Thursday, October 30
OBAMA GOOD FOR THE BIZ??
What you missed
Hopefully some of you didn't miss history being made, but if you did don't fret we got you! I do Music: My band rocks was an initial success! We want to thank everyone who came out and supported the bands. We also want to thank the bands themselves,as they all rocked the house last Friday (Oct,24). Be sure to check the visuals @ idomusiconline.com
Wednesday, October 29
Utilize Merchandise
Friday, October 24
Events: Its Going Down!!!
Lets Go!
Thursday, October 23
Still Grinding!
What's up folks? I really hope you all are making the steps towards you goals because your competitors defently are! I went out the other night (Which I rarely do) and decided to check out a concert, when I ran into Percee P. Now all my hip-hop heads may know this guy, I mean he has been in the game since 1981!...No lie! Not only that but he is also signed with the popular indie lable Stonesthrow (JDilla,Madlib,MF Doom, and others). I respect this guy because he is out there werking it! He is signed to a indie label, but I actually saw this man go through the crowd selling his own CD's to the people. Now we all may frown upon the hustler, but you have to respect a person who is signed and has fans....WORLDWIDE, but also decides to get in touch with his fans by selling his own product after the show. Sure, this isn't the only way to get to your fans, but this is just a way to show you that the process never stops! Even if you got to your goal you have to take the necessary steps to remain at the top.
Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead
- "I Don't Know" (if you don't know figure it out or ask someone don't sit there after a day and still don't know)
- Don't Be Afraid to Make Some Money (Money is time and time is money)
- Don't Be Afraid to Ask (if you don't ask you never will know the answer)
- Get it in writing (contracts)
- Above All Else – LISTEN (Please!)
Tuesday, October 21
Global Grind
Monday, October 20
To be thyself or to be sheep
All over the industry I observe. As I observe I fail to understand why indie artist in particular go with the flow of the game. Sure we have heads like Kayne West and Andre 3000 who "go all out" as far as image and music are concerned; however, how many can we count for the lack of creativity one could possess? A word simply put is sheep. There is nothing new under the sun, but how many people will jeopardize their musical ability just to follow a trend? I commend those who experiment and take their sound to the limit. I respect those who perform in Scooby Doo flip flops (Shout out Flyy Academy).Remember this is not a diss blog and not used to criticize anyone because we are all here for a reason, but what happened to the originality? Go all out! Who said you can't collab with a polka band! Go all Out! When you turn on the radio today, think to yourself! How can I challenge that song? Now I'm not saying that you should make a diss track towards Plies,all I am saying is how are you going to make that slot in replace of that particular song?You can go to all the different panels and conferences and they will tell you that: THE LABELS ONLY BUY ORIGINALITY! So keep werking!!
3 woman who are Fearless, Sol-Angels and In The Spotlight
"Dream Big," a swallow-you-whole four-four thumper, is an ambitious motivational anthem. Salaam Remi connects the hook from Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Her" to Anne Dudley's piano outro from the Art of Noise's "Beatbox," the album's most clever production trick). Some tracks are throwbacks through and through, like the peppy "One Night Stand" (where she fronts a girl group) and the aching "In Love with Another Man" (a tear-the-house-down ballad). There's a lot of range on display here, and there is just as much depth.
Solange Knowel s
Jennifer Hudson
vocal energy, power and passion on a full album like she did in the role of Effie in the movie Dreamgirls and like she also does on the album's opening song and first single, "Spotlight," then wonder no more: the answer's a definite yes. "Spotlight" exemplifies the album as a whole: it's got a strong, independent woman singing strongly about love and relationships. Jen displays that kind of emotion throughout the album, and it helps to balance things out, since there's also a number of sophisticated ballads on the album, such as grateful, loving "You Pulled Me Through" and the Gospel track "Jesus Promised Me a Home Over There." Another example of her boldness is the song "Pocketbook," featuring a strong guest appearance by Ludacris. On the song, Jen threatens to put the smackdown on a very randy Luda while he raps funny, suggestive lyrics like "I know magic - poof! - do away with your clothes, then c'mere and let Luda give your body a rub 'cause damn, lil' mama you thick as a mug.” Jennifer's delicious duet with former "American Idol" winner Fantasia, a duet that you know just had to happen eventually. The song, called "I'm His Only Woman," builds around a phone conversation where the two singers argue over an apparently two-timing man. "If this was 10 years ago, I'd be at your front door ready to whup yo' ass," Jennifer says to Fantasia before the singing even begins. The track is a sort of a cross between an old Whitney Houston/Debroah Cox "Same script different Cast and an updated version of the '90s Brandy/Monica track "The Boy is Mine." Another duet on the album that stands up fairly well is "I'm His Only Woman," but it's no fault of Jennifer's. The song features the "singer" T-Pain, who manages to keep up with Jennifer's vocal fireworks only by way of a talk box. Jennifer Hudson generally well-sung and well-produced and is without a doubt one of the strongest R&B albums of 2008 as well as the other ladies.
Thursday, October 16
Atlanta Hip Hop Summit
On Friday, October 17, the Atlanta Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment will encourage:• Money Management and Wealth Building• Maintaining Good Credit• Credit Card and Debt Management• Home Ownership• Vehicle Financing
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to “get your money right!” Russell Simmons, Ludacris, BET’s 106 & Park’s Terrence & Rosci, Mario, DJ Drama, Fat Joe, Brian Michael-Cox, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Yung Berg, Gorilla Zoe and DJ Toomp will be on hand to lend valuable advice and insight. The industry is giving you the tools so make sure your there with pen and pad!
The Atlanta Hip-Hop Summit will take place on the campus of Clark Atlanta University, 223 James P. Brawley Drive, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, October 17. Doors will open at 4 p.m. No question I dO Music will be in the area. Will you?
Who to sign with? : ASCAP
Time has passed and you still don't know who to sign with. Well to get an idea of what publishing companies to partner with I made a post about BMI on the blog, so be sure to check that one out!
ASCAP is another publishing organization I think you should check out. If you are creative about your music in terms of songwriting you should definitely consider ASCAP. The Organization holds more than 330,000 composers in the United States. However, this is not limited to pop,r&b and rock as it also leans toward classical music and other genres. It doesn't stop there you may also want to consider being a music publisher yourself as you move among the ranks of the industry. Signees include Ne-Yo, Beyonce, Tito Puento, Bruce Springsteen,Dr. Dre, and countless others.
Check out a ASCAP to find out more info!
Wednesday, October 15
Got Slotmusic?
Other accessories included a Sansa Card Wallet to hold various slotMusic cards, and an armband in case your have a workout regiment. At the launch some of the artist ready to go included Chris brown, Coldplay, Jimi Hendrix, Kelly Clarkson, MIA, Nelly, Ne-Yo and Rihanna, Usher, and Robin Thicke just to name a few. To get the complete lowdown check out the Sansa website.
The More Your Know (PSA)
Make contact with the people you know! Online in particular, you never know what type of chemistry you and your Myspace friend may have. (you know the band that been collecting dust, deep into your friend list). Maybe you two can hang out, chat over pool, and the vibes just come out of nowhere. Here you two are chatting about what you two do in music then you discuss star wars. Any common interest besides music may spark a relationship beyond your musical abilities...Think about it.
The Best Keyboards
Want to be at the top of the line of all your music playing and music producing buddies? Then go out and cop yourself a top of the line keyboard. Which one you say? How about a Krog Triton, Yamaha Motif or Roland XP? Producertips.blogspt.com explains why these keyboards are the keyboards of choice for professionals in the game… read more below…
“Korg Tritons, Yamaha Motifs, and the Roland XP's. These range anywhere from $1000 into the thousands of dollars. You can get them with fully weighted keys, so its just like your playing a real piano, in 88 keys as well. These are what all of the big producers use, neptunes, timberland etc. They are the ones you see on stage at concerts all of the time. They have thousands of sounds on them and the sounds are amazing and life like. These can also be used as samples and sequencers. Some are a whole workstation in themselves and that's all you need from start to finish.” -http://producertips.blogspot.com/
Digital Distribution may not be all it’s cracked up to be
PROS
Digital = Direct sales
Without the need for physical manufacturing, distribution or stocking, digitally distributed products involve fewer middle men, and by doing so can return a far larger portion of their price to their creators.
Digital = Global availability
Any one person with an Internet connection will be able to purchase and obtain a digital copy easily. All while reducing or removing delivery cost, and traditional waiting time.
Digital = Back Catalogs
Digital products do not need to be mass produced to stock retail shelves. With a single original copy, the publisher and developer can quickly duplicate copies to meet demands. This can greatly cut down on the cost of maintaining back catalogs.
CONS
Digital = Loss of publisher support
There are drawbacks of an independent approach, mainly the loss of publisher funding. The loss of advertising is another issue that stems from the dropping of publishers.
Digital = Difficult Rights Management
Digital work is easy to duplicate without any loss of quality and with the direct nature and lower prices of online distribution, piracy has a far greater impact than it does for traditional media.
Digital = Proof of Purchase Troubles
Proof of Purchase laws were not created with short-lived products in mind. This has led to many difficult legal problems for digital distributors, relating to refunds and returns, sales themselves, and the transfer of product ownership.