It’s 2018. There’s no secret formula to success. Like most professions, it’s usually a combination of hard work, exposure, and sometimes a little luck. St. Louis’ rap-rock quartet Discrepancies weren’t even looking to be signed, but through their own sweat and smart self-promotion, the band’s music hit the right ears at the right time, via a workout playlist.
“We weren’t looking to get signed,” explains bassist Garrett Weakley. “The reality was, our basic plan for 2017 was to figure out how many shows we could do out of town and manage to make a profit. [Then] Pricella at InVogue found us on Spotify.”
These days if you’ve released music, it’s likely available in some form of streaming media. And while the Taylor Swifts of the world claim to be protesting for your rights to fair compensation, joining such a fight can limit your exposure to these exact opportunities.
The band sent their single to several streaming curators, as well as Facebook tastemakers, asking them to promote the music to an audience who may need something to listen to in the gym. “We basically had been reaching out to a lot of people asking them to put us on their curated Spotify playlists,” continues Weakley. “Pricella sent our stuff over to Nick Moore, president of InVogue, who ended up inviting us to Ohio for a sit- down.” The band drove from St. Louis to Ohio on a Tuesday to sign on the dotted line.
When asked about his band’s path and any advice for up-and-coming musicians, Weakley focused on positivity. “You can’t get too demoralized. It doesn’t help you reach your goals. It’s easy to beat yourself up if something doesn’t go the way you planned. Take things with a grain of salt and learn from it. ... As cliché as it sounds, as one door closes another door opens. If Spotify hadn’t worked out for us, there are so many platforms out there that your music can be streamed [on]. You can see how well rappers are doing on SoundCloud.”
Discrepancies’ InVogue debut, The Awakening, dropped March 23 and, by no mistake, is available to stream on Spotify.
Date Signed: January 2018
Band Members: ATG Metcalf, vocals; Garrett Weakley, bass; Addison Bracher, guitar; Phatbeatz Steve, drums
Label: InVogue Records
Type Of Music: Rap/Rock, NuMetal
Management: 3 Years Inc.
Booking: [email protected]
Legal: Wofford Denius
Publicity: Mike Cubillos, [email protected]
Web: Discrepanciesmusic.com
A&R: N/A
