Archive | September 2013

Dae Bogan Joins Music Business Panel At The 4th Annual Western Awareness Conference

Western Awareness Conference

 

Dae Bogan will be a guest panelist on the “Music Business & Networking” panel at The 4th Annual Western Awareness Conference taking place at Los Angeles Convention Center on Saturday, Sept. 28th and Sunday, Sept. 29th.

The Western Awareness Conference remains the largest educational urban music convention on the west coast. In its first year (2010) WAC attracted just over 2500 artists, producers, DJs, executives and attendees as a one day event. This number would grow to 5,000 attendees by its third year as a one day event. This year even more artists, labels executives and entertainment lawyers have already been confirmed.  Read More…

#DaeConsultations: Using Indie Music For A Dance/Fitness Instructional DVD

Up early this Monday morning conducting a small consultation via Facebook messenger for an indie artist/choreographer. I know A LOT of dancer/choreographers, so this is the 4th time I’ve received this kind of inquiry. Therefore, I’m going to share it.

Inquiry: I’ve been thinking about creating a Dance/Fitness DVD for quite sometime now, doing a little research. But my main road block is finding the right music that I can gain the permission to use. And I think it boils down to me finding the right legal document template to guide me.  Read More…

[VIDEO] Dizzy Wright Speaks On Being Discovered Through My Talent Search ‘Rip The Mic Tour’

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Dizzy Wright has been on his indie grind since before anyone on the Internet new his name. He had made his mark in the Las Vegas hip-hop scene as a teen, winning awards and killing shows. I take no credit in his talent and achievements, he is simply naturally gifted. I appreciate he and his team recognizing the platform I created for indie artists where he was ultimately discovered by Funk Volume. These kind of success stories fuel what I do. Props to your continued success brotha. I’m honored to have been a small part of the growing legacy.

In 2009, I developed and launched Shiekh Music as the music promotion, music retail and artist support arm of leading urban streetwear and apparel retail chain, Shiekh Shoes. Under this new division of the company, I developed several programs to support independent artists and their music.

Some of the programs included the Shiekh Music Artist Program (general support of select independent/unsigned artists), The Shiekh Music Stage Tour (a multi-city concert series featuring independent artists) and the Shiekh Music Mixtape (a collaboration with Power 106 personalities DJ Carisma and Yesi Ortiz).

One of the biggest programs I created and produced was a talent search called Shiekh Music’s Rip The Mic Tour presented by Reebok and sponsored by Hip Hop Weekly, Yo! Promotions and Def Jam Records

Read More…

If You Build It, They Still Might Not Come: A Refresher On Releasing New Music

“If you build it, they will come” is a popular saying, but it does NOT apply to releasing new music.

You must do work. You must generate pre-release demand for your single or album. You must not only build it, you must leave the bread crumbs for “them” to come. Simply paying a digital distributor, such as TuneCore, to distribute your album to iTunes does not mean anyone will find you. Why? Well, for starters there are 28 MILLION tracks available for sale on iTunes (it would take 250+ years for someone to listen to every track in a “discovery” rampage). Secondly, unless you’re featured in iTunes editorial placements, a visitor does not know your music exists (if they’ve never hear of you). Making sure you actually have a single/album release plan is imperative. There is no cookie-cutter plan, but here are some tips…

10 Steps To Building A Single Release Campaign.

Myspace Comes Back With Awesome Features For The Indie Artist

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I just had a meeting with the folks at Myspace. Turns out, the platform is a feature-rich tool for indie artists to host and promote new music and videos, share and engage with fans, connect with other artists, and showcase content in cool new ways.

I know that was all vague, but I will write a thorough piece after this weekend. I’ve invited Myspace’s Sr. Director of Artist Relations to join me for the Social Media 101 panel at iStandard Producers’ Beat Camp. Get deats to attend at http://www.beatcampla.com.

A&R 2.0 For The DIY Musician

Richard Mills

FEATURED #MUSICHEAD: Richard Mills is a digital video and music artist based in the northwest. When not releasing his “RAM rants” reality-show style YouTube videos, Richard is actively recording hip-hop and electronic music for a currently untitled music project and exploring his interests in fashion. Website: http://www.RAMrants.com | Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RAMrants | Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/RAMrants (Want to be the next FEATURED #MUSICHEAD? Send me a message on my Facebook Page for consideration)

There is something in the industry we call A&R 2.0, and that is music tech platforms that allow unsigned artists to submit music to be reviewed by music industry professionals (often, label A&Rs) for feedback, placement (cover records), and possibly a record deal. There is typically a per transaction fee for some (Music Xray and Blaze Trax) or a subscription fee for others (Audio Rokit).

There are mixed feelings in the music industry about these type of platforms, but they do exist and more and more songwriters and artists are starting to use them.  Read More…

Shopping And Music Discovery: A Resource For Indie Artists To Generate Exposure For Your Music In Retail Environments

Every month thousands of indie artists publish new music and videos to the Internet hoping to break through the clutter for the chance to generate exposure that reaches new listeners and gains new fans. Every month thousands of indie artists are reminded how difficult it is to earn the kind of exposure that reaches new listeners without the support and deep pockets of a major label.

Sure, there are some successes. There are dozens of indie artists buzzing on blogs and going viral on YouTube. There are dozens of artists generating hundreds to thousands of downloads. There are dozens of artists earning new followers every day. Unfortunately, the indie rock stars represent a small fraction of the indie artist community as a whole — an exception to the rule.  Read More…