Steve Stoute has seen it all and been through it all as a music executive for nearly 25 years. Fortunately, he still has the hunger for more. After helping boost the careers of artists like Nas, Will Smith, Mariah Carey and other artists as a manager and label head, Stoute’s latest company, UnitedMasters, is changing the game for independent artists. On this episode of XXL‘s Inside Track podcast, he discusses his storied past, UnitedMasters’ role in the music industry and the future of the rap game.
Stoute started in the music industry back in 1990, when he pulled double duty as President of Urban Music at Sony and Executive Vice President at Interscope Geffen A&M Records from 1990-1999.
In 2004, he launched Translation, an independent Black-owned creative agency. In 2017, he founded UnitedMasters, a music distribution company dubbed a record label in your pocket, which has helped advance the careers of artists like NLE Choppa, BigXthaPlug, Brent Faiyaz, Anycia and others.
“We want to have a lot more artists getting the opportunity and getting the ability to get their music out there,” Stoute says of UnitedMasters, which features a new app program to help artists maximize their growing power. “To be able to put their music in brand campaigns, which is what the subscription services at UnitedMasters, whether it be Select or DEBUT+, has. And being able to do your thing and turn what you love as a passion to into a way to earn a living.
“These artists, they found UnitedMasters to be a launching pad for them to start to build their career,” he continues. “This is very important to me to know we built something that is helping these young artists launch their career on our platform.”
UnitedMasters is currently running the “Make Your Debut” Challenge, which invites U.S.-based artists using the platform to submit tracks for a chance to win a $250,000 grand prize and join UnitedMasters’ elite partner roster. The platform launched its new DEBUT+ tier today, priced at $19.99 annually. The tier allows aspiring artists who want to get their music on major streaming platforms, all while retaining 100 percent of their royalties.
While Steve Stoute’s imprint on music is firmly stamped in history, he’s also making it a point to put on for the next generation. “When a new artist comes to the table with a song and a fresh perspective that they wrote, I feel like I’m learning,” Stoute reveals. “And I get a chance to live vicariously through that person and that’s what gets me excited. Even if it’s not a ‘hit.’ The fact that you can learn and hear a fresh perspective on something or fresh visuals. I really like that. That’s the part about it that I personally am excited about.”
XXL is back with another episode of Inside Track, a biweekly podcast that spends time with some of hip-hop’s most influential industry executives, entrepreneurs and more. Hosted by XXL Editor-in-Chief Vanessa Satten and music executive Courtney “Courtney CL” Lowery, each episode will continue to explore hip-hop through the eyes of people who have lived and breathed the culture.
Watch or listen to the fifth episode of XXL‘s Inside Track podcast below. The podcast can be found on xxlmag.com, XXL’s YouTube page and on most podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and XXL Live.
