http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBY19KesrmM

Wendy Day is an advocate for indie hip hop artists and has prevented a large number of artists from getting screwed by negotiating their deals. Google her. I had the pleasure of interviewing her a short time ago when she first released her current book.

In this short video clip, Wendy explains that not all deals are bad when you’re educated about music business. But more importantly, she goes on the explain why hip hop artist these days are better off staying independent.

Do yourself a solid and follow her on Twitter @RapCoalition. Wendy is also on our “must follow” list in our Indie Hip Hop Directory, which should already be one of the tools in your grind right now .

Not much commentary to add to this video other than the fact that I like finding stories of other indie hip hop artists doing it themselves and making it happen. You can do your own shit, march to your own drummer, and find an audience that’s feels you. Be inspired!

This is my super duper dope list of 15 Twitter grinders that always stay on top of the latest music business info. Follow this 15 and you’ll be way ahead of the game and educated on some of the most important aspects of this ever evolving music industry. But in order to get this list, I ask that you do something for me first.  Tweet this out to your followers on Twitter with the button below, and you’ll get a free download of this list.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9whvdnJwceY

SoundExchange collects royalties when sound your music is played on satellite radi0, Internet radio, on cable TV music channels, and other streaming services. SoundExchange covers ground and ASCAP an BMI doesn’t,  so many artists have unclaimed money waiting for them that they’re totally unaware of. SoundExchange is free to join. Check out the vid to find out more about their service.

1. Social Networking

Sites like Twitter, Facebook, and even Youtube, when used correctly, are proving to be the most effective ways to build your fan base and keep them updated. Make it a point to follow other successful artists to see how they are using these tools to their advantage.

2. Creating An Artist Concept

What do you represent? What are you about? The answers to these questions are key to finding a fan base. Whether it’s connecting with avid weed smokers or others who share your political philosophy, being consistent with your message helps attract fans to you because you become a spokesman for their lifestyle. Trying to be everything to everybody never works. And if you haven’t already noticed by now, lyrical skill and banging beats are not a sure winning formula for success. We now live in an era where J.Cole and Lil B can coexist and be successful in hip hop. Just make sure you’re not being boring.

3. Video

Audio is good, visual is better. It stimulates an extra sense. This is a good thing when done well. Fans are more likely to pass around something visually entertaining than something that’s just audio. You don’t need a big budget to create something visually clever and entertaining to accompany your music.

4. Mixtapes

Free mixtapes and EPs are still proving to be effective for artist. These are done best, in my opinion, when the performances are mostly over original beats. Keep in mind that your beats are an important part of establishing your signature sound as well.

5. Frequent Releases

Release music and release it often! People have a short attention span and short-term memory. Keep them engaged. Don’t let them forget about you.

6. Physical Products

Tangible products are still cool. True fans still want to have something physical in their possession. CDs still sell. I’d personally like to see usb flash drives fully replace the CD format. It’s a great way give your fans extra media such as videos, pics, and higher quality files of your music. There are a lot of cool ways you can distribute them too. There are customizable usb wristbands and other cool things you can do with them. Hip hop has been the setting the trends for a long time and I believe that if our community started to collectively support a different and better format for the music, that it would no doubt become the standard for the industry as a whole.

7. Collaborations

We’re now starting to see artists from different sides of track doing more collabs these days. Why? Because they’ve figured out that it’s more productive than beefing and hatin’. You may think that other artist is garbage, but he could have and audience that’s not familiar with your music and one that would most likely become fans of yours if you two did a joint together. Beefs don’t have the shelf life they used to. Hip hop is evolving and there’s more benefit in making allies instead of enemies

8. Live Shows

I always tell artist. When you hit the stage, make sure the audience remembers you afterwards. I don’t care what you do, but leave an impression. Get your performance tight. Most of the time, this is your best opportunity to sell your music and merch. This is the time to make that audience become a believer. Do your homework. Go to Youtube and search for the live shows of other artists. Study how they put it together and work the crowd. Then make the proper adjustments and tweaks to your own show..

I’ve seen some artists sign some fucked up contacts in my day. Whether it was with a record company, management, or production company. These contracts were almost always signed without a lawyer involved. Most of the time artists only seek counsel when they’re trying to get out of a bad agreement. Bad agreements can stagnate and ruin any chances you have of living out your dream of having a career in music.  Music attorney Ed Fair in this video clip expresses the importance of knowing when seek legal help.

In this video clip, Michele Singer, Director of Legal and Business Affairs for jazz and classical, breaks down some of the finer points of the recoupment process between artists and their labels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZyqsGIsEn0

In this video Cappriccieo M Scates of SESAC talks about the 7 forms of income streams in the music business.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIejhzwpndE

Young Guru, a well established producer in the music business, gives you the straight talk about corporations, major labels, and how artists enslave themselves by signing record contracts. This video is filled with gems and should be encouragement for every independent hip hop artist on the path to building their own business.

Lance Grode teaches Legal Issues in the Music Business at USC Law. In this video he expresses the need for labels to adapt to remain sustainable. Good info if you’re running an indie label as well.