![]() ![]() “So I put Prblms on a few playlists, and by the end of that week, he had a million streams, and based on placement on iTunes of that song in Hot Tracks, he sold 10,000 units, independently, before he got signed.” At that point, I remember looking on Twitter, - 6Lack had 5 or 6,000 followers,” Chery said. “One of the artists that I championed before anybody was 6Lack. Then something big happened - something that 6Lack’s manager Tunde Balogun tells Digital Trends “pretty much changed our lives from that point.” Chery started spreading 6Lack’s song Prblms throughout Apple Music’s playlist ecosystem. ![]() Outside of a niche fan base developed through disparate releases on Soundcloud, 6Lack was a nobody. Prior to signing with the Love Renaissance label, had spent years wallowing in obscurity, essentially homeless at a different indie label. ![]() Ricardo Valentine, who goes by the name 6Lack (pronounced black), entered 2016 as a 24-year old aspiring R&B singer. How is that possible? Digital Trends spoke with Basa and Chery, as well as Interscope Records’ Chief Revenue Officer Gary Kelly and those in the music industry who have experienced career changes thanks to playlists, to help explain how music is entering the age of the playlist. The two curators have helped launch careers and propel songs to Recording Industry Association of America certifications, all by basically doing something your little sister does all day: manage playlists. The other is Carl Chery, the head of curation at Apple Music, and the curator of one of Apple Music’s biggest playlists, A-List: Hip Hop. Spotify’s 50-song RapCaviar playlist boasts more than 8 million followers, often spins the newest songs before they hit radio, and has turned Spotify’s global head of hip-hop programming, Tuma Basa, into one of the two most sought-after people in hip-hop. “The people’s time is the real currency here.” ![]()
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