It seems that lately our artist are becoming increasingly morbid. Are they trying to tell us something we aren't aware of, or even yet do we want to know?
Maybe we're done with all the bright colors, Mohawks, and skinny jeans and upbeat music. The lighter music is, the less seriously it's taken and the lyrics pertain to nothing, but the clouds in the sky. The darker music gets the more truth involved, with both feet planted firmly on the ground as lyrics become more meaningful.Artist are now producing more "less alive" tunes and quite frankly, I hope it catches on. This a trend in music I can surely accept. I have composed a couple of "dark" videos for your viewing pleasure.
Maybe we're done with all the bright colors, Mohawks, and skinny jeans and upbeat music. The lighter music is, the less seriously it's taken and the lyrics pertain to nothing, but the clouds in the sky. The darker music gets the more truth involved, with both feet planted firmly on the ground as lyrics become more meaningful.Artist are now producing more "less alive" tunes and quite frankly, I hope it catches on. This a trend in music I can surely accept. I have composed a couple of "dark" videos for your viewing pleasure.
It's widely known that sex is a large part of the music industry and woman are more subjected to it's negativity than men . Of course we would love for our woman to make it to the top without trading sexual favors in order to do so, but in the real world how realistic is this notion? Can women really rise above this unofficial requirement for success in the music business, especially in a business run by men?
I would love to hear what you all think of them matter and if you have any suggestions please feel free to comment!
I would love to hear what you all think of them matter and if you have any suggestions please feel free to comment!
A 360 deal in short is a deal where basically a record company gets a piece of all aspects having to with the artist. This usually includes, movie deals, merchandise, endorsements, sponsorships, touring, publishing, and of course record sales. There's an ongoing debate whether or not the 360 deal is fair to artist and each side has some valid points. Most importantly the 360 deal could ultimately destroy the Major Record industry as it is known today as many artist are now doing a 180 when it comes to major deals. This could or could not effect your goals as an artist, it truly depends on what you want to gain or lose, as it goes.
I understand that after a major record company pours in large amounts of money into an artist that in return produces an album with minimum sales, they would want to recoup their money back. Especially if the artist wasn't famous before the record company it makes sense that they receive some of the pie. Because the artist was nothing until the majors right?
Technically the way I look at it, majors shouldn't be rewarded for something that's technically half their fault. I mean if they're in control of promotions and making sure the artist sells, then why aren't they selling?
For example the new Redman and Method Man album "Blackout 2" is an amazing album. Many people have been waiting for a reunion since the release of "Blackout" in 1999. The first "Blackout" album received so much hype it went platinum in January of 2000, just four months after being released in September of 1999. The "Blackout 2" album sold 148,000 copies by September of 2009 after being released in May of 2009. Four months later and not even a quarter million sold compared to the duos first album. So who's really at fault here?
Record companies already take a large sum out of records sales, so artist have to find other avenues to make money to cover advances and other fees that accompany their careers and lifestyles. That's when you get endorsements,commercials,touring and the likes. I would say on behalf of the artist that finding multiple streams of income is a financial duty and a smart business move; so is it right that now the major labels want to cash in on your smart moves because they failed? It doesn't sound like a fair deal to me and it also sounds like a short term way to deal with declining record sales instead of the corporation looking to find the long term solution. Instead of revamping the music industry they panicked and asked for a bailout.
Today many artist are looking for other avenues to become successful music stars and needless to say they are succeeding. With the likes of Youtube and social networks artist can promote and build their own fan base, drop an album , and recoup all of the income without the need for major backing. Could it be that artist are becoming more aware of their capabilities and are in a sense less greedy then their major counterparts? When you're face with opposition or something you don't like you find other ways to make this business work for you. It's something the major labels should have done instead of crying that something went wrong so the artist has to fix it.
But if you can't get off the ground yourself then of course I would tell you to seek the backing of the industries beasts. For those of you that still want the title of being signed I would recommend that you get a GOOD lawyer to negotiate their ass off when it comes to your contract and try to lower the effect the 360 has on your career and for how long. If you want to be worldwide there's really no better way than to be apart of a large corporation. The major labels have established themselves as giants across the board with the income to prove it and their name on your back can get you more business then you've dreamed and cover all your most of your cost. Or it won't.
Like I said before it's a back and forth thing here. It can be good for you or it won't, usually for a new artist it isn't. Depends on your goals and what you hope to accomplish. After that it depends on a really good team of brilliant minds to ensure you don't get screwed.
Ya better believe it.
I understand that after a major record company pours in large amounts of money into an artist that in return produces an album with minimum sales, they would want to recoup their money back. Especially if the artist wasn't famous before the record company it makes sense that they receive some of the pie. Because the artist was nothing until the majors right?
Technically the way I look at it, majors shouldn't be rewarded for something that's technically half their fault. I mean if they're in control of promotions and making sure the artist sells, then why aren't they selling?
For example the new Redman and Method Man album "Blackout 2" is an amazing album. Many people have been waiting for a reunion since the release of "Blackout" in 1999. The first "Blackout" album received so much hype it went platinum in January of 2000, just four months after being released in September of 1999. The "Blackout 2" album sold 148,000 copies by September of 2009 after being released in May of 2009. Four months later and not even a quarter million sold compared to the duos first album. So who's really at fault here?
Record companies already take a large sum out of records sales, so artist have to find other avenues to make money to cover advances and other fees that accompany their careers and lifestyles. That's when you get endorsements,commercials,touring and the likes. I would say on behalf of the artist that finding multiple streams of income is a financial duty and a smart business move; so is it right that now the major labels want to cash in on your smart moves because they failed? It doesn't sound like a fair deal to me and it also sounds like a short term way to deal with declining record sales instead of the corporation looking to find the long term solution. Instead of revamping the music industry they panicked and asked for a bailout.
Today many artist are looking for other avenues to become successful music stars and needless to say they are succeeding. With the likes of Youtube and social networks artist can promote and build their own fan base, drop an album , and recoup all of the income without the need for major backing. Could it be that artist are becoming more aware of their capabilities and are in a sense less greedy then their major counterparts? When you're face with opposition or something you don't like you find other ways to make this business work for you. It's something the major labels should have done instead of crying that something went wrong so the artist has to fix it.
But if you can't get off the ground yourself then of course I would tell you to seek the backing of the industries beasts. For those of you that still want the title of being signed I would recommend that you get a GOOD lawyer to negotiate their ass off when it comes to your contract and try to lower the effect the 360 has on your career and for how long. If you want to be worldwide there's really no better way than to be apart of a large corporation. The major labels have established themselves as giants across the board with the income to prove it and their name on your back can get you more business then you've dreamed and cover all your most of your cost. Or it won't.
Like I said before it's a back and forth thing here. It can be good for you or it won't, usually for a new artist it isn't. Depends on your goals and what you hope to accomplish. After that it depends on a really good team of brilliant minds to ensure you don't get screwed.
Ya better believe it.
I sometimes wonder if artist signed to major record labels really listened to their fans, if music would take a different turn. There seems to be an outcry for change and usually it's the same dislike for something yelled out over and over, yet nothing changes. People tend to go with whatever is available and popular. If all you have are apples and oranges then people choose apples or oranges even if they really want a ripe, juicy mango. (Worst case senario is they choose never to eat fruit again and grab the bottle of V8 Tropical Splash.)
Music at one point use to be a fruit basket of specific choices. Nowadays you'll be lucky to find just a slightly bruised piece of fruit that's still edible and not leaking onto any other piece. Though when you're starving you'll just about eat anything.
The fans are starving for good music and yet the industry is producing rotten records. Everywhere from punk, rock, rap and R&B, people are seeing a heavy decline in quality records, at least where mainstream is concerned. More and more people are getting their music from farms (underground) rather than the grocery store (mainstream). Have the record companies lost touch with what the people want? I think so.
In fact I think they're suffering from identity crisis.
Punk sounds like pop, rap sounds like pop, r&B sounds like pop and pop sounds like disco.
Someone has been mixing apples and oranges and putting it on the market without tasting it first.
Being a lover of all types of music I remember in the 90's and early 2000's being able to choose from different artist and genres fully expecting (and with success) to hear an array of sounds and styles. Tupac sounded different than Biggie Smalls, Brandy sounded different than Monica, Alanis Morissette sounded different than Fiona Apple, and The Offspring sounded different than Green Day. Switching the radio stations was more like eating an ambrosia where as nowadays switching the radio station is like throwing out spoiled bananas. Nothing seems to assuage my hunger for good music, and quite frankly I'm tired of eating the same tasteless produce.
I look at us simple fans with music today as young children. We may not want to eat our peas but moms and pops make us anyway. We hate the peas but we don't have a choice, we ate all the good stuff first and now we're left with crap. And we can't understand why in heck mom keeps buying peas if she knows it's a hassle to shove it down our throats. When we ask her why, she says " You don't have a choice! I cooked them and you're going to eat it or you can sit at the table all night until you do!"
And sure enough we eat them just so we can get up from the damn table only to find out mom and dad never put any peas on their plates.
Granted we're not children anymore, but that's very much the way these giant record companies treat us and I think it's about time we tell our parents we're grown and we'll eat what we dag well please. Give us a choice or at least put something on the plate we can cope with without gagging.
We as fans and artist can change the harvest and we need to follow our stomachs and sink our teeth into something flavorsome for a change. Go back into the streets and back to the people and give them something they really want to eat. Find out what they hunger for and cook something up. Try different seasonings and bases and add flavor to your music. Throw the recipe book out of the window and make music from scratch so that you can obtain something uniquely different and let your guest taste test it first before you package it up and ship it out.Change the sounds and turn the trends. Lets create the buffet of music there once was and force feed the arrangement down the labels necks.
Ya better believe it.
Music at one point use to be a fruit basket of specific choices. Nowadays you'll be lucky to find just a slightly bruised piece of fruit that's still edible and not leaking onto any other piece. Though when you're starving you'll just about eat anything.
The fans are starving for good music and yet the industry is producing rotten records. Everywhere from punk, rock, rap and R&B, people are seeing a heavy decline in quality records, at least where mainstream is concerned. More and more people are getting their music from farms (underground) rather than the grocery store (mainstream). Have the record companies lost touch with what the people want? I think so.
In fact I think they're suffering from identity crisis.
Punk sounds like pop, rap sounds like pop, r&B sounds like pop and pop sounds like disco.
Someone has been mixing apples and oranges and putting it on the market without tasting it first.
Being a lover of all types of music I remember in the 90's and early 2000's being able to choose from different artist and genres fully expecting (and with success) to hear an array of sounds and styles. Tupac sounded different than Biggie Smalls, Brandy sounded different than Monica, Alanis Morissette sounded different than Fiona Apple, and The Offspring sounded different than Green Day. Switching the radio stations was more like eating an ambrosia where as nowadays switching the radio station is like throwing out spoiled bananas. Nothing seems to assuage my hunger for good music, and quite frankly I'm tired of eating the same tasteless produce.
I look at us simple fans with music today as young children. We may not want to eat our peas but moms and pops make us anyway. We hate the peas but we don't have a choice, we ate all the good stuff first and now we're left with crap. And we can't understand why in heck mom keeps buying peas if she knows it's a hassle to shove it down our throats. When we ask her why, she says " You don't have a choice! I cooked them and you're going to eat it or you can sit at the table all night until you do!"
And sure enough we eat them just so we can get up from the damn table only to find out mom and dad never put any peas on their plates.
Granted we're not children anymore, but that's very much the way these giant record companies treat us and I think it's about time we tell our parents we're grown and we'll eat what we dag well please. Give us a choice or at least put something on the plate we can cope with without gagging.
We as fans and artist can change the harvest and we need to follow our stomachs and sink our teeth into something flavorsome for a change. Go back into the streets and back to the people and give them something they really want to eat. Find out what they hunger for and cook something up. Try different seasonings and bases and add flavor to your music. Throw the recipe book out of the window and make music from scratch so that you can obtain something uniquely different and let your guest taste test it first before you package it up and ship it out.Change the sounds and turn the trends. Lets create the buffet of music there once was and force feed the arrangement down the labels necks.
Ya better believe it.
Like they say knowledge is power, so the more you know the better applied. With that being said I have composed a list of Major record companies for your researching pleasure. Ultimately the more you know about a record label, (what artist are signed to them, names of Md's and execs, the style of music they are interested in receiving) the better and more impressive your chances are in joining them. Of course don't miscount all the hard work you have to do as an artist or artist manager. You still have to submit your music through established industry professionals to any of the major labels and do all the street work to create a buzz before moving ahead, but at least you'll have an idea of where you're going. It's never smart to move into a home you've never seen before!
Universal Music Group-Geffen Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Motown Records, Verve Music Group, Decca Music Group.
Sony Music Entertainment Inc- Arista Records, Columbia Records, Jive Records, RCA Records
Warner Music Group Corp.- Atlantic Records, Warner Brother Records
EMI Group PLC- Captiol Records, Virgin, Blue Note
And here is a list of Independent record labels as well...
Epitah
TVT
Koch
Saddle Creek
Rap-A-Lot
Alchemy Records
Century Media Records
Matchbox Records
The list goes on and on, but if you have any reputable labels you'd like to see featured on this list please let me know and I'll be sure to add them!
Universal Music Group-Geffen Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Motown Records, Verve Music Group, Decca Music Group.
Sony Music Entertainment Inc- Arista Records, Columbia Records, Jive Records, RCA Records
Warner Music Group Corp.- Atlantic Records, Warner Brother Records
EMI Group PLC- Captiol Records, Virgin, Blue Note
And here is a list of Independent record labels as well...
Epitah
TVT
Koch
Saddle Creek
Rap-A-Lot
Alchemy Records
Century Media Records
Matchbox Records
The list goes on and on, but if you have any reputable labels you'd like to see featured on this list please let me know and I'll be sure to add them!
