Independence and Dependence
by Michael Herman | posted 6/01/2003
 1 of 3
No longer signed to a record label, contemporary folk/pop artist Justin McRoberts explains the changes that come with being an independent artist and his continued need for the support of others.
What's it like to be an independent artist? How do you manage to create albums even though you don't get much radio-play?
Justin: We (my wife Amy and I) try to keep things really simple. We don't put a lot of thought into strategic marketing or long-term planning. We've been able to work independently because our ministry is about developing relationships with people, and these people turn around and invest back into us. That's a foundation that hasn't gone away.
Tell me about a time when someone went out of his way to invest in you.
Justin: We have a friend in Lynchburg, Virginia who's done a lot of music promotion for us. He works very hard to make shows happen in that area of the country because he believes in what I'm saying and singing about. Another friend in Lexington, Kentucky does the same thing. In the context of our friendship, we share in each other's ministries.
These kinds of relationships, which we have with a number of friends, are what keeps our ministry going. These friends encourage us and help us practically as well.
Do you see that as a big difference between now and your experiences in the past as a part of a record label?
Justin: That is a big difference. There's a lot more business on the other side, and the relationships are more business-like. So if you're not the flavor of the month, people don't necessarily want to see you around because it's not a good business decision.
How did you move from working with a label to being independent?
Amy: Things started off for us when we were signed to the label Five Minute Walk and began touring—which included four major tours in the first two years. Justin played with Caedmon's Call, Jennifer Knapp, and other artists in front of large audiences.
After two years, we transitioned to being independent. This wasn't a huge change for us because the nature of Five Minute Walk records was to spend the money on touring—not on marketing.
We didn't miss having a publicist after leaving the label because we never really had one; we didn't miss being a marketed artist or having radio airplay because Justin never really experienced that. From the outset we helped out with our own management, and now we do all of it. So we already had a lot of the groundwork covered because of our travels, relationship-building, and management experience. You can see that it was a great foundation for us to start from.
Justin: Frank Tate (at Five Minute Walk) set us up well to do things on our own. He wanted people to invest in his artists because they believed in what they saw and heard. He tried to put artists in front of more people so they wouldn't feel like they were investing in hype.
You spend a lot more time together than most married couples. How do you handle the pros and cons of that kind of a business and personal arrangement?
Justin: There is more work for us to do than ever before, and it can be a strain on our relationship. Sometimes we need time away from each other to pursue our own interests. This balance is necessary—it's good to be together, but we'd be at each other's throats if we were together 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We travel for a week and a half to two weeks at a time and then go back home for a few days—so we can be human.
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