IndieNinja
Latest Press Releases
Recent Media Coverage
- Why Every Indie Needs A Developer Ninja – Hypebot (IndieNinja guest post)
- Why Every Indie Needs A Music Sales Ninja – Hypebot (IndieNinja guest post)
- Why Every Indie Needs A Ninja Road Manager – Hypebot (IndieNinja guest post)
- Why Every Indie Artist Needs A Ninja Guitar Tech – Hypebot (IndieNinja guest post)
- Is Spotify declaring war on record labels?; Laurens Kusters talks about Indie Ninja – Break the Business podcast
- Why Every Indie Musician Needs A Soundperson – Hypebot (IndieNinja guest post)
- Why Every Indie Needs A Tour Ninja – Hypebot (IndieNinja guest post)
- Why Every Indie Needs A Ninja – Hypebot (IndieNinja guest post)
- An Employment Assist for Audio Pros – Inside The Launch of IndieNinja – SonicScoop
- Meet IndieNinja, a Services Marketplace for the Indie Music Community – Billboard
Executive Bios
Bill Wilson – Co-Founder
Bill Wilson is the co-founder of IndieNinja. A music industry professional with over two decades of experience working in varied roles within independent and major record labels, internet ventures, and mobile content, he is often asked to provide recommendations for all kinds of professional services for artists and start-up companies, which lead to the development of IndieNinja.
For nearly 20 years, from 1989 to 2007, Wilson founded and operated Blackout Records, which released music from such notable acts as Guided By Voices, H2O, and Kill Your Idols. While running Blackout, Bill gained experience at more established independent labels and distributors, including Relativity Records, Caroline Distribution, and Earache Records, ultimately serving as an A&R Consultant for MCA Records in the mid-1990s.
Wilson made the jump to working with internet startups in 2001 as Director of Business Development for Roxbox Media, a market research company targeted to the music industry. In 2005, he joined Haystack Media as VP of Business Development, co-developing an early music-oriented social networking website including an ad-based compensation model. In 2007, Wilson became Director of Business Development for mobile content aggregator Cellfish and was responsible for catalog and content licensing for music, games, film, and other forms of mobile entertainment. Later that year, he took on the role of Senior Director, Mobile Sales for Atlantic Records.
Wilson joined NARM (now the Music Business Association) in 2009 as Vice President, Digital Strategy and Business Development to handle all things digital for the industry trade association, particular in the areas of digital supply chain & operations, digital asset management, music subscriptions, and general business development. He has been instrumental in the production of user-friendly Music Biz resources such as the Metadata Style Guide, to facilitate the adoption of industry standards, and the API Directory, to connect music service providers with developers, brands, and other opportunities. Wilson also made it a priority to help newcomers to the industry create healthy, sustainable music-based businesses, especially through the NY:LON Connect conference, co-organized by Music Biz and Music Ally, and Music Biz’s Music Startup Academy events. He continues to consult for Music Biz, as well as for Dubset and dotBlockchain, in addition to his work with IndieNinja.
As a globally focused industry professional, Wilson has had featured speaking roles at CMJ, SXSW, Midem, Music Matters Asia, Reeperbahn, Eurosonic Noordeslag, Tallinn Music Week, Bandwidth, New Music Seminar, DMW Music, Future of Music Policy Summit, CTIA’s Super Mobility Week, and other industry events.
Wilson has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Fordham University.
Laurens Kusters – Co-Founder
Laurens Kusters is a multilingual music executive with over 25 years of global label operations, music publishing and artist management experience, and a visionary marketer with a real feel for youth culture and rock music. As the founder of I Scream Records, Laurens single-handed led the company to become a globally recognized independent label. He currently works with a roster of bands through his management, music publishing and marketing company Brooklyn Larry, including NYC hardcore legends Sick Of It All and Boston’s Street Dogs.
A Dutch national born in Belgium, Laurens grew up in the music industry. His father, Hans Kusters, is one of the most respected independent music publishers in Europe with his eponymous Hans Kusters Music, representing artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Burt Bacharach, to name a few, in Belgium and Spain.
Laurens founded I Scream Records in 1994, in Brussels, Belgium after being unable to find an appropriate label for his own band. Over the years, the I Scream Records grew into one of the leading punk and hardcore independent labels, with an impressive master and copyright catalogue including Madball, Life Of Agony, Murphy’s Law, Trapped Under Ice, The Last Resort, Twitching Tongues, Death By Stereo, Agnostic Front, and more.
In late 2005, Laurens opened the U.S. headquarters for I Scream Records in California, and in 2007 he became co-chairman of the California Chapter of A2IM (American Association of Independent Music).
Laurens relocated to New York in 2008. In addition to his management duties, Laurens plays drums in Skarhead, and teaches drums at School of Rock Rockville Center when he’s not on tour or working on solutions for today’s music and entertainment community. He also co-hosted a radio show for over six years on East Village Radio.
