DJ Jazzy Jeff Tells Why Chief Keef and Drake Made Mistakes by Signing with Labels [video]

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 16-05-2013

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” I know artists that made records without record labels. I don’t know too many record labels that made records without artists.”  Well said, Jeff.

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[WATCH] Mobb Deep: Major Labels Are Irrelevant

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 07-05-2013

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Prodigy and Havoc briefly address their feelings about the relevance of labels in this clip.

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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis on the Colbert Show Talk About Being an Independent Artist

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 04-05-2013

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More testimonials fromm independent hip hop artists who are actually making it happen.

spotted at: hypebot

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Mannie Fresh Says That Record Labels Will Be Gone in 20 Years [video]

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 29-04-2013

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This is real talk from producer Mannie Fresh. I agree with him wholeheartedly except for that fact that I think it will happen sooner. This is nothing new to hip hop though. Heads were selling their shit out of the car trunk for years because labels thought that hip hop was a fad. Now with the help of the internet you don’t need a label unless they’re giving you some kind of tour support. And even that can’t guarantee you a fanbase. Artists are finding out that you only need to win over a few hundred loyal fans to build some momentum. No one truly knows what the future will hold, but everything is here for you to blaze a new path to success in a way that has never been done before.

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Immortal Technique and Tech N9ne Talk About Independent Hip Hop

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 22-04-2013

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The two Techs talk about being hip hop and independent. Check it out. What do you think about being independent? Would you rather have a record deal? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.

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3 Things Hip Hop Artists Need to Know About Free Beats

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 10-04-2013

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Making Beats

 

Some hip hop artists are enjoying the luxury of using free beats in their recordings. Trinidad James said that his hit song was made by using a free beat. But, this can cause you a heap of trouble in the future if you haven’t taken proper precautions. I touched on a similar topic in an earlier article. Here are 3 things you want to put on your checklist

 

1. Don’t make assumptions

If you didn’t get the beat directly from the producer’s website or from the producer himself, that beat is not free for you to use.

2. Free doesn’t always mean free

If the beat comes from a website, read the policy or terms of agreement. The creator of the beat is always the default copyright owner of that beat. Just because you didn’t have to pay an Read the rest of this entry »

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Hip Hop Artists: Are You Neglecting the Importance of Your Live Performance?

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 02-04-2013

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Some time ago I did a post on 3 tips that would improve your stage performance. This can be considered a follow up of that post.

Now more than ever, an artists’ live performance is becoming the most important part of sustaining a career in music. Touring and performing are becoming the most largest sources of income for artists. But too many artists neglect this part of the game. No time is spent planning the flow of the show.

This is the time for artists to make believers out of the non-believers. Some rappers act like their just performing for themselves; no interaction with the audience, bad delivery, and no eye contact.

Rehearsal and practice is a must. Record video of yourself and be critical about how your come off. Get your endurance up. You’re Read the rest of this entry »

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[Guest Post] The Hip Hop Biz: Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up System

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 06-03-2013

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It’s pretty evident at this point that the music industry is in chaos. Major labels have tried to restrict innovation and have sued countless music listeners for pirating. Market consolidation has led to fewer people at fewer companies making the decisions on what music America will hear. Majors were slow to adapt to the digital music era, but still dominate the music world for the most part. All the problems we can identify with commercial music in the U.S. are tied to the major record companies. So why do we even need them?

Sure, the majors have the funding to promote certain artists on a huge scale, but this only benefits the 0.1 % of musicians who they decide to invest in. The media uses Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, and Drake to reinforce the illusion of music superstardom (i.e. Drake’s “Started from the Bottom”), but the reality is much more harsh for the other 99.9 % of music makers. Being talented and dedicated to your craft simply isn’t enough to guarantee a million dollar contract nowadays. There’s just so much music being made and so many platforms to Read the rest of this entry »

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Buckshot Discusses the Business of Independent Hip Hop

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 04-02-2013

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Duck Down’s Buckshot has paid his dues in the hip hop game and continues to be a trailblazer as an independent hip hop artists. In this video, he drops some serious knowledge for those getting into the hip hop game.

“You must learn” – KRS ONE Read the rest of this entry »

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How to Not Get Screwed By the Music Industry – Wendy Day (@rapcoalition)

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 24-01-2012

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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 . Read the rest of this entry »

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7 Ways to Piss Off Your Studio Engineer

Filed Under (Rants) by FuNkwoRm on 12-01-2012

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1. Cancelling sessions on the day you’re due to record:

This really pisses studios off because your cancelation prevented them from booking a paying customer. Be considerate. Call the studio at least a day before if something comes up, and you know you won’t be able to make the session. Some studios make artists pay an non-refundable down payment to book a time slot because of this, but it still doesn’t equal up to the cost of a full session. Don’t get a reputation for being a flake. They might flag you as a customer that’s not dependable.

2. Treating the studio session like a house party:

When you’re in a studio session, you should be getting down to business. Time is money. The only people that should be there, are people that are contributing to the recording. Too many artists bring a large, annoying entourage to the studio, partying and Read the rest of this entry »

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CD Baby’s Derek Sivers: A Tale of Music, Vision, and Entrepreneurship [video]

Filed Under (Self Improvement) by FuNkwoRm on 13-09-2011

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File this 8 part video series under “inspirational”. If you don’t know who Derek Sivers is, he is the founder and former president of CD Baby. A highly successful service that revolutionized the way we buy music on the internet. Derek was and still is a musician and he has a lot of jewels to share about staying focused, knowing when something isn’t working, and living out your independent, entrepreneurial dreams. Collectively this series is about 50 minutes but it’s a great motivator. Check it out. Read the rest of this entry »

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15, Must Follow, Music Biz Giants on Twitter

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 08-04-2011

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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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7 Ways of Making Money in the Music Business

Filed Under (Music Business) by FuNkwoRm on 23-11-2010

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

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What Is Artist Management Worth?

Filed Under (Management) by FuNkwoRm on 15-11-2010

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Miles Copeland managed, The Police, one of the biggest rock bands in the 80′s. Bit of trivia…The Police had a huge hit called “Every Breath You Take”. P. Diddy, then Puff Daddy, repackaged the song and made it a big hit again with the title “I’ll Be Missing You’. Here, Miles passionately shares his thoughts about the importance of management and it’s value to artists.

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