We were lucky to catch up with Rodrick Duran Blackman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rodrick Duran, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?

Music streams. With these platforms, you only get a fraction of a percent of the profit. The corporate guys have really figured out how to corral money into their pockets and away from the artists. If an artist wants to get their music on Spotify or iTunes you have to use aggregates and then the artist only gets a fraction of a percent of the profit. The best case scenario is to have a deal with a viable label or record company, but if you are a self-starting artist there are all these odds stacked against you. I was a part of and served on the board of directors for MAMA, a non-profit musicians advocacy group based out of Missoula, Montana. MAMA tries to combat these big industries and it just further made us as artists realize that there are limited options to combat this trend. There is a call for legislation to protect our creatives and their property. But let’s call it what it is; corporate manipulation. I consider it a travesty and another shackle on the creative process. This is the opposite direction we want to be going as a culture.

Rodrick Duran, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis singing on Sundays and playing Motown on Mondays . I wrote my first song at thirteen and knew from a very young age that being a musician was integral to my being. I enrolled at the University of Montana where I earned a degree in biology and music with extensive training in vocal performance, ear training, music theory, and history. The more experiences and challenges I have the more stories I can tell, and the more people I can connect with. My passion is connection and music makes that possible in its own unique and cathartic way. I’ve drawn inspiration from artists like U2, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam but I try not to recycle old sounds. I always try to bring something new, meaningful, and instrumental to each song I play and write. I moved out to Memphis to really showcase my authenticity and work with some of the most talented people. I have been so blessed to have The Big Sky Band to perform with and to learn from my Memphis guitar teacher Ed Finney, also known as Jupiter SkyFish.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Self-worth and confidence. Are those resources? To trust the belief that there is something intrinsically creative that I am supposed to express to some degree to help make the world a better place. I wish I had known earlier that the harder I pursue and develop my own artistry it gets me that much closer to broadcasting a meaningful message to whoever needs to hear it. I wish I would have known you can’t help who you are. I started as a music major and switched to biology because I was convinced that just being a musician wasn’t enough. I thought I needed to have a viable career option to appease Uncle Sam, family, you know. Well, I’ve come to find the fact is you’re just supposed to do you. If you feel like you are a musician and you write melodies every day then that is what you should be doing. Who’s to say that won’t make you a happier and more fulfilled person at the end of the day?

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that being a successful musician or writer meant that you had to be fancy-free, footloose, reckless, and wild. Really you can be successful and dedicated to yourself, your mind, time, body, energy, and to your instrument and craft and be better off than what the world’s view of a rockstar is. Let’s just put it this way; In the beginning stages, there will likely be far more grind and way less cocktail hours if you want to be a successful musician or songwriter.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rodrickduran.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rodrickduranmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rodrickduranmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk_ycgJFW-xeQj38PiOU6Ww/videos
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7rzC1u0D2jhjfCBrC3swUK

Image Credits
Danny Day Photography