A lot of great perks come with signing with a major label. Plenty of talented musicians have been able to access resources that they otherwise wouldn’t have had if a major label had not picked them up. But like all things, a good situation isn’t entirely perfect. For many famous musicians out there, going independent after getting signed to a major label was the best thing they could have done. Let’s look at a few examples, shall we?
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1. Prince
If you didn’t know that Prince was an independent artist, you’re not alone. However, diehard fans who were listening to Prince back in the day are well aware of the enormous battle he once had against his major label, Warner Bros.
Prince had to fight for the right to his master tapes, and he even changed his name to a symbol to protest the control the label had over him. He was eventually able to leave the label and go indie, and he actually inspired a whole new generation of musicians to follow in his footsteps.
2. Frank Ocean
This example of famous musicians who went independent made one of the smartest choices he could have made in the music industry. Frank Ocean was signed to Def Jam way back when, and he fulfilled his contract by releasing his visual album Endless back in 2016. And a day later, he independently dropped what would be his biggest album, Blonde.
It was a pretty controversial move. Ocean made about $2 million in just one week from that release, which is way more than he would have made with Def Jam.
3. Macklemore
Macklemore has always been a square peg attempting to fit into a round hole. He never quite fit into the “traditional” pop music industry. After years of trying, he opted to go independent with his producer and creative partner, Ryan Lewis. It worked. The duo broke through into the mainstream with the independently-released album The Heist, which boasts hits like “Can’t Hold Us” and “Thrift Shop”.
4. JoJo
The tale of JoJo is sadly not an uncommon one for famous musicians who eventually went independent. She’s one of many very talented artists whose careers took a nosedive because of their labels’ lack of interest in letting them have creative freedom.
In fact, her battle with the label Blackground Records went on for years and kept her from releasing any music due to contract issues. She was eventually able to re-record her older hit songs and go independent under her own record label.
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