Why Local Rapper AP Charged $100 for His Album Release Party

Rapper AP is celebrating a new album. Geovanny Flores

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Rapper Anthony Porch, who goes by AP, drops his album WINS today, March 19, at an exclusive release party at an undisclosed location. The price of a ticket started at $100, but as of the day of the show tickets were listed at $50.

The steep admission is AP's response to a music industry that pays artists too little, too late, where streaming revenue amounts to less than a cent per listen and venues get paid before artists at concerts.

It wasn't easy for AP to put a value on his brand, and he was initially skeptical about the $100 price tag, worrying tickets wouldn't move as fast as they did.

"Initially, I thought it was crazy, but as time went on, my interest in accomplishing my goal has grown more and more," says AP. "I'm not the first person to come up with this...I wanted mine before the big companies got theirs."

AP thinks all of his work has been building up to this. And with the price reduction, the event is on track to sell out all 150 spots.

"I wanted to show artists you don’t have to be afraid to put a value on something you genuinely care about. You put a value on it, and you run with it. You don’t ask for permission. You make decisions on your own and hope for the best," AP says.

click to enlarge

AP

Geovanny Flores

AP hopes his strategy helps take Denver's music scene to the next level by inspiring artists to ask for what they deserve.

"We didn’t always have a scene in a way it is now," he says. "Now, we’ve created it. Let’s grow it into something that has value. Let’s bring people here. Let’s make it a real market. We have to take these small steps.

"We got a lot of talent. We can compete with the best of the best. And we don’t even believe it," AP adds. "I want everybody to look inside themselves and think they can win."

Having a kid forced AP to put a value to his art, because he wanted to be able to answer to people around him that music was a real, attainable career in Denver.

"When people turn around and ask, 'Why aren’t you making any money?', you want to be able to answer that without feeling stupid," he explains. "I didn’t want to feel embarrassed for loving something."

TheyCallHimAP WINS listening party, 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, location TBA, tickets run $50 to $100.