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Des Moines is no stranger to entertainment. The city hosts several concerts by big named artists and bands from around the country. The one thing people don’t seem to recognize is the local music culture in Des Moines, Iowa.

Daniel Luckett, also known as Entre Luche, is a local singer who has grown up in the Des Moines area.

Luckett has been working his way around Des Moines with his music for the past 2 years. His career in Des Moines has been rough due to the poor local music industry.

“It’s tough because in Des Moines we have a lot of artists, but we don’t have a music industry. It’s hard trying to market yourself without one,” Luckett said.

In Des Moines, there are small record labels that sign local talent. The small labels are not well known, leaving artists completely unaware of them.

In order to spread his music, Luckett performs at local venues such as Wooly’s, Kum and Go theatre and Lefty’s Live Music. Luckett also turns to social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram, as well as streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple music

“My target audience is anyone from the ages of 16 to 33. My music is relatable to that audience because I sing about love, depression, suicide, hard times and personal experiences,” Luckett said.

Luckett plans to continue his music in Des Moines with a business minded approach. He wants to learn more about how he can promote his music and perform business deals with record labels.

Though Luckett hasn’t found much success in Des Moines, a local band named LAV.ISH did.

LAV.ISH resides in the West Des Moines area. Members of the band are Carl Lane III, Brandon Herman, Logan Blosser, Nim Kaufman, Tyler Hendershot, Lucas Brandt, Zach Schnoebelen, and Jared Neal. Each member of the band contributes an element to the group including rapping, singing and instrumental talents. The band was created by separate talents coming together to pursue a bigger goal. The band’s current manager, Zach Schnoebelen, conceived the idea.

LAV.ISH created an album without a record label. The album, “With a Dot in the middle,” was created over the span of a year. The album was recorded and produced by the LAV.ISH in their own recording studio.

Since releasing the album, the band has performed at numerous venues and festivals throughout the year.

“We have played seven shows all together. We played at Wooly’s, Vaudeville Mews, and at the G14 Music Festival,” Brandt said.

Though the band has had success in the Des Moines area, most of their success has been online.

“Spotify is our favorite thing to use, we are able to see stats and the attraction our music brings in. Our song, “Pass it around,” has been reposted on the “Global Viral 50” playlist for multiple weeks,” Brandt said.

The group loves the city of Des Moines but they plan on eventually moving to a new city.

“The Des Moines music scene has grown quite a bit,” Brandt said. “We’ve seen it grow from living here for a long time and more venues are popping up to play at.”

The Des Moines music scene is still developing and has much further to go, but local singers and bands still strive for their dreams in the area. Venues continue to grow, but the lack of a strong music industry is a major setback for local artists. The strong, rich music culture in Des Moines is not something to go unnoticed.