Wyoming’s Ian Munsick Releases 4th Album — And First Under His Own Record Label

LARAMIE — Time was when leaving a record company was like jumping off a cliff into a chasm of obscurity.

But times have changed in the music business. Thanks to the digital age, today’s artists have more choices than ever for bringing their music to the wider world — and a record deal with a major isn’t always the best option.

Ian Munsick came to that conclusion last year, and announced he was going independent. Even though he still owed two more albums according to his contract, Warner let Munsick leave. 

The move wasn’t a step back from the industry, though, as it might have initially appeared. It was actually a power move aimed at gaining more creative freedom and control of his own destiny. 

The power of Munsick’s gambit was on full display in Laramie on Aug. 23 when the Sheridan native briefly took over the Cowboy Saloon to promote his first independent album, "The Mountain Goat." 

Munsick played three songs to a packed house of cheering fans who were clamoring for more at the end, begging for an encore.

Cowboy State Daily caught up with Munsick after the performance — just before the artist headed off to perform at Red Rocks outside of Denver with fellow independent Wyoming artist Ned LeDoux, who is himself having a standout year.

“Red Rocks is the perfect spot for my music, and being able to bring Ned is going to be really special, too,” Munsick said. “Just the respect that we have for one another, and carrying the torch of Wyoming. That is pretty cool.”

Munsick said he’s already seeing great signs of success with his new approach to “bringing the West to the Rest,” the self-proclaimed mission for his music.

The Mountain Goat, for example, had more pre-orders than any previous album. 

“And we have a song called ‘Love is Blind,’ which is the highest charting tune I’ve ever had on country radio already,” Munsick said. “So we’ve only been in partnership for about half a year and we’ve already accomplished more than I was ever able to do with a major label.”

An Independent Start

One of the tunes Munsick played at the Cowboy Saloon was “Horses Are Faster,” from his self-titled debut in 2017. 

That was both written and produced in his parents’ basement on their ranch in Sheridan when Munsick was 19. He released it online and it earned RIAA Gold certification without any corporate radio push. 

Its success was built purely by word-of-mouth and fan streaming. 

The song remains one of his most popular and has racked up nearly 90 million streams on Spotify alone. The song has been so foundational to Munsick’s identity that he named his 18-city 2025 tour the Horses Are Faster Tour. 

The song also got him noticed by Warner Music Nashville, bringing him a record deal in 2020. 

“Being able to have that kind of power behind me was really great,” Munsick said. “But the further and further we got down the line the more we realized that it’s not always the bigger companies that can do the most work for you. And they’re a great company, there’s no hard feelings.”

But what Munsick learned is that a big label with lots of artists can mean feeling lost in the shuffle. And, despite all the power behind the label, one of his main goals remained elusive. He simply wasn’t hearing his music on the radio. 

That was essential to his mission of bringing the West to the Rest.

“My wife, Caroline, and I realized toward the end of our deal we had never had any kind of radio at all,” Munsick said. “And that was kind of the main purpose of us having a record deal was to get on the radio.”

Not Starting From Scratch

Going independent felt scary at first, Munsick said. 

But then he thought back to his roots. “Horses Are Faster” was written when he was independent, and that hadn’t held it back at all. It was how he’d gotten his start.

This time, though, he wouldn’t be doing it all from scratch. He’d be leaving Warner with more than 1 billion global streams for his work, and lots of name recognition, along with gold certifications for “Long Haul” and his Cody Johnson duet “Long Live Cowgirls.”

That helped him realize that he could come back to the Rocky Mountains and do his own thing and still have a great life. Regardless of anything else, the No. 1 mission, making authentic Western music would continue. 

Another perk to going independent helped clinch the deal. He and Caroline would be able to keep more money from their side hustles, including the new restaurant they are opening in Deadwood this year and their new clothing line with Schaefer Outfitter. 

Although Munsick was prepared to go it alone for the long haul, he actually didn’t have to wait for long for a new partner to come knocking. 

Not long after going independent, Munsick put out a full-length version of the introduction to previous album "Eagle Feather," called “Prairie Lament.” He soon heard from Triple Tigers, which offered him a different record deal than the one he’d had with Warner.

“They’re a very small independent label,” Munsick said. “They really wanted to partner with our label that Caroline and I started, and we realized very quickly that they are the lean and mean team that we really needed. So, it’s been great.”

Getting Back To Wyoming Roots

Playing at the Cowboy Saloon was a full-circle moment for Munsick for one other important reason. It’s the place where he got his own start as an independent artist.

“The first time I played here was in my brother’s band,” he said. “Shoot, I probably wasn’t even 21 years old yet.”

Then, in 2017, not long after releasing “Horses Are Faster,” Munsick played with his own band.

“This place really gave me the courage and the confidence to pursue my own artistry,” he said. "Because there were 800 people out there who just knew every word to my songs.”

That made Munsick feel as if he had a chance at a music career.

“So there’s a lot of special, special nostalgia that comes with playing at this bar,” Munsick said.

On that Sunday night in Laramie looking out at the jam-packed saloon full of cheering fans begging him for an encore was one of those moments for Munsick. 

“I was like, ‘Man, I was here 15 years ago playing with my two brothers,’” he said. "And then I came back and just played me, and it was probably the only club that I could really have 800 people at. Ten years later, coming back here, and experiencing that all over again while still being able to go out of the state and play music … it’s like, ‘Man, we’ve come a long way. But I will never forget where I come from.’”

Wyoming, Munsick added, will always be the thread running through all of his music. He and his wife have even bought property in Sheridan, so they can stay closer to home.

“Just being close to where my parents are and my brothers are, it always helps me to put my feet on the ground in Wyoming,” he said. “Having that escape in Wyoming reminds me why I make music in the first place. It’s really special.”

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.