Eleven Outta Ten was founded by Nic van Graan, an independent musician and producer originally from Cape Town, South Africa, now based in Amsterdam.

After years of releasing music independently, Nic saw a consistent problem: talented artists and small labels were failing to reach an audience not because the music wasn’t good, but because they lacked clarity around marketing. The tools existed — paid ads, platforms, data, systems — but most artists either didn’t know about them or didn’t know how to use them properly.

Eleven Outta Ten was launched in 2025 as a response to that gap. The business exists to help independent artists and labels understand and apply effective, modern music marketing techniques without compromising artistic integrity.

Nic comes from a creative family but took a less conventional route through business school, combining creative instinct with structured, strategic thinking. 

He has lived and worked in Cape Town, Vietnam, Berlin, and now Amsterdam — experiences that shape Eleven Outta Ten’s global, artist-first perspective.

Today, Eleven Outta Ten operates as both a marketing agency and an educational platform, focused on helping independent musicians grow sustainable audiences, make better release decisions, and take control of their careers.