January, 2008


21
Jan 08

Own Your Own Online Music Business – Start An Independent Record Label

divaIf you have a desire to own your own online music business, one of the best ways to become profitable quickly and for very little cost, is to start your own independent record label.

I’ve come to the realization, after several years of working in the music industry that a lot of unnecessary money, time and effort are spent by people trying to make it in the business, only to find themselves at dead end after dead end. Hey, I’m not here to discount anyone’s success or burst anyones bubble, but I’d be lying if I said that I don’t just cringe at the thought of so many aspiring music entrepreneurs thinking that if they could just get that business loan or line of credit to build their studio, or if they could just send another resume to that major label, that they’ll get that big break they’ve been dreaming of.

Reality Check

There are people inside the big label industry who refer to their work as “Entertainment Slavery,” and from what I’ve seen (which just so happens to be TOO MUCH), I can’t think of a more accurate description for what goes on behind the scenes of this cut-throat business. With the emergence of digital downloading and online music purchasing, you can own your own online music business using various un-tapped online marketing and networking resources, and be up and running very quickly ,on any budget!

REAL People Are Generating Incredible Profits Using This Strategy

Start Continue reading →


21
Jan 08

5 Ways To Make Money Fast With Your Rap Instrumental Beats

eve
If you’re a Rap/Hip-Hop beat producer hoping to sell your beats for a living, the most important skill that you can develop, is the ability to create consistent demand for your product. While technical music skills and a general knowledge of the Rap/Hip-Hop industry are necessary and must not be overlooked, neither of these abilities will generate a consistent income for you, if you don’t know how to create a “buzz” or a “name” for yourself. Below are 5 effective ways to go about generating demand and ultimately, dollars, for your rap instrumental beats.

1. Get familiar with your local music scene. Unless you’ve already generated relationships with some of the bigger named artists in the rap industry, it would do you little to no good at this point to simply drop a sampler disk in the mail addressed to a major label or artist. This business is all about relationships and who you know, therefore, you need to get to know artists who have money and are accessible to you right away.

Go to local rap shows/concerts and network with the artists and promoters at these venues (simply reading the entertainment portion of your local newspaper will list upcoming hip-hop shows in your area). Introduce yourself and what you do, and leave them with a sampler disk. Make sure the disk is neatly labeled and includes your name, email, and phone number so that you can be easily reached. Continue reading →


21
Jan 08

The Green Side Of White R & B

black milk
What’s the deal with so many white music artists singing black music? Why do white artists who sing black music get better promotion than black artists? Why is R&B music now synonymous with Hip-Hop?

These are some of the hot topics that often come up in private conversations with my industry associates and colleagues. I will attempt to shed some much needed light on these delicate, sensitive and somewhat controversial issues.

To really understand the phenomenon of white music artists singing R&B, you should begin with an examination of the motivation and purpose behind the establishment of black music divisions at record companies in the 60s. While the success of Motown as a black owned operation has been well-documented and highly publicized, many of the competing record labels of that time lacked the personnel to adequately exploit the abundance of musically talented black teens.

White owned record companies shrewdly appointed black music executives who were more in tune and in touch with black music (and the black artists that created and performed it), to help interface with them. This was, after all, a time when race relations were tentative and strained.

Many record companies and radio stations took note of the increasing popularity of R&B music among white teenagers and attempted to preserve racial barriers by denying them access to it. Their denial constituted a potential economic problem since the music industry (like most industries) thrives on supply and demand. Their solution: provide their darling teenaged kids with a “white” alternative; someone who “sounded” black and performed “black” music, a la Elvis Presley, whose popularity was soaring. It wasn’t uncommon for records in that era often to have two different versions – a white version and a black version – which was serviced to the appropriate audience.

In the 70′s, the push toward equality and peace gave birth to a more gregarious and unified music industry. Top bands like Sly & The Family Stone, Tower of Power, Earth Wind & Fire, and The Commodores emerged and enjoyed success throughout the 70s, but many lacked crossover appeal and forced black music executives to search for other viable options in order to save their jobs. One option was Disco – the hot novelty genre.

Disco was more than a new genre; it was a cultural release from the lingering social anxieties and racial tensions of the 60s and emerged as the dominant format because of its mass market appeal and universal acceptance. The music industry eventually sobered up from the lecherous activities and rampant drug abuse of the disco era in 1979, just in time to endure the worst financial year of its existence.

With slumping record sales and a gluttony of music acts that were signed to perform disco songs, the R&B music community returned to its soulful roots and searched desperately for an answer to rectify the problems that plagued it. The answer wasn’t written on the wall, but it was found in the album “Off The Wall” by Michael Jackson, which helped to transition successful R&B music back into a more “Pop-friendly” format that was comparable to R&B in its last heyday of the Motown era.

While Michael captured the hearts and imaginations of white America with his unhuman dance moves, there were plenty of black music pioneers upholding the funky values and virtues of black music as we we marched into the techno era of the 80′s. R&B music seemed to undergo a much needed resurgence.

The R&B bands of the 70s started to downsize in personnel as more emphasis was being placed on solo acts (a la Michael Jackson) and vocal groups. For the R&B music artist, the advent of technology superseded the need to be backed up by a band, ushering in the producer era which R&B music is heavily predicated on today. Continue reading →


21
Jan 08

Hip-Hop’s Influence on Brands

Baby phat
It has been 35 years since its founding and hip-hop continues to thrive in urban America. Once a block party fad that started in the Bronx, New York, hip-hop is now a $4 billion-a-year-music industry that spans the globe. Although it has always been the voice of inner city youth and young adults, hip-hop has evolved to include the 25 to 34 year-old demographic segment. Proving its staying power, for the past five years hip-hop remains the top-selling genre over country music and is second only to rock music. Formerly known as rap, hip-hop is a moving cultural force that first garnered the attention of corporate America in the early 90’s. When hip-hop made its debut into mainstream, corporate heads began to turn. Enterprising brand managers embraced the culture and soon realized substantial results.

In an effort to be a hip drink of choice, Coca-Cola’s Sprite brand began using rap music in commercial ads in 1994. Sprite Brand manager, Pina Sciarra affirmed that Sprite’s appeal as a favorite soda quadrupled as a result of the ads. Taking notice of Coke’s commercial success, Burger King and several restaurant chains followed suit with similar advertising approaches. By bringing the edgy styles of favorite rappers to specialty stores, the fashion industry became a key contributor to hip-hop’s brand influence. Department store retailers such as Macy’s took notice and filled their racks with the likes of FUBU, Phat Farm, Mecca, ENYCE, G-Unit, and Apple Bottoms.

Traditional designers even realized revenue potential in the hip-hop market. In 1999, Tommy Hilfiger reported a significant increase in annual sales after tailoring his line for “the hip-hop set.” Sportswear giant, Nike expanded its celebrity-advertising list to include hip-hop artist, Nelly. In 2003, Nike released 1,000 pairs of the rapper’s $120 limited edition Air Derrty sneaker. Continue reading →


21
Jan 08

What Is Hip Hop – Hip Hop Culture, Clothing, Jewelry And Music

Hip hop as defined by The American Heritage College Dictionary is “The popular culture of big city and especially inner city youth, characterized by graffiti art, break dancing, and rap music-of or relating to this culture.”

Today, most people characterize hip hop as simply rap music. They do not truly understand the history and the current influence hip-hop has on the whole youth culture. You see rap music is just one element of hip hop.

True hip hop isn’t just about music; it’s a culture, a way of life, a language, a fashion, a set of values, and a unique perspective. Hip hop is an economy; it’s the ability to take the inner-city negative cash flow system of hustling, pushing, pimping, and banging, and turn it into a multi-million, or possibly even billion dollar business.

So hip hop then is about dance, art, expression, pain, love, racism, sexism, broken families, hard times, and overcoming adversity. It’s about trying to live out the American dream from the bottom up. It’s about trying to make something out of nothing; about the youth culture of New York City and other urban cities taking over the world. Continue reading →