According to Steve Jobs, it is the leader’s job to transform the company’s noble cause into a vision so inspiring that it will entice the world’s most talented individuals to join. Pop Cautious is the stage name of singer-songwriter and producer, Tyler Porterfield. Under his leadership, Pop Cautious Records has attracted over a dozen exceptionally skilled artists to its roster since it’s inception, and the list only continues to grow.
Pop Cautious Records was originally launched in February 2015, with a vision of promoting “the honest resonance of authentic music.” A common goal unites artists signed under the label: to raise awareness on current social issues through music, art, and media. In effect, they hope to stimulate personal and social transformation and progress towards positive change.
Employing a very hands-on approach to leadership, Pop Cautious has been involved with writing, developing, producing, publishing, and promoting some of his artists from start to finish. His influential leadership style inspires the growth of the record label and the artists, and the label’s evolution is continual. After a shift in the label’s infrastructure, Tyler took some time off. He focused on regrouping after facing a brief period of homelessness in Los Angeles due to circumstances beyond his control. This meant the reboot of the label, and they are regaining the momentum they lost.
Marketing and music business education brought Pop Cautious to realize that he wanted to build a business out of music with good intentions and positive messages. Today’s pop culture and the music industry typically have had some questionable agendas that the general public—including the impressionable youth—are exposed to. Through his music and record label, he hopes to sow positivity further and inspire people to do the same.
Still, words without actions are meaningless. Pop Cautious signed his friends’ bands and strived to build this community of musicians and music enthusiasts. This community now supports his efforts to create progressive waves of change for various causes, including hosting clothing and food drives for the homeless at their shows and raising money for different charities.
Competition is not a factor for Pop Cautious Records. Intending to spread peace, unity, and love, it celebrates all others who share the same vision and strives to reach as many people as possible. Their latest projects are to raise awareness of prevalent social issues.
“Peace Song” was released in August, and the music video is in the making. 7” vinyls will be released this September. The song calls attention to peaceful protests and the violence they are met with. A Native American Rights Compilation will come shortly after. Their upcoming projects include a compilation for female musicians and another compilation for Black musicians and Black-led bands.
More than expanding the reach of their music and rising to fame, Pop Cautious hopes that the message they are trying to convey will touch deep into its listeners’ hearts—hopefully enough to spur them to action.
Pop Cautious continues to inspire people with his ambitious goal of peace and unity for all, and the accomplishments both he and his record label achieved in working towards that goal. The artist plans on releasing new music soon, and he continues to record his debut LP titled, Troubadour. Find out more about Pop Cautious and his Pop Cautious Records and their efforts towards a progressive society by visiting their websites.
