The Entitled Get No Title! Why Russ Has Been So Successful

Russ is a pop music artist who has reached worldwide notoriety through dedication and consistency. With his May 2017 RIAA certified platinum album, There’s Really a Wolf, more than 12 albums to date, and over 200 released songs, he has truly shown the world what commitment looks like. His rise to massive success in an industry many have penetrated, but few have dominated is most eye-opening.

Tools are Important Russ represents somewhat of an anomaly in that he produces, mixes, masters, writes, and records his own music. With the exception of writing and recording, these are all services vocal recording artists typically outsource to a label, or else they hire private specialists in these areas to help them achieve a professional product. Russ has stated that he acquired his own music equipment and learned to use music production programs early on. This enabled him to create and produce content without spending unnecessary money on producers, engineers, etc.

In addition, he consistently grew his fanbase on social media. He says these moves over time are what gave him ultimate control of his career. The lesson here is that you may not have the skills to handle your own production, but it is always an artist’s responsibility to ensure they produce the best sounding (and looking) products for their audience. We’re all responsible for our own success and the right tools lessen the friction against progress.

Your Work is Your Worth Many artists are laden by shoddy contracts with record labels as a result of financing deals artists negotiate and sign to propel their careers forward faster. A label theoretically provides money and exposure to larger audiences. If the artist does well and the label continues to invest in their success, oftentimes, an artist can pay off their debt and become very wealthy.

The story of the music industry hasn’t exactly reflected this scenario, however. From Michael Jackson’s strained dealings with Sony and Tommy Mattola to the Rolling Stones and their hellacious battles with their manager Allen Klein, artists have been repeatedly sucked dry while in the vice grips of major record labels and other opportunistic music industry entities.

Today, thanks to the internet and social media platforms like YouTube, IG, and Medium, an artist can control many of the exposure elements necessary for their own success. No longer do we have to approach a middle man to ask for funding or for access to an arena.

Instead, the internet becomes our stage. We can put out content consistently and eventually amass and serve our own homegrown following. This has really taken much of the guesswork out of gaining popularity. The key is to provide a continuous stream of your best content until you “breakthrough” and can monetize the value you offer.

Gains after this point become exponential as your popularity leaps and bounds with less effort on your part. As you grow in your artistry, you’ll hone in on what you do best. Your sense of personal worth will elevate. You’ll come to see yourself as capable, and as someone here to make an important mark on the world.

Most of all, you will have done this all without the help of major backing. This now gives you the ability to leverage what you have created for better opportunities freeing you of the need to take on debt to get ahead in your field.

An Artist is a Factory. Control Your Output. Mixing, mastering, recording, composition, and writing, are skills all modern artists should know, no matter your niche, especially in a time where labels and private investors are looking for artists to have a legit buzz before they lend support.

If you control the elements of your music and visual productions, and you share your work consistently and regularly, assuming it is quality, you are sure to build an audience in good time. This is the magic behind consistent output and the secret to Russ’s success.

Without diving into the dedication and intelligence required to use high-level technology, some may be inclined to believe that for years, Russ simply sat at a computer, threw some lyrics into a mic, uploaded it, and voila! Instant world fame. And these people are not wrong, except that he consistently did this for a long while before he attained notoriety for his work.

For years, Russ released project after project, putting out 11 before he chanced upon the distribution idea which would catapult him to wide-spread internet stardom. This idea is the focus of this writing.

After creating and sharing music consistently for three years (2011–2014), Russ realized that he wasn’t getting what he wanted in terms of mass-scale success though he was releasing music constantly. He continued to soldier on and produce music. This act allowed him to slowly raise a fanbase. What may not be as conspicuous is that with every song and every project, he improved his music-making ability.

“From December 2011 to August 2014, Russ released 11 albums and 87 singles consecutively; all free of charge.” When this didn’t work as he wished, he moved to SoundCloud and began releasing a song every week for almost three years.

His overall strategy to continuously release music non-stop caused him to reach critical mass and eventual fame. In time, two of the songs he uploaded for free to SoundCloud hit the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #62 and #83.

Failed? Try Again.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I’ve tried everything, but nothing is working”? Most likely, you’ve said this before. We attempt a certain task and when we are successful but don’t receive the praise or prize we believe we should have, we become discouraged and quit.

Russ has been adamant in his interviews about killing the entitlement attitude which convinces us that we can be mediocre and still win big. Life doesn’t work this way. One may have to engage in perfecting a skill for years before they become noticed by others. This cannot be overstated.

The Entitled Get No Title

In life, we have to look at what we want to do long term. You can only enjoy the spoils of war after you win. Until that time comes, you must keep fighting for what you want.

Take comfort in knowing that, if you work regularly to improve yourself in an area of focus, at some point, your abilities will be recognized by your peers and by those you serve. Just remember that success breeds success.

Both a lack of confidence and entitlement syndrome are the enemies of the would-be accomplished artist or creative. More than other factors, these two will stifle the upward mobility of an artist. We would all do well to remember that if we want to achieve legendary status for our work in this world, we have only to do one simple thing: keep going.

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