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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.