We were lucky to catch up with Durell Peart recently and have shared our conversation below.
Durell, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I came up with the idea for Double N Management & Marketing Group, LLC after my graduation from Full Sail University in 2015. I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to move to a bigger industry city to pursue a job working on the business side of the music industry and that I was going to have to stay put here in Orlando FL so my best bet to continue to make sure I could do what I love to do everyday is to create my own company. The name Double N actually stands for N’Courage & N’Spire. I think if you were to ask those who have known me over the course of my life would say that these two words describe who I am both personally and professionally. I didn’t want to name my company directly after my name so I thought this would be the perfect alternative option and it’s also a conversation starter for those who see my company and logo and ask me what does the Double N stand for so I feel like it’s a win all the way around for me.
Double N Management & Marketing Group also is a rebrand and positioning of what I wanted to do in the music industry. I have been in the music industry since 2004. I started my first company, Brothers’ 4 Life Music Group, an indie record label that I started when I was 21 in 2006. I made the decision to dissolve that company because I knew I wanted to basically hit the reset button which is why I decided to enroll in Full Sail University in 2013. Double N Management & Marketing Group is a company that is more centered around me and what I can do to impact new indie artists. I knew that I wanted to be selective on who I personally take on as an artist manager, but I knew that I could use my relationships that I have built to also create opportunities to help indie artists move their careers to the next level. I also knew that I wanted to consistently share the knowledge that I have gained through my experience in the industry. I also knew that I was carving out my own path to success because there weren’t many people like me in the music industry since I was born with Cerebral Palsy. I also wanted to make it part of my work on this journey of building success through my company to also share my story on as many platforms as possible.
I felt that my decision to start Double N Management & Marketing Group would work because at the core of the music industry it’s all about people and relationships and I knew that I am great at networking ,cultivating, building and maintaining relationships. I have built a global network of industry professionals who believe in me and what I bring to the indie creative community and marketplace. I also know that I am walking in my purpose each and every day so no matter what obstacles may come and try to get in my way, I know that if I ultimately stay the course on my purpose that everything will always work out.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I got started in the entertainment industry when I was 19 years old in 2004. I grew up in Orlando and I was attending Valencia Community College when my best friend at the time was a part of a local dance crew called H.Y.P.E. (Hottest Young People’s Entertainment) he invited me to come spend time with him at the dance practices. I got the opportunity to perform with the crew during Classic Weekend at the high school battle of the bands in front of 18,000 people. I was born with Cerebral Palsy and I walk with crutches and I love to dance so the opportunity to do something like that was an incredible experience for me.
I knew immediately after that I wanted to be in the entertainment industry as a career but more specifically I wanted to be involved in music because I knew I loved music. I knew that in order for me to affect and help creatives I knew that learning the business side was going to be the way I could make a difference. I was very fortunate to meet my big brother and mentor Lashon “TS” Jones and he was kind enough to take me under his wing and teach me the basics of the music business. I always say how blessed I am to have one of the most forward thinking people to learn from everyday. As I mentioned earlier in the interview I had an indie record label called “Brothers 4 Life Music Group where Lashon and I were partners from 2006-2008. In 2008 is when Lashon left to take a job in Raleigh North Carolina. After Lashon left most of the artists decided to pursue other things except for one named D.Cody. D.Cody decided to stick around and give me a shot to work with him solo and that really began my journey into artist management. D.Cody and I began working on his debut indie album entitled “Us Against The World” which we released in 2010. It felt really good to have an independent release under my belt. D.Cody and I worked together until 2012 when we decided to part ways due to different philosophies on the direction of where he should go next.
In January 2013, I decided to go back to school and embark on the journey of earning a bachelor’s Degree. I decided that the best place for me to attend was Full Sail University. I love Full Sail University because it’s a university with students of like minds who want to pursue a career within the entertainment industry. I ultimately earned a Bachelors Of Science Degree in Entertainment Business. I was also awarded the Valedictorian and Advanced Achiever for my graduating class on February 6th 2015. I launched my company Double N Management & Marketing Group a few months later on May 8th 2015. My company is an artist management, marketing, and consulting agency. We specialize in music promotion, artist/brand development coaching, and international digital distribution.
Once I launched my company I knew I wanted to be able to provide opportunities that could genuinely impact new artists. I knew that I didn’t want to play the fame game either so I made sure that my early clients understood what my intentions were. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with 4 artists (Eella Kane(Pop & R&B Artist, Perth Australia) Mardy Price (R&B Artist-Kissimmee FL), Deli Rowe (R&B, Soul Artist Richmond, VA), & Jean-Dominique (Pop Artist, Nashville TN) to set the foundation and show what I could do in offering certain services via my professional industry network to help each of them expand and build out their music careers. As each of them began to see success I became even more confident that I could continue to do this for more artists around the world. In August 2015, I received an email from a R&B artist named Xavier Keyz from Chicago IL who was looking for artist management and I initially said no because I believe in artist management being all about trust and seeing each other as family. I instead asked Xavier to work with me in a different role so that we could build rapport and trust with each other. I helped him with the release of his indie debut album that he released on December 4th, 2015 called “Monday Thru Sunday”. Xavier sold 300 albums within two days of his release which immediately caught my attention and I then knew I wanted to get behind his career and embark on the journey of helping him build a successful music career.
In 2016 is when I was able to begin establishing my global professional network by attending the largest international B2B conference in the music industry in Cannes France called Midem. I was first introduced to Midem by one of my mentors Allen Johnston. Allen had been attending Midem for 25 years and really encouraged me to go especially with me having the ability to build quality relationships within the industry. During my 2nd year at the conference in 2017, I was able to first connect with Ashish Manchanda along with his wife Ujjla Manchanda where they extended my artists and I an opportunity to go to his home country India to participate in their music festival called “Totem Pole” & “The Road To Excellence” music conference. In 2018 I had the opportunity to help curate an independent international music tour spanning several European countries. The tour began in Rotterdam Netherlands which is the host of the largest International Urban Music Conference & Festival called “New Skool Rules. The tour continued with stops in Groningen Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, & Valencia Spain.
In 2019 I began my relationship with my business partners Sound Republica Inc. in Seoul Korea where I have an international digital distribution deal to release music from independent artists on the Korean DSPs. I also have a distribution deal with my business partners, Tune Afrique in Lagos Nigeria where I release music from independent artists on the African DSPs. I also began my official partnership with New Skool Rules in 2020 where I serve as a festival curator by bringing independent artists based in the United States over to Rotterdam Netherlands to perform on their first global stage.
I have been featured in several magazines for the work that I have done in helping independent artists navigate within the new music industry:
-Brash Magazine “Brash Inspiration Spotlight”
-Urban Grandstand Digital Magazine- “The Power Issue: Cover Story Durell Peart: “Reign Of Independence”
-Urban Magazine-“The Executive Power Segment Presents: Durell Peart”.
-We Are Jersey Magazine Presents Spotlight Feature: Durell Peart, Founder/CEO Of Double N Management & Marketing Group
-Let Us Live Magazine Issue #2: Love Is Power Issue Presents “Let Us Live In Truth” Spotlight Feature: Durell Peart
-Indie Art Magazine Presents: Durell Peart Feature
-Ford Entertainment Magazine Presents: Durell Peart Feature
-IBA Success Magazine- “Men With A Billionaire Mindset” Presents: Durell Peart
-Grinda Magazine Vol. 3 Presents “Durell Peart
-Orlando Voyager Magazine- Community Highlights Meet Durell Peart Of Double N Management & Marketing Group
I feel that I am known for providing knowledge that helps independent artists navigate their way through today’s music ecosystem. The core of my brand message is that I believe indie artists should focus on building a core audience that can develop into becoming a micro economy that allows them to make a living without the need of a record deal because I believe not every artist is best suited to be on a commercial record label especially if they don’t make commercially viable music.
What sets me apart from others is that I have a genuine heart to help creatives. I’m often told by my industry colleagues that there aren’t people like me in the music industry because this industry is a cut throat where no one really cares about seeing people succeed and I most definitely want to see the artists that I’m fortunate enough to work with be very successful especially on their own terms.
I am most proud that I have built a brand of integrity and that I have a brand that is respected by those who know me. The key to knowing if you have a brand that is solid all the way around is that when people connect with you online the experience is the same when they connect and meet with you offline.
I want your readers to know that my brand is one that you can trust to deliver what I say I’m going to deliver. I always tell my consulting clients that I will never guarantee that you will be successful but that I will give you the tools to be successful if they put in the work. I absolutely love coaching artists because I feel that education is often the missing link for those who really want to be successful in the music business. I often tell indie artists that there is a difference between the music industry, the music business, and the business of music. I see so many artists chasing the music industry and not understanding that they don’t need the music industry to be successful in the music business as long as they understand the business of music.
I want those who work with me to know that I value each one of them. I build relationships with the intention of building with them for the long term. I like to say I don’t like to do any deals that are just one time opportunities, instead I care about having the ability to call people that I’ve known for 20 years and still make things happen because of the trust that has been built.
For those who want to connect with me directly to inquire about working with me can shoot me a text message @ (407)326-2352.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
What I think helped me build my reputation in my niche market is that I operate with integrity. I am an honest person and I tell the artists I work with the truth. I come across so many artists that have been taken advantage of and are afraid to spend money sometimes because of past bad experiences so I make it my point during my FREE initial discovery call with them that they feel comfortable with me and at the end of the conversation that they will want to work with me. I also think that I am able to deliver on the things I say that I can do and I get results that are realistic instead of promising things that I know I can’t deliver on and that’s where so many so called industry pros who do the similar type of work I do for artists drop the ball.
I also think that I am someone that is very personable in addition to my professionalism. I am not someone that my clients have to chase down to get a hold of. I don’t like the fact that anyone has to question how I do what I do and they’ve had an overall negative experience working with me because I know that something I can control amongst the many things that are out of my control.
Bottom line when it comes to building a solid reputation is to simply do the things you say that you will do and be good to people.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I think being the fact that I was born with Spastic Diplesia Cerebral Palsy has forced me to be resilient along my journey. I think the fact that my disability has created so many different obstacles for me along the way in trying to build success along and that my passion for what I do keep me N’Couraged & N’Spired going. A major example that illustrates this is the fact that I am unable to drive. I did attempt to go to a special driving school in 2004 but ultimately wasn’t cleared to drive on my own at that time. This has been a major obstacle that has forced me to practice and show resilience because it limits some of the places that I can go and live because of the distance and how far how things are in specific places. I think about industry cities like Los Angeles, and Atlanta that are extremely large metropolitan cities that are very spread out that don’t make it easy for people to get around without a mode of easy and reliable transportation. This is the reason why I made the decision to stay put in Orlando where I have resided for over 29 years and I knew that if I was going to make my dream happen I would have to do it right here in Orlando.
I am very happy and pleased with how I’ve been able to remain resilient because there are things everyday that if I let it could get in my way and be constantly upset and mad in life but I refuse to live a life where that is the case and have that steal the joy in which I live with everyday. I am a very happy person and I know that there are people in the special needs community that have dreams of working in the music industry and may have similar limitations to me so I take it very seriously about bringing to light how I have allowed my disability to work for me and not against me which is what can make a major difference for so many people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://durellpeart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/durellpeart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/durell.peart.am
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/durellpeart/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/durellpeart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd1o2lIwYpVuMNUs_c2yRZg
Image Credits
Joshua D. Giles Elena Carver