We were lucky to catch up with Yudu Gray Jr recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Yudu, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I started out as a producer/engineer intern, wanting to learn how to make a living with music. I have always loved making music and playing the keys. I got an internship at a studio in Bethesda, MD, to learn how to create and survive in the music industry. What I ended up with was a masterclass and experiences that would become the foundation for what we do today. I was blessed to work with Paul Minor, a genius of a talent who had seen the best and the worst of the music business. Over the years, we spent hours working together, and I learned how the industry works from the inside out.

At this time (around 2009), the bigger studios were closing due to the labels cutting budgets as part of the devaluing of music. I had a concept to build a studio to support indie artists and their teams, not just with recording, but also with business planning, show planning, team building, personal development, and more. My then-girlfriend, now wife, and I launched our studio in 2010, and it was the perfect storm. We ended up working with artists like Wale, Logic, Ari Lennox, and countless others early in their careers, becoming an extension of their teams.

Over the years, we saw the industry evolve with streaming, social media, and global fan bases. We saw another opportunity to build in this new industry and thought we had the right partners in place, but we learned an important lesson in business: the foundation has to be right for the business to grow. We ended up selling our company right before the pandemic. Before we could take the next steps on our ideas, the world shut down. Artists and their teams we knew were all scrambling to figure out what’s next. We spent hours on Zoom calls and Clubhouse meetings to help teams get on track. This became the beginnings of 24/7 Artists.

How do we help these artists and their teams become fully operating businesses? Through education, community, and technology so we can scale. We started with weekly workshops online and creating educational content with our industry contacts. The idea worked before we even had an opportunity to think about it. Our growing artist community showed there is a need for education and resources for the growing indie sector of the music business. We began outlining what an all-in-one platform would do for an artist, a manager, a producer, a label owner, and everyone else in the music industry. This platform (CreatorSPC) “Beta” rolled out earlier this year, and we have been building on it with version 2.0 rolling out at the end of the year.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Music has always been consistent in my life. When asked, “What would you do if you won the lottery?” I knew music would be a part of it, so I started learning how to produce music. I’ve always had an engineer’s mind—constantly thinking, “How can I make this work?” This mindset applies both creatively and in business. One of my gifts is simplifying complex things, so once I understood how the music business worked, I spent time with indie artists and their teams sharing what I’d learned. As this became known, more artists showed up to learn and build. I believe this built a foundation of trust, which is rare in our industry and one of the things that sets us apart from others.

I’m most proud of finding artists early in their careers and helping them build from an idea to reality. Seeing an artist go from a dream to a sold-out concert or a Grammy win is always rewarding. More importantly, seeing them take care of their teams and do it “the right way” is what I’m most proud of.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

About six years into our first company, we brought on partners, thinking we needed “more experienced people” to level up. What I learned was that we were already on the right path and had the right idea; we just needed to trust ourselves more than we trusted others. I realized that if the core values don’t align, it’s hard for anything to build the right way. During the time we spent with our partners, my inner voice kept ringing loudly when things felt wrong, and the more I ignored it, the worse I felt. Eventually, after a few years of fighting myself, I finally listened to my inner voice and left our first company.

This was the biggest pivot, as your first business is like your child, and walking away from your baby is hard. But now, looking back, I realize our first business was like our college. In the ten years of business, it felt like an undergrad, graduate, and doctorate degree in business and life. I wouldn’t change anything, as it got us to where we are today!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My business partner and life partner are one and the same. Davina and I have been in business and dating for 14 years! This balance is one of our moats in business, as there is a level of trust and transparency that is rare in most partnerships. Having a partner who has your back at every level also gives you the space to take risks. When you are going too far, they can help keep you in check. We got married a few years into our first business, and the funny thing is there were clients we invited to the wedding who didn’t even know we were a couple. Back then, we kept our personal and business lives separate, but now they are much more blended as we realize this is one of our unique strengths in business and life. The other Co-Founder Kevin Cruz (KC), is a God-send. he brings a level of creativity with structure that we need to achieve our goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://247artists.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yudugrayjr/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yudu-gray-jr-3237b35b/
• Twitter: https://x.com/yudugrayjr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@247artists

Image Credits

Images courtesy of 247 Artist Inc