An executive and entrepreneur with over two decades of music-business experience, Ben Willis is forging a new path for artists who defy the confines of pop convention. As co-founder of indie-pop/independent, (an L.A.-based management company and record label), he’s devoted much of his career to identifying left-of-center talent with a potentially massive appeal, then incubating that talent in order to foster both artistic integrity and long-lasting success. Founded in 2008, Indie-Pop had its first triumph with The Cataracs (a hip-hop duo whom Willis helped propel to multi-platinum status), and later helped build the career of rapper/singer/songwriter KYLE (whose Indie-Pop-released hit “iSpy” went six-times-platinum). With Indie-Pop’s roster including global artists like Malaysian singer/songwriter Yuna, Willis is now co-launching Independent—a record-label solution offering all the creative benefits of autonomy while securing exceptionally fair and financially compelling deals for each artist. In all of his endeavors, Willis has taken a hands-on approach to helping artists grow sustainable careers in an often-volatile industry. And in a landscape increasingly driven by algorithms and social media metrics, he’s effectively created a vital new business model that not only encourages total creative freedom, but ultimately empowers artists to surpass their own greatest ambitions.