A Brief Origin Story of Velo
The Velo Club started in 2023 as a fair, supportive alternative for independent artists with the grit and talent to find their place in the music world.
The word “Velo” means “bicycle”—and I want to give you a quick story to illustrate this.
Imagine the busiest city in the world, where the streets are always jammed. Everyone’s trying to get somewhere, but traffic never really moves. You have a destination too, but unlike most people—who sit and wait or try to hail any cab they see—you realize that waiting or hopping from one driver to another won’t get you where you need to go. Some people even fall for smooth talkers in suits who promise helicopter rides to success, only to be whisked away somewhere they never intended to go.
You, on the other hand, decide to walk. At first, it’s lonely. You doubt yourself because no one else seems to be walking. Yet as you move along, you notice that in just 15 minutes you’ve made more progress than many who relied on someone else. You meet a few other walkers, people who think like you, and you learn from each other. Over time, traffic patterns change. Some walkers get tempted to jump into cabs when the street clears, hoping for a shortcut—but you know better. You see that they end up stuck again, cycling through cars and drivers, never really moving forward.
It’s not easy. Your legs ache, and you see others who seem to have trained their whole lives for this journey. Maybe their parents walked this path before them, so they knew what to expect. Meanwhile, you’re running on pure willpower. Doubt creeps in: Is this worth it? Should you have done something else?
Why the Music World is Like This Journey
This struggle parallels what it feels like to navigate the music industry. It’s crowded. Everyone wants to be an artist. It’s congested, confusing, and full of people who give up before they’ve given themselves a real chance.
You’re here because you decided to walk when others were looking for excuses not to. That doesn’t make you better than anyone else, but it means you’ve chosen a different path. It’s normal to doubt yourself, to wonder if maybe you should have taken a shortcut like everyone else. But historically, the people who succeed keep pushing forward. Eventually, the gridlock clears, and suddenly drivers—managers, labels, supporters—are able to help you move farther and faster. The people you meet later on will be kinder, more helpful. Even the “suits” you encounter at this stage are more genuine, because they’ve walked the path themselves and understand what it takes.
What The Velo Club Does
Our role at The Velo Club is to create a system that helps those who choose to walk finally ride together. When we pool our resources and support each other, we can accomplish far more than we can alone.
This isn’t a new concept. Local credit unions help communities get better terms on loans than big international banks can, because everyone pitches in. Wealthy investors pool money into private equity, hedge funds, and real estate ventures because they know that working together leads to larger opportunities and better returns.
For you, this means an easier journey. Picture a long tandem bicycle with enough seats for everyone who’s willing to pedal. Sure, those first few turns of the crank may feel hard, but once the bike starts moving, the collective effort makes the ride far easier than walking alone. Yes, some people might try to coast. My job is to ensure that everyone understands the journey, respects it, and does their fair share of pedaling. Together, guided by those who have paved the way before us, we can reach destinations that seemed impossible on our own.
Stepping Out of the Analogy
We’re all here because we took a chance on ourselves despite the odds. The truth is, the odds are always stacked against you in music—and that’s part of the thrill. But it’s also a reminder that nothing is guaranteed. You can spend five minutes on a track and reach millions, or you can invest five years in an album that reaches only a handful of ears. There are no guarantees in this career path.
If stability is what you’re after, there are countless other ways to find it. There’s no shame in treating music as a hobby instead. But if you choose this road, embrace its unpredictability. That’s the journey we’re on, and we’re making it together.