All music artists know how hard it is to balance the creative side of music with the business side of it, and on top of that many also have to balance in another job or business. Popgang Records founders and artists Jordan Deherrera, aka Baby J, and Chris Sanders, aka TygrByt, know just how hard it can be. They shared some valuable tips for those in similar situations in this exclusive Respect My Region interview.
They also shared tips on how to get noticed by an independent record label, what they’re looking for in artists, and specifically how to submit to Popgang. These two business partners are also apart of an indie-dance duo together called Manics. They touched a bit on what’s coming next for their artist project, as well as for the label.
What came first, the chicken or the egg? The two met through mutual friends when Jordan was developing Popgang as a collective, became friends, started producing and deejaying together, then decided to work together to form Popgang into a full label. Since then, they’ve also expanded into a publishing company. The label is celebrating it’s 150th release on July 23rd with a special project from Manics, their debut album.
Here’s some stuff we learned from Jordan and Chris, Founders of Popgang Records. To catch the full interview, check out the video version below. Continue reading for the highlights.
Popgang’s tips on balancing work with music
As business owners and artists, Jordan and Chris know first hand how difficult it can be to balance everything. Between the creative side of music, the business side of being an artist, running Popgang Records, and having personal lives, there’s no doubt it can get overwhelming.
Chris shares, “You have to make a decision every morning. If you’re going to work on something creative or work on something on the business side cause usually you don’t have enough energy to do both.” He talks about the two moving to LA and building out a studio so they can become more grounded in both together.
Jordan adds, “At this point we’re working on music all the time. At least like five days out of the week we’re working on new music, whether it’s for Manics, Baby J, TygrByt, collaborative tracks, Cyber Rodeo, or either of our separate brands.”
Their biggest tip is to not give up, also adding, “Focus on the things you’re really good at and leverage those, while also being open to collaborating with people for things that you don’t necessarily feel like is your strong suit.” Chris says, “Don’t be scared to try new things,” with Jordan chiming in, “And learn from new people, collaboration is always good.”
Tips on how to get signed with an independent label
We asked Popgang to share some advice on how to get the attention of independent record labels and what they are looking for in potential artists to sign. The two shared that it’s really important for an artist to know who they are. They don’t mean having it all figured out, but at least having a sound, having a brand, and some sort of identity that people can recognize and latch onto.
The Popgang founders stress the importance of not just having a great brand, but also having a unique sound instead of trying to follow any formulas.
[As an electronic artist] these days you have to be good at both deejaying and producing.
Chris Sanders from Popgang Records
“It’s always important for people to learn and realize that you should make the music that you want to listen to,” Jordan said. “Because at the end of the day… you’ll get your best stuff out if you’re making something that you truly want to hear. Like if you want to merge two different genres or do something kind of wacky and weird that hasn’t been done yet, that’s always going to be the best.”
How to get discovered by Popgang Records
Popgang Records discovery and submission process is pretty relaxed compared to a lot of major labels. They talk about finding a lot of their artists organically such as through mutual friends or connecting with at shows. But they’ve also signed artists that have submitted through DMs, emails, or their website. They suggest going through their submission link on their website, or sending an email which you can find in their Instagram bio. They’re focused on dance music with some genres of interest including house, techno, indie dance, and new disco.
“I would suggest people go listen to our catalog and then see if they think that they’re a good fit for us,” Chris advises. “This is a great tip for any artist submitting to any label.
Why Manics took so long to release their upcoming debut album
After being together for over eight years, Manics finally feels ready to release their debut album. This is just in time for the label’s 150th release. Prior to this they had been releasing music since 2012, but just as singles and EPs.
Jordan shared, “We have worked on so much music over the years and I think that we’re certainly our own worst critics. We would re-work a lot of different things, release things here and there. And last year was like the first time that we were able to write a bunch. It was actually way more songs.
“This has been cut down from a bunch of tracks that we wrote and produced last year. We were gonna spread them out as singles and whatnot. And then we were coming up on our 150th release, and we’re like, ‘Okay, we should release an album. This is the perfect time to do it. We’ve been around forever, and this is the perfect timing.’”
When asked about the sounds of the album, whether it would be varying or cohesive, Chris let us know, “It’s cohesively varied.” Jordan adds, “It covers a lot of different genres. It kind of covers everything that we love, but also kind of every different vibe that Manics has gone through over the years. Whether it’s house-y vibes, disco vibes, the sort of more like indie-pop. It kind of covers all of that, but it has a cohesive sound.”
Pre-save Pastel Palace by Manics out July 23rd
What’s next for Popgang Records and Manics, and how to stay connected
Between the two’s separate acts, duo, and the label, they have a lot of events coming up. You can catch them around Los Angeles and surrounding areas throughout the near future. To name a few: The Friend Bar in LA on the 21st, Strut OC on the 22nd, and Summer Lodge at Skybar on August 1st. To stay up to date with what they have going on in the live event space, we suggest you give them all a follow.
Connect
Popgang Records
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube
Manics
Pre-save Pastel Palace by Manics out July 23rd
Chris Sanders aka TygrByt
Jordan Deherrera aka Baby J
Catch the full interview on YouTube
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