The boom and bust of the music industry creates some incredible life lessons. One month you’re on top of the world, the next you’re scrounging for any kind of placement.
This is especially true for our guest this week, Brandyn Burnette.
Brandyn got his first publishing deal at just 19 years old. He traveled all over the world writing and recording with different artists, learning how to collaborate, producing some amazing music. Then things began to turn.
After some internal politics at his label, he was dropped with little music to his name. After some time to adjust, Brandyn pivoted to become independent artist, taking control of his career, and giving birth to EMAN8. Brandyn joins us to tell his story, and the valuable lessons he learned on this episode of The Big Break.
You can Follow Brandyn on Instagram and Twitter
Show Notes
1:33\t\tGrowing up and moving all over
4:14\t\tStarting writing music in St. Louis
5:50\t\tGetting a scholarship to NYU
7:01\t\tDid you have a goal for your songs when you first started?
8:27\t\tLeaving NYU and starting to record
9:07\t\tGetting a publishing deal and getting signed to Warner
10:01\tMoving to LA and starting to collaborate with other artists
12:38\tWho was the producer you met in New York that got you started?
13:45\tGetting news in Ballet class about how his mix turned out
14:50\tEvolving from a raw musician to a complex sound
15:58\tWhat was it like going to Norway and recording?
18:11\tBombing the Warner Brothers meeting
19:39\tGetting the call about signing to Sony
23:35\tHow big of a deal was getting the Sony advance?
24:10\tLearning the importance of money
26:27\tTime is money, and learning to value your time and not waste it
30:47\tWhat was that like going from a signed artist to an independent artist?
33:00\tLearning that the label is not prioritizing him, losing traction, and deciding what to do
33:56\tThanks for Nothing and working with Mike Caren and Sean Douglas
35:09\tMaking a hook for Cutfather
37:25\tBrandyn’s song outplays the song he wrote “First Flight Home”
38:30\tGetting dropped from Warner
39:40\tBouncing back and pursuing independence
40:55\tWhat was your plan immediately after getting dropped?
42:09\tStruggling and resetting
43:45\t1000 Degrees of Separation and making music unconventionally
44:50\tLearning about streaming playlists and pursuing curators
49:05\tDo you still see yourself as the “CEO” of yourself as an artist?
50:30\tFocus on the creative, but appreciate the value of your team.
52:39\tHelping the “next you”
54:03\tWhat other projects do you have in the works right now?
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