On Your World of Creativity, we travel around the world talking with creative professionals who turn ideas into impact. Today we’re diving into music and business with Don Rodriguez — a former general contractor who left a 20-year career to pursue his passion for music… and ended up redesigning the record label model itself.

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Introduction

Don Rodriguez is an 18-year entrepreneur and general contractor who walked away from a successful construction career after becoming burned out and disillusioned. He pivoted into music — not just as a creative outlet, but as a producer and founder of The I&I Music Studio, a recording studio, record label, and music publisher for independent artists.

Drawing on two decades of business and contract experience, Don created a radically different label structure: one where artists own their masters and publishing, while the label generates its own revenue streams and collects points — flipping the traditional industry model on its head.

Today, he’s here to talk music, ownership, contracts, publishing, and how independent artists can thrive without giving away their future.

1 — From Construction to Creation

Don, you spent nearly two decades as a general contractor before pivoting into music full-time. What happened internally that made you leave that career — and how did music pull you into a new chapter? When you entered the music industry, what did you immediately see that didn’t sit right with you?

2 — Why Artists Still Need a Label

There’s a strong narrative right now that independent artists don’t need record labels anymore. From your perspective, why is it still necessary for independent artists to have a label structure around them? What’s the difference between an artist trying to build alone versus having the right kind of team behind them? • Spotlight on Lexsey (emerging pop star)

3 — Flipping the Contract Model

You’ve created what you describe as a complete 180 from how record contracts have operated for the last 70 years. Walk us through how your contract works — and why artist ownership of masters and publishing is so critical. How are traditional big-label contracts typically structured — and where do artists lose leverage? • Spotlight on the classical-to-fantasy-grunge artist

4 — Publishing, Production & Revenue

You’ve said that music publishing is the key to making money in music. For listeners who aren’t deep in the industry, what exactly is publishing — and why does it matter so much? In today’s world of home studios and DIY production, why does an artist still need a producer and professional studio environment?

5 — Building a Sustainable Ecosystem

One of the most interesting parts of your model is that your label generates its own revenue instead of relying solely on artists’ music. How does that work — and how does that change the power dynamic between label and artist?

If an artist has already released music under a different structure, can they pivot into a more ownership-driven future? What’s possible?

We tie together all these themes:

• Creative reinvention

• Ownership vs exploitation

• Entrepreneurship in music

• Designing a better ecosystem

• Artists as business partners