Pop/rock artist, Zander Bleck, has quite the interesting story. After his powerful voice captured the attention of producer RedOne, Bleck was introduced to industry pioneer Jimmy Iovine who signed him to Interscope Records. Like a lot of industry stories may go, an executive shakeup reordered the label, shifting Bleck over to Capitol Records while his major label launch was brought to a standstill. Now taking the DIY-approach, Bleck has self-released new single, “Alive,” delving into his experiences during that challenging time in his career.
In this exclusive guest blog, Zander shares his struggles with major labels and his journey thus far while sharing some advice to the newbies out there.
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It’s been five years and two major record deals later; as we speak I am releasing my first single, “Alive,” off my upcoming EP independently and it’s never felt better. I’ve had a front row ticket at how much the industry has changed at the majors in this half decade.
First, Interscope. My team was almost too good to be true. It turned out it was. My savior and king, Jimmy Iovine left for Apple and I was left on the chopping block without getting my chance. Breaks my heart still watching the defiant ones, as Jimmy was one of the most incredible people I’ve had the pleasure to work with. Over to Capitol Records, I tried again signed under super producer RedOne’s sub-label 2101. But again without even coming out, that also fell short. I honestly have no hard feelings to anyone involved. I have been super fortunate, and have learned more than most by seeing first hand what works and what doesn’t. A lot of people would believe signing a huge record deal these days would equal major success but the two actually rarely go hand and hand. Things have changed so dramatically and now we live in the wild west of music. Social media, Spotify and touring is the name of the game now.
We’re living in a time that greatly empowers the artist. If you have a good product that connects with your fans, you can make a living off of that. It wasn’t so much like that even just five years ago. It’s all about controlling what you’ve got kids, and taking things into your own hands. Make it happen. The tools are out there now. The playing field is open. Just never stop getting better!
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