Shoutout Colorado’s interview focuses on Waduda’s strength as female CEO and co-founder of New Earth Records. Published March 22, 2022.
We had the good fortune of connecting with Waduda Paradiso and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Waduda, what inspires you?
Children are my greatest teachers because if you observe them at play, you will see all of the secret ingredients for success: being present, driven by wonder and curiosity, being open to learning new things, playing together with friends, each one bringing his or her own talent to reach a common goal, sharing their discoveries, asking for help if needed, and not being afraid of setbacks. What we call setbacks are just stepping stones, and children use them to change their direction and to find creative solutions to reach their goal. But most importantly, they enjoy the journey instead of focusing only on the destination. The younger they are, the more you can observe how they access their own knowing without any preconceived notions from society. In playing and learning together with others, they recognize each other’s strengths and automatically give each other space to develop the tools they’ll need for success when they strike out on their own. All of the lessons we need in life are all around us in Nature, children, animals, the stars, and in people, we only have to open our eyes and observe.
What should our readers know about your business?
My partner and I are the founders of New Earth Records, an independent digital music provider featuring music designed to accompany meditation, yoga, relaxation, and the healing arts. When we started our business in Munich, Germany in 1990, we had been traveling extensively for years, experiencing diverse cultures and forming deep connections with kindred spirits from many different backgrounds. Music was always a universal language that transcended boundaries between us. Particularly in the East we witnessed music being used for meditation and spiritual enrichment, which was almost unheard of in the West at that time. We felt called to integrate these two important aspects of our lives, music and meditation, and build a family of artists who share our vision for a healthier and more balanced planet.
One of these artists (and one of our oldest friends) is Georg Deuter, pioneer of the New Age Music genre in the West for more than 40 years. Deuter’s repertoire of over 50 albums continues to reach tens of millions of listeners across 92 countries every year, accumulating over 1.6 billion lifetime streams on Pandora alone.
New Earth’s albums have won numerous awards & critical acclaim over the years, including a Grammy nomination for the Gyuto Monks of Tibet, a collaborative album with Tina Turner, and an exclusive performance at Paul McCartney’s wedding. We have worked with numerous artists over the years including Parijat, Kamal, Terry Oldfield, Peter Kater, Chinmaya Dunster, Dechen Shak-Dagsay, and many others. The connections we’ve formed on our journey have always been rooted in mutual respect, inspiration, and care, building a strong network that has stood the test of time.
From the start, everything flowed naturally as our path took us from tapes to CDs to our current fully digital streaming setup.
One of the main teachings of the Chinese sage Chuang-tzu is “easy is right and right is easy”. This has always been our guiding light. Every time we meet a challenge, we remember this teaching and shift our direction.
Personally, one of the most important insights I had early on in life is to be motivated by love in everything that I do. There are two main forces that drive our choices in life and in work: love and fear. It’s important to understand where each one brings you. What I have realized time and again is that one of the most impactful qualities needed for success is to simply love what you do. Following this philosophy gives you a simple method to notice your true motivations. If your motivations are not in alignment with a higher purpose, you will not be successful overall. Perhaps you might be rich, but not fulfilled.
My partner and I created New Earth Records with the intention to share something deeply important to us with the planet and its people. Regardless of any material success, the fulfillment of this intention is the crowning achievement of our lives.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Children are my greatest teachers, but I’ve been inspired by visionary individuals in many different fields all over the world.
In challenging times like these, we are reminded of all that we have to be grateful for. We owe our success not only to our artists and team members, but also to all of those who work in distribution, production, design, technology, and too many other fields to list. It takes a massive group effort to put this music out into the world. We’d especially like to thank all the people who continue to listen to our music who have become an integral part of our lives and a continuous source of inspiration.
Website: www.newearthrecords.com
Instagram: instagram.com/newearthrecords
Facebook: facebook.com/newearthrecords
Youtube: youtube.com/newearthrecords
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