Our work with recording artist Dante Augustus

We met dante (pap back then) in the spring of 2021 at the recording studio we were working out of. he was different than most of the artists that we worked with. dante was well dressed, well spoken and incredibly positive. he told us his dreams of giving back to the world with his music career. we distinctly remember him talking about building schools and we thought that was refreshing to hear from a young rapper.

this was dante's first time in a recording studio and he was beyond nervous to perform infront of a stranger. but after 15 minutes of getting to know eachother, dante was in the booth and performing the lyrics that he had written.

Dante reminded us of the golden era of hiphop, the 90's - where the rappers spoke about what was important, what people could relate too, and a positive rap style that was 100% authentic to him.

like most young artists, dante didn't have a clue about the music 'business' outside of writing lyrics and now performing them in the studio. Generation Media Group on the other hand, had been in the music business for over a decade and understood a few key factors that could make or break the career of an artists.

We wont go into all of the little bits of advice we passed down to dante, but the biggest one that made an impact on his career was this:

"be relentless, and be unapologetic in your marketing efforts. Guerilla marketing"

This one piece of advice allowed him to take the music that we engineered in the studio, and all the visual content that backed-up his brand from a 0-115,000+ followers in just under a year.

his marketing efforts combined with a mix of remarkable photography, short-form video reels for instagram/tiktok, and of course, well written, properly engineered music - a few major industry opportunities opened up for him.

its 2022 after all, we live in a world where music marketing means instagram reels and tikotoks relentlessly.

our weekly brand work would consist of a recording session, then live mixing and mastering for social media and streaming. Then we would brainstorm a creative idea, set the stage and have dante perform his new recording. we would then import everything into davinci resolve and have it edited and exported, ready for the peak engagement time on social media.

almost every short-form video reel promoting his music hit over 70k views and over 6,000 organic likes.

in the spring of 2022, we recorded and engineered a song for dante called 'king talk' that he was very excited about. he also had an idea for his first music video that incorporated a vintage rolls royce.

budgets were tight, as are most music budgets in the early stages of a career, so we made due with a limited resources and limited time. the video was finished by the following day and it currently sits at 11k views on youtube.

the take-away here, is we didn't have to do something crazy or crazy expensive to put together an engaging music video that accompanied his music.

if you're fortunate enough to be able to afford a creative director at the beginning of your music career, you would be wise to leverage their abilities and expertise as they have the ability to set you up for a successful future. there are many mysteries regarding how best to go about effectively marketing your music but we understand that authenticity, consistency, and a remarkable product are essential.

If you're already a successful artist earning real income without the help of a creative director or agency, consider some of the benefits:

1. Greater exposure: Working with a creative director or agency can help an artist gain greater exposure to a wider audience. They can help promote an artist's work through various channels such as social media, advertising, and public relations.

2. Professional development: Creative directors and agencies have a wealth of experience in the creative industry, and they can provide valuable insights and guidance to help artists develop their skills and improve their craft.

3. Collaboration: Working with a creative director or agency can provide opportunities for collaboration with other creatives, such as writers, designers, and photographers. This can lead to the development of new and innovative projects.

4. Access to resources: Creative directors and agencies often have access to resources such as studios, equipment, and software that artists may not have on their own. This can help artists produce higher quality work and enhance their creative output.

5. Business support: Creative directors and agencies can provide business support to artists, such as help with contracts, negotiations, and financial management. This can help artists focus on their creative work and alleviate some of the administrative burdens of running a creative business.

6. Networking: Working with a creative director or agency can provide opportunities for networking with other professionals in the creative industry. This can help artists build relationships and make valuable connections that can lead to future opportunities.