you. Inspiring to all!
Thanks Sheila, really appreciate it!
Great job John, and Kudos for sharing so much personal information.
As someone that has seen, experienced and lived through much of the entertainment industry,coming from one of the smallest countries in the world (Liechtenstein) and moved to Hollywood, I could relate ….I was somewhat the first DIY artist to ever get Nominated for a Grammy in a major category,it became a big story, to this day I’m getting many emails from indies telling me that I opened the door for them which is a beautiful thing …. and you’re so right about your last point that you highlighted, in fact, I knew you were going to reference to that specific point (I was listening to it in the bathtub): When you have something valuable and try to move the project forward with all you have (often without the expensive shortcuts), and do it consistently , for all of you out there, you will succeed! Maybe not exactly as planned, but you will positively change lives, including yours. In case you’d like to know more about how this all started for me, wwww.alwalser.com All the best to all of you, Al
Glad you enjoyed the episode Al, and thanks for sharing a bit of your story as well.
you bet John, keep it up . just saw 4 wwwww in the link I posted earlier , if you’d like to correct, no need to resubmit this comment. all the best, Al
I always enjoy hearing John tell his story and It’s great that he’s teaching this stuff. I Did MMM.4 only using Facebook advertising. I did not get any subscribers but it’s a very thorough system. Thanks John.
Thanks Arcurus. Glad you liked the episode. If you were driving traffic and not getting subscribers then something was wrong. Like anything, some campaigns work better than others but I have never seen a campaign that can’t be turned around with a few tweaks. If you are not sure where your campaign went wrong, send the stats to john@mmmanifesto.com and we’ll take a look.
I think if the doc was released on Youtube it might generate some lead for MMM.
Hey Jake, quite possibly. It was originally aired on MTV 2, was screened at a Sundance Multi-media exhibit, and won “best Documentary” at the Yahoo Online Film Festival. It’s always been just a matter of wanting to re-releasing it right. Most likely in conjunction with the release of my next album.
Mannnnnnn thats some bs. This is why I stay independent.
Not a bad plan Marvin 🙂
Thanks for listening.
Dude, don’t care whether that documentary is part of your music launch or an MMM share but I’d love to see it! That being said maybe there’s a way to somehow release to both audiences at once, if the timing lines up? Also love the analogy of a biz with free rent in a crowded location, this podcast is awesome man thank you!
Thanks Brian, I’ll see what I can do 🙂
Great story John. Very inspiring. Please do share that documentary sometime soon. I’d love to see it.
Thanks Tara. Glad you enjoyed it. Working on it 🙂