Just in case anyone has questions on whether or not an Independent artist can make it without a label, well here it is. Independent hip hop artist KOTA the Friend had over 71 million streams and over 5 million listeners on Spotify alone, in 2019, and he’s ending the year off with a real estate acquisition of a commercial building in an all cash deal where he will house the ®fltbys retail shop and the ®fltbys recording studio. His album, FOTO, is on many hip hop lists for possible Album of the Year for 2019, with important hits like For Colored Boys, Mommy and Alkaline. The amazing thing is that he has done all of this without the backing of any record label. See the official press release below.
Today ®fltbys Music and Entertainment (Flight Boys) announced independent recording artist KOTA the Friend has purchased a commercial building in Midtown Harrisburg, PA, in the heart of the popular and growing Arts District, in an all cash deal.
KOTA the Friend, on the heels of the success of his FOTO album tour, which took him across the United States and Europe, has decided this was the right time to make his first real estate purchase.
“This is a part of the independence that I write about in my music. It’s real. To truly make it for the long term I believe in owning everything about my life, from my intellectual property (music) to real property (real estate). We all have to be thinking in terms of ownership these days. It’s only going to get harder out here and owning is the best long term security. I want to see other artists become owners as well. It’s not just about me doing it“, stated KOTA.
The building, which housed popular restaurants in the past, will be transformed into the ®fltbys Building. The location is just a couple blocks from the popular Broad Street Market and across the street from the Midtown Cinema. The area has been growing over the past years and developers are looking to re-zone the area to create more mixed-use developments. The Mayor of Harrisburg owns a popular 15,000 square foot bookstore around the corner from the future ®fltbys Building.
KOTA added, “The ®fltbys Building will be a hub for the Hip Hop/Skate/Arts culture in Harrisburg. The building will house the ®fltbys retail shop and the official ®fltbys studio. When I walk around the neighborhood I see skateboarders and beautiful murals. The area is up and coming, and the city is developing. I want to be part of that development. We want everyone in the hip hop and skate industry to come out to Harrisburg to check us. The area reminds me of Brooklyn, specifically Downtown, DUMBO and Ft. Greene, where I still live.”
The ®fltbys Building is sure to add to the continued growth of arts and culture of Harrisburg.
KOTA will be touring in Australia in February and will be performing in New Orleans in March as part of the BUKU 2020, a festival that includes Tyler the Creator, Flume, Glass Animals, Megan Thee Stallion and others. The ®fltbys building should be opening shortly thereafter.
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