Music Pin is a company that has developed a way for artists to put music, that can be downloaded by their fans, on a format about the size of a business card. I’m really feelin’ this one. Hope it catches on.
I posted an article yesterday about the relevance of CDs in this “digital age”, and I got a lot interesting emails from artists. I was surprised to get replies from artists who said that the CD is dead. This to me explains why some independent hip hop artists are having a hard time making profits from their music. If you don’t take advantage of the profits you could make from selling CDs, you’re missing out on a potentially large amount of cash flow from your music sales.
I don’t know them, but here are couple of artists in Miami getting their hustle on. I always love to see this because it reaffirms my faith that artists can do it by themselves with just a little hard work. In Chicago, I’ve personally seen artists move dozens of CD’s at $5 a pop, in a short amount of time. I can’t see how you can do that with an mp3.
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I was recently asked by an artists if he should only make his project digitally available and totally ignore the process of pressing up CDs. I told him that this would be a very unwise decision.
There have been a lot of reports of slumping CD sales in the media, but don’t get it twisted. These are problems that major labels are having. Actually, most indie hip hop artists have increased profits from their CD sales. Recording costs are low (most people are doing it themselves), it doesn’t cost much to press then up anymore, and the closing of music retail stores nation wide, forced artists to go back out and get in touch with the people. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
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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 ...
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.
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5 Ways To Get Through Writer’s Block
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 ...
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 ...