Just when you thought MySpace couldn’t possibly get any worse, they went ahead and fucked up the last worthwhile function left in that digital wasteland.
This function was the ability to search for artists of different genres and narrow that search down to the country, state and even city they were from. You could also search for keywords in their profile. This was huge help for fans and bloggers like me looking to discover new artists from specific places in the world. On top Read the rest of this entry »
Internet marketing has become essential to any hip hop artist who wishes to spread their music abroad, but spending too much time navigating online social networks can take you away from the kinda grassroots street networking that made hip hop the force it is today. A well developed hip hop movement is and always will be built on the local level first. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s a new year and with it, the beginning of a new decade. A lot of other blogs and writers have been offering their opinions on what the next 10 years will bring for music and technology, so I thought I’d add my two cents to the convo. Here are a few things that I think we’ll see in hip hop before the next 10 years are over.
1. Advance technology for the lyrically challenged
Gotta weak flow? Much like it’s distance cousin, Auto-Tune, helped the lacking singer, the Flowmatic will help the rapper who needs a little boost with his lyrical dexterity. Just plug your mic into the input, and turn the dial to your favorite emcee, and you’ll soon be on everybody’s top 5 list!
My how time flies. This blog is a year old today. Up and walking but not quite potty trained yet. Blogging was totally new to me when I started this. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing or getting myself into. Wasn’t even sure if people would care. While running a successful beat licensing site, I would receive numerous emails from independent hip hop artists asking me questions about how they should go about breaking into the industry. Read the rest of this entry »
50 cent’s first week sales of his album, “Before I Self Destruct”, came in at a very disappointing 160,000 sales. These numbers are great for an independent hip hop artist but terrible for a hip hop artists of 50’s caliber. In my opinion it wasn’t his worst album, but this post is in no way shape or form an album review. Fifty gives early leakage of the project as the reason for low sales. Recent history has shown that early exposure to projects more often than not, increase album sales for artists. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s the same story in every city I go to. Local radio plays the same playlist all day every day and there’s little support for local and independent artists. I’m beginning to hear from a growing number of people that they just don’t bother to listen to the shit anymore. And it’s taking it’s toll. Listeners are leaving and stations are losing money. Sure everyone hates the format until one of their joints makes it into the rotation. I enjoy it too. But being the producer left me removed from the politics that had to be played by artists, labels and independent radio promoters to get the music played. It’s a frustrating game.
Radio didn’t always suck though. There was a time when radio DJs got their reputations from the great songs they broke on the airwaves. But those days are long gone. How did this happen? Well a few artists on this video clip give you the low down on how things got so screwed. Chuck D adds some commentary as well. Check it out. There’s some good info in it.
Drake is often used as a prime example for how struggling independent hip hop artists can succeed in the music business. In order for that to be the case, Drake’s path to success would have to be reasonably attainable by other artists who begin their careers in hip hop. But Drake’s path is not your typical success story.
1. Drake grew up wealthy. Having money doesn’t garuantee your success in the hip hop game but, it sure puts you a lot further ahead of the other runners on the starting block.
2. Drake was a TV star when he started dropping mixtapes. Drake not only appeared in a few films but he developed a healthy fanbase from his Read the rest of this entry »
Quickbeats.net is my hip hop beats licensing site. Over the years, I’ve had some strange email conversations with potential customers. I’ve decided to start sharing some of these with you. Enjoy!
Potential Customer: whadup (That’s it. A lot of times that’s the only thing in the initial email)
There’s been a lot of talk about Jay-Z’s age lately. Ridicule about him being 40 or close to it. Wise cracks from other rappers in the game about Hov being a senior citizen, and that it’s time for him to step down and let some new blood in.
There are several reasons why this is some of the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard, and I’m not just saying it because I’m in my mid 30’s. Read the rest of this entry »
We've all experienced it right? Those annoying moments when it seems like your brain is on deep freeze. Can't find a concept...can't start a beat..can't find that next hot line. Sometime ago I decided that I'd find a some ways to work though the drought. Here are five.
1. Write hooks and come back to them later. Don't try to complete an entire song. Sometimes the hooks are the only thing you can get off at the moment. Why stay stuck on one tune when you can shoot of a dozen hot choruses that you can fill in later?
2. Listen to ...
5 Very Bad Twitter Marketing Habits
There are a lot of independent hip hop artists on Twitter that are wasting their time by using it ineffectively to promote and market themselves. Twitter is a great tool if used correctly, but it can be totally useless if not. Here are 5 Twitter marketing habits you should avoid.
1. Sending me an @ reply with only a link to your music. If I don't know you and you didn't take the time to introduce yourself, I'm not going to waste my time clicking on your link. It's spam and it's annoying.
2. Letting 3rd party sites use your account so ...
How to Properly Send Your Music Over the Internet
I felt the need to write this post because so many artists fail to send me music correctly. This can be an annoyance to DJ's, bloggers, podcasters, or anyone else on the receiving end of your delivery. You need to make the process of downloading and listening to your music require the least amount of effort. If this becomes difficult for the receiver, you may very well miss an opportunity to have it heard. Here a are a few dos and don'ts to take note of when sending your music out.
Related posts:Cool Tool: Twitter Music Marketing The concept for ...
Why You Should Trademark Your Name
Ever wonder why Common is no longer Common Sense? Or why Soulja Boy is now Soulja Boy Tell 'Em? Well, the answer to both of those questions is, the failure to acquire a trademark.
Common Sense, after building a sizable fanbase and an impressive body of work, soon learned that a reggae band owned the name before he did. Soulja Boy was sued by a hip hop artist who also owned the name first and had to either change his name or modify it in a way that was legally acceptable.
Related posts:4 Laws of Choosing the Right Artist Name Choosing ...
The Hip Hop Artist’s Survival Kit
Don't miss another opportunity to share your music or network with a good contact because you didn't have your music or info on you. Way too often, I've checked my wallet to exchange info with a contact only to say, "Sorry, I don't have any more business cards." You can avoid mishaps like these by always having a few things with you. Here is a short list of them.
1. Business Cards: In this day of great technological advancements, this old school way of passing along your info is still the quickest and most effective. It's a pain in the ass ...
7 Ways to Fuck Up Your Start-Up Hip Hop Label
Running a successful independent record label takes lots of hard work. A good business plan, good talent and proper management are essential to making this possible. Here are 7 things to you should avoid when running your independent hip hop label.
1. Choosing a name for your record label before you check to see if it's already been trademarked: Can't tell you how many times I've seen this happen. Someone chooses a label name, puts out CDs under it, and then carpets the office with the logo and name dead in the center, only to find out that someone else ...
(4.90 out of 5)
(3.71 out of 5)