Just Say Yes To.....Mediocrity?

In a market oversaturated with clones and zombies; how did we (artists, musicians, etc.) come to become content with sub par (if that) art? Do we point the finger at the corporate elite? Do we point the finger at A&R’s? Or do the point the finger at ourselves? Personally, I don’t believe in the blame game because we’re all held accountable for our own actions.

I recently had a conversation with a dear friend about the younger generation and Hip Hop. They questioned why most (if not all) embrace and/or mimic the South. I simply stated that the south had been producing hit after hit for the past decade. The artists that are entering the music scene now were probably 6-10 years old at the beginning of the South’s reign. In conclusion, they’ve been exposed to a certain sound for most of their life. As for the older generation, mimicking what’s considered a “HIT” will probably get you signed, accepted, and/or better sales. In theory, we either express ourselves to the degree of our influences or we follow suit.

In no way, shape, or form am I saying that the South is mediocre. Throughout Hip Hop and music in general (including the South), we have phenomenal talent. However, as in nature, rare gems aren’t abundant. Does this have to be? If we have the power to transform ourselves, can we begin to mold a new generation of artists and musicians who rise above and beyond what’s considered the norm to greatness?

After the death of one of the most revered and iconic figures in the music world, I dwelled on the question; how can one soar past the heights that Michael Jackson conquered and owned? Well, first and foremost, one has to see the world outside of him/her self. In order for one to succeed, they must transcend ego and culture and embrace the world. For example, look at the content and melodies of Michael Jackson’s songs. People flocked to buy his albums and embraced him because they could relate and his music touched them on a level that most couldn’t fathom.

Kanye West, the new King of Pop (per Liberation Next), has a similar appeal through his music. He has transcended Hip Hop to explore sounds that span across many genres. I debated with another dear friend about Jay-Z’s BP3 album. The content was above Hip Hop’s level of mediocrity; however, the production had an appeal that I haven’t heard from Hip Hop in ages. When I listened to the album in its entirety (excluding a couple of songs) I didn't think Hip Hop, I thought music.

In conclusion, to the artist and/or musician, when it comes to your art, put forth the effort to travel and explore outside of yourself. We must create new sounds and not only that; begin to craft content that epitomizes the art of storytelling, consciousness, and creativity. So when you step in the studio to produce; are you going to say yes to mediocrity? Or will you refrain from the question and let your heart speak?

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Show Discipline and Success & Providers Will Invest.....

…..Time, energy and money into your brand. This is a follow up to my previous post, “FYI DIY”, which I encouraged music artists to do it themselves. I didn’t say that to stir up a revolt against the record industry. I didn’t say that ONLY because unlimited resources are available for them to do it themselves. Being a music futurist, I made the suggestion analyzing two different scenarios that may affect the music industry.

Scenario #1) The market is OVER saturated and record labels are UNDER pressure financially to stay afloat causing them to take precaution as to who they decide to invest in. Where does this leave you? Well, if you’re amongst the million and one artists competing for this deal, what do you have to show for yourself? When investors ask you what can you bring to the table and why should we invest in you and your response is “I’m HOT!” and you pass them your demo; Is that seriously going to get you a deal?

Taking into account what I professed in the “FYI DIY” article, what if you in the door saying, “I have an established web presence and fan base. Here are my stats to show the amount of traffic I receive to my website. Here are the stats to show how many people subscribe to my RSS feed. Here are my stats to show how many people have downloaded my single. I can be a great asset to your company because I’ve invested "X" amount of dollars into my brand and here are financial statements showing how much I’ve earned in profits from the work my street team and I have put in.

With this approach, a record label is more prone to sign you because you not only believe in yourself, but you’ve taken the time to build you brand using the tools available to you.

Scenario #2) The power to decide is shifting to the hands of the people when it comes to how music is perceived, purchased and distributed. With this in mind, I pose this question; will there be a record label in the future? I’m pretty sure they will be around, but it won’t be in the same form you see it today.

I’ll give this example to better explain my point. In the 20^th century, we were taught to establish a career with a company and invest in Social Security and Pension Plans. In the 21^st century, establishing a career, let alone finding means of employment is a challenge. Social Security? Pension Plans? The media is stating that money will not be available in the future. So what do we do? Change the way we approach the situation. Establish and create your own career and financial success.

With that said, take control of your career and make the best of your current situation. It doesn’t take a lot of money to begin building a presence on or offline. Utilize the resources available to you to get a jump start. Become more INDEPENDENT and LESS DEPENDENT on someone doing everything for you. If that option isn’t available in the future, don’t be the artist that’s scrambling to find ground in a fast-paced, virtual and foreign environment.

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FYI DIY

“Why listen to someone else tell you how to do it, when you can do it yourself. It’s all in you.” – Nas “Black Zombies”

Nas’ words come to life as I sit surfing the internet, becoming aware of the infinite amount of resources available to us and discovering new music from artists all over the world. The “Industrial Age” paved the way for corporations to thrive and instilled a sense of dependency from the people who became the driving force behind “Corporate America”. As technology advanced, the world wide web allowed us to explore new realities. We began constructing information highways, developing social networking communities and now we’re at a point where we’re starting to see the emergence of virtual civilizations.

With this leap into the “Information Age” we began to see the rate of entrepreneurship and independency rise. Change is a gradual process and it may take time for the majority to identify, accept and embrace new ideas or realities. With the current “Recession” taking its toll on the world, I feel that the time is now to step into the front seat of our destinies and begin taking advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.

Within the music realm, I continue to see artist operating in “dependency mode” that the Industrial Age created. “I need a record deal to have success.” “I need a record label to connect with my fans, produce and distribute my album.” “I need an advertising agency, marketing and/or PR firm to build my brand.” “I need startup money to finance my music career.” The list goes on to the point where we feel that we cannot accomplish anything without an overseer. What if that infrastructure crumbles and you’re forced to depend on self to steer your career in the direction you envision? Look at the success and financial rewards gained from entrepreneurs who exited the corporate world and invested in Telecommunications in the 80’s. Look at the success and financial rewards gained from entrepreneurs who exited the corporate world and invested in Real Estate in the 90’s. Look at the success and financial rewards gained from entrepreneurs who exited the corporate world and invested in social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Last.fm in the last decade. The message that I’m conveying is that we need to follow the pattern toward success by stepping outside of the box and putting ourselves in a position where we’re ahead of the curve.

DIY, Do-It-Yourself, is the new trend in music. Artists are taking matters into their own hands, creating success, connecting with fans, producing and distributing their own albums, and building their own brands without a record label. By no means am I saying that we should completely eliminate the record label. As an independent artist getting a start in the industry, take advantage of the infinite resources available to you and use them to your advantage. Once you’ve built a strong following and brand, if you feel that you need assistance with taking your career further, approach a record label to expand your platform. As I said before, the market is over saturated with artists, so the demand for unsigned acts is low. Don’t be afraid to take risks and explore the infinite possibilities that lie ahead. FYI, For-Your-Information, DIY, Do-It-Yourself, so you can stand out from the other zombies who are all moving in the same direction.

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RT 2 Buy Your Music – Getting Paid Through Twitter

As I described in my previous post, “Subscribe To My…..Mixtape?”, RSS feeds are the wave of the future for delivering and receiving content. I stated that a future scenario for music would entail fans subscribing to your music through feeds. Microblogs are the new social media trend at the current moment. Through real time streams such as Facebook, Jaiku, Plaxo, and Twitter, everyone is partaking in the “What am I doing now?” craze. Though there are infinite sites that cater to this the most popular is without a doubt – Twitter. Twitter is the main attraction all over the world, grabbing attention from high profile celebrities, corporations and venture capitalist. On a communal level, I’m beginning to see more artists use Twitter as a means of engaging with their audience and promoting their music. Subscribing to my content is one thing, but what about selling my content through RSS feeds? Twitpay, a platform that allows recipients to send small payments through Twitter, has introduced a new way to sell your content through Twitter called RT2Buy. If you’re a Twitter fanatic, you’ve probably already guessed that “RT” stands for “ReTweet”. The process for buying and selling content is simple: When you see someone post an RT2Buy tweet, click the link and check out the preview. If you like it, just retweet it, and Twitpay delivers the content. As an artist, with RT2Buy you’re able to promote, advertise and sell your content directly to your Twitter following. This cuts out the task of trying to lure your fans to your website to listen or to buy your music. As the web becomes more intelligent, sites such as Twitpay and RT2Buy will evolve and make it even more convienient for music entrepreneurs.


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