Unsigned doesn’t mean untalented. Chicago is teeming with great bands who are just a mouse click or a cover charge away from being discovered–not by a major label, but by hungry music fans.
With the help of MySpace and a lot of hustle, some local artists are operating just fine without a label.
“In a sense, there’s total freedom,” Living Blue frontman Stephen Ucherek says. “It’s not being tied to someone’s idea of what you should be as a group.” Others form their own label.
“It’s hustle and work ethic,” says David Kelly (a.k.a. Cap D) of local hip-hoppers All Natural, a duo that launched its label, All Natural Inc., in 1997.
But that doesn’t mean many don’t recognize the value of being signed and aren’t looking for a label contract.
“How do you get your name known when everyone has an equal platform?” asks Josh Siegel of Bailiff.
Good question. Check out what we’ve discovered, on page 14.
