I wanted to react to this and dive deeper into what Jon is saying here. This is reflected throughout the industry and there are FEW artists/producers/etc that are in the industry and actually happy and thriving. Its sad that such a talented artist disappears for 6 years because of this. This happens more than we think. This means all of those artists that "Fell Off" might actually not be falling off! They are just stuck in bad deals and can't release more music without losing money or something similar.

As a producer/artist that lives on ramen noodles, I felt that

Shout out producers with dying fires and 1000's of crazy beats that will never see the light of day because we had to get real jobs and just make beats now as a hobby.

Artists in every field have been screwed forever. Only solution is to get legal smart before you start

This is just ridiculous. The labels are robbing both the producers and artists

I didn’t think John’s interview could become more valuable and you made this more valuable . Thanks for everything Kyle . Great music and great knowledge

please keep this video up forever.. this is sad and really eye opening and needs to be up to watch to raise awareness of how this stuff actually goes. realizing what the mainstream industry actually is, may change so many mindsets towards it.

I worked in a massive $20m studio for a while, which meant I worked pretty close with all the big labels, and always told every artist who was independent and talking like they want to sign to not ever sign to a label. I unfortunately witnessed a handful of artists who were on a fast rise get their careers wiped away just before they were really famous enough to support the growth without the resources of a label. All for one petty reason or another. You can't quit on the label, but they can drop you like nothing, and whatever that "sign on bonus" was, they're still going to be making you pay back

this is a trap so many artists fall into. these companies and managers take advantage of naivete and artists current situations to lock them into some shit theyll never profit from 99% of the time. glad ur showing more in depth what these deals mean as some people still dont know how they REALLY work

Watched the Jon interview earlier today - was pumped to hear your input. This, for me… was probably one of the best videos I’ve watched of yours. Sincere and conversational. You’re growing man… it’s special to see you develop musically and professionally. I really appreciate your contributions to the music production space. 👊🏽 You’re a gift Kyle. God bless you.

It’s crazy to think one of my favorite artists and one so damn influential, whose sound literally blew my mind the first time I heard it and influenced YEARS of my life (and tons of other artists) is getting chewed up like this. He’s big but he should be HUGE, labels should be kissing his feet lol.

I've been saying this for years. Independent artist is the only sustainable way forward as far as I can see.

Him being done and just trusting and receiving the blessings is the ultimate outcome for him. Wish it was like that for everyone, but most people won't be so "lucky". Good for him sharing everything.

As a 19 year old at Berklee trying to get this off the ground while living off the salad bar at the caf this was so eerie omg

Kyle I love the insight from you and the jon bellion interview . I’ve always known some insight but this opened my eyes

Loved this video thank you Kyle. From a Swiss Producer.

That's why I'm gonna solely make it by myself and be not expecting help from anyone. If other people can make it, then I can make it. Wish y'all all the best, all love♥️

Great freaking breakdown and reaction.You killed the articulation and examples. what a serious conversation to be had.

im so glad i came across this video. really opened my eyes onto how important it is to be independent now

So sad, Jon was one of my favorite artist/producer growing up! Always felt he represented true creativity and talent. So glad to to see him speak up!

As much as social media has it's cons, it's finally given artists a chance to succeed without labels. I'm grateful that I live in this era and that I'm able to do what I do without the need for record deal and seeing this and Jons interview has already backed up how I feel about this industry.

Would like to hear a more in depth conversation between you and Curtiss King on this topic. Dope video btw 🤝🏽

Bellion has always been straight forward. Dude is a legend. Never changes

Kyle, you oughtta have Lecrae on a podcast. He owns reach records and has been a steady artist for 20 years. I think he has some good insight on these subjects

THANK YOU For reacting to videos like this. Do it more. Way more. I have a feeling a lot of legitimate artists have "fallen off" like Jon Bellion ~ for good reason. WE ~ THE ~ PEOPLE Need to get behind independent artists, and the community needs to give them tools the thrive. It's happening with comedians right now, why not also music talent?

yo kyle welcome back

This is one of the reasons i decided to go solo as a music producer work with few artists but mostly work on my craft on spotify beats remixes covers till i got used to work alone than work with artists as an independent music producer

"If that is the case - what does my record contract look like" - oh man - mind blowing 😮

*Streaming is dying...DTC (Direct to Consumer) is the wave now. IYKYK*

I remember watching a video of Russ and he was talking about getting a loan from the bank and using that for an album etc is what he tends to do and gave his reasons for it. It was a very interesting point he was making because a “deal” from the label is just fronting you money to pay back, and the banks you can get a better interest loan along with owning your music. His point definitely makes sense if your someone who has at least a little fan base. But it makes me think now doing something like taking a loan from the bank and then tapping into Direct To Consumer can pay that loan off faster than it would going thru the label. Shits very interesting and the industry is a wicked game.

This was an eye opener for sure 💯

real talk, great video. Thanks bruh

Kyle, is your main job video-making? What aspect of your brand brings in the most capital

Love this exposure of the industry forreal so shout outs to Kyle, Jon and everyone else involved bc it's up to us to redefine the business side of all of this

The content that we needed.

I’m so glad you skipped all jankos butted in religious crap, like this is what I was hoping the interview would be and was so excited it was 2 whole hours long but then literally like an hour of it was janko vaguely repsonding then preaching for a few minutes, i was generally skipping past any time he spoke by the time I was halfway through it

Havent watched this full video yet but I just thought about Jon Bellion a few weeks ago, wondering what he's up to, if he still makin music etc. Used to watch all his bts videos in the studio, such an inspirational guy with deep passion for his craft. So this will be interesting

Great insight from Jon and additional points from you Kyle!

19:13 ty for supporting artists. I def won’t be bashing on anyone for “falling off.”

Jon Bellion was super influential to my production style in the late 2010s. Really made me change my entire perspective about how I approach music

This is exactly why we created our private community for musicians! To show them the real contracts, have entertainment lawyers teach them, have platinum producers mentor them and to protect each other from the side of the industry that just wants to use and abuse artists.

I heard one of the creators of spawn in an interview said that if something didn’t feel right he would ask, “if you were me and you were offered this deal would you take it”? And if they even had a moment of hesitation he would decline immediately.

I actually wrote a whole research paper in college dealing with the topic of labor exploitation in entertainment and creative industries. You're trapped in an endless loop of, "I'm going to take this bad deal because it's going to further my career." And the culture around these industries is designed that way. They give you the tiniest amount and gaslight you into thinking that "this is what it takes to make it." and "I should be so grateful to have this gig." It's top tier endgame capitalism tbh. It's like this in every industry and line of work except with the music industry it's capitalism on steroids.

his music was so good to i still listen to his music everyday. Hoping for new music.

Reaction videos are the best ❤❤

The more artists become aware of the corruption in the industry, the more they will stay independent. And the more successful independent artists there are, the less assets labels will have. You said in the video that there has to be some sort of solution but I think this IS the solution. Spreading awareness of the corruption. Labels need artists to be successful. But it's been proven that artists don't need labels.

Love your reaction! The world needs to hear and see these stories more!!! The life of celebrities aren’t won’t it seems! Ultimately, we must find our security in Christ! I also have getting into writing music and trying to produce! Would you be willing to collaborate?

🔥great interview

Jon is insanely talented. Whenever I come across a (the making of) video, regardless of me seeing them so many times, will sit down and watch it all the way through. Dude is beyond musically gifted.

The last part was so emotional....

only thing I got from this is I’m not the only one who fidgets w my aperture light lol

I'm making a serious stab at rising up in the music world.... but it's so hard to connect with people making music that are serious about it and treat it as a business. It seems too many of the "music art" spaces are just hobbysts who feel like thinking of money is antithetical to doing art.....

Corporate interests really took advantage of the industry at a perfect time. It has forever been "but a dream" to create music for a living, and until the internet came around, it was impossible to put laws and/or unions in place that protected the creatives, due to the scarcity/aspirational nature of being an industry musician. Actors were able to make slightly more progress with organizations such as Sag-Aftra, but I would attribute that to there being more working actors than there are working musicians. These companies have since grown so big that they buy/bully their way into advantageous positions, be it "standard splits", algorithm favorability with third-party platforms, or the entirety of their record deal structures that are designed to have total control over the artist. What we need (and this applies to many non-creative industries as well) is reform, and with the ambiguity of music creation in today's age, definitions, terms, and revised industry standards in regards to crediting one another is an absolute must. Additionally, there needs to be legislation in place that sets limitations on the abuse of leverage, specifically in reference to label/artist contracts. Contracts and splits that are commonly deemed "predatory" towards artists and writers are SO bad that we have been duped into thinking that "good" or "standard" contracts are any better. They are not. I am thankful that people like Kyle and JB are speaking up and educating, because the only way you can tell if something is sh*t is by knowing what sh*t looks like beforehand, or by tasting it for yourself.

As a producer/artist doing everything for free right now, investing money with no returns, I feel this. This early I just gotta capitalize on my passion and keep going I guess

*Ryan Leslie* is also a great producer too

This is one of the best videos on the platform

I think it’s crazy how labels try to convince you that they can get you out there and get people to listen to you, just for you to end up paying for the marketing and ending up with the same amount of an audience as you started

We all think that we're smart enough to make some smart investments, for future gains but surviving in the in between is where it breaks you down.

Jon is a legend

Maybe I’m missing something but why sign to a label in 2024 or beyond? They’ll promote your music for you? With social media and streaming platforms I don’t think I would ever want to sign to a label and give up the control over my art.

What I don't understand is why are artist using these labels? What do you need from a label today?

Jon Bellion is one of my biggest inspiration in music, so damn creative! Can't believe artists have to go through this trap.

As a producer artist i approve this message

As someone who know’s nothing about music. Where would a good place to start making music?

Exact reasons I left DJing and music career in the dust in 2010 and went ghost prodocuing for half a decade without putting on my name even. At least for the music I did and got paid for was mine, and due to sell it completely to the artists - i was able to bump the numbers reasonably. I stopped doing it since i become a father because it was not as stable as i wanted - but at least i was not robbed and scammed.

Jon Bellion aint get enough recognition, absolutely amazing producer gon go down as one of the best hands down.

I'm literally eating Ramen noodles right now.

We've been saying this for years! Finally people are seeing the truth

It's crazy how there aren't baseline laws for profit sharing in the US. This is the reason people who actually do the work get screwed in every single industry by mfs who don't work.

I'm going around trying to add my input on things I find that.. I feel compelled to throw about and roll out .

As an artist and the owner of my own label, I give my artist 100% of their earnings. I give them receipts, and we go over numbers and everything together to help them figure out how to better their streams and increase their profits and popularity.

I don't understand the part at 15:30 to 16:00, like the math, it feels like we skipped a bit. Basically you get a 5k advance + 5% of the song's royalties, so why isn't it simply recouping the 5k+ i assume interest, and then you're making profit? like i just don't understand why it suddenly jumped at 15:40 to that number of streams in order to recoup the 5k... a small video to explain how the record deals math usually works and generally things to look out for would be appreciated bigtime!

Independent artists are going to win this time round

As an ordinary working man, I can apply this problem to every job in the world. We need to be more independant and start taxing the rich!!

my mom knew ab bellion when he was knew glad i kinda grew up listening to one of the goats

Curtis King says direct to consumer. Hes pasionate about this and its what we should all be doing

Film industry is also based on points. Directors will have a set amount of points (not that many) while the studio execs get the majority

Smoked some w* ed got high, listen to jon bellion, drive to nashville/kansas city to make music. Mannnn good times i miss him

Jon has been my favourite artist for many years and always will be

hes inspired alot of people, him, logic and grvty inspired alot of my early work

dude John is the goat. His journey makes so much sense when you find out how the industry works.

It's really not that complicated... there are soooo many great artists and producers out there. If somebody is willing to work for those 3 points, they will get the job. Hit songs and big artists come and go all the time.

What can we do :/

great vid

I already know labels are bad, so should people stick to a distributor? What should you do if someone is in a situation like this?

Now I'm starting to understand why we lost Avicii 😭

19:00 "when you found all this out, were you in the middle of a tour?" "yeah, I was in the middle of a breakdown"

Thanks for linking the original video, leach

The Points thing seems like an American thing, I'll be damned if I ever let anyone reduce my percentage & my effort down to something so Trivial.

Artists and producers need to unionize. they're the root of all the money in the music industry. labels are nothing without them

Between Jons interview and Russ interview on Flagrant it’s all there.

Getting in a position where you CAN say no implies you have to sacrifice and progress less as an artist having to make money on the side to pursue music. Sad indeed

My favorite artist ever

Merch sales not even owning your own brand basically is what its like

I don't know why people don't speak out about music business, while the young producers needs guidance. Everyone keeps on saying make good beats until you get placement or upload on beatstars

Jon Bellion is my favorite producer and artist of all time

which label is jon signed to tho cause surely not every label is like this

Sign a deal ➡️ label gives you the resources to become mega famous but you earn pennies ➡️ when you’re out the deal you’re less relevant but all your money is yours but never have the same buzz as when you started Don’t sign the deal ➡️ you’re a starving artist who owns 100% of your music but you now have to work 100x as hard as someone signed because you don’t have a label backing you with resources ➡️ run the risk of never blowing up

a reckoning is coming

Now i see what james blake meant by him going solo