Raye As Example For Independence Being A Spectrum | CULTUR:ED

For the 20th installment of our little written series we’re highlighting Raye - a young legendary musician/artist who radiates originality, positivity, raw realness & proof she belongs on the big kids table no matter what the deal is, you know? No pun intended. Because of fucking level of talent, you know?

---

As always we never shy from letting you know before we go any further that we do not (in any way) bash major labels, anything to do with them or similar. We aren’t here to do any of that about anything which we also highlight in our about section.

CULTUR:ED segment is about education in the field of culture, media - music, visual art, creative business etc.

So of course Raye came to mind as the preferred choice to continue with the topic of independent music & major labels, distribution etc. after seeing a TikTok post about this.

Why Raye?

She’s been the ideal person across the years who’s done exactly what we’ve shared before. Great music for a big audience.

From her globally popular track Escapism to newer Where Is My Husband you can tell Raye is fantastic about making both legendary, quality hits along with dance bangers.

In the case of great music for big audiences of course a major label makes sense and people often think a major label is a hoax that will take your money so might as well go independent.

False.

There might’ve been greedy artists, greedy people working within the labels, “bad lawyers” - but at least in theory you can’t deny the fact that you should be able to find a compromise and sign a deal you and your label both like.

So, since Raye now owns her masters & in many ways has shifted into independent territory it’s become another great example of how Independence is a spectrum, not just a badge.

How did it start with Raye? How did her foundation get built?

Raye, in 2014 when she was 17, signed an album deal with Polydor - A part of Universal, which is a major label.

She stayed there until 2021.

This label machine puts her in a room with big names in the mainstream space which in turn allows Raye to show her talent and now have credits on projects for Beyoncé, John Legend, even Little Mix, Ellie Goulding etc.

So, as we said this was from 2014 to 2021.

After that Raye makes the independent “My 21st Century Blues” which becomes to recognized that it even receives 6 awards at the 2024 Brit awards.

My 21st Century Blues shows you why independence is a spectrum.

M21CB was released through Human Resources, which sits under Orchard, which is owned by Sony - another major label.

Do you now understand?

So, why is she independent?

Because she owns those masters?

Independence can be earned, it can also seem avoidable, it might even seem like a bad idea, you know? It might be a case by case basis. You really need to understand thoroughly if you even aim so high. You might not need to think about those things if your goal is casual music along with a career as an influencer who wants to build a solid lifestyle.

But if your goal is to fill out arenas, make global bangers & remain growing as a musician - courting your talents then sure, finding a compromise might just be unavoidable.

Often times it seems as if people fall into bullshit because of greed and a lack of respect for the authorities already in place.

Raye spent 7 years building inside of a major label, giving more than possibly 90% of the new names trying to do the same. This isn’t a small thing.

She’s also still plugged into a major label for her distribution, of course.

Remember, it’s a spectrum, not just a badge.

---

Thank you for reading! As always, follow us across socials, click the button for the instagram!

Instagram