His peers have often looked to him for advice on how to succeed as an independent artist and now Russ is rolling out his own label. For years, the rapper-singer has been forging his path in the industry as he has frequently spoken out about the ills of being a performer. From unreasonable percentages on streaming services to unfair label deals, Russ has been vocal in advising music artists on how to shape their careers on their own.
Today (March 30), both Rolling Stone and Variety reported on Russ's new venture that he has embarked on with his fellow independent artist and best friend since childhood, Bugus. DIEMON, or Do It Everyday Music or Nothing, is a collective that has existed since 2010, and now, the moniker is the name of their new independent label.
When Russ signed with Columbia Records in 2017, DIEMON became an imprint of the label, but once he fulfilled his contract, he was back riding the independent wave.
“Everyone owns their masters; everyone owns their publishing," said Russ. "We don’t eat on your merch or your tours, and everything’s a profit split deal. We’re not looking to invest in an artist just to change their music. If we like an artist enough to sign them, it’s because we like what they’re doing. It’s just a super artist-friendly situation, where we’re here to provide resources and mentorship to artists that we believe in.”
DIEMON has reportedly already signed its first artist, LaRussell.
“If you look at what he’s doing with his music, he’s putting out a bunch of content all the time — dropping albums here, dropping songs there. With him I was like, ‘Man, do whatever you wanna do. Whenever you need me, hit me,'” said Russ. “Because I know if that’s your vision and you wanna do all this content and do what you wanna do before you tap into the resources — I don’t care, rock out. That’s the same thing that I did, you know? But I know that wouldn’t be possible if he was signed to a major label, because they would be like, ‘Okay first of all, everything you’re putting out has to be ours. Second of all, you can’t be putting out this much stuff, we gotta have a plan.'”
Check out Russ's post about his and Bugus's accomplishment below.
[via]