‘Unsigned’ used to represent an ‘unwanted by record companies’ status. These days it is a badge of honour worn proudly by a number of underground artists who create their own buzz, finance their own operations, shoot their own videos and own all the rights to their music!
Lethal B, Wiley, Soundbwoy Ents, Taio Cruz, So Solid and Dizzee Rascal are all underground acts that have taken the streets by storm and had record company execs banging at their doors with blank cheques trying to get them to sign away their freedom and become slaves to the game.
The latest record company exec journey leads to the office door of the management company behind N-Dubz, the biggest act on the underground scene throughout last year!
The trio of TULISA, DAPPY & FAZE announced themselves to the world via Channel U last year with the hot! debut single ‘You Better Not Waste My Time’. This song reached the #1 slot on the ‘U request’ chart where it stayed for 20 weeks! Their follow-up single ‘I Swear’ exceeded everything their debut achieved and is still burning up the airwaves right across the country from Bassline FM to Radio 1!
They ‘blew shit up’ at last years In The City conference and have everyone from Tim Westwood to Kano describing them as ‘the next big thing’. Channel U absolutely love them and put each one of their releases on heavy rotation!
N-Dubz are no music industry mugs though, and are very clued up about their new found fame and newly acquired ‘friends’. The offers are coming in thick and fast and reports of a rejected £80,000 publishing advance for one song are confirmed on their hot! new single ‘Feva Las Vegas’!
The new single is a bookies favourite to hit the mainstream airwaves over the next few months and Hot On Road is predicting an increasing record company frenzy to sign the group. A word of warning to all you up-start A&R execs…. If you don’t have a six figure budget……….. “You Better Not Waste Your Time”!
N-Dubz are officially certified UNSIGNED HYPE!
This article is dedicated to the memory of Byron Contostavlos who sadly passed away 12th April 2007 R.I.P.