Mike Darlington co-founded one of the biggest independent dance labels around. How did a brand created by two college students grow to be this successful? Read more about Monstercat and Mike Darlington net worth.
In just three years, Monstercat reached over a million record sales across the label. According to Mike Darlington, Mosntercat’s co-founder, the brand’s goal is to help people discover music and support creators and talented artists by providing them the exposure they need to be noticed.
Mike Darlington net worth is estimated at $1.5 million. The label is best known for its release of DJ Marshmello Alone in 2016, and the single was certified platinum by the following year.
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Mike Darlington Short Bio
On August 1st, 1989, Mike Darlington was born in Mississauga, a city neighboring Toronto, Canada. His father is a biologist who works for a pharmaceutical, a career that Mike would’ve taken if he didn’t pursue dance music. And his mother works in advertising.
Mike was a regular kid and didn’t have anything specifically to be passionate about. But like many who were born during the 80s and 90s, Mike was hooked on video games and was quite a competitive player. He recalls having ten times more friends online than he did in real life.
His strict parents didn’t exactly agree with how much time he spent on video games when he was a teenager. But for a rather timid kid who didn’t exactly enjoy the stifling environment of private schools, Mike found the escape he needed in video games alongside his friends.
Still unaware of what career to follow, Mike took up a degree in Biology in college. It was easier to just follow in his father’s footsteps. After finishing his degree, Mike considered working for big companies as an environmental consultant, involved in safety and cleanup.
At around that time, Mike realized that he had a knack for entrepreneurship. He was eying the possibility of earning a lot of money since the industry he was targeting was rather new and potentially profitable. But apparently, Mike was meant to do something a bit more revolutionary.
Mike Darlington’s Career
Aside from video games, Mike has kept himself occupied with side hustles. One of which was making real money with the game World of WarCraft.
At one point, he made enough money to pay off a portion of his college tuition fee, something that surprised his parents.
Of course, a college student like him enjoyed parties. His side hustles made it possible for him to hold such events. He also became the go-to guy to advertise events for other people. Before he graduated from college, Mike was already able to support himself through part time-jobs and event gigs.
The Birth of Monstercat
The idea of Monstercat naturally took shape with every event Mike handled. He wanted to help talented, independent, young artists gain the exposure they needed to spread their music.
The only other way to get the right exposure talents need is to find a record deal. Not everyone may be so lucky to land. The Monstercat platform is created to bypass that hurdle by gathering the artists and their records in one environment so they can have more plays per record.
At the time, YouTube had only been up for a few years. The rising media sharing site became the perfect host for Monstercat. Afterward, Mike’s expertise in digital marketing did its magic.
Mike pushed Monstercat’s content via influencer distribution. Some of the artists that Mike had on his roster were somewhat promoting each other in the same way as promoting your brand.
In July of 2011, Monstercat was officially founded by Mike Darlington and Ari Paunonen. The two met through a mutual friend interested in Mike’s project. While Mike handled the promotion side of the project, Ari was the reliable guy in charge mostly of the books.
Notable Accomplishments
Three years after establishing the label, Monstercat surpassed one million record sales by July of 2014. The manifesto they released also gained attention for its ultimate goal to widen the playing field for all musicians and to provide more freedom in sampling music.
Monstercat was a regular of Music Festivals come 2015. DJ Marshmallow’s “Alone” was first released in May 2016. The single garnered over 1.1 billion views across YouTube, 161 million of which were played via Monstercat’s official YouTube channel.
The stats largely contributed to the $21 million earnings that DJ Marshmello received just a year after his single was released.
Partnerships and Collaborations
2017 was a big year for Monstercat. The game developer Psyonix signed with the music label to promote the second anniversary of the video game Rocket League by releasing an 18-song album called Rocket League x Monstercat Vol. 1. The album was released in July 2017.
In 2019, Monstercat partnered with Dutch video game developer Soedesco to compose music for its video game, Xenon Racer. Then in March of the same year, Monstercat released the song pack for the VR rhythm game, Beat Saber for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4.
In July of 2019, around the anniversary of Monstercat, the label signed a partnership with Linden Labs for the VR social game, Sanar. If the name is familiar, it’s probably because they are the creator of another extremely popular social, virtual reality game called Second Life.
Monstercat Awards and Achievements
- 2017 Best Breakthrough Label by DJ Magazine
- 2017 Best Record Label by EDM Sauce
- 2017 Label of the Year by Dancing Astronaut
- 2017 Best Independent Dance Label Billboard
- 2017 Best Radio Show awarded to Monstercat’s Call of the Wild by EDM Sauce
- 2018 Best Independent Dance Label Billboard
- 2019 Best Label by International Dance Music Awards
- 2019 nominee for Best YouTube Channel by International Dance Music Awards
- 2019 nominee for Best Podcast/Radio Show for Monstercat’s Call of the Wild by international Dance Music Awards.
Mike Darlington Net Worth – Frequently Asked Questions
How Much is Mike Darlington Net Worth?
Mike Darlington net worth is estimated at $1.5 million as of the current year. The 33-year-old entrepreneur is the CEO of the music label, which he co-founded right out of college.
Who Owns Monstercat?
Mike Darlington owns the music label Monstercat. The idea began while he was still a college student while taking gigs as an events coordinator. He realized that artists could get more exposure and record play if he gathered them on one platform.
Who Founded Monstercat?
Monstercat is originally an idea conjured by Mike Darlington. He invited Ari Paunonen on board, who initially rejected the offer. While Mike handles the creative and promotion side of the business, Ari keeps the company on track by managing its finances.
Mike Darlington Net Worth – Final Thoughts
Just as chill as the music created by the talented people under the Monstercat label, Mike Darlington’s success was pretty smooth sailing. The convenience provided by YouTube to promote their music inexpensively and with complete freedom molded everything in place.
David Grutman’s advice still echoes in this situation. The founders of Monstercat simply pushed forward with their goal to help musicians promote their records and to make the industry an even playing field for artists with contracts and those who choose to be independent.
Regardless of the industry, you wish to dive in, so long as you do the work, money will come on its own. Perhaps another thing worth noting is to not be afraid of trying how an idea will turn out, especially if it’s not going to cost you much of anything. We are living in very convenient times, after all.
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