Eric Dan is the man behind ID Labs, a Pittsburgh recording studio that oversaw the development of superstars Wiz Khalifa, and Mac Miller.
Eric dove head-first into music at a young age, trying his hand at various instruments and stage performances, while running multiple jobs as he slowly built his own recording studio. He began specializing in hip-hop, and when a young Wiz Khalifa walked in the door of his studio, he saw the opportunity for a partnership. That relationship propelled his career to several gold and platinum hits, and ID labs to being the premiere recording studio in Pittsburg.
He joins us today on the The Big Break to talk about how it all happened.
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Show Notes
1:50How did you know you wanted to make music for a living?
3:16Growing up and early music influences
5:05Early producing and getting into Hip-Hop
7:40Starting to make beats and getting connected to the local music scene
8:20Getting a taste for live performances and the stage
9:08“Strict Flow” and the difficulties of making music in Pittsburgh
9:53The birth of the basement studio
12:45Working in music full-time, and creating ID Labs
17:22The value of working with what you have, and setting achievable goals
19:53One day, Wiz walks in the door
22:10The decision to collaborate and develop together
27:15Diving in with Wiz
29:34“I wanted it to be more of a musical relationship”
32:34Unstoppable persistence and determination
33:52The business of making music vs. the business of making money
37:15The first release featuring Wiz Khalifa
39:20Signing with Warner Brothers
41:25Meeting Will Dzombak
43:10“Deal or No Deal” and being an Independent Artist
44:20Atlantic Records, Stargate, and how Rolling Papers came to existence
47:50The strength of Eric and Wiz’s relationship
50:10What have you learned from working with Wiz?
52:28How did everything change after Rolling Papers came out?
53:45Meeting Big Jerm
56:43Meeting Mac Miller
59:57Are there any of those musical moments with Mac that stand out in your mind?
62:50Finding inspiration in old records
65:00With Wiz and Mac, was it ever difficult to balance between the two?
66:09If you could go back in time 20 years, what would you tell your younger self?
70:30What other advice would you give someone trying to make money doing what they love?
74:57What’s the most common non-musical advice you give to producers?
77:48Three big takeaways from Eric
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