This video is a promotional video for the site www.indiepower.com. This is not an endorsement for the site or a review. I haven’t had the time to look at it thoroughly. I will though. What I did want to share from this video was the statements made artists with a deep history of being in the industry, about where the music is going and why artists should remain independent. Legendary hip hop producer, DJ Premier, DJ Don Cannon, Ray J and others chime in on the subject. Check it out.
If you’re an independent hip hop artist, why do continue to do this? I’m referring to music of course. Is it because you love what you do, or is it the fame and potential riches that drive you? Is it a little bit of both? Would you do it if there was no money to be made in this game?
These are rhetorical questions of course and I’m not just asking you these questions, I ask myself these questions to keep my artistic focus in tact, because if you’re human, you are susceptible to distractions. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m leaving the world of music production and blogging to explore the fine art of Pimpin’…just kiddin’
These young ladies helped me promote my website QuickBeats.net. and they did a great job. I threw this pic up because a reader said that I hardly have any women on the site and this was my quickest, temporary remedy for it.
Anyway, I’m going to slowly change the focus of this blog to cater more to fans of hip hop rather than to artists. What do I mean by that? Right now, most of my readers are people in the industry because of the music business related posts that are usually on the site. While I think that this is a good service and valuable, I want to become a better resource for exposing independent hip hop artists rather than solely being a blog centered around music business. Read the rest of this entry »
Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor was signed to Universal for 18 years before going completely independent over a year ago. After experiencing some disappointments as an indie artist, Read the rest of this entry »
Tizzle and Streetz are two emcees representing for Chicago and Gary. This is their single, Leanin to Da Side from their EP “What Ya On” that’s distributed by Warner.
web site: www.tizzleandstreetz.com
If you’re not a Twitter user yet, you’re missing out on what could be a very effective promotional tool for you and your music. Twitter is a mini-blogging service that allows you to send short messages to other users in real-time. It is similar to the way you’d send text from a cell phone but Twitter makes room for a lot more possibilities. It make take some time to get used to if you’re totally unfamiliar with it, but jump right in and try it. Soon you may find yourself unable to stop using it. The Twitter community is large and growing very quickly and creates great opportunities to network. Here are 5 good uses for it:
1. Meet DJs: You can use twitter to meet DJs from all over the world who support independent artists. Some of them have their own radio shows on and offline.
2. Mobilize your fanbase: You can localize your networks and alert your fans instantly about performances or appearances just by twittering from a cell phone.
3. Get Press: Connect with hip hop magazine editors, writers or bloggers and introduce them to your music. It’s very possible that they may be interested in doing an article on you.
4. Collaborations: Collab with other artists or producers who also have their own followers on twitter. This can effectively broaden your fan base by plugging you into their networks as well.
5:Unforeseen Opportunities: A lot of the time, twitter users send “tweets” looking for a service you may be able to provide. You can receive these in real-time or search past messages for keywords of your interests.
You can find me on twitter at twitter.com/indiehiphop . I’ll write some future posts about other services and applications that greatly increase Twitter’s usefulness.
DJ Stupac hails from Denver, Colorado and is the first DJ to be profiled on Indiehiphop.net. Every DJ profiled on the this blog plays indie hip hop artists and openly accepts submissions for their mixtapes and projects. Get at them!! Exposure is what its all about and I don’t waste time with people that are not serious about their game.
Currently Dj StuPac is working on a new mixtape with Denver, Colorado artist Hypnautic called “The Movement” that also features many other Denver heavy hitters, such as Julox and Fat Lee. Dj StuPac is also working on a mixtape hosted by Denver native DJ KTONE THE TURF DJ called “WHITE MEN CAN’T DJ” and “A GANGSTA RESUME HOSTED BY CTE’s ROCCETT as well as “SLEPT ON SLAP VOLUME: OUTKAST hosted by DJ BIG SPADE aka DR. XCLUSIVE. Just recently dropped are “SOUTHLAND TALES VOLUME 4 and BEDROOM BOOM BLENDS. Dj StuPac is a 2009 SEA nominee for mixtape rookie of the year, a Crunk Energy Drink Dj (www.crunkenergydrink.com) and runs his own production company Down Rite Durtay Productionz.
Digiwaxx Media offers a great service that provides marketing and promotions solutions for their clients. Whether you are trying to introduce a new artist, break a hot single, or create a buzz for a product. IndieHipHop.net interviewed one of the reps to learn more about Digiwaxx Media and get some advice for up and coming artists.
Who are you and what’s your music background?
I’m Demetrius a rep for Digiwaxx Media. My music background is in radio promotions & sales, music retail, artist management, event planning, corporate branding, and music marketing.
What is digiwaxx and how can it help independent artists?
Digiwaxx Media is a marketing and promotions agency with an emphasis on urban music and lifestyle. Digiwaxx helps independent artist because we allow artist to access services without the need of a major label. Marketing, promotions, publicity, etc. are all services that Digiwaxx offers.
How and why was Digiwaxx created?
Corey “CL” Llewellyn created Digiwaxx in 1998 as a means to bridge the gap between DJs and the artists. When he first started Digiwaxx it was a simple email service that he used to send new music to his network of DJs on behalf of artists. From there the Digiwaxx platform was developed that included the blast service that allowed Djs to receive the music without clogging up their emails.
About how many Djs are in your network?
Currently there are over 25,000 member DJs in the Digiwaxx network. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Please place all a comments you have here on the blog.
Today, your security in having a long career as a successful, major artist, rests mainly on how much of a foundation you build as an independent artist. Developing a sizable fan base and creating a revenue stream as an indie, almost guarantees that you will keep artistic control over your projects, should you get signed by a major label.
In this clip, Bob Jamieson, former President and CEO of RCA Music and BMG talks about the benefits of being an independent entrepreneur.
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