Shouts to Ike Dirty w/ the great perspective on Urban Music. Preach bro!!!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Why sign a record contract?
by IndRossi
I remember with little affection the years pre-Napster et al, growing up in a naïve age of music superstars, inspirational icons made for kids to imitate and wannabe musicians to emulate. Such face-value celebrity has arguably ended, and will never return. To many, this was a golden age, late 80’s onwards- where Michael Jackson could hawk Pepsi Cola and have his integrity undiminished, a formative time between industries that would see the record industry, advertisers, filmmakers and musicians collaborating or syndicating their content out on cross-platform endeavours. From this, the celebrity endorsement reached an apex, and the Hollywood blockbuster emerged- star names, released to hype every Summer to get bums on seats, with a sure-to-be-Number-One soundtrack launched simultaneously. To those who worked in the recording industry, you’d never had it so good.In the business of marketing super-stardom, record labels enjoyed a near-monopoly. I remember the fervent clamour with which young bands chased recording contracts, and the romanticised retellings of this narrative through such Generation X films as Wayne’s World or Bill & Ted. If the process was hard, it was also inevitably rewarding- this was the message the industry gave off- that really, it was a case of filtration, and once you’d signed your first contract- the number one’s, obliging lady friends, suitcases full of cash- would come rolling in.
This, of course, is a bygone era- and you would perhaps forgive those more closely involved with record production and promotion if they regarded it with rose-tinted spectacles, staying awake late at night wistfully remembering how it used to be. As compared, of course, to how it is. For whilst they attempt to claw back some of their relevance, to re-establish themselves as crucial, essential players in the process dividing band and audience- it’s becoming increasingly difficult to articulate how ‘what they do’ could possibly be in anyone’s interest, besides their own.
In 2000, the highest selling album shifted 9.9 million units (N’Sync) and in 2006, a mere 3.9 million (High School Musical). With these statistics indicating a continuing trend, the likelihood that a band will get burdened with a major label’s expenses is more realistic than ever. Why? A record label's main concern is the monetary return on their initial investment (or ‘advance’), but an artist's main passion throughout any negotiations is the quality of the music being produced, and their ability to keep making it- regardless of financial minutae. That is, of course, if you even get signed- with such low returns on investments, record labels are much less inclined to take risks on emerging talent, instead pumping their funds into either established artists (with a proven track record of selling records, playing theatres) or more malleable artists, whom they can fast-track to the spotlight through a process of characterisation and branding.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
B.o.B - Beastmode - Video
TJ Chapman | TJ's DJ's TJChapman.com
TJsDJs.com
Twitter.com/TJsDJs
Facebook.com/TJ.Chapman
Myspace.com/TJsDJs Check out my artists: B.o.B (Bobby Ray) | BoBATLcom
Double D | IamDoubleD.com
TJsDJs.com
Twitter.com/TJsDJs
Facebook.com/TJ.Chapman
Myspace.com/TJsDJs Check out my artists: B.o.B (Bobby Ray) | BoBATLcom
Double D | IamDoubleD.com
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
B.o.B - Don't Let Me Fall - Official Video
TJ Chapman | TJ's DJ's TJChapman.com
TJsDJs.com
Twitter.com/TJsDJs
Facebook.com/TJ.Chapman
Myspace.com/TJsDJs Check out my artists: B.o.B (Bobby Ray) | BoBATLcom
Double D | IamDoubleD.com
TJsDJs.com
Twitter.com/TJsDJs
Facebook.com/TJ.Chapman
Myspace.com/TJsDJs Check out my artists: B.o.B (Bobby Ray) | BoBATLcom
Double D | IamDoubleD.com
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Justin Bieber, B.o.B, Bruno Mars & Katy Perry to Perform at Grammy Nominations Concert
Hold on to your hats folks, heavy hitters Justin Bieber, B.o.B, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry are among the first confirmed performers set to knock your socks off at this year’s GRAMMYs Nominations Concert Live!
And just to add a little more excitement, the annual countdown to the biggest night in music will once again be hosted by LL Cool J.
This is the third time the nominees for the annual GRAMMY Awards will be announced live on primetime television. The event will be broadcast from Club NOKIA in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 1st on CBS from 10 to 11PM Eastern.
Additional performers and presenters will be announced soon!
Hit Up GRAMMYs.com for More Info >
The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 13th, 2011 on CBS at 8PM Eastern.
via 923now.radio.com
Congrats to B.o.B (@BOBATL) on his 2 People's Choice Awards Nominations...Favorite Breakout Artist & Favorite Song!
CONGRATS TO B.o.B
People's Choice Awards - January 5, 2011
Nokia Theater L.A. Live
Hosted by Queen Latifah
http://www.peopleschoice.com/pca/
Favorite BREAKOUT ARTIST
· B.o.B
· Bruno Mars
· Justin Bieber
· Ke$ha
· Selena Gomez & the Scene
Favorite SONG
· Airplanes
by B.O.B featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore
· California Gurls
by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg
· Love The Way You Lie
by Eminem featuring Rihanna
· OMG
by Usher featuring Will.I.Am
· Telephone
by Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
MTV EMA 2010 Performance; B.o.B & Hayley Williams Airplanes"
via youtube.com
Live from Madrid, Spain!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Cory Mo - Album & Mixtape Listening Party in Atlanta 11/5
Artist: Cory Mo
Event: Album / Mixtape listening party "Its Been About Time"
Date: Friday Nov. 5th
Time: 7pm to 9pm
Location: MAD Studioz / 2922 Edna Ln. / Decatur, GA. 30032
Bun B, Talib Kweli, BoB, Slim Thug, Devin The Dude, Big Krit, GLC,
Mistah Fab, 4-Ize & many more... Please confirm attendance!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
How To Make T-Shirts For $0
T-shirts your fans can purchase that won't cost anything to make.
Estimated Cost: FREE
Estimated Time: Immediate preparation with immediate results.
Indie Guide Categories: Other Merchandise, T-Shirts
What Do You Need to Do This
- Your Brand toolbox, especially Your Logo and Color palette
- Ideas for shirt designs
Edit What's Needed View History
Directions
1. Create logos and find art and graphics for your T-shirts.
You should make your own logos and graphics. It's best if it also has your website link on it. You can also click here to learn how to find free clip art and photos. We also have an Art & Graphics category that has resources that can help you.
2. Double check that the art is cleared for commercial use to avoid legal troubles.
Make sure that all payments and royalties are handled for the artwork, if necessary. Double check that royalty-free images are cleared for your use. Do not use any art that has not been formally cleared. If you use an artist, it's best to get the result as a work for hire, so that you can own it.
3. Pick a store that offers on demand printing services.
Sites like Cafepress and Spreadshirt allow for on demand T-shirts, meaning you pay nothing up-front, and make money on every single sale. Check out our T-Shirts category for more T-shirt manufacturers with on demand options.
4. Find the preferred formats and templates for the art and text on your T-shirts.
You need to use their specific template to make sure the shirts will come out looking just right. Use the highest quality and largest sized images you have. Remember that you will not be able to see the shirts in person before they are sent to customers, so everything has to look perfect. If the site has a size limit for images, you should submit the largest image possible.
5. Promote your on demand T-shirts with links and banners on your site.
Add banners and links to your website and social networking pages in order to promote everything you have for fans.
6. Make the best selling shirts available at your merch table.
Periodically check out your online sales; see which shirt designs are doing the best. If you are going on tour or playing live a lot, you should consider offering these shirts in person at your merch table.
via indieguide.com
What Is A Brand?
by
Bobby Owsinski
One of the things that an artist or band hears a lot these days is the need to promote “your brand” in order to get ahead in the Music 3.0 era that we all now live in. That’s all well and good, but it’s hard to promote your brand unless you’re 100% sure of what a brand is. So what exactly is a brand? Here’s a quote from the Music 3.0Internet music guidebook that describes it perfectly:
A brand is a promise of quality and consistency. No matter where in the world you go for a McDonald’s hamburger, you know what to expect. No matter what product you purchase from Apple, you can expect sleek high-tech design and an easy to understand user interface. Brand management is protecting the image of the brand and carefully selecting how to best exploit it.
For an artist, that means a consistency of persona, and usually a consistency of sound. Regardless of what genre of music the artist delves into, the feel is the same and you can tell it’s the artist at first listen. Madonna has changed directions many times during her career but her brand has been consistent. Her persona remained the same even as she changed to and from the “Material Girl.” The Beatles tried a wide variety of directions but you never once questioned who you were listening to. It was always fresh and exciting, but distinctly them.On the other hand, Neil Young almost killed his career with an electronic album called “Trans” that alienated all but his hardiest fans, and the well-respected Chris Cornell may have done irreparable harm to his long-term career with his recent album with Timbaland (“Scream”) even though it was the highest charting of his career. Why did this happen? For both artists, the album in question no longer “felt” like them. Both Young and Cornell built their careers on organic music played with a band, and as soon as their music became regimented and mechanical, they lost their brands. After Trans, Young returned to his roots and slowly built his brand back to superstar level, but it’s too soon to know what will happen with Cornell.
How do you determine what your brand is? It’s easier said than done.In order for an artist to recognize and successfully promote their brand, they must have a great sense of self-knowing. You must know who you are, where you came from, and where you’re going. You must know what you like and don’t like, and what you stand for and why. And you must have an inherent feel for your sound and what works for you.
Your brand may be as much about your image as your music, although this sometimes happens by accident rather than design. Slash always wears a top hat, a jean vest, leather pants and plays a Les Paul, grunge musicians of the 90’s like Soundgarden and Alice In Chains wore jeans and flannel shirts, and the White Stripes always dress in red and white. That’s not all there is to their brands, but it’s a big part.
And that differentiates a superstar from a star, and a star from some who wants it really badly but never seems to get that big break. Recognizing your brand is an elementary but vital step to a successful career.
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