In 2016, LA-based musician Madelynn Elyse founded Shark Attack, a boutique label-services company that specializes in elevating artists of all genres by taking their careers to the next level. She has coached 100+ artists on how to be truly independent and navigate today’s new music industry. Shark Attack is not only about releasing music but striving to elevate artists through campaign strategies, sync/licensing, graphic design, branding/marketing, and more. The company ensures its artists have the tools to monetize their music even after collaboration with Shark Attack ends.
As a musician, Madelynn has collaborated with some of the music industry notables including A&R Don Grierson and Grammy-Award Winning Mixer Mark ‘Spike’ Stent. As founder of Shark Attack, she has collaborated with Wagram Records, Bungalo Records, KMG, Warner, and Universal and has landed sync placements with League of Legends, Netflix, Gibson, ABC, and many others.
I recently interviewed Madelynn via email about her journey as a musician and founder of Shark Attack, how her service empowers independent artists, what she looks for in clients, and much more.
Take us through your journey in the music industry from being a musician up to when you founded Shark Attack.
Shark Attack began as a home-brewed record label for my own artistic project, Polaris Rose. We were a duo here in LA releasing music. We were approached by labels, but independence was really important to us. During those early years, we had the chance to work with a lot of amazing people, including our former manager Phil Sandhaus, whose focus was on marketing/branding. Our conversations about marketing strategies were great and my passion for branding intensified. We then pivoted as a duo and started getting more into writing music for sync, which we had a great time doing. A couple of years later, I started being approached by my friends to help them with their releases. Those early years of Shark Attack were all centered around just helping the people around me that I truly believed in.
You have collaborated with music industry A&R Don Grierson. Tell us more about what you collaborated on and how these opportunities came about.
Working with Don Grierson was one of the greatest experiences of my life. He encouraged me to work on the business side, not just be an artist. And he always pushed me to be the best that I could be. I learned so much from him… and he always told the best stories.
Why did you create Shark Attack? Was there a defining moment or experience?
I’ve always been passionate about empowering and helping others, so I began to help friends with their branding. We would create effective campaigns for releasing their music. At the same time, I began to dive into the world of sync and learn all its idiosyncrasies. Getting started was tough and there were plenty of times when the path forward did not seem clear, but I kept focused and never stopped pushing.
What is the meaning behind the name Shark Attack? What inspired you to call your label service that?
I’m obsessed with Sharks. Always have been. And I wanted a name that fit our company’s aggressive, passionate focus.
Explain why Shark Attack specializes in artists of all genres, not just one.
We believe there’s a market for everything. And we all listen to a variety of genres… we want our roster to be as eclectic as any music lover! That being said, we only work with artists we truly believe in.
You have coached 100+ artists to be ‘truly independent. How do you define a ‘truly independent’ artist? What is the advantage of being one? Any disadvantages?
Truly independent means that you are not beholden to a label and that you own all your masters and you are in full control of your career.
There are a handful of ways to make a living as a musician and we help our artists understand their options.
The disadvantage is that it’s a real hustle. You have to love it and be willing to put in the hard work.
Your service “empowers the indie artist and helps them navigate the landscape of today’s new music scene.” Please expound upon that.
We work hand-in-hand with our artists and discuss all their different options in the music industry. Typically before we begin, we meet to really dive into each artists’ path. We educate our artists on the different roads they can take and then guide them on their journey.
Shark Attack has four pillars consisting of Education, Project Management, Marketing, Branding & Content. Explain how your approach in each of these compares to other label services.
The biggest difference that we experience between ourselves and other label service companies is that our team is a blend of musicians (who have lived the artist lifestyle) and industry vets. Those two points of view fuse together to create our team’s singular focus: to help artists elevate their careers.
What do you look for in a potential client?
First and foremost, we are looking for music we love and believe in. That being said, if my team works harder than the artist, it’s not going to be a good fit.
Why should an independent artist consider working with Shark Attack?
Experience. Our team has been through it all before and we like to say we bleed with our artists. We’re there fighting alongside you.
In what ways do you help your artists monetize their music?
A quick and simple way we start is helping artists to register their music correctly. We educate our artists on the realities of sync and help them set up their release for success. We also help with ideas for merch. There are so many people out there ready and excited to support independent artists.
Share what your view is on the ever-changing music industry. How do you think the independent music artist can succeed in it?
It’s never been easier to release your music and it’s never been harder to cut through the noise.
You can absolutely be independent today with a full-fledged career making six figures. The journey to reach that spot is where we can help.
It’s a lot of consistency and hard work (over many years). We always say, ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint’. But it is absolutely possible.
For the audience of Indie Music Women, tell us how you think the music industry can better support women indie artists.
Show up and hold space for other women. Support not just artists, but producers, mixers, and industry women as well. There are a lot of incredible women out there.
What projects are you currently working on as a musician and for Shark Attack?
Right now I’m not currently really working on anything, but I just finished playing bass for a band called Johnny Stranger that has a new record coming out. Shark Attack has a lot of great new releases coming out over the coming months and I couldn’t be more excited for everyone to hear! Cami Petyn, LACES, Carmen Jane, and Katy Rose are just some of the awesome female artists we’re working with that have songs coming out that I absolutely love. They remind me of why I started doing this all in the first place!
For more information on Shark Attack, go to www.thisissharkattack.com
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