Artist Development: Positioning new artists for label attention

Sep 2023 - Mar 2025

Background:

In the music scene of New York lies a plethora of untapped talent, artistry and unseen potential waiting to be discovered. Among these artist were three amazing talents; Justend, Soulyhad, and Justice Xavier. Each artist with their own distinct sounds but they all shared a similar need, to break through and find an audience for their music to much nurtured by. To begin the groundwork of this journey we used our expertise in digital marketing and then leveraged our industry connections and secured a spot for each artist on On The Radar radio. Additionally for SoulyHad and Justend the meeting and work between the artist resulted in a collaborative album, Somewhere, NY, which had a song Featured on their OTR debut.

Objective:

Our primary target for success was to increase awareness at an organic level for both the local and digital audience. A focus on local talent would supply all artist with a foundation for connecting with venues while also establishing a presence in the area that they are familiar with, thus creating a community to garner a strong foundation from. Our second objective was finding a place in the digital space to distinguish themselves from other emerging talent while also forming a strong brand identity aligning with their personal image.

Engagement and Digital Strategy:

We implemented a two-pronged strategy to develop and amplify the reach of these three emerging artists, beginning with a localized digital focus. Our goal was to position them authentically within the New York music scene while simultaneously building a visual and narrative identity that emphasized their grassroots appeal. To support this, we curated content around their creative process and emphasized their connection to the city. This approach led to bookings at smaller venues across the region, allowing the artists to form meaningful connections with early-stage fans. As a result, we observed an organic crossover of audiences, with fan interest spilling over between all three artist.

The second phase of our strategy was aimed at expanding their digital presence and establishing each artist as a serious contender for larger industry attention. Through our network, we secured two high visibility sessions with On The Radar Radio. Justend and SoulyHad performed a track from their collaborative album Somewhere, NY, which played a key role in boosting their streaming numbers and overall visibility. Justice Xavier performed a single from his self-titled debut album, generating momentum that increased his local traction in New Jersey and raised awareness of his project across streaming platforms and local venue circuits.

Analytics and Results:

The success of this multi artist rollout was measured across several key performance indicators, including streaming growth, social media engagement, local show attendance, and digital content reach. Each artist experienced noticeable improvements in visibility and audience development as a direct result of the strategy implementation.

YouTube Performance (On The Radar)

  • SoulyHad & Justend: 64,000 views

  • Justice Xavier: 2,200 views

Instagram Follower Growth

  • Justend: 10,000 → 34,000 followers (+24,000)

  • SoulyHad: 29,000 → 60,000 followers (+31,000)

  • Justice Xavier: 18,000 → 40,000 followers (+22,000)

Press Mentions / Playlist Placements

SoulyHad & Justend:

  • Featured on Spotify’s “This Is Justend” and “This Is SoulyHad” playlists

  • Included in Spotify’s “Antipop Spotlight”

Justice Xavier:

  • Featured on Spotify’s “This Is Justice Xavier” playlist by Spotify

Spotify Stream Growth (Post-Campaign)

  • Justend: +115% increase in streams

  • SoulyHad: +55% increase in streams

  • Justice Xavier: +28% increase in streams

Spotify Monthly Listeners

  • Justend & SoulyHad (following their collab album): +70% increase and +132% respectively

  • Justice Xavier: +45% increase