As the music world traversed through the new reality post-COVID-19, many artists struggled to stay afloat. Lockdowns brought a sledgehammer to the events industry, and CD sales plummeted, so many artists tried more unconventional routes but struggled through new platforms. Diggie the Progression of Hip Hop LLC hopes to provide more clarity and light to today’s new age of music marketing and business development in the clout and confusion.
The company started back in August 2020 through the efforts and vision of two US Army veterans, Robert Dalby Jr. and Jessica Dalby. Robert served the country for two decades while Jessica served for ten years. After their season in civil duty ended, the two found themselves at a crossroad. Driven to do something they loved, they turned to music. While neither Robert nor Jessica are musicians in the strictest sense, they love music, and it’s that passion that has taken them to where they are today.
Diggie the Progression of Hip Hop provides various business and management services to struggling artists who want to thrive in today’s new reality. Robert brings people skills to the company with his master’s degree in human resources. Jessica’s psychology and sociology background gives her an understanding of human behavior and how to capitalize it to fulfill business goals for artists.
One of the more tangible expressions of the company’s services is a music-themed podcast, “Diggie A2—The Progression of Hip Hop,” that explores various genres according to periods every season. The company’s podcast has turned into a massive hit, reaching multiple platforms such as Spotify, Radio Public, Good Pods, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcast, Pandora, and many others. “Diggie A2” is also currently on YouTube and has over 11,000 subscribers and 600,000 views to date. The music podcast has welcomed various top-tier guests into the show, including legends like LL Cool J, Hitta Castro, 36 N Brimstone, Young Bleed, Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Naughty by Nature, Gang Starr, and Onyx, to name a few.
Apart from the podcast, Diggie The Progression of Hip Hop LLC also provides talent management opportunities for small independent artists who need business guidance. Jessica oversees the business side and has helped many of the company’s artists capitalize on income-generating and marketing opportunities even during the pandemic. As an artist manager, Jessica helps the company’s clients strategize on social media and digital distribution ideas on platforms like streaming services, blogs, and other emerging music sites. Diggie the Progression of Hip Hop’s collaborative and inclusive culture has helped the company create strong artist-manager partnerships over the years and leveled up many up-and-coming musicians’ careers in the performing arts field.
The Dalby tandem has a great workflow going on for the company. On top of maintaining a corporate nine-to-five, Robb handles the company’s technical media aspects, including graphics, interviews, episodes, seasons, and recording. Jessica takes care of the meetings, consultations, alignments, and administrative side of Diggie The Progression of Hip Hop LLC.
Robert and Jessica hope to make something meaningful out of their small but growing business and turn it into an organization that supports many artists through the ins-and-outs of building a solid brand and platform.
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