Two Feet’s Life Changed After Uploading a Song on SoundCloud
Bill Dess was a 22-year-old music artist who dropped out of Berklee College of Music. In 2015, he was living in a crappy apartment. His recording setup included an old Ableton, a guitar, and a microphone that he needed to tape on the wall because he didn’t have a stand. He was working as a cashier back then and was pretty much living the typical life of a music artist waiting for a big break.
One day, at three in the morning, he uploaded his first song entitled “Go F*ck Yourself” on SoundCloud under the name Two Feet. He went to sleep, expecting the next day to be just another normal day.
Hours later, he woke up to four million streams on SoundCloud. He became famous, and could hardly believe it himself. He thought at first that there was “something wrong with the system.” Offers from major record labels poured in, proving it to be very real. He didn’t even have to promote his SoundCloud music like thousands of artists have to do.
Of course, it had all sunk in for Dess now. He signed with Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group and a major recording label handling stars like Post Malone, Ariana Grande, and The Weeknd.
Dess found it advantageous to have signed with Republic Records. For one, he pointed out that he needed money to keep creating music, and the label offered a tangible check. If he hadn’t accepted the offer, he would need to get a job and spend less time making music. He also believed that he is working with an amazing team that understands how the music industry works nowadays.
The fact that he made it big despite dropping out of music school raised the issue of whether music school is necessary to become a successful musician. Dess himself advised against going to music school. “You don’t need to go to a music school to become a musician,” Dess said in an interview with Digital Trends. “I personally advise anyone to not go to music school.”
He did learn a thing or two from his stint with Berklee, but Dess said that if you have a good ear and know how to make awesome music, then you can be a musician.
His second single (the first under his label) entitled “I Feel Like I’m Drowning” proved his point. The single was among the Top Alternative Songs on Billboard and included in Two Feet’s first full-length album. He promised that some songs are consistent with the same lo-fi quality that made his original SoundCloud viral.
When asked how all these happened when other SoundCloud artists first have to upload tons of audios, buy followers and plays, and follow a SoundCloud marketing strategy, Dess said he had no clue. The day he uploaded his first track, he had a cup of coffee and went about his day like any normal day.
Dess had no idea what was going to happen, and we don’t know either. All we know is that he created something he loved to do, uploaded it on SoundCloud, slept, and then woke up famous. You may take more time, but you can find an audience on SoundCloud as well… if you’re good enough and dedicated enough! Don’t think it’s possible? “Go F*ck Yourself” currently has 28.6 million plays…
Date: April 23, 2019 / Categories: SoundCloud Plays, Uncategorized, / Author: Rich Drees
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Rich Drees