Photo credit: Sia for A3C media service
It’s 2016 and everyone needs a brand -- - especially musical artists!
This past week, members of the A3C Editorial team sat down for a meeting of the minds
with Street Execs Marketing Director Noah Williams, along with the firm's Creative Director, Deonte and their Logistics Director, Julian.
In a world consumed by digital media, observing every aspect of the industry is
critical to avoiding being left behind. Whether you’ve yet to establish a brand or simply
need to liven yours up a bit, there’s a lot to learn from this group of self-made CEOs.
What is branding, exactly? Glad you asked! Simply put, a brand is the identity that’s
associated with your craft. According to Deonte of the Street Execs team, “For hip-hop
artists, your brand is what makes you standout in a world where everyone is a rapper.”
Without an established brand, all artists have to market is their music, and that just isn’t
enough these days.
Why is it important for new artists to understand brand marketing? After digging a
litter deeper, we struck gold. When considering your brand, ask yourself these questions:
Who am I marketing to?
What is it for?
What make this different?
Why should this be done?
“You have to build who you are first and acknowledge what space you want to fill,” said
Julian from Street Execs. Can you picture Drake trying to merge into the same lane as a
glorified Trap Rapper? As much as we appreciate his music, it simply wouldn’t make sense;
partly due to the “Champagne Papi” lifestyle that he associates with his personal brand.How does branding help maintain the cash flow? Now we’re talking. Noah broke itdown best when he said, “Branding opens lanes for revenue; like selling merchandise, establishing partnerships, or landing sponsorships. You create the atmosphere now, and people buy into it later.” Understanding is the first step, and execution is second. “You want the artists main focus to be their music,” said Noah as he mentioned the importance of having a team. Your team could be a paid staff of 10 people, or 2 good pals that hold you down. No matter your status, it takes a collection to create a movement!
Speaking of movements…
In addition to managing the artists under the Street Execs name, Noah and his team are
also the brains behind CEO Millionaires, the lifestyle-clothing brand that inspires the
entrepreneur regime. In this case, CEO has a dual meaning -- -- it represents an overall boss
mentality, and stands for Creating Every Opportunity.
Walk before running? That’s small talk! Creating every opportunity means doing what you
can with what you have in order to produce something you love. The young moguls decided
to use their platform as a means for inspiration after facing the reality that nothing is
handed to you in life. They’ve even found their way into the community by offering business education classes on topics such as marketing, branding and networking!
These CEO’s recognize that all Chief Executives don’t wear business suits to work, and
that’s okay. In fact, the “CEO,000,000 T-shirt” has become somewhat of a Jersey, acting as a
conversation starter for the growing Team of CEOs located in Atlanta. Addicted to the lifestyle? Visit the CEO page to shop merch, drop a business inquiry, or ask about the next business education class!
