When Chase Stallings dropped his EP in 2020, the analytics looked promising. The music was moving.
But then, like so many struggles of being an independent artist, there were times when the gigs went quiet.
“Myself and a lot of my artist friends and musicians we just kind of waited by the phone, hoping that somebody would call us for a gig or a project,” said Stallings, owner and CEO of CSP Music Group. “A lot of times when the phone is ringing, everything’s all good. But when the phone stops ringing, then it’s like, oh no.”
That silence became a turning point. Rather than keep waiting, the Detroit-raised, Houston-based artist, musician, and producer made a decision that would reshape his career and create something far bigger than himself.
The result is The Indie Sessions, a curated live music platform designed to economically empower independent artists who are long on talent but short on opportunity. The showcase delivers professional marketing, high-quality photo and video content, live performance footage, direct audience access, and critically, direct compensation through ticket revenue.
Stallings relocated to Houston in 2007, arriving just in time for Hurricane Ike, which served as his introduction to the city. A child of the church and the musical heritage of Detroit, the city of Motown, he quickly discovered that Houston’s creative scene operated by its own code.
“Y’all have Chop and Screw and all that stuff. I was like, what is that?” he said with a laugh. “But when you have music in you, it’ll find its way to guide you through.”
As he matured into Houston’s independent music landscape, Stallings observed a persistent pattern. The scene, he found, tends to reward the already-known.
“It’s kind of cliquish,” said Reno The Artist, a Houston native who knows that reality firsthand. “They go to the people whom they already know. It’s not really an open thing for people to come and share their talent.”
Reno is not a newcomer to the industry. He attended a music high school, graduated from Berklee College of Music, and once performed for Grammy-winning artist Jill Scott. Yet even with that pedigree, he had quietly stepped back from performing until Stallings called.
“Chase gave me that extra drive,” Reno said. “It brought back that jolt, performing at Berklee, performing for Jill Scott. It brought back a lot of good memories.”
That reignition is exactly what Stallings designed The Indie Sessions to produce. The first installment took place in May 2025, bringing together a circle of independent artists, including Chazzy R. Rhee, J. Monet, D. Love, Reno the Artist, and Janiah Britton, on a stage backed by live musicians in front of a room full of people hungry for something real. It sold out.
The experience moved Reno so profoundly that for the second installment on March 29, he will not be performing. He will be hosting, stepping into a new role to give other emerging artists the same spotlight the platform gave him.
“I’m going to give other people a chance to get their music out,” he said. “You heard me last year. Let’s give somebody else that chance.”
That spirit of paying it forward mirrors Stallings’ founding vision precisely. He is deliberate about what The Indie Sessions is not a nonprofit, a charity, or a handout. This is a business. A self-funded ecosystem where ticket sales first cover production costs, then flow directly to the artists and musicians on stage.
“Anything that you put your money into, you’ll make sure that it’s done with excellence,” Stallings said. “My mother and father instilled in me that anything you put your name on, you make sure that it’s done well.”
Stallings hosts all rehearsals at his own studio, remaining hands-on through every phase of preparation. He is opening the platform to artist submissions, though space is intentionally limited to five or six performers per showcase.
“I’m fully invested,” Stalling said. “Not only monetarily, but even in the work and the process, because I believe in it that much.”
Chase Stallings
“I’m fully invested,” Stalling said. “Not only monetarily, but even in the work and the process, because I believe in it that much.”
The second Indie Sessions takes place on Sunday, March 29, in Downtown Houston. Stallings is already thinking well beyond city limits, with plans to expand the model nationally and carry the platform’s mission into markets across all 50 states.
“You always want to leave a mark on the world,” he said. “I want to provide an opportunity to somebody that they probably wouldn’t have had if I didn’t do it.
