NONPOINT launched its independent record label 361 Degrees Records LLC in January 2021. They filmed the process of starting the label and making new music in a docu-series titled “A Path To Independence” that can be seen on the band’s YouTube and official web site.
In December, NONPOINT released its latest EP, “Ruthless”. This follows their independent label plan of delivering music to their fans through more frequent releases and videos from the band.
Asked in a new interview with “Making Waves: The ShipRocked Podcast” if putting out EPs rather than full-length albums is “the way forward” for him and his bandmates, NONPOINT singer Elias Soriano said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “For us, I think, like we talked about in our documentary during the pandemic, before we dropped ‘Ruthless’ and this next one coming up, it was a test on what everyone told us in the last 20 years we could or couldn’t do with our music. Because I’ve worked with a lot of big teams — we started with MCA, went to Lava, went to Geffen, went to Rocket Science, then we went to Razor & Tie and then Concord; a lot of big, big, big names and big, big, big teams. And they have their systems in place. So when you go and you say, ‘Hey, I feel like my fans would really gravitate to this kind of song,’ there’s a lot of doors you’ve gotta go through to finally feel like you have an answer to whether or not that feeling is right. When it’s just completely up to you and the risk is yours and you’ve been asking that question for as long as we have, at this point it’s just, like, ‘Fuck it. I’m just gonna do it. And I’m not even gonna ask.’
“What we did with ‘Ruthless’, because we were flipping into the independent world, is we wanted to make sure that our base was taken care of,” he explained. “For the last 20 years, I’ve dropping shit at radio and doing well at radio; I don’t wanna pretend like I don’t have radio songs. But I flash back to Hans Haedelt, our first A&R guy, when he signed us, and he was, like, ‘You guys are gonna be the Latin PANTERA.’ And it was because he saw our live shows with music that we had written that was completely untouched — by producers, by anyone. So when we went independent and I sat down with Robb [Rivera, drums] and I sat down with the guys, it was about answering that question. And we needed to bankroll that, to make sure that… And we did that — the ‘Ruthless’ EP, the streams, everything did so well for us that we are able to now… Our record label, in the first year, is now in the black and so is our independence. So everything is moving in such a positive way that we don’t have to worry about things like budgets anymore, where it was constantly an issue before. Well, we worry about them, but it’s dollars versus risk. And it’s, like, ‘Well, we never got to do this, so let’s fucking do it.’
“With the next EP… ‘Ruthless’ was, like, ‘Yes, they can write songs the way NONPOINT writes songs independent. Now watch what they do when the cuffs are off and the gloves are off and we’re ready to throw down,'” Elias added. “Like, the next song that we drop on this EP is definitely going to turn some heads.”
Earlier this year, Elias told “HRH Metal With Dan Chan” that the group’s decision to go it alone with NONPOINT‘s own record label has resulted in “less anxiety and more anxiety,” adding that he has “a team” of “people that are professionals in place” to run the business for him and his bandmates.
“I’m not a neophyte when it comes to the overall scope and understanding of the music industry, but I know when to get the hell out of the way and let someone else steer the ship,” he said.
Asked what he misses about having a bigger label behind his band, Soriano said: “The relationships and the friendships. It’s fun working with a team that you know everyone around the corner is a professional. That definitely gives less anxiety. But you see, even the staff, they feel the same kind of restriction. They wanna go harder; they wanna spend more money — you know they want to — but they have people to answer to.”
As for how he balances the business and the creative side of being in a band, Elias said: “It’s not easy but we’re doing it, and that’s what matters. And the product that’s coming out is better than ever. It’s a lot of fun. It really is. I’m having fun doing this.”
In 2021 alone, NONPOINT‘s song “Ruthless” reached No. 16 on Billboard‘s Rock chart and was featured on the New Metal Tracks and Kickass Metal Playlist on Spotify, SiriusXM Octane‘s Big Uns Countdown, LA Lloyd Top 30 and Loudwire Nights. “Ruthless” was also the featured track on AEW‘s nationally televised event “Blood And Guts” on TNT in May 2021.
NONPOINT‘s songs “Bullet With A Name”, “Alive And Kicking”, “In The Air Tonight”, “Circles”, “Your Signs”, “Everybody Down” and many others have been featured in trailers, hit movies, television, iconic video games, as well as broadcasts from NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WWF.
NONPOINT has toured with major acts like DISTURBED, PAPA ROACH, MUDVAYNE and SEVENDUST, to name a few. They have also been featured on the main stages and support stages of iconic festivals like Soundwave, Rock Am Park, Rock Am Ring, Ozzfest, Rock On The Range, Welcome To Rockville and many more.
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