On the surface you might think Quiet Life Co are just a label with a roster of musicians, organising live performances for them, but they are more than that. Besides helping their independent artists reach their full potential, being involved in the production, publishing and management, they put a lot of emphasis on community and education. I got introduced to Quiet Life earlier this year when a friend posted on their story that they were hosting something called Quiet Fridays.

I was intrigued and decided to go to one, run by their co-founder Danilo Queiros. I came to find that this was a space for providing valuable education and somewhere you can find like-minded people, whether you’re a musician or you just want to be involved in the music industry in other capacities.

Danilo carved a unique path for himself that helped to shape his approach to the music industry. Having graduated with a degree in Mechatronics Engineering from UCT, his love for music proved greater, which led him down the music industry road.

Starting off as a presenter on UCT radio while at university and being a promoter for City Bowl Sessions, in 2019 he ended up leading Platoon’s digital operations for three years handling their African roster from artists like Amaarae, A-Reece, Adekunle Gold, Ayra Starr, Sun-EL Musician, Msaki, Samthing Soweto just to name a few.

In 2023, he decided to give music entrepreneurship another go (previously being a founder of Kudukudu Records) with Quiet Life Co. On top of Quiet Fridays, they have created spaces like Quiet Academy, which offers music business masterclasses for those who would like to get a better understanding of the business side of the music industry. It would also be remiss not to mention their podcast series, Quiet Conversations hosted by Zethu Gqola, where she has sit-down conversations with musicians in the industry helping give insight to those who potentially would like to pursue a music career. Another aspect to them is Quiet Live, where they put on live performances and showcases for musicians they have on their roster helping to expand their artistry beyond just studio time.

I actually wanted to do a piece on them earlier in the year, but some things have their own timing. I say this because they’ve recently announced applications for their two accelerator programs, one for artists and one for those who’d like to intern and learn about the music industry. Their ethos, I feel, is perfectly explained in Danilo’s piece on the Let’s Get Local page, touching on Cape Town’s shortcomings from a music industry standpoint.

Shout out to Quiet Life Co and the work they’re doing not just for the Cape Town industry, but showing that labels don’t always have to be about maximising profit from an artist, and they can be helpful in the spreading of knowledge to others.