A Conversation With POrkR0LL: Supporting Independent Artists From All Angles
- Jay Castellano
- Jul 14
- 7 min read
POrkR0LL is a collective that assists independent artists with various needs, ranging from live performance reels to content creation to merch drops. Behind the project is Tonii, an artist herself who enjoys performing and creating music of her own. We asked some questions about how she operates and what she can offer musicians.
JC: Where did your roots in the music industry begin?
PR: I’ve been involved with music pretty much my entire life. I’m a classically trained singer, and I attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, for Vocal Education. I started out as a choir kid and switched to Art Administration with a Music emphasis, which is a fancy name for Music Industry, before they renamed the major. I studied under several amazing world-class musicians in the classical world, but I always had a flair for pop-punk and ska music, so in the environment I was in, I kind of had to curate my own path to that.
JC: How did porkr0ll initially start? What was the goal behind it? PR: I started POrkR0LL initially off of little videos I’d film and post on my IG stories. The purpose of POrkR0LL kind of developed itself. Every musician knows what it’s like to put their heart and soul on the line and play to an empty room. People tell you they support you, but showing up is a different story. I wanted people to know I see them, I am them, and I’ll give you the support I wish people would give me. However, my support extended past musicians. Every piece of what makes it possible for music to happen is the community aspect. The graphic designers, the photographers, the videographers, the press outlets, the audience, the producers, the merch masters, all of the above, my list can go on for days. POrkR0LL, as a whole, is built around the average music consumer, focusing on meeting the audience where they are and providing a window into the experience of attending a local show. The long-term goal is to turn passive listeners and creators into active participants in the music community.
JC: What does porkr0ll offer for independent artists?
PR: In a “simplify the fraction” kind of way, POrkR0LL provides support for everyone. All I ask is that you are a safe person for others to work with. I would hate to recommend a creator to an independent artist who would use them in unethical ways, and vice versa. I create content for artists: live performance reels, flyers, lyric videos, animations, EPKs, merch designs, and the list will probably grow as time goes on.
JC: What is the most valuable piece of advice that you would give to an upcoming artist?
PR: RESPECT EVERYONE WHO SHOWS UP AND BE GRATEFUL. Time and money are hard to come by in 2026. There are tons of eager young talented people dying to be involved in their local music scene, and respect anyone who gives you their time of day because no one has to.
Hold yourself to a professional standard, even if you’re performing in a basement to just the bands on the bill.
Be teachable, none of us know what we’re doing in the grand scheme of life; we just can’t, that's not how life works. People make mistakes; it’s important to learn, grow, and make amends, no matter what age you are.
Not every independent artist has money to offer to pay for some of the services they receive. I know I don’t, but I try to offer my skills in return, anything I can do to give back.
Finally, communication is key; if you can show up to that last-minute scheduled work meeting or hop onto a gig as an emergency fill-in, then you can communicate. If you choose not to, that’s on your own character, and you need to do better.
This is all a long-winded way of saying- treat people the way you’d want to be treated. Succeeding in life is not some big mystery; we were all taught the path to success as children. You can do anything you put your mind to, but don’t climb off the backs of others to get there. Treat those strangers who support you the way you’d want to be treated.
JC: We now live in a world where utilizing social media is the primary method for artists to gain exposure. What steps should a musician take to stand out from the crowd?
PR: Social Media is a soul-crushing phenomenon that’s plaguing our world. It’s just a platform for nosey people to be up in your business from the comfort of their own bathroom 😂
But it’s a powerful tool if you know how to use it right. You can reach people who share your interests in your dreams.
Branding is very important; brand recognition and integrity is what keep people coming back. You can have a million views on your post or video, but it doesn’t really mean as much if you don’t retain any of those viewers.
It’s my belief that as I grew up, society glorified a mostly unattainable lifestyle by elevating celebrities. The real attention grabber is authenticity and relatability. Which is why influencers are rising—but it’s only a matter of time before influencers reach celebrity status and the cycle of finding someone relatable starts again.
Be yourself. What gets your attention when you’re doomscrolling?
Don’t buy into those “How To Go Viral” schemes. Their target audience is reaching people who want to reach that unattainable lifestyle. Please build something meaningful in our world, oversaturated with junk. You will find that your “people patience” and consistency are a defining factor.
If you’ve ever looked at someone and thought, “Wow, they are trying WAY too hard to portray a certain image, I can’t even tell who they really are or what they stand for,” just know everyone else has too.
You don’t always need to sponsor something to get eyes on it. Remember what your demographic is—hashtags are cool, but they only categorize posts now.
Post often, but try not to spam.
Tag locations so you reach the feed of locals who can actually attend your event.
Share your friend’s work. Homies support homies, support your friends and colleagues the way you’d want to be supported.
Let’s Pythagorean theorem this:
I provide you A) a fun video of my band or pictures from a local photographer, + I raise you B) (I’ve got a show or a song) = You should C) (check it out)
Which circles back to question 4: if you want someone to give you the time of day, then respect them; if they comment or DM you, respond within reason. A DM not related to a job or a show every day is a bit too much. I reserve that energy for my personal friends, family, and work. However, I will always respond to someone if they reach out, maybe not right away, but within a reasonable time period.
JC: What are the most common mistakes that you find independent artists are making while trying to find success?
PR: I think it’s really just forgetting that how you treat other people matters, and everyone talks. People are the building blocks that make music possible: the people that make the music, the people that work the sound board, the people who take pictures and videos, the people that mosh, or the ones that just listen, even your bartender. How you treat other people matters, and if your closest supporters walk away from you, there’s probably a reason why. You need those supporters, sure, you can gain new ones, but you’re just as replaceable as the people you replaced.
JC: Do you have any big plans for the future?
PR: Survive, take care of myself, take care of others, and take care of the things I love, like the music scene. I’m a little thrown between an unplanned return to live performances with my own music, but another POrkR0LL show will be in the works soon, hopefully bigger than the first. In the meantime, I’m here helping my friends in the scene promote their shows and take care of their mental health. My DMs are full of people experiencing the same self-doubt and being torn because of the lack of support from people they considered friends. Right now, I’m just taking the time to remind them that their feelings are valid. If I can come out and support you, I absolutely will, but I’m just one girl who has her own life struggles. That doesn’t mean I’ll be any less supportive or present, though. If I can’t make it out to your show, I try to make a point to like, share, and engage with your posts.
JC: How do you suggest an artist should remain authentic even while following recent trends in media?
PR: When you’re trying to be someone or something you’re not just following a trend, you exhaust yourself more than you would if you just did what comes naturally to you. I don’t recommend following trends; you’ll get buried in the noise. To stand out from a crowd, you have to be different; that being said, if you really like a trend, do what you want; who am I to tell you what to do? Statistically, though if you jump on a trend early enough, you won’t get as buried in the noise of others doing the same thing.
JC: What are the top 5 best types of social media content for independent artists to be creating right now?
PR: SHORT reels, carousel photo posts, engaging text posts, sharing posts from people who are posting your music, and lastly, stay the hell away from AI. It’s insanely obvious that if a creator uses AI, it lacks everything you need to do to stand out. AI-generated captions and art are so obvious. If you can’t be original right now, take some time away from posting junk that just adds to the noise and think of a way you can be original and true to yourself. There's a ton of low-effort content that blows up simply because it’s relatable.
If you're not capable of paying full price for content created by humans right now, there are plenty of people willing to do things at discounted rates or completely free. Just reach out and explain your situation. It’s better than taking away jobs from creators. Grassroots musicians don’t support AI music; they shouldn’t support AI promotional materials either.
Keep up with POrkR0LL here!
