Kevin Shine is an A&R consultant for Jive Records. Kevin has dedicated a large part of his time to teaching up and coming artists about the inner workings of the music business. In this video, he makes it plain about what an A&R does and shares his distaste for those who abuse the position.

Tommy Boy Records’ role in the history of hip hop has been of great significance. From the very beginning, artists on that label defined the very core of hip hop culture. Some of the most notable artists were, Afrika Bambaataa, Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Naughty by Nature, Digital Underground, and many, many more. I caught up with founder and CEO, Tom Silverman, to talk about his thoughts on the future of the music business and The New Music Seminar, an event Tom created to educate aspiring artist by bringing them together with music industry professionals and visionaries that are shaping the future of the business.

Great interview of Chamillionaire talking about everything from how he’s been able to be in control of his business to the power that comes with being a successful independent hip hop artist. I wish we could get more in depth interviews like this from hip hop artists instead of the typical bullshit about beefs.

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The music business model is ever changing. Even if you’re an artist that’s signed to a label, you have to learn how to manage the business of being a successful artist.  In this aritcle, producer, John Snyder goes further into depth about these 8 qualities of being an artist entrepreneur.

1. Wants to work for themselves, doesn’t want to work for someone else
2. Can communicate and is organized about it
3. Isn’t afraid of taking risks Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

Finding the right music to go with your flow is essential to leaving lasting impression as an artist. A debate I recently had with some producer partners of mine started with my belief that the artists who made the biggest impacts in hip hop, used only one or very few producers. My feeling is that the music created with these unions, defined them as artists and sometimes defined an entire era.

When the producer is like a part of the group, somehow a unique sound is created that can’t be duplicated without that original unit. This sometimes creates musical movements. Some legendary examples of this have been:
Public Enemy, N.W.A, Mobb Deep, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu Tang, The Death Row Movement, The Cash Money Movement, Eric B and Rakim, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Gangstar…etc Read the rest of this entry »

Attorney Kendall Minter, gives an in depth interview about what an entertainment attorney does and talks about the ever changing landscape of the music industry.

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George Howard breaks down, to a student, how to start a company and the strategies of building your brand.

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.

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Successful CEO of Murder Inc, Irv Gotti, shares his strategies on making a good record deal.

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