Adam Baranello – Padded Room

New song from Adam Baranello – Padded Room

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
I am from New York. I live 40 miles east of NYC on Long Island. I am an Independent Artist, and I have gotten to the position that I am in today by working hard everyday for the past 7+ years to build my company-AJB Productions.

What are you currently working on and what can we expect to see?
I am currently working on my new project which I am really excited about. On a basic level, it is a new album, but really it is a whole concept on how an independent artist, like myself, can get my music out to as big of an audience as I can, using the tools and resources that I have at my disposal. My music drives what I do, but it has always been put out in a multimedia way- a visual way. Expect to see a concept that ties together the original music, movement and fashion that I create. The purpose being, not that it is the greatest thing in the world, rather just something unique and original. Something honest.
I will be launching each single from my new project on itunes along with a music video for each song. It will continue to evolve with each song and video and the concept will unfold as well. I will also be launching new designs from my hand made clothing line (AJB Clothing). The new project also will have a live show which incorporates original dance choreography to go along with the music. The choreography is created and performed by A&G Dance Company, which I also happen to co-own with Gail Benevente. We are pushing the boundaries of what we have done up until this point. It is really a cool time here at AJB.

What is one of the most drastic changes you’ve made about yourself in the last year?
In the last year I have had a lot of big changes. I built my own recording space- A very minimalist set up to accommodate the needs and sounds that I am going for as an artist. That also gave me the drive to begin writing and producing my new project completely by myself, which makes it even more unfiltered and direct. I do however have my buddy Craig Kempf lay down guitars for me because he is rad. I also started to write and produce for other artists as well.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
The hardest challenges I have had to face in the industry was dealing with an incident in which a major artist may have infringed upon my work. That was the culmination of sitting down with major people in the industry and explaining my business model and artist aesthetic and then seeing it regurgitated back to me by other artists that sell a lot of records and are all over the radio and television. It is what it is, it happens a lot, so I just work hard and push forward and let the karma of that be what it will.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
The biggest set back has been the fact that myspace has really died off. As a completely independent artist, that was the best way and most genuine way to build and interact with a base of people that like what I do. It was the best way to get an immediate response to my work and know that there are people all over the world that like what I do without being told by the media whether I am cool or not. Because of myspace, I have sold thousands of my first 2 records and T-Shirts from my clothing line to people in 30 countries, so when people stopped using myspace, I had to rebuild and figure out what was next in getting my music and company heard. I have been able to bounce back by using FaceBook to regain my base of people and interact. Also my email lists, youtube and twitter, but FaceBook is best because I get to interact directly with people. My website also has a social network component so I can interact on there too.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Everyone is different and has their own path and learning curve, but what I learned is to protect your work as best you can while still getting it out there, and to be educated in what the corporate music industry is about. A lot of people aren’t sure of whether they want to be an artist or want to be famous. If you want to be an artist, you can simply just create and put it out. If you want to be famous you need the corporations to help. A lot of people talk and say that they know how it works, but the truth is there are not that many people on the inside of the bubble. So in my opinion learn what that bubble really is and figure out if you really want to be a part of it

What would you spend a million dollars on?
Promotion =)

What was your biggest risk taken in your career?
The biggest risk has been to really push forward as an independent artist and build my own career instead of wasting my energy on trying to impress the industry and waiting for them to tell me that I am good enough. It is not an easy path because there is no security net or safety of the industry backing you, so it is a lot easier to get criticism and people not understanding where I am coming from. The good thing about that is knowing whether you stand behind what you do. I don’t think it is very easy to deal with negative comments or insults and when you are online that is bound to happen, but if you are able to gain a following and people like what you do, then it is a lot easier to deal with anything that comes up.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
For anyone that is truly independent like myself, I would say don’t be afraid to promote yourself and push for real indie music to be heard. Other than that, I don’t know. Like I said earlier, everyone has their own path and their own learning curve. I am just as open to suggestions from others to improve myself.

What are the best ways to sell your products as an artist?
The best way to sell my art is to expose it to people whether it is online or at live shows. If people know about it and like it, they will support it. It’s really about simply having an open channel. If people are a part of it and a part of the success, or the growth, they are then connected to it in a bigger way and that makes them happy. That makes me happy too.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
My favorite way to promote myself and my music has always been anyway in which I can interact. Live is great because it is direct without a barrier and there is an interaction of energy between myself and the audience. Online is really cool as well because I get to build a following and relationships with people. It is a pretty honest relationship because they choose whether they like it or not and support it if they want to.

Any last comments or statements?
I would just like to thank all of the people that support what I do and support AJB. This is nothing without people supporting it. Kind of like a beautiful tree in the woods that may fall haha. I would also like to thank the people involved and that are a part of AJB that deserve a ton of credit: Gail Benevente, Craig Kempf, Kristen Bokinz, Greg McMahon, Susan Price(RJG), Matt Baranello and Mike Ledoux. They are a part of AJB and they are Rad!!