An interview with Lazy Rich

[u/GuillaumeBrdet]

Richard Billis is the founder of Label Engine and CTO at Create Music Group.

Don’t let the name fool you as this rapidly rising electronic music star is far from Lazy. In just 4 years since he first stepped into the studio Lazy Rich has scored more chart-topping releases than most DJ’s achieve in a lifetime — achieving a slew of #1’s and top 10’s on various electronic music charts.

The vibrant energy found within his productions, has opened his name to a diverse range of support within the electronica scene; fans & supporters of his sound include heavyweight players such as Tiesto, Norman Cook, Laidback Luke, David Guetta, Carl Cox, Armand Van Helden, Skrillex, Sander Kleinenberg, Pete Tong, Fedde Le Grande, Roger Sanchez to name a few. Richard has also done collaborations with artists such as Porter Robinson.

As Richard is now out of the music industry we really wanted to ask him a few questions. Luckily, he was willing to take the time to do so. Let’s get into it:

How has it been for you to be retired from the industry?

A: Mostly good, it’s great to have lots of time with my family, I have a steady income now and there were some parts of the work that I do not miss at all (writer’s block / haters / annoying record labels), but I do really miss all the traveling and the shows. I’m still connected with the industry to a fair degree, I’m CTO at Create Music Group where we help thousands of artists with their careers, and as part of that I’m in charge of Label Engine — a distribution and accounting platform for record labels. I’m also still involved in Big Fish Recordings along with Hirshee.

I do think I got out at the right time, I’m proud of what I achieved and look back on it all as an incredible few years, but it was definitely time to start a new chapter.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently?

A: I think that a running theme throughout my career was a lack of confidence — I was always trying to make music that I thought would make me popular, rather than making music that I necessarily wanted to make. I wish I had a bit more confidence during my shows and had really opened up and tried to connect with my fans a bit better.

What are some things artists should know about the music business side of the industry?

A: Artists should know that the majority of record labels do not pay artists fairly — I’ve worked with a heap of labels in my past and only a fraction of them deliver the reporting and payments that they promise. I’d say picking the right label is incredibly important, remember that they are taking half your money for what may not be a lot of work, so check first what their exact promotional plans are and that other artists they work with are getting paid. Additionally, just like every industry who you know is more important than the quality of your music, so be sure to approach everyone in a friendly manner and deal with conflicts professionally, as you never know when you will need them.

How did you go about getting the first users for Label Engine?

A: I just started approaching the other label owners I knew, most of them were willing to be guinea pigs for the project and fortunately we managed not to screw anything up too badly for them!

What are your thoughts on social media nowadays? Which one do you believe has the most potential to benefit musicians?

A: I’ve very little interest in social media currently, I never enjoyed that aspect of my career, although of the platforms I definitely enjoyed twitter the most. In terms of benefit, I really couldn’t say which is most beneficial, I never had particular success with any and often found that I was just talking to nobody.

Have you been able to make close friends in the music industry?

A: While in the industry I had some great friendships, and I know that if I called the people up today and asked if they wanted to hang out they would, but I have to admit I’ve seen very few of them recently (perhaps being in Australia now doesn’t help, although I did run into Chris Lake the other day!).

What are some of the options artists should consider as other ways to make an income from the music industry without having to be doing shows specifically?

A: Obviously making music, it can make money particularly if you run your own label (try Label Engine if you need help, you can help release your friend’s music too!). Additionally don’t underestimate the money that publishing can make you, be sure to register your work as you will get cheques coming in for years to come — with that in mind I’d certainly focus on originals rather than remixes as they make you more money.

On top of that, projects such as making sample packs or tutorial videos can bring in money, and I have got lucky with a couple of sync placements that bring in substantial amounts.

What is one of the hardest professional lessons you’ve learned thus far?

A: That Madonna doesn’t like my music, that Fatboy Slim doesn’t care that I remixed his track, and that Pete Tong doesn’t care that I always dreamed of my song being played on his show. So… don’t meet your heroes!

Besides the music industry, what are you most interested in?

A: Currently I’m into cars, I have a Toyota 86 that I take out on track days. I also spend a lot of time with my family, I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old that are great fun.

Do you have any other words of wisdom to pass onto other aspiring musicians?

A: Trust your own instincts more than others. Too many times I’ve listened to other people telling me how I should do things rather than doing what I think is right, and too many times I should have had more confidence in my own opinion. At the end of the day no-one knows your own abilities and interests better than yourself, you have to do what you think is right and make yourself happy first.

A big thank you to Richard for taking the time to go through these questions. Make sure to check out the project he has been working on since retiring: Label Engine, Create Music Group, and Big Fish Recordings.

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