Russ has accomplished things that not many other artists can add to their resumé. The 28-year-old rapper is able to sell out arenas, travel the world, and provide for himself as a creative. And he does it all as an independent artist.
At every turn in his successful career, Russ has been adamant about sharing his wisdom with the fans. An inspiration to independent artists worldwide, Russ' business model is attainable but, as he says, you'll need to work extremely hard and build an organic fanbase if you're looking to achieve similar things.
This week, the rapper shared screenshots of his weekly checks from Tunecore to show up-and-coming artists that they don't need a label to make some major bank.
"Some weekly checks on tunecore..inspo purposes only," wrote Russ on Twitter, revealing that he made $89K in one week and $107K another. "Artists : own your music and stop letting these labels take 15% distribution fees for pressing an upload button."
After the post was shared on DJ Akademiks' page, Russ' legion of dedicated haters did their thing, which prompted the rapper to explain himself further.
"If you’re not an artist you shouldn’t gaf lol this isn’t for you. But all my fellow artists out there, don’t let labels rob you blind with outdated industry standards," added Russ.
Artists, use this as fuel to keep pushing forward. Like Russ, you can go all-in on yourself and end up making millions of dollars with the right tools.