In light of the music industry’s landscape shifting towards business models that are friendly to Spotify and TikTok, James Blake is back showcasing alternate paths for artists’ success without label help.
For his next record deal, he’s working with Indify, a platform he first partnered with alongside others like Stellar Music and Good Boy Records last year. His shift was made when he walked away from Polydor after 12 years, citing labels overall making decisions based on stats and “not taste,” as he put it.
“Indify is a platform that puts you in touch with music services, who you can see on a leaderboard measuring the real value they’ve brought to the artists they’ve worked with – in actual streaming figures,” Blake said in a statement on Instagram.
His last point is the big distinction in his latest endeavor. Services such as Spotify continue to pay artists little in streaming revenue, leaving many independent musicians unable to make a living solely off streams. On the other hand, Indify connects artists with business collaborators for their next release, whether it be funding for an album or a distribution deal.
“For the first time in my career, both songs I partnered with Good Boy on recouped before they even came out and have since recouped twice over, because the team I assembled worked tirelessly and from every angle, from streaming to sync,” shared Blake in an Instagram post. “They felt invested.
If I had resigned to my ex-label I would currently be sitting unrecouped.”
With Indify, Blake wanted to build a team that understood his intentions and had his best interests. That team includes Good Boy for funding/strategy, Stellar Trigger for marketing, Silo for sync, and Crowns & Owls as creative partners.
In the past, Blake sought to streamline how fans get new music through Vault, an app where musicians can release anytime and connect to fans via text––without abiding by a strict schedule. Through Vault, he was able to drop previously unreleased material directly to users.
Several artists showed their support for Blake’s decision.
“In times of such radical change, it’s unthinkable that music wouldn’t undergo its own revolution,” commented producer Martin Solveig. “That takes nothing away from the boldness of your stance. The same that pulses through every measure of your music. Thank you James.”
“This is it,” commented Hayley Williams of Paramore on the post.
Blake made it a point to clarify his new plan was not a protest against labels, but rather an “invitation” for up-and-coming artists unsure of how to navigate the industry, particularly when labels start offering services ranging from distribution to marketing.
Expect new music from Blake to come out in a new, potentially more direct manner than before.
Words: David Sosa
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