An interview with Link Prezzy (Driven Paper)
Driven Paper isn’t just a service provider—it’s described as a creative ally. What does that partnership look like in practice?
Driven Paper provides essential services for artists looking to elevate in their craft. Yes we assist artists looking to get major distribution but there's so much more involved. The Team surrounding is a handful of goal getters with a common purpose and goal. We have Magazine writers, Festival Organizers, Stage Management, former music managers, Pr's, Dj's, event planners and entrepreneurs. We actually care what happens to our artists and helping guide them in the right direction.
Festival coordination and professional stage management are major pillars of the brand. How does mastering the live side of music change an artist’s long-term trajectory?
Absolutely, once our artists are plugged in with us, We try to help facilitate their journey by way of interviews, shows, appearances and more. We don't harvest studio only artists, we also help them with stage presence and help teach them the business. In the long run, we help get artists ready for the next step.
With hands-on A&R insight at the core of your approach, how do you identify artists who are ready to grow rather than just release music?
It's all in their sound, confidence and how they carry themselves.
As the music landscape becomes increasingly digital, how does Driven Paper balance online growth with real-world presence and performance?
This team is literally Outside always interacting, networking and building relationships with influencers, media, artists and other creatives while maintaining a strong media presence. We are plugged to numerous key festivals and events to help push the culture forward. Artists connected to the brand receives great visibility by being apart of major events that keep pushing itself forward.
After a five-year hiatus, what ultimately called you back into the entertainment world and what had changed most within you during that time?
So this was like a movie, literally, at my day job I had been racially profiled working at Police headquarters in my city. This went so far that I was forced to shut down my record label and go back to regular life so to speak. In the end, I was wrongly accused and was issued an apology, being charged with an attempted murder that never happened. Finally, I was awarded by the police a recognition award for my outstanding work with the individuals I work with awesome autistic, bipolar, schizophrenic and down syndrome aggressive adults. So after 5 years of sitting on the sidelines, I was done watching and not contributing to the scene so in September 2022 I made my return and decided to raise the bar even higher by getting involved in more community based events, aligning myself with Sony Music to facilitate distribution and starting writing for a magazine..many things to help out artists in the process. What changed was the scene, the new mentality and the new outlook when it came to working together.
AI is changing how music is created, distributed, and even marketed. Do you see AI as a threat to independent artists or as the ultimate empowerment tool when used correctly?
It can be used creatively to be honest for many things but when we start hearing AI artists are signed to multi million dollar contracts and topping charts,we really need to look at the bigger picture and how we can at least meet at a common ground.
As streaming payouts continue to be debated, do you believe independence is becoming less about freedom and more about strategy?
It's all calculated strategic moves now. You have a strong team surrounding you that facilitates visibility, continuous elevation and savage marketing team then best believe things will happen at a faster pace. Work smarter, not harder.
With AI capable of mimicking voices and styles, what becomes the artist’s most valuable asset moving forward?
Honestly, I feel that artists with a real story and make music that hits home hard will always surpass the fluff, as I call it. AUTHENTICITY or GIMMICKS do work still to be honest but if you can stir up an authentic audience locally, regionally or nationally ,you will keep your fans engaged while growing new ones.
