Music label turns to fans for support

By Meaghan Richens

A new Ottawa-based music label, Euforio, is using a crowdfunding business model to engage fans in the dream of stardom while allowing artists to focus on their work.

When an artist starts a crowdfunding campaign with Euforio, they set a three-year goal based on how much money they need to survive, including rent, food and other necessities.

“An artist will officially be signed once they have been able to crowd-fund one-third of their three year goal,” said Sonu Lall, one of the label’s directors.

“Our business model is quite different from traditional labels,” said Lall.  “We get 20 per cent of everything, that’s it.”

Lall added: “The key differentiator between us and traditional labels is that most labels leave less than 20 per cent for their artists and take the rest, whereas we do the opposite. We provide our artists with an entire ecosystem to make sure they are successful.”

This includes connections to music studios, photo studios and public relations firms.

“We brought an artist consultant on board, Horus Harerimana, and asked him what the struggles were for a young, talented artist. We also consulted with a number of other artists, including a veteran Juno-nominated artist, Kevin Cooke,” said Lall.

Harerimana, 24, also known by his stage name Horus, is Euforio’s first signed artist. He is also a refugee from Burundi who arrived in Canada in 2009.

Marvin Bedward is one of the label’s advisers, and helped develop the concept of Euforio.

“Horus’s music is quite different and extraordinary,” said Bedward. “There’s a lot of emotional feeling and insight for a person his age.”

Harerimana first got into music when he was living in Burundi, and he describes his music as soulful with African roots, among other influences.

“My mom’s uncle passed away and he left his guitar with my mom,” said Harerimana. “I kinda grabbed it… and I started playing Tracy Chapman songs and stuff like that.”

He calls Euforio’s idea “genius” because it allows him to focus on creating.

“Now is the time that I should invest in my music — full-time,” said Harerimana.

The inspiration for the label came from a simple conversation about the music industry and grew into what is now Euforio.

“Ultimately, Euforio resulted from our understanding of artists’ experiences in, as well as our understanding of, the music industry,” said Lall.

“The whole idea was about a way of supporting artists… so they can focus on their work rather than flipping burgers,” said Bedward.

Lall said they came up with the idea in 2015 and he and his team spent all of 2016 refining and developing their business model.

Lall described Euforio as a label built around the artist’s success.

“We listen to our artists, and cater to their needs,” said Lall.

“Most importantly, artists with Euforio will always have full creative freedom over their music.”