U.G. Digital Mag: Right. My thing is this bro! I just know me, and I know my work ethic. I’m running multiple brands and am stretched in so many different directions with a family in tow. I’ve put a lot into this and there’s so much more to lose. I can’t work harder than you to promote your product. There’s just no logic in me doing that. It sucks because I was working with someone who is an amazing talent, but he doesn’t want to do the work that’s necessary. He’s got a number of odds stacked against him; one of those being age, and there’s just things he’s not willing to do, or perhaps not do, to get to the next level. I think he’s just at a point where life is happening, and it almost interferes. I can’t be in a position where I’m pulling from my own pocket to make things happen and then you’re not giving 100%. It becomes pointless to me at that point, and if there’s one thing anyone knows about me, my money is one thing that will take me over the edge if I feel someone’s taking advantage or playing games. I can do it when you’re doing what you need to do, but just can’t let you play with my money.
Durell Peart: Right, it’s time to go then.
U.G. Digital Mag: I’ve been in that place. All of that just to say I understand what you go through. Of all the artists you have who are doing amazing, I know you’ve had to have those who played games. How have you dealt with that and why have you stayed?
Durell Peart: You know what, I tell people there’s two things I love: people, and relationship building. You have to work on things you know you are good at. Know what you are good at. I’m not a number- crunching guy. I’m a relationship guy. At the core of the industry, it’s about people and relationships. I know my purpose is to affect people in a positive way. It’s taken me a while to find my way. The days of going to work for a label are over.
U.G. Digital Mag: Wow. That was my dream, but I’m so over it now (laughing).
Durell Peart: Right. So these days, you come out and create your own thing. So backtracking to D-Cody, I was discouraged after we had our moment. I decided to go to Full Sail University. My degree is in Entertainment Business. I decided to take a tour, and I really liked it. It was the best decision I could have ever made. My admissions rep asked me to come do the behind the scenes tour. They bring out all the bells and whistles and show you what it’s like to go there. It’s not cheap to go there, but I was able to figure it out. it was a blessing. I found a way to have money in my pocket and ultimately have my loans dismissed. Everything lined up how it should. You may not know it’s the path at the time, but you have to learn when to ride the path. There’s only five industries in America. Theres L.A., Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, and New York. For me, I’ve been in Atlanta all the time, but I don’t drive, so getting around Atlanta is hard for me. Everybody lives on the outskirts.
U.G. Digital Mag: I’m like an hour from there.
Durell Peart: Right. So imagine if I’m there by myself. I have friends, but can’t rely on people. L.A. is on the other side of the country. I don’t want to live with snow, so Nashville and New York are out. So I said i would stay here in Orlando. I knew I wanted another company. I shut down Brothers for Life and decided I cared about helping artists directly. Everybody has a label, but they have no resources to have a label. You can’t have a label and not have the resources to make it run. No distribution, and no way to get people on the road. You just have an LLC (laughing). I talked about this the other day. Every artists should have an LLC, but you can’t have a label if you can’t facilitate the project. I couldn’t do this without the resources to help people get where they wanted. That’s where I decided I would start my marketing and management company. I wanted to start offering these services to help people achieve their goals. That’s what has helped me. The biggest success is because it’s not about having a bunch of artists. I build my company around me and the value I can bring to an artist. That’s the premise of me being here. I’ve been in business since 2015. I didn’t really start making money until a year in. But I get paid to do what I love.
U.G. Digital Mag: I get it man. I still keep a day job because it’s sensible, but I do so much now that I love to do through my companies. It’s cool for me. I had to get away from everything for a bit to start the first company, and it was the best thing ever. Now, I can do everything, and be happy because I’m doing what I love. I went to Full Sail as well, so I know your journey. I’m in that same place now of doing what I love through my own brand. With UGD, my purpose was to start something different in media. We don’t want to push the salacious stories, and the gossip. I could care less about who is divorcing and chasing after somebody over their marital issues. To me, it’s pointless. I launched and immediately was met with success. I’ve learned to ask for what you want in life. You get what you ask for. Somebody can always tell me no, but they just may say yes. I promise though, that if they tell me no, I’ll figure out a way to turn that into a yes. I’ve done it before, and can again. Know that that I look up to people like yourself because you have truly paved the way not just for yourself, but for so many people like myself. I love that what you’ve done are some of the things I’m doing. How did you get to a point where these artists who work with you are able to get overseas when they don’t really have a lot of money to begin with?
Durell Peart: It’s about investing. I just came back from India recently. There’s a conference that I do. It’s called Midem. It’s the largest international music B2B conference. It’s not your SXSW, Revolt, or typical music conference. You go here to do business. My artists were performing at a nighttime showcase. You go there to make friends and do business. They were performing through my mentor, Mr Allen Johnston. He has my artists on his showcase. Another gentleman there, I had seen him speak on numerous panels, but it took me going to the conference to really meet him. It shows the power of relationships. I made an investment to go, and my artists performed. He asked to have my artists perform. He offered to pay for everything. It came down to the wire, but he made good on his promise. When you get overseas, they don’t care about the industry bull crap. If you’re good, you’re good. I made friends and built relationships. You have to love people. If you don’t, you can’t be a good manager. You won’t be able to create opportunities for your artists.