I do Music Recap/Panel Notes

The January 1st installment brought a good learning experience as well as a showcase. For the first IdM of the year everyone was there to network, perform, and learn to fulfill New Years Resolutions. The room was filled with indies and others alike. None other than the talented Miss Juice, hosted the event who graced her stage and welcomed the packed crowd to I do Music.

This months’ performances introduced new sounds for the year. Wize came on the stage with something new, an acoustic player and a background vocalist; storytelling which was pure ear candy. DC native Haziq also blessed his stage with “Mile Hi Club (Flying)",a track that had an experimental/hip-hop vibe that could contribute to a new genre. The Varsity showed the city how looking fly and displaying talent come hand in hand.

The theme for the night was: How to make it werk in 2009? : How these people made it ‘Big’ in ’08. The panels included none other than Ray Daniels (Manager, Rock City), B.Rich (Manager, B.O.B), Fort Knox & Big Tah(Strong Arm Management), and Senor Kaos (thekaoseffect.com).

The experienced self-made “business men “spoke on different topics the contributed to their successes . Before the panel even started, Manager B.Rich wanted to make it clear that it is best to build momentum before you go to a manager. Strong Arm Management (Big Tah & Fort Knox) stressed that if an opportunity arises with placement do it! They also go on to say how you should follow the teams plan, there should be a clear goal envisioned so that there is no confusion when objections are cleared. When asked about 360 deals B.Rich suggested that one would be setting their selves up for disaster. This was one of the reasons why B.O.B’s “haters” did not reach mainstream as if it should(according to B.Rich). Ray Daniels provided “tough love” to the discussion suggesting that you should start building relationships with people like you instead of chasing the people who may not have heard you yet.

When an IdM attendee asked about how money should be spent. Ray exclaimed “Don’t spend s***! If you need vocal lessons you can’t sing.” He also said this in relation to if an artist is worth investing in. Senor Kaos goes to say that working free will provide a school for you. He also adds, “Presence plays an important part in success.”

When it comes to learning from mistakes, the panelist comes up with their own formulas. B.rich shows us that it is important to remain patient with everything you do. Big Tah & Fort Knox make it known that when something is not working leave it alone, the also add that instead of knowing people you have build relationship. Kaos says that you should stop waiting time with people who do not want to work with you, also have a team with you that are willing to do some grind work. Ray Daniels goes on to say that, you cannot chase money; it will end up hurting yourself.

We never know what we may learn at I do Music. We will never know who will show up. People who come to I do Music for entertainment are stuck with more, because they will learn more from people who experienced the music biz. We have IdM every first Thursday of the month; you do not want to miss your next opportunity. It’s I do Music

-Kozi(doesit) S.