Live2 Records (known in distribution as our motto “art not algorithms”) is Live2’s artist development arm. In the past, we have struggled to categorize what it is that we even do with our artists, because we are not management, we are not distributors, and we are not technically a label… we are something entirely new that has risen in importance as a result of the democratization of media. As big industry labels and Hollywood loses viewership to the internet, the ability for their systems to “break artists” brands have become weaker and weaker… often now relying on the artists themselves to create the momentum that is then fueled by their funding. The task of actually building the initial momentum and brand development around an artist has shifted from an external thing to an internal thing that MUST happen INSIDE of an artist’s core team. That is what we do, we build engines at the core of an artist’s brand that brings to life the world that the artist has in their head AND find a way to make that world exist in other people’s heads too. It looks different for every artist, but the roots of it are always storytelling. Thankfully, this means that label’s leverage in signing deals goes way down, and their contracts are beginning to reflect that as they look to groups like us who actually still build things from the ground up. It’s been a long journey to get here and frankly, we are still figuring out exactly the best way to balance the new variables at play to figure out the smoothest way to partner with our artists. Sometimes that means we partner up with a label for funding, and become part of a non-exclusive joint venture, sometimes we fund the project ourselves, sometimes we build the whole artist team from the core… The best way to put it for now is that we become “business partners” with our artists, it is a true look across. These artists are not “signed” underneath us… we are equals building things together. These artists are some of my best friends. They are key members in the cinematic universe around Live2. Once accepted to the family, a Live2 artist is a member of this movement for life, whether or not we are actively doing business, it is so much more than that. Live2 is meant to be a home where they can take off and land freely for decades to come.

— McClain Portis

Live2 Records

“Art Not Algorithms”