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Fix Your Focus So ultimately, you would love to get your music...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:34:47 -0800

Fix Your Focus

So ultimately, you would love to get your music out to millions of people, go on a huge tour and make a nice chunk of money from your music career…right? In order for these to happen, whenever you make short term decisions, be sure to always keep the long term goals in the back of your mind.

Here’s a small example that happens more often than not: In the last 6 months you’ve recorded and released 2 mixtapes with an average of 15 songs per tape, yet for some reason there’s not much of a difference in your progress. You haven’t had any paid gigs or radio play; any video’s that you put on YouTube have an average of around 2,000 views, and now you’re getting a bit frustrated and wondering what the problem is. There could be a bunch of reasons why you’re not progressing at the rate that you would like, but the main reason is because you’re doing too much (without doing enough). You’re focus is off. You have lost sight of the bigger picture.

Let me explain. There is such thing as music overload. You’re so excited to get a bunch of material out there that you’ve slacked in the quality and promotion department. Understand that sometimes less is more. You have to learn how to play hard to get with the music industry. It’s a known fact that people want what they can’t have, however, instead of running with that, you’re giving everyone loads of music (and I can bet that most of the material are not original, well thought out songs with great concepts and catchy hooks). This goes back to doing things with a purpose. You want to put your effort into the things that are going to get you the best results. When you are an indie artist and you’re only a few months to a few years into the business, the goal isn’t to get as much music out as possible to a tiny bit of people, the goal is to get a tiny bit of music out to as many people as possible!

The key is taking your time out to make the best product that you can. Make a product that you KNOW someone will love. That’s the kind of music that sells. The more confident you are about your product, the more excited you will be to get it out there. If your long term goal is to get your music out to millions of people and go on tour, you have to start doing the things that can really get you to where you want to be. Get out of the habit of recording and releasing constantly. I’m sure fans won’t mind waiting a bit for a quality product. Don’t put all of your cards on the table at once. Give a little bit at a time. Keep the suspense going. Let your promotion start to kick in before you move on to the next.

Instead of recording a whole mixtape full of mediocre music, focus on 3-8 quality (original) songs that you can use to launch your brand properly. Instead of having fans skim through 15 tracks that they might love, give them 3-8 tracks that you know they will enjoy. Quality Music almost SELLS itself. The better your product is the easier it will be to get it out there.

What is the purpose of marketing? What is the purpose of...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:34:42 -0800

What is the purpose of marketing?

What is the purpose of marketing? Is it to sell something? ….ummmm not exactly. In the end that might be what you want, but lets keep it simple: the purpose of marketing is to raise awareness of you and your brand. “Marketing is the process of making potential customers and clients interested in your products and/or services.” So marketing is grabbing attention from others. Making them aware of you. Then, if you catch someone’s attention, there’s a big possibility that they’ll become a fan and listen to your music, and hopefully buy it and any other products that you put out. So really, the main goal of marketing is to get a response.

What exactly do I mean by that? Let’s say you release a new single: the response you’re looking for is that you get a bunch of listens, great comments, retweets, likes, views, more show offers etc. Or say you reach out to someone on a social network, the positive response would be that they reply or acknowledge you, they show interest. Or what if you have a performance? The positive response you’re looking for is: many people show up to see you perform, people love your performance and they want to see you perform again and they are now even more interested in your music. It’s all about the response you get. That’s why they say it’s better to have 1000 active twitter followers that retweet and respond to you, than it is to have 30,000 followers that can care less about your tweets. And as I always say, it’s better to promote your music to 25 people that you know, than to blindly send your music to 100 people.

Because this is an over crowded industry, your first impression can really make you or break you. Record execs get so many music submissions daily, so it’s your job as an artist to make sure that your first impression is a lasting one. No need to beg for your music to get heard. You must give off a lasting first impression that makes people generally interested in you. Talent isn’t all that you need in order to succeed in the business. Think bigger than music. You need to give fans a clear image of who you are and what you stand for—the key is to be able to relate but also stand out. We all have our similarities and differences, so it’s not that hard, just be yourself. Think about what you want to be known for (aside from recording great music), and go from there.

Let’s start with the basics. From your name to your look to everything in between, you need to be able to capture an audience. KNOW YOUR PRODUCT!! What exactly are you promoting? KNOW your brand. What do you stand for? What is your ‘niche’? What sets you apart from the other artists? If you can answer these questions, you are already a step ahead. A good friend/mentor of mine and owner of the #LikeableAssholes clothing line, gave me a really cool analogy. He said “branding yourself is like getting ready to go to the club. You don’t just wake up out of bed and head out, first you shower, throw on a nice outfit and really groom yourself, THEN you’re ready to hit the club”—that’s exactly what branding does. It polishes your image so that you get a better response from potential fans, business opportunities, etc. It gets you ready to face the industry.

Examine yourself. What name are you using to market yourself? Does it ring a bell? Is it simple and easy for people to remember? For example, “John Doe” and “King John Doe the Greatest Rapper Alive,” which name would be more marketable? You guessed it, the first one of course. Also, does your Twitter name match your Facebook and all of your other social networking sites? Can someone go on Twitter and find you, then go on Google and search for the same name and find all of your websites? You must keep it simple and to the point. My name is @BreezyB215 on Twitter, you can find me at facebook.com/breezyb215, and you can search ‘breezyb215’ on hiphopsince1987.com. Your email should also be some version of your name (example: johndoe@gmail.com). The easier it is for people to find you, the better luck you will have getting people to listen to your music or check out any other product you have to offer. In order to market yourself properly, you also need to make sure to have at least the basics: You need some sort of press kit or website so that you have one place where all of your music, videos, show dates, etc. can be found. You can start with a press kit but then you will eventually need a website. There are some great options out there that allow you to do this for free (Try wordpress.com to create a simple website, and check out myartistdna.com for a free press kit). Business cards are also very professional and good to have in those moments when you don’t have much time (which is often since you’re so busy with your music right?).

Examine different techniques to grab attention. First off, how do you expect to get the proper response out of someone if you don’t get to know them a bit? Why would you expect someone to care enough to listen to your music and share it if you don’t care enough to show interest in them? That’s a bit one-sided if you ask me. You need to show genuine interest in others if you expect the same in return. Don’t just share your music and hope that people listen. Try asking an engaging question, or if they are another artist, listen to their music and comment them on it. Then they will be more willing to listen to you. If someone that you want to network with asks a question to their TL, answer it and engage in conversation from there.

The next big thing that I see many artists have a problem understanding is that you need to find out how people want music submitted before you try to send them music. You have to remember, there are those that are actively searching for new music and therefore they might be interested in hearing your music in your first conversation. There are those that like to get to know you first before they even think to listen to your music. There are those who are already very well established and connected so in order to approach them and get a response you will need to really catch their attention. There are those who would rather speak through email and it might even take a few weeks for them to get back to you. There are also those that can care less about your music because they are not concerned with finding new talent or hearing anything unless it’s on the radio or their friend referred them. There are those who see you as competition so they might not listen to your new music and they sure as hell won’t share it, so sending your music to them is pointless. Everyone is different and everyone has their own way to do things but the common ground between all of them is that if you approach them the right way, they will be receptive. Don’t mention or tag people with your music, approach them the right way then once you find out that they do accept music submissions, find out how they want it.

Learn to get your point across. Stick to the bottom line. Have a clear view of why you’re reaching out to a person before you approach them, this way they will have a clear understanding of their role. The worst way to network is by randomly hitting someone up, they ask you what it is that you want to accomplish, and you sit there with a blank look on your face because you have no idea. Most of the time you just want that person to listen to your music. Then there are DJs who you want to not only listen to your track but spin it as well. Then there are music execs that you want to listen plus pass it on or possibly invest in you. You get my point. All I’m saying is that you need to think before you act. This business is rough, you don’t want to just wing it.

Be personable. No one wants to speak to a robot. You gain more attention by personalizing things such as emails and even tweets. If you send me a “hey check out my music” tweet, then I look at your Twitter and you’re saying the same thing to a thousand other people, that only shows that 1. You don’t have a marketing plan; 2. You’re desperate to get your music heard; and 3. I’m not special enough for you to personally ask me to take a listen (you aren’t paying attention anyway you’re just spamming random people) . This isn’t going to get you the response that you want. Be sure to personalize everything as much as you can. Do research on who you are sending music to and know why you are sending your music. Do you need help with promotion? Are you interested in their marketing services? Did they ask for song submissions for their label or management group? When you approach a DJ about playing your music, do you ask them to play your music right off the bat? Or do you talk to them, find out where they play, and find out what kind of music they are looking for? And again, how do you know if they even accept submissions? Put some thought into things, then do.

I’m sure that there are already people in your circle that can help you market your music. Learn to utilize the network that you already have to build your brand. How many people do you know that would listen to your new single right now if you sent it to them? (Write them down.) How many music blogs are you in contact with that might post your video? (Write them down as well.) You want to be organized so that you’re not scrambling all over the place trying to find things, and so that you can have a clear handle on your marketing. You can even categorize your followers into lists on Twitter—separate followers into ‘blogs’, ‘producers’, ‘artists’, ‘fans’ (consider fans people that you KNOW will RT your video).

Find your target audience and give them what they want. You must understand that your music isn’t for everyone. Before you release that hit single, before you go on tour and perform in front of your fans, before you can sell a whole bunch of merchandise, you first have to have an idea of who your potential fans are. I know some of you are thinking “But how can I know who/where my fans are before I even start to promote?” —it’s pretty simple actually. There are a few steps that you can take to help you narrow it down. First things first, who can you relate to? Know what you stand for, and who would benefit from you. Who does your music relate to? Do you record a lot of love songs for the ladies? Think about the age group that you appeal to. Is your music for a younger crowd or is it pretty vulgar and only for adults? Remember, the goal isn’t about letting everyone hear your music, it’s about getting your music to the right people. You’re not going to promote a hip hop showcase to a country music lover. Narrow it down a bit, do some research on the different areas of the country/world that certain genre’s are appreciated the most. Basically, start where you know it works, then spread from there. Instead of putting on a blindfold and hoping you hit the target, take the blindfold off and aim at the target. Make sense?

The key is to keep people engaged. Keep your fans interested and in the loop – they say that it only takes 1000 super fans for an artist to make a living. Meaning, if you found 1000 people that will share all of your music, pay attention to your every tweet/status, buy all of your merchandise and stay updated on all the latest YOU, you can earn a nice living off of your music. This takes a lot of fan engagement. Get creative. Interact. Respond to tweets/comments etc. Appreciate those around you.

Learn how to choose the right songs to promote. Pick a song that has a nice beat, great lyrics, and a nice hook and never release any music that is not properly mixed! You are being compared to music that is already on the radio, make sure your quality matches that of those who are already out there. Take the time to put in that extra effort. And once you do decide to release a single, you need to drop it on em hard. Releasing a single doesn’t mean tweeting it and posting it to Facebook so that you’re friends/followers can see it. That’s not a release. You really need to have a nice plan to make your single go viral. With the right sources, you can make your record spread like wildfire. You might have to spend some money to do it, but best believe it will be worth it. Lay out the groundwork before you release. Find the websites/music blogs that get the most amount of traffic, get your video posted to as many as you can. This will bring attention to your music from others that don’t know who you are. Think big, think broad. And watch your timing! Don’t get ahead of yourself. You just recorded your first album and you’re excited to release it, however, are people anticipating your release? Choose a single, shoot a quality video for it and release that a few weeks before you release your full album. Build anticipation. Get people excited to hear more. You don’t want to release a new single or mixtape every few weeks, we call that ‘music overload’. Be sure to properly promote the first single or mixtape, before you even think of releasing another one.

Capture your audience by putting on a great performance. Performing is a huge money-maker for artists, so why is it that so many artists out there just like to ‘wing it’ instead of really putting their all into every show? You might think “it’s just an open mic it’s no biggie” but I’m sure the record exec hidden in the audience thinks otherwise. Use your performance to keep your fans engaged and to gain new ones. Also be sure to always have business cards, hard copy CDs, and even some merchandise to either give away or sell at your shows. It’ll feel great to see your fans wearing your shirt to your next performance.

In conclusion, the key to making a sale is not to sell. Marketing doesn’t have to seem like marketing. Having a simple conversation with someone will allow your name to be known. If you inform people about a product (your music/brand for example), but don’t necessarily try to shove it down their throats, you’ll have a better chance at making that ‘sale’ in the end. Just like you don’t enjoy sales calls, spam emails etc, no one likes emails, tweets, and posts on their page that they didn’t ask for. There is such thing as over promotion. When you ‘over promote’ you get over looked. The key is to give a little and keep everyone wanting more! No one wants to hear about your music all day, they want to get to know YOU. You have to learn how to get their attention in other ways. Always think WHY?… Why should someone listen to your music? Why should they respond to you? WHY? And finally, you must also always respect constructive criticisms. How are you supposed to improve if all you want is for people to tell you how great you are? There will always be positive and negative responses to everything you do, that’s life. You must be open to both and learn from all responses.

I hope this helped put some things into perspective. To all the artists that are really putting in work… #SALUTE!!!

Do You Really Need a Manager? Managers come a dime a dozen....

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:34:39 -0800

Do You Really Need a Manager?

Managers come a dime a dozen. Let’s correct that statement: [WACK] managers come a dime a dozen. A good manager will play a vital part in your success. It is up to the artist to learn as much as possible about management before acting too fast and deciding to sign on the wrong person for the job. In your career, you need to take chances, but not when it comes to proper representation. You need to be represented correctly to make valuable connections in your career, and that’s not something to gamble on. In this blog, we will talk about the responsibilities of a manager and discuss whether a manager is really what you need.

Let’s start off with the responsibilities for which a manager is NOT responsible. Artists often mistake a manager to be not only a decision maker, but an investor and a promoter as well. While managers often handle these duties, it is NOT the manager’s responsibility to fund your career; that is your job as an artist. A manager will definitely help by securing contracts and opportunities for you to be able to make money to fund your career, but it is not a manager’s responsibility to pay for things such as studio time, promotion, etc. It is also not the sole responsibility of managers to promote you; they are supposed to help you promote, not completely take over that role. As an artist you should always do your best to promote yourself and reach out for more connections, regardless of how many people you hire to help you.

The responsibilities of a manager vary depending on what the artist wants/needs and by how far along an artist is in his or her career. An indie manager takes over the artist’s business responsibilities so that the artist can focus more on his or her craft. An artist should always be involved and hands on when it comes to business decisions and ideas, but having a manager can make this easier and take some weight off so the artist can mainly focus on his or her craft. A manager is constantly making connections to further the artist’s career and keep the artist on track and in the loop. The manager works with the artist to create a marketing plan. Both work together to follow it. Managers are responsible for representing the artist to the best of their ability at all times. They should focus not only on the development of the artist, but also on getting tracks heard by DJs, publicists, booking agents, media brands, label execs, radio stations, online and print publications, and anything else that can bring artists a step closer to their goals. A manager schedules interviews and photo shoots, and generally oversees the artist’s career to make sure that everything is running the way it should. Managers’ roles tend to change as artists advance in their career. An indie manager may have duties similar to those of a booking agent, press agent, business manager, and even a tour manager. As artists’ careers grow, managers are able to pass some of their duties off to actual booking agents, publicists, and so on.

Truth is, if you are an indie artist you should be able to handle most of the manager’s responsibilities on your own in the beginning of your career. You do not need a manager until you have too much to handle, and by that time you usually don’t have to look for one: they will come to you. You shouldn’t hire a manager because you don’t know what to do. It should be because you took your career as far as it can go, and you now have too many responsibilities distracting you from your music. Many artists ask anyone to be their manager—possibly a best friend, family member, or someone who showed interest in them—because they think he or she makes them look professional. In reality, hiring a manager who doesn’t have connections or even know much about the industry doesn’t make you look professional. KNOWING THE BUSINESS as well as your craft is what makes you professional.

Indie Manager’s Responsibilities Broken Down:

• Planning – The manager should communicate with the artist to find out what their goals are, and what they need to focus on. The manager will do everything in their power to keep the artist happy and keep the business end on the right track.

• Overseeing and Enabling – The manager’s main job is to help with determining decisions related to career moves, bookings, promotion, business deals, recording contracts, etc.

• Negotiating – The manager will play a major part in negotiating contracts with booking agents, media brands, label execs, producers, etc.

• Networking – The manager will do their best to constantly make the artist’s name known to media brands, publicists, DJs, etc. The manager should always work hard to gain connects to help further the artists career.

As artists move further along in their career, their managers’ jobs can be broken down and they can then hire a music manager, business manager, and road/tour manager instead of having one manager handling all of those duties. If you don’t have a manager, ask yourself WHY you want one. Know what your goals are and ask yourself, “How would having a manager help me?”. A lot of artists are early in their careers and do not need a manager. Analyze your career and continue to work hard to promote yourself, and make legitimate connections before you decide to hire a manager. In this way, a manager will find you. If you already have a manager, make sure he or she is doing their job to further your career. Be picky with whom you want to represent you and take control of your music career.

Music Publishing, Licensing, and Royalties Made Simple Get...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:34:34 -0800

Music Publishing, Licensing, and Royalties Made Simple

Get prepared this is a long one (lol) so here goes…

At first glance music publishing can be a bit confusing, but it is actually the basis of your income as an artist. Basically, if you plan on making a living off of your music, you better understand the ins and outs of publishing. In order to fully grasp the concept of music publishing, you need to start with the basics. I hope that by reading this article you will have a firmer grasp on the concept of music publishing.

Let’s start by answering the question: What is music publishing? Music publishing is a very broad topic—from copyrights and licensing to royalties and rights—music publishing has everything to do with getting paid for your music.

When it comes to understanding music publishing, there are some terms that you need to know. Let’s start off with the copyright. Copyright is the law that protects the property rights of the creator of an original work. Basically, it is the right to reproduce or make copies. Those rights are called exclusive rights. Technically your work is copyrighted as soon as the lyrics are on paper or your song is recorded on CD. However in some cases, this can be tricky so actually filing for copyright is your best bet because it is guaranteed to protect you. Before we get into your exclusive rights as a copyright owner, there are a few other terms that you need to be familiar with. These terms are the composition and the sound recording.

Understanding the difference between a composition (sometimes called the musical work or you know it as a SONG ) and a sound recording (sometimes called a master), is crucial to understanding your rights within the music industry. Simply put, the sound recording is your particular recording of the song. We can understand this a little better by talking about another important term—the cover. You might already know that a cover is the recording of a song that you did not write and you do not own. So when you record a cover, you can file copyrights for your version (or your sound recording) of the song. The composition is known as the original version of the song.

EXAMPLE: You just loooove Michael Jackson so you decide to record your own version (or COVER) of his hit song ‘Beat It’. Your recorded version of ‘Beat It’ is your sound recording and by filing for copyright you own and have rights to that version of the song. But remember, the recording is a cover of the song. The song (composition) is owned by Michael Jackson, (or more likely his music publishing company).

So now remember we have two separate properties: the “composition” and the “sound recording” of the “composition.” Music copyright law recognizes a copyright in the song and a separate copyright in the sound recording. The copyright owner of the song and of the sound recording can be the same person, but it usually doesn’t work out that way since many songs have multiple writers and a lot of the time they are written for other artists to record and perform. The songwriter is typically the initial copyright owner of the song.

Now lets get back to mechanical rights. First, we will start with the exclusive mechanical rights for a SONG and then we will talk about the rights for a SOUND RECORDING. When you copyright your SONG, you have the sole right to make copies of the song, the right to distribute copies of the song, and the right to perform the song publicly (whether it be on the radio, on television, or in a nightclub, etc.). You also have the exclusive right to prepare a derivative work (or REMIX) to the song. The final exclusive right in your song is the right to display the song in public (meaning if you want to post the sheet music to your song online or in a book to be sold publicly).

The exclusive rights of a copyright owner of a SOUND RECORDING include the rights to make copies and distribute records containing the sound recording and the right to prepare derivative works (to record a REMIX) from your recording. The owner of a sound recording also has very limited public performance rights, which applies only to the public performances that take place by digital audio transmission—which refers to the reproduction and transmission of sound stored in a digital format. Basically, meaning you as the copyright owner of a sound recording, you can get your sound recording played online and not on the radio or television.

Now, let’s dig a little deeper. Before you can record and make copies of someone else’s song, you need to get permission from the owner. This also pertains to producers that use samples in their beats. For those of you who do not know, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a sound recording in a different song. In order to obtain permission to use someone else’s song you need to get a license—just like you get permission to drive by obtaining a driver’s license.

There are a few different kinds of licenses, most popular being the mechanical license, the synchronization or ‘sync’ license, and the blanket license. By getting a mechanical license from the songwriter (or from a music publishing company acting on behalf of the songwriter), you will then have permission to record, reproduce or make copies of the song. Now, let’s say you want to make a video of your cover song. You would need a synchronization license which gives you the right to synchronize the “composition” with visual images (in layman’s terms, it allows you to make a music video for your cover song). And of course, the synch license also gives you the right to make copies. Now a blanket license on the other hand, is used for radio and television stations, DJs, musicians, and public businesses, and it makes it possible for them to play music without having to acquire rights each time they play a song.

So you’re doing a great job at getting your music posted to online blogs, getting your songs played on online radio stations, and you have hopes to get your music on mainstream radio; but in order to make money from this you need to take a few necessary steps. The first one is getting your music properly copyrighted. The second thing you need to do is register with a PRO (Performing Rights Organization). In the United States, there are three PRO’s which are BMI, ASCAP and SESAC. These companies negotiate and issue licenses to the various venues, radio stations, television networks etc. A PRO’s function is collecting performing rights royalties on behalf of its members, composers and music publishers.

Music royalties are the money earned from songs or music. There are a few different types of music royalties including artist royalties (paid by the label to the artist), mechanical royalties (paid by the label to the writer of the song), performance royalties (earnings are collected from public performances such a radio and television play and are paid to the songwriter) and synchronization royalties (paid to the songwriters and publishers of a song for use in movies, commercials or TV shows). As you can see, the names of the royalties directly reflect the source of which the income is coming from. Both publishing companies and individual songwriters use PRO’s but you cannot be a member of more than one unless you are a publishing company. Royalties are calculated by something called a statutory mechanical royalty rate. The current royalty rate that must be paid to the song owner or publisher is 9.1 cents ($ 0.091) per copy. Meaning, when you record a cover song, every time that recording sells, you owe the songwriter or publisher 9.1 cents. I am not going to go into detail on this because THIS ARTICLE does a great job at explaining how PRO’s calculate royalties.

So, what exactly is a music publisher/publishing company?

Are You Doing Your Job as an Artist?—Main Things to Focus...

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:34:30 -0800

Are You Doing Your Job as an Artist?—Main Things to Focus On as an Indie Artist

Being an independent artist is a whole lot of work. It can get really hectic at times, especially if you are not sure what to focus on first. Every day I see artists spending hours tweeting their music to random people and celebrities on twitter, or posting their video to Facebook a million times where only their few hundred friends can see it. In this business time is money, so you need to spend your time wisely and come up with a way to spend less time with greater results. Promote with a purpose. As an artist, your goal is to make great music and get it heard by the masses, so it’s time to buckle down and focus on the right things to further your career. To help you out, I’ve compiled a list of some of the main things you should focus on and basic questions to ask yourself as an artist. The following are not in any specific order because they are all of equal importance:

1. The Art – Are you a master of your craft? Do you create singles? Do you have enough material for an album or mixtape? Do you have a steady recording studio? Has your music been mastered? What makes you stand out amongst the other hundreds of thousands of artist’s out there? (Are you marketable?) Why should someone buy your music? (Remember, getting people to buy into your brand is the main goal). These are all things that you really need to think about and focus on before you make any other moves. Without your product you have nothing to promote and showcase. Make sure that your music is up to par before deciding to move onto the next agenda. Never get ahead of yourself, take it one step at a time. Think of your music/music video as your commercial—you want your music to make others want to buy your product. Make sure that you get the best quality possible for your budget. Quality over quantity. One hot original single, fully mastered, with a very professional video is better than a whole mixtape full of ‘bars’ on industry beats.

2. Your Brand – Getting your music out there also involves getting your brand out there. What do others think of you aside from your music? What do you stand for? You need to put forward a consistent public image that everyone can associate you with. Understand who you are as an artist, come up with a logo that properly represents you. Your brand is what you represent, it makes you stand out. Your Twitter AVI, Facebook profile picture, logo, sound, image, personality, and beliefs are all a part of what makes up your brand. What do people associate you with? When you think of Wiz Khalifa what comes to mind? Most likely you think of his use if marijuana and his laid back personality. When you think of Michael Jackson, what do you think of? His white glove, high water pants, and shoes with white socks always stand out along with his over the top dance moves. Are you starting to get my point? Your brand is an all around image of you. This will help you with marketing and merchandising, and it will give fans a clear picture of who you are. Your brand should be developed and based on the real you, this will allow you to genuinely market yourself, instead of trying to portray an image of someone that you are not.

Overwhelmed yet?… Didn’t think so! Continue on…

3. Business/Marketing Plan – As an artist you are a business, and it is never a good idea to just ‘wing it’ when it comes to your career. So you have all this great music that’s ready for the world to hear, now what’s your plan to get it out there? It’s always better to be organized and have a goal. What single are you going to shoot a video for first? Who is your target audience? How many people do you know personally that would be willing to take a listen to your track and spread it around? What music blogs are you in contact with that will post your video? Have you written a press release for your single/mixtape/EP? Is all of your music copyrighted? Do you have money put aside for promotion? Do you have any performances lined up to showcase your new music? It seems like a lot to answer at first, but taking out the time to really answer all of those questions will end up saving you a bunch of time and money in the future. Come up with a marketing plan for your current single, and also have a broader plan for your career over the next 6 months to a year. What are your goals? Give yourself deadlines and do your best to abide by them. This industry is far from a nine-to-five job, so expect to make adjustments to your marketing plan along the way, but at least use your plan as a guide.

4. Budget – This is a word that most artists seem to be afraid of. The word ‘budget’ does not necessarily mean thousands of dollars (although eventually that’s what it takes) it is simply how much money you have put aside specifically for your music or for a certain project that you are working on. You know the saying—‘It takes money to make money’. The reason why most artists want to get signed is because labels have the money to invest. Record Labels spend 6 figures and up launching new artists. Now, no one expects an indie artist to be able to pay that much money for promotion, but spending a few hundred to a few thousand dollars is the minimal amount you should be spending if you are serious about your career. You might not have the money for huge marketing campaigns like labels do, but it does pay to invest in certain things like email blasts (depending on who it’s from), major magazine placements, promotional packages from marketing companies and websites—then let’s not forget that it costs money to post your music on iTunes, Amazon, etc.. —and before you can do all of this, you will be spending money on production, studio time, photo and video shoots, etc. There’s a lot of money needed in order to really prosper from being an indie artist, but in order for others to invest in you, you must be willing to invest in yourself. Think of it this way, even if you do get a record deal, you STILL have to pay for promotion (but that’s a whole other blog in itself). Just remember, take your time. None of this is impossible; you just have to plan it out properly.

5. Presentation – This is definitely one of the most important things to focus on throughout your music career. Presentation can make you or break you. It can be the reason why someone follows you on Twitter, the reason someone listens to your music, the reason why someone goes on to view another one of your videos—you get the point. How much effort do you put into looking as professional as possible? Presentation means everything from your name, your style, your website, the quality of your music (Is it mastered?), your album cover and artwork for your singles, and the quality of your music videos—to how you conduct yourself during interviews, what you say in your tweets and Facebook statuses, and how you send and respond to emails (email etiquette). Is your website up to date? Are your tweets/statuses interesting? Is your Twitter bio complete? Does your music sound radio ready? Does your music video look professional or does it look like it was filmed on a phone? Are your emails professional? Do they say more than ‘yo check out my music’? If you want people to take you seriously, you must be serious about what you do. Always make sure that you present yourself in a professional manner.

6. Proper Networking – Making valid connections is a crucial part of your success as an artist. Everyone knows that in the music industry it’s about who you know as well as what you know. Both play a major part—but what you know allows you to find those who can really play a big part in your success. When you know what you’re talking about people know you’re serious. When you know what you stand for and you have a firm grip on your marketing plan, people see you as a professional. Those who have already been there and done that don’t want to deal with amateurs (it takes too much work). Professionals in the industry want to deal with this artist’s that really know their stuff. You are what you attract—if you are professional, you will attract those that have the same mindset. You must always be as professional as possible so that people will know you’re serious and they will either come to you, or at least be receptive when you approach them. It’s not about contacting every random person and trying to get everyone to listen to your music, it’s about being yourself so that others are genuinely interested in you as a whole. If people like you as a person, when you release music they will listen! Do you interact with fans or potential business clients or do you spend all day posting your music? Do you respond to everyone that responds to you? It’s all about your approach. Fans like to get to know you as a person, as someone they can relate to. It’s not always about the music. If your tweets/statuses/emails are interesting and can grab people’s attention, when you post your music you will have a much better chance of someone taking a listen.

So there you have it—what you as an independent artist should focus on in a nutshell. I will be going into more detail in future blogs, but hopefully this will help guide you in the right direction. It can be a lot to take in, but this is what it takes.

Persistence is key

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:38:48 -0800

Persistence is key

The Artist Bio The bio is your business card to the music...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:49:39 -0800

The Artist Bio

The bio is your business card to the music community. It helps fans, press, booking agents, managers, and record labels know who you are and what you’re about. In most cases, this is the first impression you make on someone before they even listen to your music. It is sometimes your only chance to get your music heard, and the last thing you want is to mess up that opportunity. It is good to have both a short and a long version of your bio to be used in different situations. Your website should always have the longer version, but there are other times when you might need the shorter version for smaller publications. You should also be sure to keep your bio updated with the latest info to reflect your growth and progress.

Here is a list of questions that you might want to think about when writing your artist bio:

• What is your full name and stage name?

• When did you start making music? Fully explain.

• What is your genre of music?

Who are your influences? (Musically and otherwise.)

• How would you describe your style?

• What most excites you about your work and the contribution you can make?

• Where are you located?

• Where are you from? (If different from your location.)

• Did you go to high school or college in the area where you live?

• Do you perform in live shows? (Mention venues.)

• Have you done any live shows with any major artist? If so, Who/When / where? (General info is fine is you don’t remember exact dates)

• What kind of catch phrases do you commonly use?

• What are your ultimate goals in music?

• What are you ultimate goals in life?

• What is the name of your CD or upcoming CD?

• If your album is released, where can people buy it?

• What producers do/have you work with?

• What are things that concern you besides music? (Such as police brutality, injustices, etc.)

• What is your race / ethnic background?

• Do you do music full-time or do you have another job?

• When did you begin pursuing music on a full-time basis? (if applicable)

• Besides a career in music, what are your other goals?

• How do you want to be remembered?

Always add a taste of your personality. Highlight your best attributes. Keep it simple yet meaningful.

Going the Indie Route vs Signing to a Major Label Back in the...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:05:44 -0800

Going the Indie Route vs Signing to a Major Label

Back in the day, before the internet even existed, the only way to really succeed in the music industry was to get a deal with a record label. Labels had all of the control, they had the radio connections, and they had the money for touring and promotions etc. Nowadays, technology has enabled us to get a serious head start on everything. The ‘singing on the corner method’ that artists used back in the day, has been replaced with uploading your music and videos online. Technology has allowed us to reach the masses without the use of a major label.

With so many different outlets for artists to succeed independently, the question always arises—do we need a major record deal? This is asked everyday by thousands of indie artists that are eager to get ahead but not exactly sure what route is the way to go. When I say ‘indie’ I am referring to the other options aside from signing to a major label. This can be a combination of actually starting your own company or label, or even signing to a smaller ‘indie’ label. In my opinion, they are both pretty much the same thing. It can be argued that many independent labels don’t have resources and connections that you can’t get on your own. Technically, if you choose to sign to an indie label, you are still pretty much doing things your own way. There are a few factors both positive and negative that play a huge part in your decision to go indie or major. Allow me to break it down for you:

MAJOR label = MAJOR network. Labels have the control that they do because they are connected to all of the major media brands, radio stations, celebs, managers, etc. Major labels have major reach and influence. Remember, they once had full control of the industry, so of course their network and power is vast. If you sign to a major label you have a larger network to help launch your career. Some independent labels also have large networks, but in this case they are usually connected to a major label in some way. A network takes time to build, and many artists don’t have a clue on how to reach out and build relationships to help them along in their career. Artists mainly focus on the art, but unfortunately music doesn’t market itself. It takes a large network and a lot of promotion to really get your music out there, and this can be very discouraging—which is why most indie artists long to get that major deal.

Money is probably the most desirable asset of a major record label. Making music is EXPENSIVE. Before it pays off it will mean paying out. From recording to performing to branding and promotion and everything in between—you need a nice budget to really get anywhere in this industry. The most obvious reason why a major label is attractive to indie artists is because labels have the budget to properly launch an artist. In order to successfully release an album and expect it to have widespread appeal, a significant amount of money must be invested in the release. What artists usually don’t realize is that when you sign to a major label, they might give you this big advance and allow you to record in huge fancy studios, and your single might be all over the radio, BUT once them royalties start to come in, you (the artist) are now responsible for paying ALL of that money back! The artist is the last person to get paid. Labels LOAN you money and expect a nice hefty return. So what if you release your album and it doesn’t do as well as everyone expected? How are you going to pay back the label? This happens more than you might think.

On the other side of things, signing to an indie label or even doing it entirely yourself, can be a bit of a struggle. Independent labels don’t have the huge budgets that major labels have, and indie artists usually don’t have thousands of dollars to devote to their music career. However, there are ways of getting around this, like finding an investor or sponsor to help you with your music needs. This might take a bit longer and there is a lot of work involved, but it is definitely possible.

This leads me to the next factor that you might consider when it comes to signing to a major label—profit. As an independent artist, when you make a sale, it is your money to keep. When you put your song on iTunes, Amazon, etc.—the money that you make goes directly to YOU. If you did some research, you will see that artists signed to a major label only make a tiny fraction off of album sales. So if the label is selling your album for $12, well you might get $0.75 cents on each of those albums. Why is this? It is because the label spent the money on getting the best (most popular) producers, recording in the most expensive studios, plus spent thousands and thousands of dollars on promotion, and don’t forget you also have to pay your manager and all of the legal fees—and you must pay all of that back before you see a profit. The only thing that gives the artist ANY leverage is previous sales (before you were signed)!

Control is also a major issue. When you go the indie route you have complete creative control over your music. You can record whatever song you want, feature whoever you want, and add whatever final touches your heart desires. You can style yourself the way you would like, you can perform wherever you want and you can pretty much make your own schedule. Independent artists have control of their career. The closer you get to a label, the less control you have. This is part of the reason why it is better to build a network and gain fans yourself—because then once a label approaches you, they can see that you have already been successful doing things your way, which will allow you to have more say in your contract with the label.

One thing that is lacking with major labels is personal relationships. With all the changes going on in the music industry, major labels have sort of a revolving door. Major labels have laid off most of their staff in the last few years. This means that when you sign to a major label, that one person that originally fell in love with your music, might actually be gone before you even get a chance to release your album. This now leaves you fighting for attention from the label and can result in you not being able to even release your music. Because indie labels have smaller staffs and smaller rosters, it’s easier for musicians to develop a close relationship with the people working on their record. They sign you because they love your music andbelieve in your music and your brand. Going the indie route, you can connect more with your fans and build a close relationship with those that you choose to work with. Signing to a major label leaves you with less control. Major labels look at you more as a dollar sign, while indie labels care more about the artist themselves.

There has been a huge change in the music industry. While I’m not against signing to a major label, I am simply stating that artists need to get out of that old mindset of “I have to get signed to a major label to make money doing what I love.” Your main focus should not be to release as much music as possible and find that one person that is going to get you signed and all of your dreams will come true. This is not a way to go about your music career. The music industry has changed, therefore your approach must change with it. Labels don’t like the change because they now have less control. As an artist, you should embrace this change because it allows you to build up your empire without a label, and therefore gives you much more control of your career. Most labels won’t even consider a new artist unless they have a proven track record of consistent performances, and record sales on their own. Record labels can no longer take a risk on launching a new artist that has no fanbase. If you do want to eventually get signed to a label, that’s fine. Just don’t let your main priority to be finding a label contact—all that will do is give you access to a 360 deal where the label has full control and makes a percentage of EVERYTHING you do. You as an artist must take things into your own hands. Don’t let a major label be your focus, let building your network, strengthening your relationships and perfecting your craft be your focus. Combining live shows with heavy internet promotion will result in a solid fan base. When you have that, you have the choice to either move to a major label or to continue making money doing what you love. There are more avenues than ever before for indie music in general, and that means musicians have a better shot at success with a self release. Go out there and build solid relationships! In a few years time, you can definitely reach a lot of people!

5 Small Things That Make a BIG Difference: Part 1 The small...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:05:40 -0800

5 Small Things That Make a BIG Difference: Part 1

The small details that you forget to pay attention to are actually what matters the most. It’s about putting in that little bit of extra effort. Amateurs make these mistakes, but you’re not an amateur you’re on top of your A game right?

1. Only Use the Social Networks that You Are Most Comfortable With – You need to have a presence on the most common social networks (Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, YouTube, and maybe Reverbnation or Bandcamp), however you do not have to utilize them all! Use the ones that you are most comfortable with—this will allow you to be more productive. If you tweet more than you’re on facebook (which I strongly suggest that you do), just link Twitter and Facebook so that your tweets show up on Facebook. This way all of your networks will be up to date.

2. Complete Your Twitter Bio - Your bio is one the first things that people see on Twitter, it is your opportunity to catch someone’s attention in the first few seconds, it can determine whether someone follows you or even pays you any mind, so why is it that so many artists leave this blank or write something like “the hottest rapper alive”…. Obviously you’re not the hottest rapper alive because that rapper would have their shit together. You need to put your specialties (artist, songwriter, etc.) plus a link to your website and maybe even a contact email. Whatever you do, don’t leave it blank and always make sure your bio makes you stand out in a good way.

3. Clean Up Your Followers - As an artist, the reason why you’re on Twitter should be to network plus get personal with your fans, so you want to make sure that the people you follow are valid and can play an active part in your online experience. Why follow 1000 people when only half of them are following you back? At first glance it makes it look like you 1. Don’t know how to properly promote yourself; 2. You’re a starving artist; and 3. You don’t know how to properly utilize Twitter. Clean up your followers. Make your list relevant.

4. Do Not Spam – Simple as that. A lot of you artists are sooooo dope, but you would never be able to tell by the way you promote yourself. Stop acting desperate and start being SMART. Don’t tweet random people the link to your music. Don’t post your music video on someone’s facebook page. You are doing more harm to your career than anything. Think smart and promote with a purpose. It’s more influential when someone else shares your music and says that you’re great than if you do it all day, so share your music with those that you know will take a listen and possibly share. As I said in one of my past articles, “Aim for the target, don’t just shoot aimlessly and hope that you hit the target”.

5. Make Sure You Have an Email Signature with All Contact Info & Major Links – This happens way too often for my liking. Artists send me emails with absolutely no introduction (“Yo I saw you on Twitter so I decided to hit you up” is not an introduction) and then they have no contact information at the end. How is someone supposed to know who you are and be able to reach you? This is common sense right here. Don’t be in such a rush that you forget the little things.

This Does Not Happen Overnight! The Road To Success Highlights...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:05:32 -0800

This Does Not Happen Overnight! The Road To Success Highlights @MeekMill

From young rapper to superstar, Meek Mill grew up in the vicious streets of North Philadelphia. He was one of the artists that started the DVD movement in Philadelphia at only 14 years old.

Here’s footage of Meek Mill at 14; you can hear the hunger in his voice.

That was the start of the DVD era. DVD’s gave artists the platform to showcase their talents. Meek Mill is one of the pioneers of that movement in his early days with Headshot Records, headed by Young Bob, which included other rappers such as Joey Jihad and D Jones, to name a few. Headshots were one of the hottest up an coming rap cliques circa State Property. The freestyles and battles really captivated the city and kept us wanting more. Out of the clique, Meek Mill and Joey Jihad were the standout rappers. At one point Joey Jihad and Reed Dollaz were hotter on the streets than Meek Mill. Tables turn as you will see later in this article.

It didn’t come easy for Meek Mill. He’s been through battles, beefs, jail time, and hate. In this footage from his early days, you can see Meek Mill at the beginning calling a rapper out for making song about him. Right after you will see him in a battle.

People say if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. I say if you can make it in Philadelphia, you can make it everywhere. It wasn’t an easy road as you will see in the next footage.

First there was beef with Reed Dollaz.

This really showed people that Meek Mill wasn’t playing and it solidified him as a trailblazer in the underground.

Meek Mill was consistent with the hustle and he stayed consistent. Fast forwarding a bit, Meek Mill did a county bid and came home disgruntled with his Headshot family. This was the start of a whole new era for Meek Mill, and he spoke a lot of things into existence on this clip.

When “The Real Me 2″ came out, it was a whole new Meek Mill. When you listen to “It All Started From A Rumble”, to his chemistry with Joey Jihad on “Bang Bang” to his aggressive flow and witty punchlines on the first “Freestyle” of the mixtape, you can see that Meek was able to perfect the art of storytelling in his raps. His collaboration with State Property’s Oschino was the official co-sign Meek needed at the time.

Flamerz 1 was the break-through mixtape. That summer there were two Cd’s that you heard coming out of every car and those were Flamerz 1 and Lil Wayne’s “The Carter 3″. That summer was monumental. With his Single “In my Bag” Prod By: Sap burning up the airwaves and the internet, it was clear that Meek Mill arrived.

Also in that process, Meek Mill ushered in a new sound for Philadelphia. During this time, he linked up with Charlie Mack through Brock (Heatholders). Charlie Mack heard the mixtape and became Meek Mill’s manager, and within a week he was on TI’s Grand Hustle Records. Although there was no official paperwork done, that was his first break on a national level. With him and TI later doing jail time, the deal never took place. While incarcerated, Flamerz 2 was released and it kept Meek Mill hot in the streets. When he came out of jail, he was on house arrest for a while. In the midst of him putting out footage of him and rapper Cassidy freestyling, he was dissed by his former partner in rhyme Joey Jihad and Joey’s right hand man Quilly.

This was a on going thing for a while but Meek kept putting out hot music, and the beef was eventually squashed.

This time, Meek never looked back. He started doing shows in the tri-state area on a regular basis, getting more money per show than most platinum artists out there. Meek released a single called “Rose Red” Prod by: Jahlil Beats which went into rotation on Philadelphia radio. Rick Ross came to town to do press for his album and he jumped on the remix to the song along with Vado and TI. That was the beginning of a relationship with Rick Ross that would lead to a record deal with Maybach Music.

As you can see, Meek is the perfect example of an artist capturing his fans one at a time. He was heavy in the streets and very consistent, and his bars stood out among the rest. He was able to build an army of loyal fans that supported him and really wanted to see him go as far as he can with his career. And he didn’t do this by tweeting his music all day on Twitter.

First things first is the music. If your music is not hot, it’s going to be hard to create a buzz in the streets. Don’t get it twisted, there are plenty of artists out there that lack the talent and originality, and they have sustainable careers because of their grind, but it’s always better if your music alone can capture someone’s attention. Your grind might help you get there, but dope music + a great brand keeps you in the game. Meek Mill put out music that captured everyone’s ears. You couldn’t go to a club or even walk down the street without hearing someone blasting Meek in their car. This should be your goal. You have to establish a foundation before you can even reach out to get attention from labels. You need to take your music career into your own hands and get as involved with your local scene as much as possible. Team up with other dope artists in your city. Perform at as many venues as possible.

Do not rely on your management, publicist, etc. to get you where you want to go. Fans like when artists get up close and personal. Do plenty of research. Find out where the open mics are in your city, hit up every single one and put on an amazing performance. Bring business cards, bring CDs, bring merchandise and most importantly TALK TO PEOPLE! When you are an indie artist, you should never just perform and then roll out. You need to stay for a bit, get people’s opinion on your performance, introduce yourself, and find out what they do. You never know who you can meet at an event.

Something that really helps with promo is VISUALS. People need to see you not just hear you. Meek put out a lot of freestyles and behind the scenes footage. He kept people talking! It’s always great to catch all of those random moments, performances, studio sessions, etc. Get out there and be seen! A lot of artists think they are making a big impression online, but when they throw an event or have a performance, they don’t get the response that they wanted. Online presence is extremely important especially because you can reach people all around the world; but it only works if you are making real connections in person as well.

You need to build a STREET TEAM. You can tell if someone is really feeling your music if they are willing to go out and promote the hell out of it for free. You need a nice crowd of people talking about you. Most of the time these are your friends that believe in your music career and want to see you succeed. Then there are loyal fans that you gain along the way. You have to capture everyone in the first conversation, in the first performance, in that first song you let someone hear. If you can get that down, you are pretty much unstoppable. You don’t get many chances at this music stuff.

Don’t expect all of this to happen overnight. Record labels have the ability to break artists pretty quick. You see it all the time—someone who you never heard of drops a single and then you begin to hear them on the radio and they are all over your television. What you don’t see is all the work that artist had to do to even get to that point. It might have taken that artist years to even get recognized by the label.

Moral of the story is: Meek Mill did an amazing job at grabbing everyone’s attention and keeping it. GET PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT YOU! Go put in that ground work and Make all that hard work count!

Ways to Make Yourself Stand Out (Creative Branding...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:09:00 -0800

Ways to Make Yourself Stand Out (Creative Branding Checklist)

Branding plays a huge role in taking your music career to the next level. A branded image establishes you as a legitimate musician and makes it easier for your fans—or “customers”—to identify with you, and it presents up-sell opportunities such as apparel and other merchandise. Without a branded image, all you have is a name. With a branded image, you have a unique style that sets you apart from all other musicians.

As we described before, branding is everything YOU. Your image, what you stand for, your presentation, etc that is all a part of branding. For some reason, many artists have a hard time grasping this concept, so I’ve decided to put together a little check list to help you out.

• Who are you? What do you stand for/represent? What do you want your name to be associated with? By answering these questions you will understand yourself fully and therefore be able to represent your brand properly. You might even want to create a tagline for your brand (Example: Nike: Just Do It)—which can either be something that you always say, or it can be a summary of what you represent.

• For branding, knowing what others have done, and what is visually and emotionally stimulating can help you create a brand that is attractive, appropriate, and distinctive.

• Be sure to study other brands, see what works and what doesn’t and use your information to mold your brand into something YOUnique.

• Create a logo that will represent you/your brand. You can try to tie in the answers to the above questions, or you can create a simple logo to associate yourself with. This will be an image that sets you apart from the rest. Your logo needs to catch the viewers attention

Using the above, update your online presence to reflect your brand—meaning create a custom Twitter background, YouTube channel design, Facebook cover, personal website background, etc.—that has your new logo and tagline. You want your online image to be professional and consistent. That way, everyone will begin to associate you with your brand as a whole. Incorporate your brand into your lifestyle. Everything you do must be associated with your brand.

Now I’m going to use artist Chill Moody (@ChillMoody) to give you a live example of creative branding. He got really creative with it and created another Twitter (@DrunkChill), where he tweets from when he is intoxicated (funny and captivating right?). If you follow him on Twitter, you will also notice his tagline #NiceThings. Now whenever anyone hears or sees #NiceThings they automatically associate it with Chill Moody. He even took the branding to another level and created hoodies with #NiceThings on them. He is the perfect example of what artist’s need to do in order to make a name for themselves. His new video was just featured on XXL (check it out here).

The Most Important Question In The World There is one question...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:05:10 -0800

The Most Important Question In The World

There is one question that you can answer, that will boost your productivity level through the roof. It will open up loads of opportunity for you, it will get you the response that you want out of business and out of life in general. To be honest, this didn’t stand out to me until a good friend (and mentor) of mine, brought this to light and made it clear to me.

So what is this `most important question ever?”…..

ANSWER: ———————————————— WHY???

You might be thinking “Thats it?”…. Yes, it’s that simple.

So now let me explain WHY answering the question WHY is an extremely important aspect and should be the basis of everything you do.

Think about it, when you were little and your mom told you not to do something, what did you ask? WHY? You asked that because you wanted a valid reason not to continue doing what you’re doing. When you go for a job interview, the purpose of that is what?… So the employer can find out the reasons WHY they should hire you.When you do something wrong, your boyfriend/girlfriend always asks you WHY you did it. (And your answer better be valid. LOL) When you are looking for a sponsorship, in order to get it you need to be able to fully explain WHY you deserve the sponsorship. When aiming to get a record deal, you must show the label WHY they should sign you.

Should I keep going or do you get my point?

This concept is called “Catering to the WHY” and it is extremely important for you to get the hang of this. This concept especially helps in business. It will change the way you do and think about things. It will make you be more efficient in everything you do because you are always asking yourself WHY? Why should someone listen to my music? Why am I going to contact this person? Why should they respond to me? Why should a record label sign me? Your words and your actions should prove.

When writing these articles, I really try to make everyone see the bigger picture. There are a few basic concepts that you must master as a person in order to be able to move forward at the momentum that you want. This concept helped put things into perspective for me, and I hope it does the same for you.

“It all starts with the way you THINK.”

-Breezy

Improving Your Live Performance Putting on an amazing show...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:03:02 -0800

Improving Your Live Performance

Putting on an amazing show is imperative to the success of your music career.

Performing is not only one of the best ways to get your name out there and gain new fans, but as album sales for artists have dramatically decreased, touring has become one of the main sources of income for artists. Perfecting your performance definitely takes trial and error but there are a few things that you should always pay attention to and do your best to master. In this article, I am going to give you a few tips to help you put on the best show ever.

• Mic Control – The microphone can be your best friend or your enemy. It’s your job to be able to make the mic your friend. You don’t want to grip the entire microphone by the tip because it makes your voice sound muffled. You also don’t want to put your lips directly on the microphone for that same reason. You want to keep the mic at a very healthy distance from your mouth (a few inches away). It is good to rehearse with a microphone so that you can get used to it. Another problem that I’ve seen is that artists get so hype while performing that they don’t always sing/rap into the mic. You need to have complete control of the microphone and wherever your mouth goes, the mic follows right along with it. You don’t want to perform and your fans only hear a choppy version of your song because you keep moving the mic away from your mouth. Last but not least, if you are a singer, you need to distance the microphone from your mouth when you are belting out them high notes. Nothing worse than a singer yelling into the microphone, it takes away a lot from the music.

• Connect/Engage Your Audience – Have you ever been to a performance where the artist performs at you and not for you? This happens more often than not. As an artist, it is your job to engage your fans. If you involve the audience, they will be forced to pay attention. Make everyone in the audience feel like they are involved. If the crowd seems a bit low energy, get creative, hype them up! And don’t just stand there, move around (don’t overdo it, but definitely don’t just stand there the whole time). The whole stage is yours, use it.

• Hype Man – You ever go to a show and then can’t even find the person with the mic in their hand because there’s so many other people on stage with them? Having a hype man is one thing, but bringing your whole crew on stage is distracting and can take away from your performance as a whole. Instead of having everyone on stage, how about you send them into the audience to keep everyone hype and into the show? If you are a major artist and want to bring your crew on stage, you can do that because you are already known and everyone already loves you. However if you are an indie artist that is trying to build your buzz, you need to keep the focus on YOU and not bring a million people on stage with you.

• Show Tracks/Live Band – Having a live band is always a great way to engage the audience. The band is able to keep everyone entertained between songs and can really help give your music a dope feel. If you don’t have a band that’s perfectly fine, not all artists use one, but always make sure your sound is on point. Do not sing over your actual radio edited record. You need to get show tracks that you can use for your performance. The audience came to hear your natural voice over the music, not to listen to you singing over the track that they already have on their iPod.

• Be Prepared, Anything Can Happen – There’s lots of things that can happen at a live show so you need to be prepared for the worst. Whatever you do, never freak out when something goes wrong. It is always better to have a sound check before the show starts to avoid as many issues as possible, but if there are technical difficulties during your performance, you must be professional about it! The crowd will appreciate an artist that can improvise and not lose their cool. And whether you have an audience of 50 people or 5000 people, the audience came for a great show and you need to be sure to deliver. Never let the size of a crowd intimidate you.

• Go Out With a Bang – Be sure to thank your audience! They gave you time to perform for them! And if you are an indie artist trying to get your brand out there, you should always stay after your performance and interact with everyone around you. Bring merchandise and music to give away or sell at your show. Ask people how your performance was. Take out the time to introduce yourself to people, sign them up to your mailing list, follow them on Twitter, etc.

Whatever you do, be sure that every performance is always better than your last. In order to get people to keep coming to your shows, you have to bring something different and keep everyone entertained. A great way to improve your performing skills is by video taping every show and then analyzing the footage. Find out what worked and what didn’t. Think about shows that you have been to, what did you like about them? Try to give the audience everything that you loved when you were in the audience at one point. Your goal should be to leave everyone with that ‘wow’ feeling.

The POWER of a Single When you have an audience; when you can...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:00:45 -0800

The POWER of a Single

When you have an audience; when you can reach thousands of people and get them to respond to you, it gives you power…. It’s pretty much a no brainer. FANS = SALES. A product + people who love that product = sales from that product. ONE viral video will do much more for your career than 10 videos with a small amount of views on them. That 1 video will also make it easier for your other videos to have similar success by attracting viewers to your other videos.

So now think of how powerful a single can really be. Your music is your commercial. A powerful single with a video will attract fans. If you can get just ONE single to go VIRAL you can be what they call ‘put ON’. Entire careers are launched from just 1 viral video. Take Justin Beiber for example: one of his YouTube videos went viral, a record executive saw it and contacted him and before we knew it, ‘Beiber Fever’ was in full effect. There are some artists that we call ‘one hit wonders’ that have 1 huge single and then they disappear. Thing is, now that they have a large audience, they don’t have to focus on music anymore they can do whatever they want, and use the audience that they’ve built from that one single to launch whatever else they are working on.

This all goes back to the fact that LESS is MORE when you are starting your career as an indie artist. All it takes is 1 dope video to take off, yet so many artists release new material every week and therefore their video doesn’t attract new fans, because they are not reaching a new audience. Instead of releasing a single and promoting the hell out of it, artists are simply posting their video with little to no promotion. Then when they don’t get the results that they want they post another one, and the pattern continues.

Proper marketing and promotion can do wonders for careers. In one of my past articles I talked about ‘monetizing your movement’ and the first thing that I mentioned was that ‘people must know the product exists’… so use your great song and quality video to get you out there! Use it as a tool to attract fans that will spread your music to their friends and so on…

Gaining Exposure As A Producer Most of my articles are for...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:57:55 -0800

Gaining Exposure As A Producer

Most of my articles are for artists in general, but I’ve been talking to some producers and decided that I should write an article that focuses strictly on them. There are a few ways to get out there as a producer. You might want to try a few different techniques instead of putting all of your eggs in one basket. (Talk about a few different options.)

Before we go any further, you need to know the difference between a beat-maker and a producer. I found this article that explains it very well. (Check it out here.) But basically, the beat maker is exactly that—the person that makes a beat and either leases it to an artist or sells the beat to the artist exclusively. The beat maker’s job stops right there and they have no more say in the outcome of that song. The producer is the one that actually helps with the direction of the project. They take the beat and work with the artist to come up with the concept and make it into a fully developed song. I’m not saying that either one is better, but I can say that if you are going to call yourself a producer, make sure you are playing a big part in the production of the song as a whole.

Now let’s take it to the next step. It’s always great to be a well rounded producer—meaning if you can play an instrument, write a song, and know how to work with artists to develop the song, you’re going to be better off than someone who just knows how to work a beat-making computer program. Again, I’m not saying that in order to be a producer that you have to know how to play an instrument, but knowing how to play an instrument will help bring your production to the next level.

First things first, you must make sure to have a great product. If your beats sound amateur or outdated, you won’t have much luck getting your name out there. Be sure to study the habits of the most successful producers and musicians in the industry, and take what you’ve learned and create your own sound. Of course the more well rounded your sound is, the more options you will have as you go along (meaning if you can produce hip hop as well as rock, pop, and R&B, your chances of being heard are greater because you can work with artists in more than one genre).

As we have discussed in past articles that focused on artists, your brand as a whole is very important. You need to establish your brand, make sure you have an online presence (your own website is your best bet and Twitter is a great tool to utilize). Keep in mind that getting yourself out there as a producer will take time, so don’t try to rush and don’t get discouraged if your career doesn’t take off right away.

As with any business in general, networking is key. Decide what you want to accomplish and then come up with a plan to achieve that. If you are not worried about being a producer and working directly with artists, then you might want to put a bunch of beats online and then find artists that are looking to buy beats and send them to your website. In that case you are a beat maker and your concern is mostly making money from instrumentals. That works for some people, but if you want to take it a step further than your going to have to do a lot more than upload instrumentals to a website.

The Elements of a Hit Song Think of some of your favorite...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 01:06:42 -0800

The Elements of a Hit Song

Think of some of your favorite songs, what do they all have in common? Most likely they all have a great hook that gets stuck in your head after hearing it just once, the beat catches you as soon as you press play, and the lyrics are relatable and make you FEEL the song.

Melody, rhythm, lyrics and harmony are the elements of a song. As you are writing, you should pay close attention to those elements, and make sure that you fulfill each one. Instead of just hearing a beat, and saying whatever comes to the top of your head, spend more time planning and finding the purpose of your song. Hit songs usually catch a listener in the first few seconds and keep you listening until the end.

One of the most important aspects is the hook. EVERY hit song has a very catchy hook. This might be one of the first things you want to write, and then write the rest of the song based off of your hook. Or if you are a singer/songwriter, sometimes it’s better if you start by figuring out the actual melody of the entire song and then begin writing your lyrics.

While writing a song, there are some questions that you should ask yourself along the way. What is the story that you are telling? Whatever your story is, you need to draw the listener in and keep their attention from beginning to end. What message would you like to bring across? The best songs have a real meaning behind them. Also, is your song formatted correctly? While I believe there is no right or wrong way to write a song, the typical song is usually formatted like this: intro/verse/hook/verse/hook/bridge/hook out. You can also try – hook/verse/hook/verse/hook/bridge/hook out. There are a few others, but those are the most common. Experiment with the formats to see what is the most powerful and interesting for your song.

All in all, it seems like the key to a hit song is simple, put in some EFFORT. Do not rush your creativity. Appreciate the music instead of just singing or rapping the first thing that comes to mind. Ask yourself, do you make songs or do you make hits?

Check out this dope video from Ryan Leslie. His song ‘Gibberish’ is a perfect example of the songwriting process.

Utilizing Your Network – Mini Marketing Plan So the main goal...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 01:03:00 -0800

Utilizing Your Network – Mini Marketing Plan

So the main goal is to get your music out to as many people/blogs as possible (in your target audience) in the quickest amount of time. The way to do that is by going after the bigger blogs, plus the people that you know will listen to and share your music. Think about it, it’s more influential when someone else says your hot than if you say it (of course you think your music is hot!). Here are a few steps that will help you properly utilize the network that you already have, and I threw in a few tips to help you with your music launch:

• Put together a list of all the music blogs that you are in contact with. You might want to put this information into an excel spreadsheet that has ‘name of blog’, ‘web address’, ‘point of contact’ (name + phone if applicable), and ‘submission email.’ Once you’re done you will have a clear picture of all the music blogs that you can send your music to, and you can add to this list as often as possible.

• Use Tune-core to post your single/EP to iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon.com, etc. Just go to (www.tunecore.com) and they will walk you through it.

• EMAIL BLAST – Prepare a press release and send to everyone relevant on your contacts list (You should organize your contacts into categories like ‘music blogs’ ‘DJ’s’ ‘music execs’ ‘artists’). Be sure to include your music video, links to your websites, link to iTunes download, photo of you, and a small bio.

• Gather up ALL write ups about your music, and post them on your website. You might also want to share them on Facebook and Twitter and any other social networking site that you are a part of. Music reviews are a great cosign!

• Go through your Twitter followers and create private lists: categorize followers into ‘blogs’, ‘producers’, ‘artists’, and ‘fans’ (consider fans people that you KNOW will retweet your video). I don’t suggest that you sit there and tweet every person on your list, especially if you already sent them an email, but a tiny twitter blast to a select few relevant people is fine.

• PERFORMANCES! – All of your online marketing is not going to matter unless you combine it with performances and appearances. You have to bring your online buzz offline. Line up as many shows as possible in your hometown and the surrounding areas.

• Contact your local media outlets and look into scheduling a few interviews. Use those interviews to promote your new music and performances.

• Find a few DJ’s that would be willing to spin your single at their venues or on their radio show.

• Get a few dozen shirts made with your logo and give them out at your performances. Also get a few hundred hard copies of your EP to give away. Giveaways are always great. You might spend a bit of money to do so, but it will be worth it.

Before you release any music you need to get people hype about it. Come up with something creative to get people excited to hear it. Get your immediate circle talking, get their associates talking, etc. You don’t create a buzz by reaching out to a whole bunch of people who don’t even know who you are, you create one by starting small and building out. Word of mouth buzz is a beautiful thing. Think of the ‘share’ button on Facebook and YouTube and the Retweet button on Twitter as the modern day ‘word of mouth’. Your goal should be to get as many people to share your music as possible, not just listen.

Did You EARN It? Sooo the weekend is here…or is it? Did you...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 01:02:08 -0800

Did You EARN It?

Sooo the weekend is here…or is it? Did you accomplish everything you wanted to? or are there still a few things you need to check off of your list? Maybe there are a few more verses that have to be written? Or how about some emails that you forgot to reply to? You see, in this business (or in business in general) the weekend is just another two days to get sh*t done. The weekend sets apart those who say they do it from those who really do it.

Think about it, why would you go out and spend money on drinks when you can be putting that money into your career? Imagine the weekends that you can have if you really dedicate yourself? I’m not saying don’t go out and enjoy life, but remember, when you’re out partying, there’s people getting work done…

Understand that as an artist there’s a half a million people trying to take your spot. Those who dedicate themselves the most, are the ones that see the most results. You can be the local artist that has so much talent but refuses to put in that extra effort so they are never heard; you can be the artist that knows everyone in their city but because all they want to do is be flashy and spend tons of money on the wrong things, their buzz only reaches as far as their city borderlines; or you can be the artist that refuses to stop until they’re where they want to be. You decide.

You want to be ahead of the game right? Do you want SUCCESS or do you want to become SUCCESSFUL?

Make Music Fans Can Feel “If you can’t make someone FEEL, you...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:57:14 -0800

Make Music Fans Can Feel

“If you can’t make someone FEEL, you ain’t making a real impression”

Think about some of your favorite songs… How do they make you FEEL? The greatest songs are the ones that can leave a lasting impression. You can’t leave a lasting impression without moving someone in some way.

The easiest way for a person to remember something is by putting it into song. Why do you think on commercials you hear so many “jingles?”—it’s because those companies want you to remember their product/service. This technique is even used in schools. Even the ‘ABC’s’ has a jingle to it.

Storytelling has also become one of the main ways to persuade and influence people. Both Biggie and Tupac were storytellers. When you hear a story, it automatically makes you think about past experiences, future goals, etc. Storytelling allows people to relate to you in their own way. Everyone is a storyteller. I’m sure you’ve been asked “How was your weekend?” and you responded with a mini story. Even Meek Mill has done a good job at the art of storytelling with his song ‘Tony’s Story.’ I am not saying that all of your music has to be written in a storytelling manor, but I do want you to understand how influential telling a story can be.

Music can influence others in positive and negative ways. There are songs that you play in the morning to motivate yourself, there are songs that you play to hype you up while getting ready to go to the club, there are songs that make you dance, and songs that give you hope and motivation. In conclusion, don’t just write random ‘bars’, put some serious thought and dedication into making music that grabs and keeps people’s attention. Think, how do you want people to feel when they listen to your song? How does your music make YOU feel? What does it make you think? It’s always good to paint a picture with your lyrics. Make music that brings people back to a certain situation. Make music that influences people in a positive way.

So I Just Recorded All This Dope Music, Now What? So you just...

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:41:00 -0800

So I Just Recorded All This Dope Music, Now What?

So you just spent plenty of time and money in the studio recording great original music that everyone is going to absolutely LOVE, buuuuuuut now what? What’s the next step? Now is the time to really buckle down and make sure your business is in order. How are you going to get your music out there? What tracks are you going to promote as singles? (Need help? Let me know!) How do you copyright your music? How do you register your music so that you can track it when it hits the radio? What are some dope venues that book artists? Do you look for a manager? What should you spend your money on? Lets iron some things out…

First off, lets start with the music.

Examine the album and make sure it’s exactly how you want it:

• Does every track have a dope concept? Catchy hook?

• Really listen to it closely, are your verses on point? Or do you hear some tiny mistakes?

• Do you have at least three tracks that you can promote as singles that will make everyone hype about your album?

• Do your lyrics really show who you are, or are you using a lot of basic fillers? (By basic fillers I mean: you were almost done with your track but needed a few more bars so you just said anything to fill it in.)

Sometimes you swear you’re done, but then once you review everything you realize that you might have a few kinks to work out—don’t be lazy. Make sure you correct whatever you feel needs to be corrected. If it’s not where you want it to be, go back in on it and work until you get it to 110%. In the end, it’s all about the music so you don’t want to move any further until it’s as close to perfect as you can get it. You’re about to spend time and money getting it out there so you want to make sure you’re not wasting your time. This is your career on the line here, not something to play with!

TEST OUT YOUR RECORDS! It’s pretty rare that artists do this, and it saddens me. Before you release records to the public, allow a select few others to hear it. Write down a list of 25 people (can be a mix of friends and family members, but you should also include a few others outside of your circle that you know will give you their honest opinion). Either have a listening party or a private studio session where you invite special guests to take a listen, or if you don’t want to do that then at least get everyone’s email address and send out a few tracks for them to preview. Be sure to let everyone know that this is a special release before you make the actual release. You might also want to hit a few open mics and do some special performances to make sure that your record catches the crowd. If you know any DJ’s (which you should really try to get to know some) you might be able to get them to spin your record at one of their events/venues so that you can see the crowd’s reaction. This will not only allow you to get opinions on your new music, but it will build up the hype around your release.

Before you start to promote, you must examine your presentation. Your presentation must be as professional as possible. This will not only help you to promote better, but it will get you a much better response once you do start to promote. Think about it: once you release music and put some heavy promo behind it, when people search for you, you want to make sure that you capture their attention and show them that you are the real deal. Ask yourself the following questions and be sure to get everything in order:

Do you have a website with bio, music + videos, photos, gigs, etc.?
Are all of your social networks updated and being utilized properly?
Do you have a mailing list?
Do you have any merchandise that represents your brand?
Do you have business cards to hand out at your shows?

Once your music and presentation is up to par, now it’s time to get it heard. Of course before you decide to release your music it’s best to get it copyrighted. Check out this dope blog by my girls over at xxiiiv.com, it does a great job at explaining copyrights: (Copyright Basics).

Once you are ready to copyright your music you can do so online here: http://www.copyright.gov/eco/

Promotion, promotion….PROMOTION!! What good is it to have great music if no one hears it?

There are some great resources out there to help with promoting your music. You need to get your music on some dope music blogs and you should also put a small budget aside for other promotional services. I actually have plenty of great promo services for you to utilize, feel free to shoot me an email and lets talk about it: Brianna@Digital8Track.com.

Performing is a major part of promotion. You need to line up performances: whether its an open mic, a party, a college event, a competition or your own show; whether the performance is 10 minutes long or a whole hour set – YOU NEED TO BOOK SHOWS. You don’t have to get paid but you have to perform. You can also check out this website (http://www.indieonthemove.com/) to find a list of venues + booking info from all different cities.

Now it’s time to also think about getting some radio spins. However, before you do this you MUST register your music so that it can be tracked. Tracking sales and spins of your music with SoundScan and BDS is extremely important. If you are not tracking your spins with BDS how are you going to know where your fans are? If you are not tracking sales with SoundScan how are you going to know what is working and what is not working?

* BDS – Broadcast Data Systems. This is how you track how many spins you are getting on the radio. REGISTER HERE: http://nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/public%20factsheets/Soundscan/How-to-Submit-Music-to-Nielsen-BDS.pdf

* SoundScan – This is how you can track your actual sales online, in retail, and at venues. REGISTER HERE: http://titlereg.soundscan.com/soundscantitlereg/

Now is a great time to think about selling your music online. It’s always cool to give away free downloads of your music in the beginning of your career (usually in your ‘mixtape phase’) so that people can get to know your sound, but there comes a time when your buzz starts to grow and you are creating dope singles/EPs and it’s time to start earning money from your music.

Check out this blog post by Paul Porter (@industryears) that has great information on outlets to sell your music online: http://raprehab.com/2011/12/selling-your-music-online/

Get your music to our speakers! Online streaming, iTunes, Amazon, etc. Hit up your local media outlets. Do interviews, make special guest appearances, set up a speaker on a corner and rock out, just get your music heard LOUD AND CLEAR.

If all of this seems a bit overwhelming, it might be a good idea to figure out if it’s time to hire a manager. Check out my blog “Do You Really Need A Manager” to help you with your decision. I will say that if you still feel you can do everything on your own without taking time away from your music, continue to do so as long as you can. Usually a manager will look for you once you are making a nice impression so you might want to continue working and eventually you will start to get attention from managers.

Everyone’s situation is different, but these are some basic steps that everyone needs to take. You have to remember to always examine your current situation. I do this at least once a week. Lay everything out on the table. See what you currently have in place and make sure it is working. Figure out what you lack, and know what you’re great at. Do as much as you can by yourself. Utilize your network and build your buzz up a bit, teach yourself the business before you try to reach out to managers, publicists etc. Prove to everyone that you are a hardworking, dedicated artist before you try to hire a whole team to do things for you. The more you learn the more you earn. I hope this article was able to put a few things into perspective for you. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me! =)