I offer artist consultation where we work one on one and I show you how to build your audience organically. My promotional packages are the biggest ticket item I offer, when it comes to radio, along with promoting through people like yourself and booking performances. I do multimedia, building websites, PR, and I offer distribution. That’s what I do outside of management, and that allows me to make some revenue. The people I manage are who I go through the struggle with. I call them my artists, not my clients. I’m involved in their day to day business. I’m involved with others, but I don’t manage them. I do what they ask, and keep the relationship going.
U.G. Digital Mag: It’s amazing. Your artists need someone like you who realizes there’s not a lot of money when they’re just starting out. They need someone who really believes, and wants to work with them. You’ve done it with so many. You’ve been a tremendous blessing to us as well. Your artists are who I want to promote.
Durell Peart: I appreciate that. The first time I learned of you, it was through a former client of mine, Deli Rowe.
U.G. Digital Mag: Yeah…. She’s so amazing. I know her very well.
Durell Peart: When I first started my company, she was one of the first clients I had. We met through social media. She was trying to figure out how she would expand globally. What I charged her is not what I charge now. She was an exceptional artist. She gave me a chance. I helped her expand globally, and she has taken that and run with it. I helped her do that, and she’s had a lot of great opportunities. She has the number one record on the UK soul charts. I connected her to my brother Godfrey in the UK, and he connected her to Jazzy. That all started with me. She’s an exceptional talent and she believed in me when she didn’t have to. But people know I’m a good guy. I’m a great energy person. Deli knew that right away. I was able to help her start her global music career. She will continue to do great things.
U.G. Digital Mag: Again, it’s amazing. I had no clue man. I’ve had her on the show a few times. She’s amazing. I never knew you were working with her. But she’s not your only star.
Durell Peart: I’ve helped quite a few. Xavier Keys…
U.G. Digital Mag: He’s awesome too.
Durell Peart: He started as one of my marketing clients. I knew right away that he was special. I wanted to be there to help him. Initially, he wanted me to manage him. He found me through my website and he was looking for management. I always say no when someone immediately seeks me out for management. I’ll offer other services, and see how it can evolve. Quickly, it evolved into me wanting to be around this brother. Of course, I manage him now, and we’re doing great things coming up in 2018. We’ll be hitting the road heavily, and going back overseas. Check him out at Iamkeys.com. Jean-Dominique is a pop top 40 act out of Atlanta. He and I go back about 15 years, and we’ve been working together the last 6 years. I believe in him. It’s been up and down for him, but 2018 will be his time. Theolodge is from central Florida. I’ve been working with him for a year now. He’s very talented, and we’ve been in multiple countries together. Those are the artists I manage on a daily basis. I’ve been blessed to work with artists all across the country.
U.G. Digital Mag: You started this at 19 years old. What took you into launching this company and wanting to do this? It’s not easy by far. People see the glitz and glamour, but then realize what it really is. You end up being around people that you really can’t stand, and that’s putting it nicely (laughing). So what took you into it, and what ultimately made you stay?
Durell Peart: That’s a loaded question (laughing). A lot of people don’t know this, but I used to be in a hip-hop dance group here in Orlando. I was born in Brooklyn, New York, but raised in Orlando, Florida. In my freshman year of college, I got into this dance group. One of my good friends was a dancer, and he kept asking me to come to practice with them. I would go and hang out with them. Every November, they have the Florida classic. On a Friday night, they do the battle of the bands. In 2004, we’re doing the half-time show. I have cerebral palsy so I walk with crutches. I come out and start dancing, and I wish I had footage of this. That’s what really allowed me to catch the buzz for entertainment. It wasn’t something I ever thought I’d want to do. It’s funny how things turn out. I knew I didn’t want to be an artist. I just wanted to learn the business. I was then lucky to meet my big brother Lashawn Jones. He was my waiter at a restaurant I was eating at one day. We started talking, and played phone tag for about a week. He took me under his wing and let me hang out. Never charged me a dollar. I was living with my mom at the time. It’s funny because he would talk to my mom, and she knows nothing about the entertainment industry. He would assure her I’d be fine. I had a label called Brothers for Life Music Group, and he became the co-CEO of my label. We were young, and we didn’t know what it took to be in this business. Lashawn had an opportunity to go to North Carolina to Raleigh and work for the Bobcats. He’s still there. We were co-managing an artist named D-Cody. Lashawn moves, and at that point, D-Cody has two choices. He could quit music, or trust Durell. He made the choice to trust me. I knew I could make some things happen. We worked on his solo project. It was a journey and a half. We made a lot of mistakes along the way, and cost us about $20,000. Knowing what I know now, we would not have released it the way we did, but we had a deadline. You live and learn. We released Us Against the World. You can still get it, although I wouldn’t advise that (laughing). At that point, he and I worked for the next two years. 2012, we had a come to Jesus moment. I was doing all this work, and he didn’t want to really promote his music. He was a gifted talent, but didn’t put in any work. You can’t complain and you haven’t put in the work. He tried to blame me for his lack of success. Anyone who knew me knew it wasn’t true.
U.G. Digital Mag: That’s the thing with managing artists. A lot of times, they don’t know what it takes to make it. They have all these ideas about the things they think they know, and judgment is often cloudy. I’ve experienced that with artists and my company, which is why I am so selective about who I work with. You have to know when it’s just not worth it.
Durell Peart: You’re right. You can’t complain and you haven’t put in any work.