Every project Live2 is working on has the goal of giving a voice to the best unheard talent on the internet, and they believe they have a variety of very compelling stories people would love to hear.
Live2 started when the USC student McClain Portis noticed how impactful TikTok could be on an artist’s career. McClain, without any following or any plan at the time, found an extremely talented singer/rapper at USC and produced a video saying that he was going to use the power of the internet to turn this unknown artist into a global sensation.
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJyx6e1p/
Immediately, this video took off and McClain’s TikTok platform (@livetwocreate) was suddenly legitimized.
Unfortunately, this video occurred right before COVID-19, so the “Making a Sensation” series had to pause. But interestingly, McClain started receiving hundreds of messages every day of artists wanting him to listen to their song.
McClain decided that he wanted to give these unheard musicians a platform so he created the “art not algorithms” playlist. Unlike most popular playlists, “art not algorithms” features only unknown, independent artists all trying to get their start in the music industry. This collection of songs became one of the fastest growing playlists on Spotify now has over 120,000 followers.
McClain also started making videos to promote songs he really believed in. He had a vital role in blowing up songs such as “Ashes”, “Nobody Came to My Party”, “Gone”, and “City of Angels”. Each artist reached out to McClain when they had almost no following at all, and after he promoted them, they gained as many as 1.3 Million monthly listeners. Here is the data to prove it:
McClain soon became known as “The guy that makes people famous,” but he wanted to be more than just an influencer on TikTok with a popular playlist. McClain put together a strong team consisting of Ty Allen, McClain’s childhood friend who studies computer and neuro-science at MIT, Patrick O’Neill, the USC business major with experience in all forms of content creation, and Paris Watson, the music industry expert who has worked all throughout both the production and live sides of the industry.
Together, this team worked tirelessly to transform a meaningful platform into a real business that genuinely changes the lives of artists and disrupts the landscape of the music industry. Today, Live2 still promotes singles by using the power of TIkTok and their playlist. Partnering with Live2 on these one-song deals gives talented unknown artists an immediate boost above the competition, often giving them the chance to really jumpstart their careers. In addition, Live2 works with artists in a much more full capacity. In 2021, Live2 will have around four artists who will be a part of the “ANA Freshman Class.” Live2 will not only be promoting these artists through TikTok, but also taking larger steps to build their entire brands. Live2 will be providing these artists with their own content teams, utilizing their connections outside TikTok to promote them on a larger scale, giving these artists access to Live2 producers, and much more. The goal of the ANA Freshman Class is to only only give them that initial spark, but then help build their entire brand and give them a true voice in the industry.
Live2 has the incredible capability of focusing purely ontalent instead of statistics or virality. Everyone in the industry waits for an artist to gain a following before signing them or helping build their careers. Live2 has the unique capability to give any artist this initial following and build their career on top of that. There are a lot of eyes on Live2 to see what they can accomplish next. There are a lot of people who love their message and believe in their business model. All there is left to do is execute on their great plans.
