We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful J White. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with J below.
J, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
In order to be successful it takes determination, patience and preparation. 10 years ago, I moved from Arkansas to Arizona because of connections I made in the Jazz industry. I took 2nd place in a saxophone competition in California in 2013, as a result I was discovered by many Jazz industry concert promoters, top jazz artists and many Jazz enthusiast. Once I made the move to Arizona, things promised to me eventually faded away within the first year. I had to start over as a recording artist and performing artist. In 10 years, I didn’t give up. Instead, I started playing weekly at local live music venues, eventually getting my own night with my band. In addition to local shows, I was getting spot dates around the country at prominent Jazz venues (not always knowing what I’d be paid). Lastly, I never stopped making music and trying to get it as quality as possible. After operating in excellence and being determined for 10 years, I am now making enough residual income from my music that I was able to leave my day job. I’m also in position to pick and choose what gigs I will take and make my own performance schedule.
J, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is J. White and I’m a Contemporary Jazz Saxophonist. I own my own publishing company and my own record Label. As a business owner and recording artist, I’m most proud of the fact that I own all of my music and my creativity is not taken advantage of, but allows me to grow my business.
I want my fans and potential fans to know that I make music from the spirit and my goal is to create mostly instrumental/contemporary music that anyone can relate to. All of my music is influenced with soul, R&B, Jazz, Afrobeat/Latin and Hip-Hop music. What sets me apart from many other talented Saxophonist is the ability to tell my story on stage and through my music in a genuine way. I was once told you have to have a gimmick to stand apart from others that do what you do. However, over the years, I’ve found that you don’t need a gimmick. All you need to do is make good music and be yourself on stage. Tell people who you are and what you have gone through and why you’re happy to be where you are. People love authenticity.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
The main resources I wish I knew about earlier in my career are performance royalties, Mechanical license royalties and Publishing. Understanding these particular resources will allow recording artists to make residual income indefinitely with proper promotion.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn is the idea that somebody else or some other entity can make your career better. I can safely say at this point in my life and career, nobody will work harder for you and smarter for you than yourself. Obviously, we all need help in key areas to grow, however, for many musicians, we feel record labels will take us to the next level. That idea was true 30 years ago. Today, everything is set up for you to own all of your masters and publishing as well as total control over your creativity. Earlier in my career I thought I needed a record deal and because I was in a vulnerable spot and at a crossroads in my career, I signed what turned out to be a bad deal. The reason why it was so bad, is because that particular label did nothing to put me in a position to grow or make any money. In fact it turned into a situation where I was losing money and getting absolutely nothing out of the agreement. Fortunately, I was able to get out of the deal and move on. Now, I’m my own manager, studio engineer, booking agent, and marketing and promotions team. I have been able to seek out credible companies that have delivered on helping with things such as distribution, promotions and marketing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jwhitelive.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/teamjwhite
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jwhitesax
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/jwhitelive
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jwhite3859
- Other: Follow J. White on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/10LN78B3CGfkHBYptZGbov?si=HEQnMvjgQwa7BAJvJp67NQ
Image Credits
Katisha Kaptures Dorell Edwards