We recently had the opportunity to sit with Richmond, VA's soul artist, Garnett Boldin, and talked to him about his latest release, Know Your Soul. When it comes to album and project releases, the recent trend for artists has been to just get it out there as quick as possible- a trend especially the case with independent artists. Long gone are the days of an actual release strategy. Speaking with Garnett, what we found was an extremely refreshing artist who cares about his project enough to put some thought into it, far beyond the recording studio. Read the full interview below!
1. What were some of your goals for the project at the beginning?
My first goal was to self distribute, being that the industry has changed and you don't have to have a deal to be successful anymore. Another was to bring SOUL MUSIC back to the forefront and remind people that the genre is not lost and it will always be some of the dopest music you will ever hear.
2. How did you release it and what distribution platform did you use, if any?
I went old school format with it. First, doing small, intimate listening sessions- three to be exact. The first one got so much buzz we had to do two more. Then I released "Know Your Soul" on tunecore so that I was able to reach a greater demographic of where my music could be heard, especially with exposing it to overseas listeners.
3. Did you have a release/launch party?
I had my release party two days after I released it digitally at 'The Top' downtown in Richmond. The turnout was great- I've got a lot of love and respect for the music and perseverance that led up to this day.
4. What were some of your expectations going in and how did they change a few weeks into the release?
From a business standpoint, I was expecting to make back the money that I put out for the project while also reaching a bigger fan base that hadn't heard of Garnett Boldin. But a few weeks in, after I saw how the numbers were doing so well and the places and people the album was reaching, I started to see that this thing went bigger than my initial expectations and that we can really compete with what's out in the industry right now.
Dreamerz Custom T-Shirts and Apparel
812 Jefferson Davis Highway Richmond Va 23224
5. What type of support did you receive from family and friends?
I had a lot of support from friends who were posting their purchases and what songs they loved. Family was kind of lacking which can always be disheartening especially when it's something as big as your first big album release, but God lets you see what you need to see.
6. In terms of money spent, do you think you spent more to produce the project or market and promote it?
I definitely spent more on marketing and promotions, because at the end of the day, artists have to understand that that's THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. Recording music is the easy part, but if no one knows it's out there to be purchased, then your music will never be heard. You have to always keep the people's attention and stay on the radar.
7. How satisfied were you with the financial return on a scale from 1-10?
I would have to say between a 7-8. I definitely made my money back and more, as far as sales, shows, and studio work that came from people hearing this project but it could always be better no matter what you made. It is definitely a learning process by doing it on your own and it means that much more when it's done with your own money.
