How LaRussell is Redefining Community Building
Song of the Week: LaRussell - Grinding
I checked out this joint while working on this piece, and it’s pretty dope. If you’ve never heard of LaRussell before, this is a good intro to him. Good vibes.
And now, for today’s piece.
The music industry has undergone many transformations over the years, and each time it was because the medium changed.
It used to be about cassettes, then it turned to CDs.
CDS eventually became mp3s
mp3s led to blogs & mixtapes sites.
Blog sites eventually became streaming platforms.
One common theme that pops up when talking about these shifts is the relationship between music professionals and consumers.
As the landscape continues to evolve, consumers have more control over what they listen to, and how easily they can listen to it.
Conversely, artists have options for monetizing their work that weren’t available even a decade ago.
Because of this shift, the role of record labels and distributors has changed from being the intermediary between fans to being a partner for artists looking to make it to the next level.
It’s been a change that much of the old guard has resisted. All the while artists reach the realization that this system doesn’t fit their vision.
In some ways it’s antiquated, and often the money doesn’t add up properly, so they decide to go their own route to create something better.
In the case of LaRussell, he not only found a better route but he’s revolutionized the way that an artist interacts with consumers.
His approach is really dope, so let’s take this week to break down his business, and what everyone can learn from him.
For those who don’t know who LaRussell is…
He’s a 29 year old artist from California’s Bay Area.
To date, he’s released several projects independently while working with everyone from E-40 to Hit-Boy achieving feats that even artists with traditional record deals could only imagine.
Originally rapping under that Tota Shakur, LaRussell has been steadily cultivating his sound and generating an audience
He’s been approached by labels like Def Jam and Roc Nation to sign deals, but ultimately turned them down.
The only major partnership he has is with Live Nation — the touring giant that has virtually monopolized the touring industry.
Besides that, everything from the merch to the music videos, is done in-house via his brand Good Compenny.
A Community-based approach
For most creators & brands, community is more or less a one-sided interaction — one where the brand gains influence (and dollars) from it’s most true fans and in return they occasionally throw them a bone (early access to tickets, a meet and greet here and there etc.)
The model isn’t broken by any means, but…
When LaRussell says community he really means community.
His goal is to create a lasting impact on his city, region, and even the world through a model which allows him to be independent, help other business owners, and inspire the next generation of creators looking to him for cues.
There are 3 facets of his community that really show how different he is:
I. The touring
With LaRussell’s touring model, he doesn’t opt for large venues with crazy overhead prices — he keeps it hyper local.
With that in mind, LaRussell pioneered a new form of touring.
BACKYARD SHOWS.
That’s right.
Official shows that take place in his backyard, and yours, if you want.
What makes it revolutionary is that as LaRussell travels cities, fans can open up their backyard to him for shows and even reach the benefits financially.
The shows have an intimate, personable vibe and everything feels like family. As a result his brand and tour has been doing extremely well.
Peep below for a sample of the vibes.
II. Good Compenny
LaRussell mentions that earlier in his career he didn’t really have a lot of the infrastructure that an artist needs to succeed.
With that in mind, him and his homies got together to form Good Compenny.
Notice in the video clip above from the backyard show that a variety of artists are incorporated from a DJ to Violinists.
The caption of that video captures the heart of what LaRussell and Good Compenny stand for.
It states:
Good Compenny is independently funded and operated. We do not charge artist for our services. Your donation supports local and independent artists all over The Bay Area.
While Good Compenny functions as the brand where all of his endeavors fall under from merch to music, it also does what it can to help emerging artists in Cali who ran into the same issues he faced.
That means providing artists with everything from camera work, and marketing support, to an avenue to share their art (via their Evergreen Sessions).
III. The Content
LaRussell has a good amount of content out there that explains how his business model works, his motivations as an artist, and his belief in building a community with his art.
Moreover, the bulk of his content is filmed by his friends at Good Compenny — some of them are musicians themselves.
They not only help him build his career, they also get a chance to build their careers while working with him.
Between the music videos which plug his work, and the lifestyle content that supports the music the content makes you feel like your supporting a grassroots effort that has the potential be something way bigger — in the end it pays dividends in terms of fan building.
A Unique Business Structure
LaRussell has widely noted that he thinks the major label structure is unfair.
All of the deals are “standard,” the terms are antiquated, and you’re essentially giving up partial ownership of your art.
Traditional record deals don’t suit him, so he and his team came up with another structure that worked better for what they were building.
Proud To Pay
Fans might know the term from the late Nipsey Hussle, who sold copies of his mailbox money mixtape for $100 a piece during the blog era, but LaRussell’s model takes it further.
Not only can fans determine how much they want to pay for his music, they can also set their own price for tickets to his shows.
At one point, he even transformed a restaurant in Vallejo into a “Pay What You Can” restaurant — The idea being that he doesn’t wanna knock people over the head for money they don’t have.
The model works well because although one person only pays $1 for his music, the next fan may pay $100, which more than covers those who could only pay less.
LaRussell even allows fans to have ownership
In a recent post on Twitter, LaRussell showed how much money his music generated.
In total, it was around $110,000 and of that $110k he took only home about $22,000.
Where did the rest go?
TO THE FANS.
LaRussell recognizes how integral his community is to the success of his brand and believes that they should be able to share in the prosperity.
Therefore, anyone who’s chose to invest in LaRussell’s music is getting a payout from his music royalties, so as LaRussell grows so does their investment.
EPILOGUE
What LaRussell is doing is showing how independence in the music industry can look for an artist hoping to give back to the community and create lasting infrastructure.
As the record companies continue to navigate the streaming landscape, deal with layoffs, and everything in between it might be worth studying his model and seeing if deals can continue to morph into more true partnerships.
Moreover, for marketers, consider this a case study in the power of community — this is what true community can look like. Does it always have to include giving fans a piece of the pie? Not necessarily.
But imagine a world where that was the case?
One.