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Why Russ Won’t Sell His Catalog, Even For $100 Million [WAAMN Chapter 3.8]

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Why Russ Won’t Sell His Catalog, Even For $100 Million [WAAMN Chapter 3.8]

For this tip-top independent rapper, it’s all about mailbox money—creators, take note.

Zack O’Malley Greenburg
Jan 21, 2022
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This is your weekly installment of my new book, We Are All Musicians Now. To make sure you don’t miss future serializations, subscribe here. Below you’ll find Chapter 3: Rise of the Superfan (Part 7). Enjoy!

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Russell “Russ” Vitale is one of the most successful independent hip-hop acts on the planet. Since the beginning of his career a decade ago, he’s made a point of writing, rapping, singing, producing, mixing and mastering his material by himself—all while maintaining control of his copyrights.

So it’s particularly fascinating to speak with him a week before Christmas, just a few days after Bruce Springsteen sold his music and publishing for over half a billion dollars.

“When it’s all said and done, I want to have over a hundred albums that I own,” begins Russ, 29. “To swap it for a job, which is like, ‘I'll give you all my masters, my mailbox money’ … why would you give up passive income?”

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