Like many artists, Brad Rempel got out of his first record contract. But unlike others, he harbors no ill will. In this episode of The Big Break, the High Valley founder explains why artists shouldn’t “crucify” the companies making early bets on your career.
To keep up with Brad:
Show Notes
2:30 \tBrad’s background, Canada, and life in Covid
9:00\tThe start of music from living in a rural town, and falling in love with country music.
\t“I literally did not know who Michael Jackson was until I moved to Nashville.”
13:40\tThe first concert, Mid South, and the creation of High Valley
20:00\tLearning about managing money, and touring
25:05\tThe first ‘break’
\tMeeting John Mays and the road to a record deal
32:51\tThe move to Nashville, Brad learns the truth about being a big fish in a small pond and what the
\treal level of competition is.
35:20\tThe second ‘break’
\tBuying out of the record deal to go completely independent.
\t“I don’t understand why we try and crucify them later on in our careers when all of a sudden
\twe’re making real money and now we just hate them and think they’re evil people. What about
back in the day when nobody would give you five bucks for anything you had, and this person
offered you some real money to live off of?”
41:09\tA kids Jiu Jitsu class, and a bagel at Panera Bread bridges the gap to the US market, and
\teverything blows up
49:30\tBrad tells us about the business perspective for buying out of his contracts, and what’s next
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