Russ Reveals Six-Figure Earnings From Being Independent

Russ, the Atlanta-born artist with New Jersey roots, once again demonstrates the financial benefits of independence in the music industry. He recently took to social media to share his impressive six-figure weekly payday, emphasizing the financial rewards of being an independent artist.

On October 13th, Russ shared a tweet with his fans, showcasing how he earns substantial income from his music masters due to his status as an independent artist. In one screenshot, his current music royalties amounted to a staggering $152,629.40, while in another, his catalog had generated $79,637.81.

Russ began his tweet with the words “For inspirational purposes,” and went on to explain:

“This is the money I made this week off just the masters of my independent catalogue. It fluctuates weekly obviously but this is just to give insight. You do not need to be on the radio or signed or have the biggest album in the word to fucking cake. You have to have a lot of good music and own it lol.”

He continued to share insights about his distribution methods, mentioning that he uses two different platforms, Vydia and TuneCore. His deal with both is identical, allowing him to retain 100% ownership of his music while paying an annual fee for unlimited uploads. Russ encouraged other artists to recognize the value of having a music catalog rather than seeking to make all their income from a single song.

“I use 2 different distros. Vydia & TuneCore. My deal with them is the same. I keep 100% and pay onetime fee annually for unlimited uploads. I just wish artists knew the value of having a catalogue instead of feeling like they gotta make all the money they ever dreamed of off of one song.”

Russ has been transparent about his earnings and his value as an artist throughout his career. He recently discussed his monthly listeners count with Spotify, highlighting the importance of “super listeners” who make up a significant portion of his fan base. These dedicated fans actively engage with his music, setting him apart from many other artists.

“Sat down with Spotify and got to finally debunk wtf monthly listeners actually means,” he wrote on Twitter at the time. “Shoutout to all my ‘super listeners’. Super listeners on average make up 2% of an artists monthly listeners. Y’all make up 9% of mine.”

He continues:

“I have 10,000,000 people in my active audience out of my 14m monthly listeners,” he wrote. “That’s people who go out of their way to listen to my music The rest is people who heard it on a playlist or Spotify radio etc..they weren’t actively tryna hear it This is why I say the monthly listeners number is a facade. I wonder what the active audience number really is for other artists who have crazy playlisting etc.”

In the past, Russ even revealed in a song that he turned down a $50 million offer for his catalog, emphasizing his commitment to maintaining control of his music and reaping the financial rewards of independence.

$50 million for the catalog, I turnt down (Facts)/ I’m makin’ money every second, you should learn how,” he rapped on the track.

Russ’s success as an independent artist serves as a powerful example of how musicians can thrive in the industry while owning their work and building a substantial music catalog.