Citizen Cope on Major Labels vs. Independence, Audience Connection and Having a Seat at the Table

Order THIRD EDITION of How to Make It in the New Music Business here: https://book.aristake.com Citizen Cope, a.k.a Clarence Greenwood, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and performer. His music is commonly described as a mix of blues, soul, folk, and rock. Cope's compositions have been recorded by artists such as Carlos Santana, Dido, Pharoahe Monch, and Richie Havens. In his solo career, "Let the Drummer Kick" from his 2002 album, Citizen Cope, went RIAA-Certified Gold. In 2004, he produced and released The Clarence Greenwood Recordings, followed by Every Waking Moment in 2006. In 2010, Cope founded his own record label, Rainwater Recordings, allowing him to exert full creative control. Free from the marketing entreaties of the major record labels, he released The Rainwater LP later that year. One Lovely Day followed in 2012. After taking a hiatus from his own record releases, Cope came back stronger than ever, releasing Heroin and Helicopters in 2019 and The Pull of Niagara Falls in 2021. He is currently slated to release another album in 2023. 05:45 Welcome 07:24 Communication with an audience performing solo vs. with a band 11:09 Post-pandemic reflection, music festival line-up experiences, career sustainability 16:55 Album achieving gold status, having a timeless sound 19:36 Breaking down Citizen Cope's new album’s sonic landscape 29:41 Releasing records independently with Rainwater Recordings 33:20 New artists establishing themselves before getting signed 36:51 Biggest difference working independently vs. with a major label 43:04 Is it worthwhile making records because of streaming? 48:02 Publishing deals, Sony licensing with Peloton, TikTok and Facebook 53:40 New album 'Victory March' release date 55:45 What it means to make it in the New Music Business 57:58 Artists having a seat at the table Subscribe to The New Music Business: https://aristake.com/nmb Ari’s Take Academy (use code NMB for 10% off!): https://aristakeacademy.com Watch more discussions like this: https://bit.ly/3LavMpa Connect with Ari’s Take: Website: https://aristake.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/aristake_ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@aris.take Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArisTake YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/aristake1 Connect with Ari Herstand: Website: https://ariherstand.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariherstand Twitter: https://twitter.com/ariherstand YouTube: https://youtube.com/ariherstand Connect with Citizen Cope Website: https://citizencope.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/citizencope Twitter: https://twitter.com/citizencope YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@citizencope Edited and mixed by Maxton Hunter Music by Brassroots District Produced by the team at Ari’s Take Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.