The Pros and Cons Of Tagging Your Music

The last few weeks I’ve come across a few discussions online about whether or not you should tag your music when shopping it. So I figured I’d throw in my two cents about the pros and cons of tagging your music & my general theories on it. Here is a handy color coded guide for your reading pleasures… PRO & CON…

For about 7 years, I have used tags on my tracks. Here is an example of how I do it.


Note: This is the EXACT same file that was played to Jim Jones before he bought this track…

[viddy f='http://www.beabetterproducer.com/BE_A_BETTER_PRODUCER_FILES_MAIN/mp3s/Businessman.mp3' t='Businessman' a=left r='viddy_close']

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The main reason I tag my music is to discourage beat “jacking” (the unauthorized use of music for commercial and/or promotional purposes). I try to strategically place my tags over key points in my tracks, generally the best parts or parts that repeat the least. This way, someone may be able to chop up the track in pro tools and construct a version of my track, but it still wont be as good as the real thing. Tagging my music has undoubtedly protected some of my music from being jacked. I know this because there are a few MC’s out there who even used my tracks straight off the beat CD’s with the tags still on them. And I’m not talking about some random ass soundclick/myspace artists, they are actually semi well known MC’s… On the other hand, tagging has probably blocked some placements for me too. Many artists like recording to tracks immediately & may be too lazy/hollywood/pissed off to have someone contact you immediately for the track. If done properly, tagging your tracks can also help build your brand/name. There are a bunch of industry people & MC’s who can recite my tag when I see them & in the Jim Jones track. On the Jim Jones track “Go With You” (Produced by Rony A), they actually liked the way his drop (“illathanmost”) sounded so much that they left it in anyway…

Many people believe “as long as your music is copyrighted, you will be OK”. This is ridiculous. Yes, if someone steals your music and puts it on a major album, it will definitely help you out in court. But there are other ways someone can steal your music & essentially render it useless. Today someone can jack one of your tracks & post it up on a popular music site & mixtape radio shows within minutes of recording it. Once your music is in circulation publicly, it can completely ruin your chances of ever placing it with someone else. I’ve had leaks/jacks like this happen to me 3 times so far (it’s crazy how the timing on these things work out)… Two of those times it completely turned the artists off of the track & ruined the placements for me. For the “Bright Lights Big City” beat (above), someone jacked the beat and placed it on a couple of Hip Hop websites. Of course some of Jim’s people heard it. Word got back to him, but fortunately he either didn’t care or just liked the song enough to not worry about it.

I think that pretty much covers up all the Pros and Cons of beat tagging. Just because you may be leaning one way or another, remember you can always use a combination of tagged and untagged beats.

This is the formula I have created to decide on whether to send someone tagged or untagged beats…

“If a jacked song from the artist or artists on the label you are sending tracks to will improve your discography,

then you should send them track with no drops.”

which means…

“If a jacked song from the artist or artists on the label you are sending tracks to will NOT improve your discography,

they need to cut a damn check before they see any music without drops.”

Just my opinion though…

How To Copyright Music

How Do I Copyright My Music?
That's a question I get asked a lot here at the Music Biz Academy. And so, I decided I might as well write a formal article about it.

I discuss the issue in detail in my book, How to Promote Your Music Successfully on the Internet, so I've more or less included an excerpt from that here. So here we go...

Why Copyright My Music?
If you see yourself as a serious musician (and I presume you do), you would be wise to register your original songs with the U.S. Copyright Office (if you reside outside of the U.S., skip to the section on International Copyright below). This will protect you in the event that someone, somewhere, steals one of your songs and claims it as their own. Whether you want to copyright just one song for possible digital distribution or an entire CD of collected works, the process is the same.

The eCO Online System
The U.S. Copyright Office encourages you to register your music via an online registration process called the eCO Online System. Once you go there, create an account for yourself, then log in and you’re ready to start. Registering a copyright via this process is not all that difficult, but the technical language can be confusing. The online process does walk you step-by-step through filling out the document, but even so, take your time. Carefully read the help links (the underlined text) provided each step of the way. If you do that, it will help you understand what information goes where.

You’ll find a copyright tutorial for the eCO system at http://www.copyright.gov/eco/eco-tutorial.pdf . I recommend you take a look at that before you undertake this process to see what you’re in for.
The filing fee for online song registration is $35.

A few tips regarding the eCO process that I think might help you:

You’ll want to register your music as a "sound recording" as this kind of registration includes not only the performance, but the underlying music itself.

Under "Title of Work" add the name of your CD first and set the "Type" as "Title of work being registered." Then list your song titles and set the "Type" for those as "Contents Title." So the album name is the "Title," the individual songs are the "Contents."

If you have cover songs on your album, you’ll exclude those under the "Limitation of Claim" section. For example, if track 7 on your CD is a cover tune, under "Material Excluded" check the boxes for "Music" and "Lyrics" (if you have lyrics) and then in the space for "Other" indicate "Track 7." Then under "New Material Included" check all the boxes and under "Other" list the track numbers for your original songs. So here you specify what tracks to exclude for copyright registration (because they belong to someone else) and which tracks to register under your own name. If all the songs on your album are original, you can skip this section entirely.
Once you have filled out the form and verified all your information, add it toyour cart, pay for it, and then you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to print out your registration and mail it in with copies of your CD. You can also upload the files digitally, if you prefer.

If you don’t wish to go through the online process, you can type all of your information in Form CO, print it out and mail it in. And you’ll find instructions for Form CO at http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formco2d-ins.pdf . Fill out the PDF file following the instructions and then print TWO copies. One copy for yourself, and one copy to mail to the Library of Congress to the address provided.

The cost to submit the form by mail is $50.00.

Either way you go, whether online or via mail, it will take six months to a year for the Library of Congress to process your registration. However, once you’ve submitted your work, you’re officially protected. If you use FedEx to send your copyright forms (which I suggest you do), keep your tracking number handy and you can present this as legal proof of your effective date of copyright registration should you ever need it.

What Does Copyright Registration Do for Me?
Well, if someone does steal your work, not only can you prove the work is yours by your registration, but you can also sue for damages (you can’t legally sue for damages if your song isn’t registered with the copyright office). If the copyright infringement is determined to be deliberate, your attorney can initiate a formal criminal investigation.

Registering your songs' copyright grants you these exclusive rights:

The right to make copies and duplicate your CD
The right to distribute your music
The right to prepare derivative works (alternate versions, new arrangements)
The right to perform the songs publicly
The right to display the product publicly
The right to perform publicly via digital audio transmission
Once you’ve registered your sound recording (your CD) with the U.S. copyright office, these rights belong exclusively to you and you alone (provided, of course, that you are the actual copyright owner). No one can take those rights from you.

Once your song is registered, you no longer have to worry about someone stealing your song idea and taking credit for it. If someone does that, gets a hit out of it and you can prove the song is yours with your registered copyright, you are going to smile all the way to the bank when the court awards you damages, which can be very high for copyright theft.

How to Copyright Individual Digital Creations
What if you only want to copyright a single song (or video, or photo, or article, or blog or whatever) to prove it’s yours? See http://www.myfreecopyright.com/ . At this web site you can upload your digital files, be they music, video, pictures or whatever, and they are instantly copyrighted and you can prove the date/time of registration. The service is free, and it’s a very simple way to copyright your individual music creations. Just so you know, however, even though you can use this digital copyright in a court of law to prove infringement, you cannot collect statutory damages from the infringer. You can collect lost profits that might be determined, but not statutory damages which is generally where the big money comes from. To collect statutory damages, you still need to send in a registration form into the copyright office as stated above.

What About Creative Commons?
There is an alternative means by which you may copyright your work called Creative Commons ( http://www.creativecommons.org ). Basically what this does is create a copyright for your music whereby instead of all rights being reserved, only some rights are reserved. This invites others to use your work for certain purposes without having to get permission from you first. In theory, this means people searching for music to use in their products or digital creations are more likely to use your music if they don’t have to jump through a lot of legal hoops to make use of it. So, for example, you might allow a song to be used in a non-commercial product (ie. no financial profit for the distributor) without forcing the licensee to get permission from you, but still reserve the right to collect a royalty if the product in question is a money-maker. The Creative Commons copyright is still a rather new concept, and there are many variations on it that may make the concert confusing for the potential licensee. Even so, it is something to at least be aware of if the concept becomes more widely recognized and accepted. For a list of the different Creative Commons licenses available, see http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/meet-the-licenses

What About International Copyright?
If you are not a citizen of the United States, obviously the comments above do not apply to you as every country handles the copyright process a bit differently. However, chances are that your homeland is a member of the World Intellection Property Organization (WIPO). If so, you can start researching your copyright options at http://www.wipo.int/members/en/ . Select your country name from the WIPO list, follow the “contact information” link, and that will take you to a page that lists the web site address of the copyright office for your country.

Some notable and related links from this article:

The U.S. Copyright Office: http://www.copyright.gov
Copyright and Fair Use: http://fairuse.stanford.edu
Copyright Your Web Site: http://www.gocopyright.com
Copyright Form SR: http://www.copyright.gov/register/sound.html
Copyright Your Digital Creation: http://www.myfreecopyright.com
World Intellection Property Org: http://www.wipo.int/members/en/
The Harry Fox Agency: http://www.harryfox.com/index.jsp


The above a brief, (and slightly edited) excerpt from How to Promote Your Music Successfully on the Internet.

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Rules For Labeling Mp3's

I thought it would be a great idea to iron out a simple format, so whenever you send a track to some A&R, artist, manager, etc, you will make it as simple as possible for them to track you down when they want your music… Believe it or not, a good percentage of producers/artists/managers send out mp3′s that make it very difficult to track them down. So with no further delay, The OFFICIAL Rules Of Labeling Mp3′s!


Rule #1:

Include your name

Whatever name you want to be in the credits of whatever album you want to get on, should be in the file name.


Rule #2:

Include Your e-mail

Just because you emailed the beat to whoever, it doesn’t mean that they didn’t go into their gmail and just download 1000 beats and dump them into an ipod. Don’t make them go through all of those gmails just to find your track!


Rule #3:

Include Your Phone Number

It’s great getting phone calls from people that want your music. Give them that opportunity. Don’t forget the area code…


Rule #4:

Include Something To Identify That Particular Beat/Song

It helps to name your tracks, just so moving forward there is something that can be used to identify the track. Otherwise whoever wants the track is going to have to beatbox it to you, which can be entertaining but is a nuisance.

Here is an example of a perfectly formated mp3 file…



So there it is. Simple, short and to the point. There is no doubt in my mind that over the years, people have lost out on placements, money and deals just because they didn’t properly label their music and could never be tracked down. If you follow these rules, that will never happen to you.

The Government Giveth, The Government Taketh Away

Over the course of history`8, it was decided that people who made their ideas tangible –like songwriters– should make money. So they made up a bunch of really esoteric, hard to understand rules­ (aka laws) on how it should all work. The foundation for these laws can actually be found in the United States Constitution. The rules built on this concept get updated from time to time, but ultimately the foundation of the six legal rights that a person gets when he or she creates a copyrighted work, by making a song tangible (meaning it’s recorded or written down) are the basis for all the rules, laws and money made in the music industry.

Which, if you think about it, is a bit weird, because, what is it that is actually being sold when someone buys “music?” A buyer walks out of the store with some sort of device (like a vinyl record, CD or digital download) and plops it onto a machine. That machine “plays” the device, causing a speaker to vibrate in such a way that sound waves move through the air to our ears. Our ears detect these sound waves, and transmit them to our brains as electrical impulses. Our brains interpret these impulses and we “hear” the music.

In other words, unlike food or clothes, there is nothing tangible to a song beyond the intangible memory of what you just heard. The sound of music always lives in the past.

And yet, the governments of the world (acting on behalf of their constituents; in theory at least) decided that these transmissions of sound waves, and the people who wrote the songs, are so valuable and important, that they created a complex set of laws and regulations. These laws require that licenses be granted and payments be made to the people/entities controlling the rights to the recordings of the songs (usually called a “record label”) and the lyrics and melody of the song (usually called the “songwriter” or “music publisher”).

These rules and regulations tie together, regulate, and give basis for a global consortium of tens of millions of record labels, artists, songwriters, music publishers, performing rights organizations, and mechanical royalty collection agencies, to generate and collect and administer over $23 billion dollars.

And the governments of the world take this stuff very, very seriously. So much so, that there is an entire shadow economy built around an infrastructure of copyright boards, judges, copyright police, congressional committees, and teams of lawyers that are supposed to be the experts in knowing all the rules, and, in some cases, set royalty rates as to what these innovative creators should be paid.

However, in a move that could be construed as paradoxical (or, at the very least a “head scratcher”) these very same governments that created a way to assure that artists, songwriters and record labels can make money also decided that a songwriter/lable only gets these rights for 70 years after the death of the last surviving person who wrote the song (or ninety-five years from the date of publication in the case of a work for hire), after which point, all of the author’s rights get taken away, and the song becomes a “public domain” work, This means it’s available for anyone to use in any way they like without having to pay or negotiate anything with anyone.

Or put another way, 69 years and 364 days after the death of the last surviving writer, the people who control the rights to the song (like someone’s child or grandchildren) get to make money from the use of that song. The next day they don’t; one hell of a Monday to a Tuesday.

Which brings up the question as to why. Why give all of these rights and all of these rules for a set period of time? What is the reason that on that last magical day the very same hand that gave these rights decides it’s enough and takes them all away?

After all, when a song’s rights are stripped away from the person who wrote it, and the copyrights expire, many other people can make money off the recording and song. For example, at some point in time, the Beatles’ recordings and songs will enter the public domain, and when they do, anyone can release a Beatles album or cover Paul/John’s song without paying them. If someone buys that song or album physically from Amazon, a slew of people make money off the Beatles: Amazon makes money, the person who sold it makes money, the entity that made the cardboard box that the CD ships in makes money, the U.S. postal service makes money. The Beatles’ label, their estate, and John and Paul’s estates don’t make money from the sale.

Hardly seems fair.

On the other hand, what happens if Dr. Evil comes to life, only this time he has a trillion dollars at his disposal (don’t laugh too hard, there was a moment not too long ago when Bill Gates was worth a trillion dollars), and he decides he is going to buy the copyrights to all the recordings and songs in the world. Without a reversion of copyright, the world would be denied access to these creations. Corporations could hoard them forever, and perpetually deny or grant access at their whim. Put another way, corporations would have a complete and total stranglehold on culture (one could argue they already do, but that’s a different topic).

And thus the tension between the public good vs. copyright holders and creators comes to play with the government standing in between them, trying to come up with a solution that does not tip the scales too far on way or another.

The question I have relates to technology opening the flood gates to more creators: should there be a re-evaluation of this tension? I honestly don’t have the answer, and I truly can argue both sides of this equation. If it were me, and I wrote and recorded the song “Paperback Writer,” why the hell should I not be entitled to make money off the thing I created? Who the hell is the government to interfere with my rights and decide it’s been long enough for me, or my children, or their children’s children to make money off my creation. If I build a house, the government doesn’t get to take it away from me after a period of time and say it is “public domain.” Why is my song, my creation, thought less of than a house?

On the other hand, somehow it would just not feel right to me if Mozart’s great-great-great-great-great (not sure how many greats should go here) grandchildren got paid each and every time his Flute Concerto No. 2 In D Major – K. 314 was played and sold.

In other words, what is the place of public domain and the reversion of copyright in the new emerging digital music industry?

My concern is not over what the answer is, but instead who gets to shape the discussion. To this point in time, the creators themselves are the minority voice. The multi-national corporations that have gobbled up and/or “own” all of these songs and copyrights are the ones pulling the strings, lobbying for changes to the law. This would be fine if the creators of culture–aka artists–and corporations were in step with one another, but this is hardly the case.

Today’s world has allowed musicians and artists to break free of a system requiring them to relinquish their copyrights to pursue their dreams and ambitions. Together they are louder than any other music entity. The trick is allowing their voice to be heard. Connected Music Group is simply a megaphone, you are the voice.

5 Things Songwriters Can Do To Move Their Careers Forward

As a new songwriter, you may be overwhelmed by all there is to do when it comes to moving forward in your career. I’d compare the approach of this article to eating the elephant one tiny bite at a time. In other words, by being patient, organized and methodical in your daily work as a songwriter, you’re guaranteed to make steady progress in your career. If you follow the suggestions below, the results won’t be immediate, but when you look back after six months or a year, I think you’ll be amazed at how much you’ve accomplished.



1. Do One “Business” Thing Every Day. This is the musical equivalent of eating your vegetables. They may not taste great but they’re good for you. It’s the same with the business side of music. We all know how much more fun it is to play the guitar, sing and even write compared to making phone calls, sending emails or following up on something you’ve already submitted, but if you’re hoping to have financial success with your music, then they’re all equally important. By making the rule that you’ll do one business thing every day means that at the end of a year, you’ll have done 365 things to further your career above and beyond your songwriting. I guarantee that’s more than most.

2. Join/Start A Songwriting Group. Getting yourself to write on a consistent basis can be a real struggle. Writing is emotionally draining and tough for most of us to do in a vacuum. Ironically, I’ve found that even we creative types like assignments when it comes to our writing. By joining a songwriting group where you’re required to bring in a new song or a rewrite of an old song every week, you’ll have the additional motivation of being held accountable by more than just yourself. It really does work. If you’re not aware of any existing songwriting groups in your area, make it a point to get to local writer’s nights and reach out to other writers about starting a group. By simply showing up every week and doing the work, you’ll find your songwriting muscles getting stronger no matter whether you agree with all the group’s suggestions or not.

3. Don’t Wait For A Publishing Deal To Act Like You Have One. If you find yourself thinking that if only you had a publishing deal then you could write every day, get great demos and have your songs pitched, then I’d humbly suggest that you’ve got it backwards. In order to get a publisher interested in what you’re doing, you need to behave like you’ve already got a publishing deal. This means you’ll be infinitely more attractive to a publisher if you can show them a body of work that’s well written, well recorded and maybe even includes a cut or two. Don’t wait around for the affirmation of a publisher to get up every day and do the work. In fact, if you get to the point where you can do all of the above on your own, you might look up to find you don’t need a publisher after all.

4. Make One Song Pitch Every Week. Having exceptional songs and beautiful recordings of those songs is a great start but in terms of getting them recorded by other artists or placed in a film or TV show, they might as well not exist if you haven’t shown them to anyone. I know this sounds obvious, but, as songwriters, we get so wrapped up in the creative process that we somehow, amazingly, seem to forget that until someone in the industry has heard our songs, they can’t do anything with them. This means you need to begin your search for outlets for your music. There are industry pitch sheets and organizations out there that can help put songwriters together with industry folks looking for songs. Make it your business (see #1 above) to find out about these pitch sheets and begin the process of submitting your songs when you see an appropriate opportunity. If you do this once a week, you’ll have pitched to 52 separate opportunities by the end of a year. That’s a significant number.

5. Reply Promptly To Any Opportunity, No Matter How Small. The likelihood of Faith Hill calling you to ask if you’ve got a song for her is small but you should treat every email or voicemail from someone regarding your music as that kind of top priority. If another songwriter reaches out to say they liked one of your songs they heard you perform at a writer’s night, reply quickly, even if it’s just to say thanks. You never know when a causal contact could turn into something more significant. Our industry is full of stories of songwriters getting their material cut in the least likely of circumstances. All this is to say, there’s no percentage in ignoring or putting off any opportunity no matter how small it may seem at the time. By acting professionally and responding promptly to anyone and everyone who reaches out about your music, you’ll be sure not to miss something huge that might appear insignificant at first glance.

As I’m sure you know, there’s no one way to have success as a songwriter. That being said, you can certainly improve your odds by staying patient, working consistently and treating your career with the respect it deserves

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New Rules For The Music Industry

FOR THE MUSIC INDUSTRY:

1) BE TRANSPARENT – No more hiding behind complex royalty calculations. Man up. Be honest. Provide clear and accurate accounting. The digital world makes it easier than ever to do this.

This applies to labels, distributors, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and anyone else you can think of. They can all be transparent if they choose to be. Right now they choose not to be.

2) PAY ON TIME! – No more artificial royalty accounting periods. Returns and co-ops are a thing of the past. Pay out and account on one way no return sales that you have been paid in the same month you get them.

The only reason to hold on to the money is to make bank interest on it. If this is what you are going to do, see #1, BE TRANSPARENT and tell artists you are doing this.

3) NO MORE SUGARCOATING AND HIDING REALITY – Seriously. Stop promising things you know you can’t deliver. Not everyone is going to be a star. Be honest, tell the truth,. Let the musician and artist know the realities of the market so they can have a better understand of what needs to be done to succeed or why things are not going the way they want them to.

4) ACKNOWLEDGE YOU WORK FOR THE ARTIST, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND – Without the artist none of us will have jobs. They are the ones with the talent. They create culture and write songs that have an impact on the world. They are allowing us to serve them, not the other way around. This philosophy and culture must permeate everything you do. Turn this industry from one that “exploits” the artist to one that serves the artist.

5) ONLY OFFER SERVICES YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO – No more asking for rights or income from things you can’t contribute towards. If you are a label and want more money from other areas (i.e. merchandise, songwriter income, gig income etc) you actually have to provide a service that does something to earn that right. There are others out there that are specialists in these areas, can you do what they can?

6) UNDERSTAND THE ARTIST NOW HAS CHOICE – Unlike the old days, artists can now succeed without you. Labels have gone from a “must have” to a “might need”. Be clear in what you have to offer and create a fair and equitable deal in exchange for the services you are offering.

7) COMMERCIAL RADIO AND MTV NO LONGER SINGULARLY BREAK BANDS – It used to be that print, commercial radio and MTV were the three ways to break a band, no longer. Fans themselves have this power via social networking. Find ways to speak to fans directly and don’t use a middleman. Empower and excite them and they will follow.

FOR THE ARTIST

1) STOP ASKING FOR BIG ADVANCES – Understand that the economics of the business have changed for both the artists and the labels. The goal for artists and labels must be the same: create sustainable working relationships for both parties. Disproportionate advances only add tension (economic and otherwise) to an already tense dynamic. Create financial working relationships based on realistic expectations of ROI.

2) EDUCATE YOURSELF – It’s no longer acceptable (or charming) to be the un-informed artist who doesn’t know the difference between a mechanical royalty and a mechanic. You can’t claim that you’ve been taken advantage of by anyone at this point; the information you need is out there, and it’s not that hard to find. Learn it, once you have this knowledge you can then make informed decisions and decide if the other entity is doing its job. Not to mention, the labels etc already know this info and so should you.

3) TAKE RESPONSIBILITY – Stating that there is any person or thing standing in the way of you and success is a cop out. No longer can you say, “If only my records were in stores, people would buy them,” or, “If only people could hear my music they would love it.” The gatekeepers have vanished; the gates are open…go through them.

4) TAKE ACTION – Waiting for a booking agent before you tour? Waiting for a producer before you make a recording? Waiting for a label before you distribute or promote your music? Guess what, someone else isn’t waiting for anyone, and he or she is leaving you in the dust. The worst thing you can do is nothing.

5) SELL – Get over the fact that you’re the artist, and asking people for money in exchange for your art is awkward. The reality is that if your work is good, people will want to compensate you for it. You must not only give them the opportunity to do so, but make it easy for them. Be clear and transparent, and tell your customers that your music is valuable, and that if they want to ensure that you are able to keep creating the music that they enjoy, that they must pay for it. Then give them a wide variety of things to buy at different prices.

6) GIVE WITHOUT ASKING FOR ANYTHING IN RETURN – It’s not all selling, of course, and we are all in this together. Look for ways to help other artists. Share information, share resources. This is not a zero-sum game; the overall pie can expand, and we will all benefit proportionately when it does.

7) DEMAND ANSWERS – if you don’t understand something, ask. If the person you ask can’t give you a clear, understandable answer then he or she is either clueless or trying to hide something. Demand a clear, understandable answer or walk away from the deal.

8) MARKETING DOES NOT ALWAYS EQUAL SUCCESS – The major labels spent hundreds of millions of dollars marketing and promoting bands. Only 2% of them succeeded, the other 98% were deemed failures. If marketing = success, they would have had a 100% hit ratio. The reason an artist succeeds is because the music caused reaction.

9) LEAD TIME FOR STREET DATES MATTER LESS – It’s not like the old days where you only had a limited time for prime real estate in a retail store and if the CDs did not sell they would be returned. In the new model you can release music today, and market later, with little detrimental impact.

10) IT’S ABOUT A CONSTANT STREAM OF MUSIC AND MEDIA, NOT A ONCE A YEAR ALBUM RELEASE ­ – The new world moves fast. The best strategy is to roll out songs, videos, pictures, blog postings, tweets and anything else you can think of on a constant basis. This keeps your fans engaged and stops you from losing momentum and going stale.

11) IT’S GLOBAL – The new music industry is a global one. At the click of a button your music is available to buy, share, stream and download around the world. Keep this in mind when you think about where your money is being held, generated and how to get it.

12) YOU ARE NOT POWERLESS – Music is not food, shelter or clothing, but everyone likes it and needs it. The music industry currently generates around $30 billion dollars a year. The entities and people getting this money is shifting from the legacy companies to you. Within another five years the collective power of you will be bigger than any of them. You have the power to change things, and you already are.

As just one example, in the past two years, TuneCore Artists have earned over $170 million in gross music sales and have sold over 400 million songs by paid download or stream. TuneCore Songwriters have earned over another $120 million dollars.

As you sell more, they sell less.

13) DEFINE YOUR GOALS – Know what it is you are tying to accomplish. Are you looking to be the next Vanilla Ice or just sell some music without touring? Is your goal corporate sponsorships or having others cover your songs? Whatever it may be, have a goal in mind and then work towards accomplishing that objective. With that one conquered, you can move on to the next.

DON’T EXPECT SOMETHING FOR NOTHING

It’s going to take work to make things happen. Either you need to do the work or you must hire someone else to do part, or all of it, for you. If you understand your rights, how money is made, and how much you should make, you can make educated decisions.

Inside Record Labels

There is a lot of work involved with signing, recording, promoting, publicizing, and selling music. The following introduction to the way major labels and independent labels setup the business of music marketing is broken down by departments. As you will see, the larger record labels have the luxury of having many different departments and dozens of employees to carry out the many responsibilities involved in running a label. And, the smaller companies, that have the same work to do, have to be quite creative and energetic to get all that work done.


Major Label Departments
What are the key departments at a record label, and what are those departments responsible for? Let's take a look.

For starters, the CEO of a major label will generally oversee the business affairs of all the affiliated labels under their corporate umbrella. Each major label will have its own President who is responsible for all the label activities. For example, at Warner Brothers, there is a president for Warner Brothers Records, a president for Reprise Records, a president of Atlantic Records, etc.

Every department at a major label is usually run by a Senior Vice President, in charge of one of the following:
The Business Affairs Department takes care of label finances; bookkeeping, payroll, et al.
The Legal Department handles all contractual issues and other legal responsibilities.
The A&R (Artists and Repertoire) Department locates and signs new talent. They work with the artist in song selection, choice of producers, recording studio selection and they communicate with the label's Business Affairs Department to make sure all the paperwork and accounting issues involved with the actual recording of an act's record are setup properly. In short, The A&R Department can serve as a liaison between an artist and all the other departments at the label.
The Art Department supervises all product design jobs, (CD, Tape, Vinyl cover art etc), trade and consumer press advertising, retail sales posters and flats, and other needs of the print media.
The Marketing Department is responsible for creating the overall marketing plan for every record the label is releasing. They are also involved in coordinating all the promotion, publicity, and sales campaigns that the label is committed to.
The Publicity Department arranges for any feature stories, interviews, or record reviews in local and national newspapers, magazines, web-zines, as well as the broadcast opportunities for such coverage on radio stations and television. They may also co-ordinate any of these publicity opportunities with an artist's own Publicist.
The New Media Department produces and promotes the music videos for the label's artists that are shown on MTV, VHl, etc. This department also oversees some promotions and marketing opportunities on the Internet that use the audio and video technologies available from online hardware and software sites that support music..
The Artist Development Department usually oversees the career planning of artists signed to the label. This department coordinates a consistent marketing and promotion presence for an artist throughout their career with the record label. The Artist Development Department has changed over the last decade. Many labels no longer have such a department. Others have changed the name to Product Development and concentrate more on "breaking," or promoting artists quickly in order to try to speed up the return on their financial investment. The pressure to return a profit to shareholders has changed the face of the music business dramatically in recent years, so the emphasis has been more on Product Development, and securing a hit as fast as possible.
The Sales Department oversees all the retail activities of the label, and concentrates on building relationships with the key record store chains and other mass-market retailers. The Sales staff coordinate their efforts with the major label's distribution company, as well as communicating regularly with the Promotion and Publicity departments at the label.
The Label Liaison is the person who coordinates the business of the major label's distribution company with the needs of their parent record labels. Street dates, (the date that a new release goes on sale at music retailers), must be approved by the label's distribution company
The Promotion Department's primary goal is secure radio airplay for their company's new releases. These days that means not only traditional FM radio stations, but select Internet stations and satellite radio as well. Their ability to get songs played on the radio is central to the success of the whole company. The Promotion department is closely connected to and constantly communicating with other departments within the label to make sure that all strategies being used to market and sell an artist's record are working together properly. Soliciting videos to MTV, VH1 and other music oriented television networks and programs may also be the responsibility of this department. At some labels this job is a separate department, or part of the New Media department.
Every department at a record label plays an essential role in the success or failure of the company. They are team members, working together toward the goal of selling their records and CDs as one lean, mean machine.


Inside an Independent Record Label
Independent record labels come in all sizes and shapes. The large, well-funded indie labels are organized by departments much like the major label operations described above. The more money a label has the more they people they can hire to handle the various responsibilities of a label. Smaller, grass roots or garage labels organize the work of promoting, selling and publicizing their releases by wearing as many different hats as they can. These smaller labels have an awesome task marketing their records because there may be only two or three employees, including the label owner, doing the A&R scouting, calling radio stations about airplay, working with a distributor (if they even have one), checking with the music retailers, and coordinating the publicity and new new media efforts, as well as dealing directly with their artists and bands helping them find gigs and put tours together.

Running a record label is a very expensive and time-consuming job. One of reasons so few independent labels succeed is related to the issues I have just outlined. It takes a lot of money, and a lot of time to operate a legitimate record label. The more research and planning a young label does before jumping into the world of music marketing, the higher the likelihood that they will survive, and perhaps even prosper in a very competitive business.

Media executives see digital revenues on the rise

About 94 percent of media executives polled say they expect an increase in digital revenues this year, according to a survey of media and communications executives by KPMG.

More than a third of those media executives believe that their digital revenues will increase more than 10 percent. About three-quarters believe overall revenues — both digital and traditional combined — will be higher a year from now. That’s more optimism than in the past from executives who have seen their traditional media businesses eroded by the internet. In the past, media executives have seen an unrelenting decline of their businesses because the digital side of the business was so small.

The 94 percent expecting an increase in digital revenue compares to just 83 percent in 2010. About 37 percent expect their companies to grow digital revenues by over 10 percent, compared to 31 percent in the 2010 survey.

The survey results come from the annual Communications and Media Industry Business Climate Survey by KPMG, the audit, tax, and advisory firm. Companies interviewed include newspapers, magazines, internet publications, cable TV companies, and other media and communications firms.

The respondents this year said that the important drivers for their revenue growth over the next three years are increasing broadband access speeds, new distribution methods, social media platforms and online advertising. The toughest challenges are maximizing digital media revenue growth, managing subscriber growth, and managing customer churn.

“It’s clear from our survey that communications and media executives are more optimistic and their companies are placing bets that now is the time to position and invest for growth, despite an uneven economic recovery,” said Paul Wissmann, KPMG’s National Sector Leader for Communications and Media.

In an interview, Wissmann said the survey did not focus on the erosion of traditional revenues for the media. But digital media such as tablet apps offer hope that traditional media can be competitive in the new era of competition.

The executives are investing in technology and products through both organic growth and deal making. About 21 percent of those surveyed see a 7 percent to 10 percent increase, compared to 15 percent in 2010. About 20 percent see a 4 percent to 6 percent gain.

Mobile commerce and other new convergences of business opportunities are expected to have the greatest positive impact on the business. About 47 percent expected a 1 percent to 5 percent growth rate for the industry in the next year, while 32 percent expect growth of 6 percent to 20 percent.

“Communications and media companies are sensing industry momentum that is the result of leaner organizations coming out of the recession, combined with the opportunity offered by the development of — and users’ rapid adoption of — innovation such as tablets, high-speed wireless access and social networking platforms,“ said Carl Geppert, KPMG’s national account leader for communications and media.

Social media is scoring high in strategy for media companies. In the survey, 43 percent ranked new distribution methods as the top business driver. About 37 percent said that online ads were in the top three drivers. And 75 percent said that cloud computing would have a slight to moderate transformational impact on their businesses in the next few years.

Seven of 10 executives believe their companies will be involved in a merger or acquisition during the next two years. About 58 percent will likely be a buyer and 10 percent will be a seller. The reasons include access to new tech and products, product synergies, and access to new geographic markets. Wissmann says that media companies feel a need to grab market share through deals or get left behind in the shift to digital services.

Some 47 percent of media companies expect their headcount to rise over the next year, lower than the 57 percent in the previous year. In fact, looking back, only 34 percent said they actually increased headcount in the past year. About 41 percent said they reduced headcount in the past year, while 23 percent said they expect to cut headcount in the next year. About 22 percent said their headcount has reached pre-recession levels, while 35 percent said their headcount would return to pre-recession levels over the next 30 months. And 34 percent said headcount would never return to those levels.

Some two-thirds expect the U.S. economy to improve within the next year, but they believe a full national economic recovery has been pushed out until 2013. Last year, respondents said the recovery would take hold by 2012. The survey was conducted from May to June and it includes responses from 101 executives at communications and media companies. About 66 percent are from companies with revenues exceeding $1 billion, and 34 percent are from companies with revenues in the $100 million to $1 billion range.

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Website Design for Musicians

It would be wise for any musician to take full advantage of the promotional and marketing power that the internet can have, and in order to do this, you need a website. True, you can have MySpace accounts and pages on other similar sites, but there is something more legitimate and professional about having your own site. This article will show how any musician can design their own website to feature, promote, and even sell their music.

The first thing that you need for a music website is a domain name, provided that you already have some hosting to put it on. It would be a good idea to try and get a domain name that is, or is close to your own name, or whatever name you or your musical group go by. This will help with search engine rankings later on.

Once you have a domain to locate the site, you will need some sort of content management system. The days of putting together websites one page at a time are over, now there are free software programs like WordPress that will allow you to create professional looking websites that can be updated easily even by people who are not familiar with website design.

A WordPress setup will let you choose the name of your site, and again, it should be the name of your musical group or your name as a musician. You want people to be able to search for your name on an engine and find you as one of the first results, and this will help with that.

There should be plenty of themes you can choose from for the look of your site, and with some modification, you can have one that is basically unique. You should try to modify it a little bit because that will make it look more professional.

The most important thing on a music website will be to have samples of your music in an easy to access part of the site. You want people to be able to listen to your music right away, as that is what they are there for. As a secondary feature, you can add in all the text and pictures you want to complete the information available about you.

These days, having your own website is easier than ever, and there is no reason not to have one if you are a musician. They are the best way to promote yourself and they allow you access to the world music market. The internet should continue to connect musicians to their fans around the world and keep growing with time. Make sure that you are a part of it.

The Dark Secret on How to Sell Songs Online Part I

This is an article to familiarize everyone in the music business with the questions of how do I sell beats online, how do I sell songs, how do I make money with tracks, as well as how to sell instrumental songs. The music industry has changed greatly since the explosion of the internet. Power is now in the hands of individual producers and bands to make a living with their songs with a little hustle, know how, and a plan. We need to take a look about how companies work in order to formulate an approach to garner the attention of decision makers. This will be the first in a series of articles to get you on your way.

Before a band can be signed to a major label, they must be discovered. This means companies are looking for something at the time which is usually based on current needs. The process may take place with a scout or an intern, which I have done, and will present an A&R with a demo after viewing a live show. Now before the A&R heads to the show they will do a little legwork about the possible band. If he likes what he sees, he takes this project back to his department and staff for approval and to contract the band when all agree.

The way you look at a Major Record Label is like a Big corporate bank or loan shark. They are corporate minded and corporate motivated. It is not like the days of Motown, when talent was hard to find and a real possible band or song was a diamond in the rough. They would put all their money and heart into developing a band maybe even selling the house. These days, record companies want to see that you are drawing money. Better yet, they want to know that you are already making money selling cd’s or selling tickets to shows. They want to see a possible business partner already in action. This is the way Rocafella records or Cash Money Millionaires started. They were already a working team unit hustling hard and making money long before they caught interest from a label. Record companies want to tap into possible businesses. If signed, they may furnish you with a budget to record an album or cover your overhead, but this is not free money. You will pay this back out of your royalties. It is very possible to go platinum and still owe the record company money after costs for for music videos, promotion and marketing, buybacks and freebies, and recording cost and advances are recouped. On the other hand, if you are an independent label working out of your garage or basement selling only 10,000 CD’s, that is is $100,000 in your pocket. Not bad and not hard to do and you can now quit your day job cause you are making more than your average physician or attorney for doing something you like.

In order to sell songs online publicity is still rule #1

When deciding to sell songs online you must still maintain and off line approach to getting publicity. You must still be out there getting your songs heard by sewing up your home town. These are the people who know you and are closely familiar with you. Classmates, church members, and community organizations and activities are the way to start building your fan base. Become a hometown hero first to look for your major support, and then branch out from there. Enter as many contests, talent shows, and parties that you can to hone your craft. If you can not do this, then do not think you will have it all of a sudden and step on stage at Madison Square Garden, because it won’t happen. You must video tape yourself and see how you look on stage to fix your show and compare your show to what you see on real live shows of major bands with charisma. Overcoming these fears early is a major step toward your career path. Attend open mics, jam sessions, and wherever else you can find the opportunity to be heard, and there you will find the first people to sell songs to.

Establish a following to sell songs to rule #2

Getting fans on your own is an important part. Major record companies like to pick a band and artist who have already establish a following. This does not just mean having a Myspace with 20,000 friends, but having true fans. These are the ones who support you, comment on your songs and raise you up by talking about you and spreading the word. Word of mouth is still the best form of viral promotion. Create or do something that gets people talking. Set up parties do an open mic, collaborate with a non profit and start to build an email list of possible fans to let them know what is going on with your songs.

Give away freebies in order to sell songs online #3

To sell songs, even the major record companies give away thousands of cds in order to sell millions.

In order for you to get recognized by a label you have to treat yourself with discipline like a label or business. You must be out there performing to be seen, working your craft, and laying down the foundation to build a fan base. Just because a record label signs you does not mean fans magically appear. They will never do this. People are grinding for years before you ever see them in the spotlight

Ads On Youtube Videos

YouTube has been the premier video site on the web for some time now. Other sites may compete with its quality or special features, but no one can match its user base and traffic, which make it the most profitable video site to be a part of. One of the reasons that YouTube is so great, is that they look for ways to let video producers make money off their uploads, and this includes letting the owners of commercial music videos profit from them. Although some people see it as a bad thing that YouTube is trying to legitimatize the online music video business, it will be a benefit to everyone in the long run.

Advertisements in general get a bad rap. People see them as annoying and unnecessary, and they sometimes are, no doubt, but well targeted ads can be both enjoyable and necessary. Advertisements are how people are alerted to the existence of products that they may need or want. More importantly, they allow for many great products and services to be completely free to the consumer, and this includes sites like YouTube and the video content found within.

If you cannot deal with advertisements, the only other option is to deal with actually paying money instead. True, there are illegal methods of getting things online, just as many music videos were illegally uploaded to YouTube and provided for free, but this is a short term gain which usually translates into a long term loss.

If sites like YouTube are forced into banning copyrighted content because the makers of it are not profiting, this helps no one. Just like how torrent sites and the early file sharing sites were shut down eventually, video sites may be shut down if too many lawsuits are filed against them. If advertisements are a way of getting copyrighted content like music videos and films online without having to pay, this benefits everyone.

Makers of music videos and films will not be able to continue to make their products if they are making no money from them. Advertisements allow them to make money while keeping it so viewers everywhere can watch their content without paying. Its essential to the internet that most information be free because most people would not want to deal with paying money to a site to be able to view it.

Music videos with advertisements on YouTube will create a situation where it can be profitable to make them, even beyond the promotional benefits. Anytime you have a profitable product, you will have more competition to produce it and higher quality results over time. For the good of future musical content, viewers should want video producers to profit from their work.

The more that YouTube enables producers of content to profit, the more high quality content will be produced. It benefits everyone for music video makers to profit, and YouTube should put as many commercials on their site as they need to while still maintaining a pleasant experience for the viewer.

Musical Opportunity in New Digital Media

Something very beneficial to all composers and makers of music has been going on as of late. The combination of the internet and decreasing costs of producing various forms of digital media has given rise to whole new areas of demand for music. This is obviously a good thing for the people who make it, but it does not necessarily mean that they will be able to find work and make a living by their art all of the sudden.

New art forms like web videos, visual music, video comics, flash animations, and so on all need music to complete their effects. Composers and producers should be able to step in and fill this void, but there are a few things working against them along with all of these benefits.

One major point is that as it has become more practical to make high quality music on your own, the number of musicians out there has also risen. This means that composers who want to get their music in films or videos face more competition.

It is also a challenge for those composers to become known to the people who need the music. With so many people producing so many types of media, making the right connections can be daunting.

Sites such as thing one can help with these facts, and over time, it should become easier to deal with these problems. In the general sense, it cannot be seen as a bad thing that there is so much more demand for music out there, and more ways of fulfilling that demand should appear.

As things progress, video content and other forms of media that make their way online with continue to require music, this means that composers may find themselves more and more in need if they can master some basic marketing techniques and make their name stand out enough to be seen.

Hip-Hop Timeline: 1925 - Present

1925: Earl Tucker (aka Snake Hips), a performer at the Cotton Club invents a dance style similar to today’s hip-hop moves. He incorporates floats and slides into his dance style. Similar moves would later inspire an element of hip-hop culture known as breakdancing.

1940: Tom the Great (a.k.a. Thomas Wong) uses a booming sound system to please his audience. Wong also utilizes hip American records to steal music-lovers from local bands.

1950: The Soundclash contest between Coxsone Dodd’s “Downbeat” and Duke Reid’s “Trojan” gives birth to DJ Battling.

1956: Clive Campbell is born in Kingston, Jamaica. Campbell would later become the father of hip-hop.

1959: Parks Commissioner Robert Moses starts building an expressway in the Bronx. Consequently, middle class Germans, Irish, Italians, and Jewish, neighborhoods disappear in no time. Businesses relocate away from the borough only to be replaced by impoverished black and Hispanic families. Along with these poor people came addiction, crime, and unemployment.

1962:James Brown records Live At The Apollo. Brown’s drummer Clayton Fillyau influences a sound that is now known as the break beat. The break beat would later inspire the b-boy movement, as breakers danced to these beats at block parties.

1965: In a historic boxing bout, Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay) defeats Sonny Liston in the 6th round. Before the bout, however, Ali recited one of the earliest known rhymes:


Clay comes out to meet Liston
And Liston starts to retreat
If Liston goes back any further
He'll end up in a ringside seat.
Clay swings with a left,
Clay swings with a right,
Look at young Cassius
Carry the fight.
Liston keeps backing
But there's not enough room
It's a matter of time...


1967: Clive Campbell migrates to the United States at the age of 11. Because of his size, kids at Alfred E. Smith High School nickname him Hercules. He would later become a writer and change his name to Kool Herc.

1968: A gang named Savage Seven would hit the streets of the East Bronx. Savage Seven later transforms into Black Spades, before eventually becoming an organization known as Zulu Nation.

1969: James Brown records two songs that would further influence the drum programming in today’s rap – “Sex Machines” with John Starks playing the drums and “Funky Drummer” with Clyde Stubblefield on the drums.

1970: DJ U-Roy invades Jamaican pop charts with three top ten songs using a style known as toasting. The Last Poets release their self-titled debut album on Douglas Records combining jazz instrumentations with heartfelt spoken word. (The Last Poets would later appear on Common’s 2005 rap anthem, “The Corner.")

1971: Aretha Franklin records a well-known b-boy song “Rock Steady." The Rock Steady crew would go on to rule in the world of break-dancing, with members all across the globe.

1972: The Black Messengers (a group that staged performances for The Black Panthers and rallies relating to black power movement) feature on The Gong Show.
However, they are only allowed to perform under the alias "Mechanical Devices," because of their controversial name.

1973: DJ Kool Herc deejays his first block party (his sister's birthday) at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, NY. Herc would often buy two copies of a record and stretch the break parts by using two turntables and mixing in both records before the break ends. The Zulu Nation is officially formed by a student of Stevenson High school named Kevin Donovan. Donovan later changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa Aasim in honor of an ancient Zulu chief.


1974: After seeing DJ Kool Herc perform at block parties, Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa start playing at parties all over the Bronx neighborhoods. Around this time, DJ/MC/Crowd Pleaser Lovebug Starski starts referring to this culture as "hip-hop."

1975:

•Herc is hired as a DJ at the Hevalo Club.
•He later gets Coke La Rock to utter crowd-pleasing rhymes at parties (e.g."DJ Riz is in the house and he'll turn it out without a doubt"). Coke La Rock and Clark Kent form the first emcee team known as Kool Herc & The Herculoids.
•DJ Grand Wizard Theodore accidentally invents 'the scratch.' While trying to hold a spinning record in place in order to listen to his mom, who was yelling at him, Grand Wizard accidentally caused the record to produce the “shigi-shigi” sound that is now known as the scratch. Scratch is the crux of modern deejaying.

1976: DJ Afrika Bambaataa performs at the Bronx River Center. Bambaataa’s first battle against Disco King Mario sparks off the DJ battling that is now embedded in the culture.

1977:

•The Rock Steady Crew (the most respected b-boy crew in history) is formed by the original four members: JoJo, Jimmy Dee, Easy Mike, and P-Body.
•DJ Kool Herc is nearly stabbed to death at one of his parties. Although the assault placed a permanent dent on Herc's career, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Disco Wiz (the first Latino DJ), and Disco King Mario kept performing around town.

1978:
•Kurtis Blow, who was being managed by Russell Simmons, decides to hire Simmons’ brother, Run, as his DJ.
•Run was so-called because he could cut so fast between two turntables.
•Kurtis would later become the first rapper to be signed to a major record deal.
•Music industry coins the term "rap music," and shifts its focus toward emcees.
•Grandmaster Caz (aka Cassanova Fly) and Bambaataa engage in a battle at the Police Athletic League.

1979:
•Grandmaster Flash forms one of the most influential rap groups ever, The Furious 5: Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler), Melle Mel (Melvin Glover), Kidd Creole (Nathaniel Glover), Cowboy (Keith Wiggins), Raheim (Guy Williams), and Mr. Ness (Eddie Morris).
•Around the same time, another great rap crew – The Cold Crush Four – was formed, comprising of Charlie Chase, Tony Tone, Grand Master Caz, Easy Ad, JDL, and Almighty KG.
•The first rap record by a non-rap group “King Tim III” is recorded by the Fatback Band.
•Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper's Delight” would go on to become the first known rap hit, reaching #36 on Billboard.
•Various obscure rap singles were also released: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5’s “Super-rappin” and Spoonie Gee’s “Spoonin’ Rap” both on Enjoy Records, Kurtis Blow’s “Christmas Rappin” on Mercury Records, and Jimmy Spicer’s 13-minute long storytelling track “Adventures of Super Rhymes” on Dazz Records.
•Mr. Magic’s ‘Rap Attack’ becomes the first hip-hop radio show on WHBI.
1980:
•Afrika Bambaata and the Zulu Nation release their first 12" called Zulu Nation Throwdown Pt. 1 on Paul Winley Records.
•Kurtis Blow, the first rapper to appear on national television (Soul Train), releases "The Breaks" on Mercury Records. The record goes on to sell more than a million copies. Hip-hop gradually evolves into big business.
•After meeting Fab 5 Freddy and others, Blonde releases "Rapture" featuring rap vocals by lead singer Debbie Harry.
1981:
•Grandmaster Flash releases “The Adventures of Grand Master Flash on the Wheels of Steel," the first record to ultimately capture the sounds of live DJ scratching on wax.
•On February 14th, The Funky 4 plus One More perform their classic hit, “That's The Joint” on NBC's Saturday Night Live becoming the first hip hop group to appear on national television.
•The Beastie Boys are formed. The group consists of Adam Horovitz (King Ad-Rock), Adam Yauch (MCA), Michael Diamon (Mike D).
1982:
•Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force release the techno-heavy “Planet Rock” on Tommy Boy Records. The record samples portions of Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express."
•Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5 release “The Message” on Sugarhill Records.
•Kool Moe Dee humiliates Busy Bee in a spontaneous rap battle. Since then, emcee battling has become an inseparable part of hip-hop.
•Fab 5 Freddy and Charlie Ahearn co-produce Wild Style, a hip-hop film featuring Cold Crush Brothers, Grandmaster Flash, Grandwizard Theodore, DJ AJ, Grandmixer D.S.T, graf writers Lee, Zephyr, Fab 5 Freddy, Lady Pink, Crash, Daze, Dondi, and members of the Rock Steady Crew. Wild Style has since inspired several other hip-hop-themed movies.
1983:
•Ice T helps pioneer gangsta rap in the west coast with his rapcore singles “Body Rock" and "Killers."
•Grand Master Flash and Melle Mel (Furious 5) record the anti-cocaine single “White Lines (Don't Do It)," which becomes a rap hit.
•Grandmaster Flash later sues Sugarhill Records for $5 million in royalties. The dispute causes the group to break up, signaling the looming danger of corporate control in hip-hop.
•Run DMC releases “It's Like That" b/w "Sucker MC's."
1984
•Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin team up to launch one of the most important record labels ever, Def Jam Records. Def Jam releases its first record, “It’s Yours” by T La Rock, followed by LL Cool J’s “I Need A Beat."
•Hip-hop discovers that touring is a great way to generate income, as the Fresh Fest concert featuring Whodini, Kurtis Blow, Fat Boys, and Run DMC, reels in $3.5 million for 27 dates.
•Battle rap assumes the spotlight in hip-hop, as UTFO’s “Roxanne Roxanne” diss song attracts over 100 responses.
•The most popular response came from a 14-year old female named Roxanne Shante. Shante’s “Roxanne’s Revenge” allegedly recorded in Marley Marl’s living room sold more than 250,000 copies.
•Dougie Fresh (aka The Entertainer) releases The Original Human Beat Box (Vindertainment Records).
•Michael Jackson does 'the moonwalk' at the Grammys, borrowing b-boy dance elements from LA breakers.
1985
•Sugarhill Records goes into bankruptcy and is forced out of business.
•Salt ‘n’ Pepa make their first appearance on Super Nature’s “The Show Stopper."
1986
•
•The Beastie Boys release Licensed To Ill on Def Jam (executive-produced by Rick Rubin).
•James Smith, a native of Houston, Texas, assembles The Geto Boys. The original lineup consisted of MCs Raheim, Jukebox, DJ Ready Red, and Sir Rap-A-Lot.
•The group also featured Little Billy, a dancing dwarf who later picked up the microphone as Bushwick Bill.
•Following a short break-up in 1988, Smith invited local emcee Willie D and multi-instrumentalist Akshun (later known as Scarface) to complete the lineup.
•The Geto Boys (now made up of Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill) was a driving force in the evolution of southern rap.
1987
•Following the release of Boogie Down Productions’ Criminal Minded LP, Scott LaRock is shot and killed in the South Bronx while attempting to settle a dispute.
•Public Enemy stuns the world with their introductory album, Yo! Bum Rush The Show, signaling the genesis of politically-charged hip-hop.
•The original members of the group include Chuck D (Carlton Ridenhour), Flavor Flav (William Drayton), Professor Griff (Richard Griffin), and DJ Terminator X (Norman Rogers).
1988
•After years of being neglected by the mainstream media, hip-hop gets its own show on MTV, "Yo! MTV Raps."
•N.W.A pioneers the gangsta rap movement with their gold album, Straight Outta Compton.
•Def Jam founders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin part ways; Simmons opts for distribution through CBS/Columbia Records, while Rubin goes on to found Def American.
•Landmark album releases: Ultramagnetic MC’s – Critical Breakdown, and Big Daddy Kane – Long Live The Kane.

1989
•After a life-long battle with crack addiction, Cowboy, a member of Grandmaster Flash’s Furious 5 dies at the age of 28.
•A group of high school friends join the Native Tongues as promoters of the Afrocentricity Movement to make African-Americans aware of their heritage.
•These Manhattan-based friends would later form A Tribe Called Quest (Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Phife Dawg, and Jarobi).

•A Dallas-based protégé of Dr. Dre known as D.O.C releases No One Can Do It Better. While the album was making rounds on the charts, D.O.C. found himself in a severe car crash.
•While D.O.C. survived the accident, his rap career didn't.
1990
•2 Pac joins Digital Underground as a dancer and a roadie.
•The "Stretch & Bobbito Show" is launched.
•Both a Florida record store owner and Luther Campbell are arrested over 2 Live Crew’s controversial album, As Nasty as They Wanna Be.
1991
•N.W.A’s sophomore album N****z For Life sells over 954,000 copies in its first week of release, reaching #1 on the pop charts. The album paves way for many more hardcore rap albums that would follow.
•Busta Rhymes appears on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario.”
•Cypress Hill (B-Real, DJ Muggs, and Sen Dog) release their self-titled debut, and initiate a campaign to legalize hemp.
•The Notorious B.I.G. is featured in the “Unsigned Hype” column of The Source magazine.
1993
•A Tribe Called Quest release their third album, Midnight Marauders, featuring a who-is-who-in-hip-hop album cover.
•Dr. Dre’s The Chronic attains multi-platinum status.
•Wu-Tang Clan release 36 Chambers. The line-up consists of Prince Rakeem (The RZA), Raekwon, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Genius (GZA), U-God, Master Killa and Inspectah Deck.
•Mobb Deep (Prodigy and Havoc) release their debut LP, Juvenile Hell.
1994
•Nas’ first entry, Illmatic goes gold and is widely received as one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever.
•Common releases Resurrection and is lauded as an intelligent lyricist.
•Warren G’s Regulate: The G-Funk Era is certified 4x platinum.
•2 Pac is robbed and shot 5 times in a New York recording studio. He recovers from the shooting. Pac is later sentenced to 8 months in prison.
1995
•Queen Latifah wins a Grammy award in the "Best Rap Solo Performance" category for her hit “Unity.”
•2 Pac signs a deal with Death Row Records after Suge Knight posts a $1.4 million bail.
•Eric Wright (Eazy-E of N.W.A) dies of AIDS on March 20th at the age of 31.
1996
•The Score, a fusion of conscious lyrics with reggae-tinged soulsonics, becomes The Fugees' biggest album. The album debuts at No.1 and grabs two Grammys, thus, breathing a new life into socially aware hip-hop.
•The Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards are launched in the U.K. The Fugees walk away with two trophies.
•Jay-Z drops his highly-lauded debut, Reasonable Doubt. His "charismatic rapper" approach would later spawn throngs of emulators.
•24-year old Snoop Dogg and his bodyguard McKinley Lee are acquitted of the murder of Philip Woldemariam, a 20-year-old Ethiopian immigrant gunned down in August 1993.
•On September 7th, Tupac Shakur is fatally wounded after sustaining multiple gunshots as he rode in a car driven by Death Row Records CEO Marion "Suge" Knight near the Las Vegas strip. Tupac died 5 days later. His death rekindled the debate on whether rap promotes violence or just reflects the ugly side of the streets.
1997
•The Notorious B.I.G. (born Christopher Wallace), is shot and killed March 9, after a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Like Pac's murder, Biggie's death is still an unsolved mystery.
•Missy Misdemeanor Elliott redefines hip-hop and R & B with her first album, Supa Dupa Fly. Having broken barriers as a successful female producer, Missy would go on to become the highest selling female rapper of all time.
•Parent company Interscope Records sells its interest in Death Row Records and severes ties with the label.
•Chicago MC Juice defeats Eminem on his way to winning the year's Scribble Jam competition. (Scribble Jam is the largest showcase of underground hip-hop in the United States.)
•Roc-A-Fella sells a 50 percent stake to Island Def Jam for $1.5 million.
1998
•Dr. Dre inks Eminem to his Aftermath imprint.
•Lauryn Hill's solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, scores her 11 Grammy nominations and 5 wins, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
•"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" marks the beginning of Jay-Z's mainstream breakthrough and helps move 5 million units of Vol 2: Hardknock Life. The chorus is sampled from the Broadway play "Annie."
•Shyne (born Jamal Barrow) signs a lucrative record deal with Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment.

1999
•Backed by producer Dr. Dre, Eminem zooms past racial hurdles and sells 4 million copies of his debut, The Slim Shady LP.
•Production duo The Neptunes (Chad Hugo & Pharrell Williams) dominate the airwave with a string of radio hits, including Kelis' "Caught Out There," ODB's "Got Your Money," Noreaga's "Oh No," and Mase's "One Big Fiesta." Their infectious, bling-tinged sound would later become an unofficial requisite on hip-hop albums.
•Dr. Dre puts the west coast back on the spotlight with his comeback LP 2001.
2000
•Dr. Dre files a lawsuit against MP3-swapping firm Napster.
•Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney holds the first Hip-Hop Powershop summit to address the various political, economic, and social issues affecting the youth.
•DJ Craze wins the Technics DMC World DJ Championship 3 consecutive times.
•Eminem, through the release of his well received second album Marshall Mathers LP, solidifies his place as rap's future great. The title sells 1.76 million copies in its first week and later scores two Grammys for the rapper.
2001
•Puff Daddy reveals in an MTV interview that he will now be known as P. Diddy.
•Eminem pleads guilty to one of two felony charges from an incident in 2000 when he pistol-whipped a man caught kissing wife Kim Mathers.
•Prosecutors drop the felony assault charge in exchange for Eminem's guilty plea on carrying a concealed weapon.
•On the heels of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, two of the city's most revered rappers Jay-Z and Nas are in a different New York state of mind. After years of subliminal sniping, they finally take the gloves off and engage in a highly controversial lyrical face-off.
•After Nas dropped "Ether," an earth-shattering response to Jay's equally venemous "Takeover," Jay re-emerges with "Super Ugly," (rhymed over Nas' "Got Yourself a Gun") in which Hov spilled his sexual relationship with Nas' baby-mama to disgusting effect. New York's Hot 97 FM asks call-in voters to decide a winner.
•As votes are being tallied, Jay rushes to Hot 97 and offers an apology for the kiss-and-tell lyrics. His apology fails to deny Nas an outstanding victory. Regardless, fans would forever debate the battle.
2002
•DJ Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC is shot and killed in a Queens studio on October 30. No one has been convicted of his murder.
•Hip-hop feuds: Nelly vs. KRS-One, Eminem vs. The Source magazine, Jermaine Dupri vs. Dr. Dre, etc
•The rapping member of TLC, Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes, dies in a car crash while traveling with seven other people.
•Malik B is booted from The Roots following a drug use problem.
2003
•Eminem becomes the new focus of a debate on hip-hop and racism after some unidentified friends of the rapper submitted a tape of him using the N-word and making several derogatory remarks about the African-American community.
•Sample lyrics from the Eminem tape: "Black girls are b****es/ That's why I'ma tell ya you better pull up your britches/'Cause all that cash is making your a** drag. On another song, he rhymes: "Black girls and white girls just don't mix/Because Black girls are dumb and white girls are good chicks."
•The Source uses the tape to renew their anti-Eminem campaign, even releasing a CD version of the "racist tape." In response, Eminem apologizes publicly and claims the rap was done out of teen angst following a break-up with a black girlfriend.
"I did and said a lot of stupid s**t when I was a kid, but that's part of growing up," said Eminem in a statement. "The tape of me rapping 15 years ago as a teenager that was recently put out by The Source in no way represents who I was then or who I am today."
•Federal investigators raid the New York offices of Murder Inc., the record label home of Ja Rule and Ashanti, as part of an ongoing investigation into label head Irv Gotti. Authorities were looking into allegations of money laundering and an alleged financial link between Gotti and a New York drug gang called the "Supreme Team."
•ODB, fresh out of jail, signs to Roc-A-Fella Records and changes his name to Dirt McGirt.
2004
•In the middle of the 2004 Vibe Awards ceremony, a man named Jimmy James Johnson approaches rap legend Dr. Dre, who was preparing to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, and punches him in the face. A full-on brawl ensues during which Johnson gets stabbed.
•After reviewing tape of the melee, authorities identify the stabber as G-Unit rapper Young Buck, a member of Dr. Dre's entourage. Suge Knight, who also crashed the event, later denies allegations that he had promised Johnson $5000 to assault Dr. Dre.
•P.Diddy's "Citizen Change" campaign adopts the slogan 'Vote or Die' in a bid to convince young people to vote in November's U.S. Presidential elections.
•Wu-Tang member ODB dies inside a recording studio two days before his 36th birthday.
2005
•The "Miss Jones Morning Show" crew on Hot 97 FM sparks outrage by playing the "Tsunami Song," a racist parody of "We Are the World" that ridicules victims of the South Asian tidal wave that killed almost 300,000 people. The "Miss Jones" is temporarily yanked off the air.
•Jay-Z and Nas end their long-running feud at the former's Power 105.1 concert in New York.
•A 24-year-old Compton, CA native identified as Kevin Reed is hospitalized after a shooting outside the Hot 97 offices, as 50 Cent was making an appearance at the radio station to announce that The Game had been booted from G-Unit. The Game, who had appeared on Hot 97 earlier that evening, reportedly returned to the station with an undisclosed number of men and was denied entrance into the building.
•Jay-Z Dame Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke sell off the remaining 50% stake of Roc-A-Fella Records to Universal's Island Def Jam for less than $10 million and go their separate ways.

2006
•Nas inks a joint-label deal with Def Jam and Columbia.
•Detroit producer/MC Jay Dee (James Yancey) dies of complications from lupus (the autoimmune disease) on February 10, 2006.
•D-12's Proof (Deshaun Holton) is shot and killed at CCC Club on East 8 Mile Road on April 10.
•Jay-Z ends his three-year break from active recording and bounces back with Kingdom Come. The album includes a diss track to Cam'ron and Jim Jones.
•Nas' Def Jam debut, Hip-Hop Is Dead, dusts up controversy and debate over its title.
2007
•Inspired by the movie 'American Gangster,' Jay-Z records a concept album by the same name. American Gangster
•On November 12, Donda West, mother of Kanye West, dies from the complications of surgery.
•KRS-One and Marley Marl put two decades of rivalry behind them and collaborate on an album titled Hip-Hop Lives
•Dipset/Byrd Gang rapper Stack Bundles (born Rayquon Elliott) is shot and killed outside his home in Queens, New York.
2008
•In the months leading up to the 2008 presidential election, Democratic nominee Barack Obama galvanizes hip-hop artists into action, leading to a slew of Obama rap tributes.
•Jay-Z becomes the first rapper to headline Glastonbury, the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world.
•Brooklyn MC Jamal "Gravy" Woolard is recruited to play the Biggie Smalls in the biopic Notorious.
2009
•Eminem ends his four-year sabbatical with the release of Relapse. The album debuts at No. 1 and scores a Grammy win for Best Rap Album.
•T.I. is sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for illegal weapons possession.
•DJ AM is found dead in his New York apartment, following a series of ominous tweets.
•Four revered MCs Detroit's Royce da 5'9", California's Crooked I, New Jersey's Joe Budden, and Brooklyn's Joel Ortiz join forces to form a supergroup named Slaughterhouse. Their self-titled debut re-energizes the lyricism movement in hip-hop.
2010
•Gang Starr co-founder and hip-hop icon Guru dies on April 19 after a grueling battle with cancer.
•Bun B's third solo album, Trill OG, becomes the first album in five years to receive The Source magazine's 5-mic award.
•Wyclef Jean declares for presidency of his native country Haiti. Jean's candidacy is eventually rejected by the electoral council.

Viral Marketing......What's Really "REAL"

There has never been a better time to spread the word about yourself and music. The Internet, with its downloadable digital music files, social networking sites and countless other advances that we can’t even begin to imagine yet, has leveled the playing field in a way that will make the “work” you have to do infinitely more effective.


In my 15 years of making a full-time living in the music world, one thing has become increasingly clear to me: It’s work. The romantic image of the starving artist being so incredibly talented that one day he or she gets “discovered” and becomes rich and famous is a dangerous myth. I say “dangerous” because the more you as an artist believe it, the less inclined you’ll be to do any work on your own behalf. The gritty reality is that if you don’t do the necessary (and daily) work promoting yourself and your music, it’s highly unlikely anything will ever happen.

There has never been a better time to spread the word about yourself and music. The Internet, with its downloadable digital music files, social networking sites and countless other advances that we can’t even begin to imagine yet, has leveled the playing field in a way that will make the “work” you have to do infinitely more effective.

Gather Your Fans
The more you can identify and reach out to your fans the better off you’ll be. Whether it’s your friends on MySpace or Facebook or the email addresses you’ve been collecting at gigs or online, it’s these people who you need to be able to reach effectively to spread the word about what you’re doing. Treat your list of email addresses like the gold that it is. It’s these people who will not only consider buying your music when it comes out, but more importantly, will also help spread (“viral” get it?) the word about you and your music. Once you’ve got a network of fans that you can reach out to, you’ve dramatically increased your potential to spread the word about what you’re doing.

Be Creative
The fact that the playing field has been leveled and almost anyone can get their music out worldwide is both a blessing and a true challenge. Instead of fans knowing that the local Tower Records is where they should go to find new music, the Internet, with its infinite musical venues, has become the new (and overwhelming) place to find what’s new and great. The more creative you are in your presentation, the more likely a fan of yours will be to forward a YouTube link with your video or any one of a thousand other ways you can create to present yourself and your music. Again, the plan is that by putting something out there that’s unique enough to rise above the typical internet fare, it will take on a life of its own and appeal not only your current fans but also to new fans in ways you’ve never imagined.

Stay Current
The outlets for music and ways of marketing online change and advance almost hourly. Taking time out of your day to be aware of the next MySpace, Facebook or Twitter will pay huge dividends going forward. It’s not enough to find one way of reaching people and stubbornly stick to it. If that were the case, bands would still be mailing postcards to let people know about their gigs.

Give It Away
Don’t be afraid to give something to get something. A free download of a song in exchange for an email address is the best deal out there these days. Make it worth someone’s while to give you his or her email address and you’ll be amazed at what happens. Let your music speak for itself. If fans like their free download, there’s a much higher likelihood they’ll come back and buy the rest. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to do this either. Take a peek at a simple and effective example by going to http://www.charliedegenhart.com.

Make Sure Your Music Is Available
I can’t think of anything more depressing than the artist who comes up with an amazing vehicle to promote his or her music, watches it go “viral” and generate huge web traffic to their site only to have nothing readily available for sale. Don’t expect most people to wait around or check back with iTunes every few days until your music is up. Make sure that before you go about promoting your music, you’ve taken the necessary steps to insure that if and when people want to buy your music, they can do it easily. Companies like Tunecore make this essential step both simple and cost effective. Don’t wait around for people to start asking how they can get your music. By then, it’s too late. Do it first.

Trust Me, It’s Real
Be patient. Not every online marketing attempt you make will result in thousands of downloads and new fans. However, every effort you make to get the word out about your music (even if it’s 15 minutes a day) becomes part of the bigger picture of reaching new fans. The more fans you have, the greater the potential for any one thing you do going viral and bringing in not only more fans but income. All of a sudden your “friends” on MySpace and Facebook just became a whole lot friendlier. Think of your work as a series of base hits that will get you ready for your shot at a home run.