Will Paquin’s “Chandelier” is a 1% Record Deal

After uploading a guitar riff to TikTok, Boston University senior Will Paquin turned it into his debut single, “Chandelier,” a self-destructive love song full of gnashing, keening playing. Now, it’s his first official release and it has earned more than 32 million streams on Spotify. But the lion’s share of that income is going to the guitarist, not the label. That’s because he signed with Sonder House, a record company that takes a 1% cut of its artists’ income instead of a standard 80%.

Paquin, who is studying advertising at Boston University, says the 1% deal has been tougher than signing with a major. But he’s also convinced it’s the way to go for young musicians who want control over their careers.

He describes being hounded by labels through December, to the point that he wore a suit to a finals week presentation in his business class at school and forgot to silence his phone; one A&R rep called him four times. Eventually, Paquin told them to stop calling and to let him concentrate on finishing his degree. He’s now working on an MBA while also pursuing his musical career.