The Numbers Don't Lie: Zanna Records the independent Record Label to achieve global recognition
- lu1147
- Jan 15
- 6 min read
By Gianluca Zanna | January 13, 2026
I still remember the exact moment. The confident smirk. The dismissive wave of the hand. "You need a major label to make it in this business, Gianluca. Without their machine behind you, you're just another dreamer."
That was years ago. Today, I'm looking at numbers that would make any A&R executive take notice—and every single stream, view, and play happened without a major label contract.
The Latest Breakthrough
This morning, I checked the analytics that have become my daily ritual. My heart rate still quickens when I see these numbers climb:
"Wake Up America" has officially surpassed 16 million views on TikTok. Sixteen. Million. A song I wrote, produced, and released completely independently has reached more people than live in many countries.
But that's not all.
Our YouTube Music monthly audience exploded from 530,000 to over 630,000 in just two weeks. That's 100,000 new listeners discovering our music every fourteen days. No radio promotion budget. No playlist payola. Just organic growth driven by people who connected with the music and shared it.
The Journey Nobody Sees
What the streaming numbers don't show is the path that led here. They don't capture the fifteen months I spent living on Rome's streets, performing as a Roman gladiator while teaching myself English. They don't reflect the countless nights in my home studio, perfecting mixes until 4 AM. They don't account for the hundreds of "no's" I received before the first "yes."
When I immigrated to America in 1998 at age 30, I had no music industry connections. Zero. I wasn't someone's nephew or a former child star. I was an Italian immigrant with a thick accent, a dream, and an unshakeable belief that great music would find its audience.
The conventional path said: Get signed. Let the label handle everything. Sacrifice creative control for distribution power.
I chose a different route. I built Zanna Records from nothing—one song, one fan, one genuine connection at a time.
When the World Started Paying Attention
The media features started as a trickle, then became a flood:
Rolling Stone. Both the US and UK editions. Publications I'd read as a young man in Italy, dreaming of what seemed impossible.
Forbes Magazine. The business world recognizing that independent artists are legitimate entrepreneurs, not just hobbyists.
Entrepreneur UK. Validation that what we're building is bigger than music—it's a blueprint for creative independence.
Billboard Italia. Coming soon. A homecoming of sorts, proving to the country I left that the dream was worth chasing.
And just last week? PIX 11 News in New York came to document our story. The segment airs this week, bringing our journey to one of America's largest media markets. From Rome's streets to New York television—the arc of that story still amazes me.
The Song That Changed Everything
"You Are My Destiny" featuring Dr. Claudette Renee Lyons has become more than a song—it's become our calling card to the world. Radio stations in over 39 countries have added it to their playlists. From Australia to Argentina, from Japan to Germany, people are hearing our music.
Claudette isn't just the voice on these tracks. She's my creative partner, my fellow believer when the path seemed impossible. When I shared my vision for what Zanna Records could become—an independent label that competed at the highest level without compromising artistic integrity—she didn't just support the dream. She rolled up her sleeves and helped build it.
Our duo "Luca & Claudette" represents everything I believe about music: authentic collaboration, genuine emotion, and the refusal to let industry gatekeepers define what's possible.
What "Independent" Really Means
Let me be clear about something: choosing the independent path isn't the easy route. It's not for everyone, and I respect artists who sign major label deals. But for me, independence meant something sacred.
It meant owning my masters. Every note, every lyric, every arrangement—they belong to me and my collaborators. When "You Are My Destiny" plays in 39 countries, we see the benefits of that work directly.
It meant creative control. Nobody tells me to "make it more commercial" or "sound like what's trending." The music that's reaching millions is the music we wanted to make, exactly as we wanted to make it.
It meant building something lasting. Zanna Records isn't just a vanity imprint under someone else's umbrella. It's a real independent label with over 150 original singles spanning multiple genres. It's infrastructure I can use to help other artists who share this vision.
The Metrics That Matter
Beyond the 16 million TikTok views and the exploding YouTube audience, Songstats shows the full picture of what we've built:
• 12.1 million total streams across platforms
• 3.58 million playlist reach on Spotify
• over 5000 radio plays and growing daily (even in Antarctica they are playing our songs)
• 18 million total views across all video content
These aren't vanity metrics. Each number represents a real person who chose to spend their time with our music. Someone in Tokyo listening during their morning commute. A couple in Brazil playing "You Are My Destiny" at their wedding. A fitness instructor in London adding "Wake Up America" to their high-energy playlist.
What They Don't Tell You
Here's what the major labels don't want you to know: the barrier to entry has never been lower, but the barrier to success has never been higher. Technology has democratized production and distribution—anyone can release music now. But cutting through the noise? That requires something no label can manufacture: authenticity, work ethic, and genuine connection with your audience.
I don't sleep much. Ask anyone who knows me. I'm checking analytics, responding to fans, pitching to radio stations, planning the next release, optimizing metadata, studying what's working, adjusting what's not. The major label artists have entire teams doing this. Independent artists? We are the team.
But you know what they can't replicate? The direct relationship I have with fans. When someone comments on our music, I often respond personally. When a playlist curator adds our song, I thank them directly. When a radio station in a country I've never visited plays our track, I reach out and build that relationship.
This intimacy, this authenticity—it's our competitive advantage.
Looking Forward
We're preparing for something special: a hard rock project called "Live with No Regrets" recording in Los Angeles this March 2026. We're planning to live-stream the entire analog recording session, bringing fans directly into the creative process. It's ambitious, maybe crazy—but that's exactly why we're doing it.
The Celtic reimagining of "You Are My Destiny" as "You Are My Destiny - Irish Love Instrumental" is a love letter to Claudette's Irish heritage, blending traditional instrumentation with modern production. It's the kind of artistic risk major labels avoid but independent artists can embrace.
And "State of Mind Matrix," filmed in Las Vegas? That's us continuing to push visual storytelling boundaries on an independent budget.
A Message to Dreamers
If you're reading this and you have a dream that seems impossible—whether in music or any other field—I want you to hear this clearly:
They will tell you that you need permission. You don't.
They will tell you that you need connections. What you need is work ethic.
They will tell you that the odds are against you. The odds are always against people who dare to dream big.
When I was sleeping on Rome's streets, learning English by talking to tourists, I didn't have a backup plan. When I immigrated to America with no industry contacts, I didn't have safety net. When I started Zanna Records in a small home studio, I didn't have investment capital.
What I had was belief. In myself. In the music. In the idea that great work finds its audience.
The numbers prove it: 16 million views, 630,000 monthly listeners, 39 countries, major media features—all without a major label.
Thank You
To everyone who has streamed, shared, commented, or simply believed in what we're building—thank you. You are the reason these numbers exist. You are proof that independent music can compete at the highest level.
To Claudette—none of this happens without you. Your talent, your belief, your partnership. We're just getting started.
To every artist who was told they need permission to chase their dream—you don't. You need great work and the courage to bet on yourself.
This is just the beginning.
Stay tuned. The best is yet to come.
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🎵 Explore Our Music:
Follow the Journey: YouTube Music | Spotify | TikTok | Instagram
Gianluca Zanna is an Italian-American music producer, CEO of Zanna Records, and one half of the EDM duo "Luca & Claudette." His music has been featured in Rolling Stone, Forbes, Billboard, and has reached audiences in over 39 countries worldwide.
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