Underground 101

As An Artist Do you know enough about 360 Deals? Original Article written By Trap (Reprinted with permission from www.reverbnation.com/IAMTHETRAPHOUSE)

As An artist myself that has been putting in a strong grind for some years now, and feel that I am a Refreshing change to the industry; Do I deserve or anyone for that matter Deserve to be treated as just another number in this fickle Music Industry? My quick response to this is hell Nawl.

The industry is at a great downfall, because wack artists are being signed to labels that can’t sell albums, or sell out shows, and it is creating hardships for Those few artists that have the talent to strive and shine in this music world. The Labels want to sign new artist to 360 deals? For anyone that doesn’t know what a 360 deal is… You’re going to get a quick lesson on this. Free of Charge! Thank me Later. a 360 deal is the 1st thing that a Label will offer an artist. It is just that 360, Just like a 360 degree circle. The label has there hands in all artist pockets when it comes to money making. They get a cut. So if you are making money doing a commercial, a show, getting paid for a guest appearance somewhere; the label gets a piece of your hard work and hustle.

Bottom Line to this, any thing that you and your talent does that generates money, or compensation, the labels getting a percentage. It definitely makes me think on the subject of being signed. Of Course I would like my hard work, and skillz to be recognized by a Major Label, or even and Indie Label with the ability to put me on a larger platform, but It’s not our fault as Artist that the industry is where it is today, Suffering with no immediate bright future ahead.

I think that these A&R Reps that put the music world in this predicament should be videotaped while receiving a massive beatdown by Talented Artist that could have gave life to the industry years ago.
As a Matter of fact there should be a law that allows the “True Great Rappers” to file a pain and suffering Lawsuit against these companies… Laughing, but very Serious. Learn about 360 deals. It’s awesome to be signed, but don’t let them Rape you. Get that Monster Lawyer to negotiate for you.

More On 360 Deals By Nadejda:

Quite simply, a so-called “360 deal” in the music business refers to the recent modern practice of record companies brokering deals with artists that are “all encompassing” in terms of revenue streams. Live Nation’s signings of Madonna and Jay-Z are high-profile 360 deals…the long-term success of which remains to be seen. The practice is novel and barely tested.

Traditionally, record companies were in the business of selling records (including all formats such as vinyl, tape, and CD). The CD (Compact Disc) was the most profitable for the labels as they are the cheapest to produce (compared to vinyl or tape) and, for the first few years of CDs at least, brought a retail price as high as $20 or more! That enormous profit margin (we now know that a blank CD costs just pennies!) provided record executives with the glut, the excessive lifestyles and the fame which from the mid-sixties to around year 2000 was synonymous with the “Music Biz.”

But the party is over. CD sales are on a downward spiral that many think won’t stop until virtually no CDs are sold through traditional retail outlets. Big established record chains, including Tower Records, have quit. Those massive traditional record profits are gone.

This fact of life has forced the enterprising record labels to try to get a piece of all the ancillary action surrounding a hit recording act: publishing, concert receipts, merchandise sales (which can be huge) and other related artist revenue sources. Thus the name “360″…as in the whole pie.
Like many innovations, these deals were born of desperation; after experiencing the financial havoc unleashed by years of slipping CD sales, music companies started viewing the ancillary income from artists as a potential new source of cash. After all, the thinking went, labels invest the most in the risky and expensive process of developing talent, so why shouldn’t they get a bigger share of the talent’s success?

In return for that bigger share, labels might give artists more money up front and in many cases touring subsidies that otherwise would not be offered. More important, perhaps, artists might be allowed more time to develop the chops needed to build a long career. And the label’s ability to cross-market items like CDs, ring tones, V.I.P. concert packages and merchandise might make for a bigger overall pie.

Not everyone is sold on the concept. Many talent managers view 360s as a thinly veiled money grab and are skeptical that the labels, with their work forces shrinking amid industry-wide cost cutting, will deliver on their promises of patience.
Bottom line is this, if a deal is put on the table, do nothing, consult with your management team, if you don’t have one now is the time. Consult and attorney and protect your rights. If it’s not the right deal for you get to steppin’.

Resources from NY Times and Music Row Lawyer.

Sidenote to Trap~ Beat down not necessary, we are going to expose and document cases of A&R Payola, name names and expose this shit to all who will listen….Stay Tuned…

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Trying to build your fan base but not sure where to start? It’s time to put more emphasis on the BUSINESS aspect of the MUSIC BUSINESS to gain new fans. Try alternative methods for amazing results.
First take into consideration how much money you’re spending on floss, gloss and image. Probably a whole lot. Now consider how much you are spending on marketing and promotion. Probably very little to none. Think about this. If you started a new business would you spend all of your start up cash on decorating the store without allowing and budget for advertising? That would be stupid right. You would have a great looking store without any customers.
Marketing and promotion for artists is no different than the marketing and promotion needed for any business. You can have the hottest tracks in the universe but without promotion who’s gonna hear em?
Your music is the product and the objective is to get as many consumers as possible exposed to your product.
If you are practicing the traditional means of urban promotion with flyers and handing out mixtapes without strong results think carefully before you repeat the process again.
Here’s why that method is the least likely to gain fans and establish your brand recognition. What do you do with mixtapes and flyers someone might hand you out in the street. Chances are that cd gets tossed into a purse, pocket or car somewhere. Some people may give it a listen in the car but for the most part all your time, creativity and money are tossed out like blunt guts.
Online advertising is not the wave of the future, it is the present. Right now over 75 million homes have high speed internet access in the US, that figure does not include schools, public internet cafes, or workplaces. Add to that the availability of internet access via smart phones and you have a whopping 73% of all Americans have daily internet access. Ask just about anyone where they hear new music and I bet Youtube, music related blogs, facebook or television will be named.
Why is it better to grab the attention of potential fans online rather than handing them your material face to face? Easy. People have short attention spans. You have 20 seconds to grab and hold someone’s attention. In the time it takes that potential fan to drive home, cook dinner, feed the kids or punch in for a workday, they have completely forgotten about you. The next time they clean out the car, guess where your hard work ended up?
Now here’s an example of great internet marketing using social networking. Yesterday an artist by the name of Mica Swain posted a teaser clip for her upcoming video “All BCuz”. The video player showed a “hot thumbnail” image that enticed me to click. Teaser is right, I was left wanting more more more….

In way less than 30 seconds I was clicking her profile, finding the link to download her mixtape all the while thinking that song better be on here. After a quick glance at the tracklist I was smiling and clicking download.
Now how did Mica Swain gain a fan in less than 30 seconds? Easy, she hit me with her promotional material right in my face, on my own facebook wall, a great visual made me look, a super high quality video from Mr. IFilm made me keep looking, a fire beat from Gav Beats and a great song from Mica had me hooked. Most important of all she hit me right there at my desk, speakers plugged in and ready to look, listen and download. Immediate gratification, everyone wants it!
By the way Mica you had me at “My swag is respectful, ugly and rude”.
Viral marketing and promotion through social media and video & blog submissions can be less expensive than that bottle of Rose you popped last night so think carefully about the dollars you’re spending on image and consider alternating your game plan.
For more information of Massive Video Traffic, Marketing and Promotion contact 5 Star Promotions.

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Here is the definition according to Wikipedia~ In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song. This is typically done with a sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also possible with tape loops or with vinyl records on a phonograph. People who sample are commonly referred to as producers or beatmakers. Although beatmaking can be done using various live instruments and synthesizers, sampling is the method most employed by beatmakers.

Here is a short video from Neil W. Netanel, Professor of Law At UCLA School of Law in Los Angeles. He discusses creative commons uses and the laws surrounding sampling along with the origins of sampling. Yep, give props to the Hip Hop Industry we started the gold rush of sampling in the 80′s.
WATCH VIDEO NOW

Here’s the nitty gritty if you’re in the mood to read up on the subject and if you are a musician that practices the use of sampling I recommend that you do indeed take the time.

Sampling without the proper permission is obviously illegal. It is an instant copyright violation. Also, since you didn’t write the lyrics, nor did you record it, you are violating two different copyrights. This can get you in a mess of trouble, but there is a right way to do things.

Permission is going to be the biggest part of this process. You will have to identify and contact the person or company who holds the copyrights for the piece of work that you are interested in sampling. Normally this will be the publishing company and the recording company. You must ensure that you have permission from both copyright holders, one is not good enough. Once you’ve contacted the copyright holders, you will have to negotiate a fee for using the song. The price for a sampling can be all over the board. Ultimately it will depend on who you are sampling from (big name artists are more expensive than non-name bands), how long of a sample you will be using (a fraction of a second is minor, but anything more than five seconds will be major), and how it will be used in your song. Structuring an entire song around someone else’s will be very costly, while only using brief sections will be cheaper.

Now you will have to decide how it is you are going to pay these people. Your first option is a buy-out. This is a simple, flat fee that you are going to pay upfront to use their music. Again, these fees will vary depending on the artist. Your other option is to offer a mechanical royalty fee. This means that you will pay a portion of every sale of the song, back to the original artist. These fees can range all over the place, and occasionally will have to in addition to some kind of a flat rate, ensuring the artist will get some money out of it. Any variation of these two options is a possibility too. Some artist may even off the sampling for free just to get their name and music out there a little bit. This normally happens with a larger band wants to use a smaller bands music.

No matter how you get it, a sampling license in absolutely necessary when you are interested in using any portion of someone else’s copyrighted music.

If you choose to ignore the law and simply use a sample of someone else’s music you can find yourself in a pretty bad situation. Some of the copyright laws are strict and the punishments for breaking them can be severe. In most cases the judge will slap you with a massive fine. These fees can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and higher. That alone could not only bury your band, but also you, depending on the business license you are operating under. The artist could also demand payment for each album sold or, even worse force a recall. This would mean that every album ever sold would have to be recalled (all that promotional money down the drain) and destroyed (all that publication work and money gone). No matter which way you spin it, unauthorized use of someone else’s songs could be the end of your band.

Some people may have heard of a “fair use” rule that is in the music industry. This rule says that as long as it is four notes or less, there is no penalty for copyright infringement. That is not true at all. No matter how many notes it is, if a jury decides that they are easily recognizable as part of the other song, you can be fined. Even if it is something that was done unintentionally, you can still find yourself in a world of trouble. The only songs that aren’t a part of this copyright law are the songs that have no one holding a copyright for. This eliminates almost every song, but there are a few that are public domain. But other than this small group of songs, you must always have a sampling license.

These problems can become even worse if you are under a record company. The reason for this is, most record companies will have sections in their contract with you covering these types of situations. It will basically say that you are making your own, unique music and that if the company is sued because of copyright infringement, then you are personally liable for any loss the company takes on. This can be a huge fine, since the record company will have similar contracts with other music suppliers, radio stations, studios and producers. That means they will have to reimburse all of those people for your mistake, and then you will have to reimburse the record company for all of it. All in all, it’s less risky and ultimately easier and cheaper just to get the license.

5StarPromotions is here to help artists with every aspect of the business of the music business. From registering with BMI, licensing your business, securing legal sample clearance and full scale production services.

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The Hip Hop Host is alive and well and starting all new features related to the topics we live and love over here at GNJ headquarters. Our Brand New Section~Underground 101 is information you as an underground artist NEEDS to know. We’re here to help with helpful and information articles about how to promote yourself, your music and utilize the business tools available for free or low cost.

Lack of knowledge about the business side of the music industry has caused the downfall of many artists and would be artists all across the globe. With changes in the music industry and the current recession have brought out a whole new breed of scam artists and money hungry thieves in the industry today. By doing simple research and investigation many of these scams and payola scandals can be avoided. Make sure you bookmark our site and sign up for our RSS feed to keep abreast of all the latest articles and news.
Have suggestions? Make sure you contact one of us by using our contact page. We look forward to hearing from all of you.

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A Short List of What Makes a Band or Artist Signable Read more »

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Staying It Touch With Fans Via E-Mail is Invaluable. Here’s a few reasons why. Read more »

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Our Marketing Team has adapted several new methods for increasing Artist popularity and Online Presence utilizing Social Media Networking Tools. Our Marketing Team is comprised of individuals who think about both sides of the fence from the both the artists and the fans perspective.

We put together a short Q & A of the most important questions and answers for artists ready to utilize social media now. Read more »

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Here’s another reason to shoot high-definition video that’s connected to your music-related ventures: Demand for short, interesting, compelling, non-explicit, music-infused, high-quality, high-def content is going to be driven by the digital signage industry. Read more »

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The best place to be is “you.com.” Artists who have their own domain make more money than those that do not. Period.

Social Networking Sites Are Exposive, when combined with the power of your own engaging fan-based website.

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The music business has always been riddled with unspoken scandals and juicy secrets of corruption. We see topics of shortcuts, bribery, exploitation, scams, and fraud in the news all the time.  The music business is no different from any other business in this world; they are out to make a profit, which is the most important aspect that motivates those businesses. This video, while a bit old and a bit slow points out some very early origins of Payola and how Elvis blew up using Payola waayyyyyyyy back in tha day.

And here is another example that my own research on behalf of our family and clients, Pumphouse Music. This wack ass DJ attempted to Payola the pants off Pumphouse’s former (or should I say present) would-be manager, will the scam work Greg Street? Are their pockets deep enough for you to sink your teeth in or are you just stringing along another sucker….Beware young cats, this is what Payola is all about. Imma break it down to ya…..Young Hungry Artist + Scheming Fake Ass DJ who claims he can “break you wide open” = PAYOLA, yeah that DJ tells you how hot your music is, shows you someone he brought out and who he is promoting now, but get ready sweetie, the price is coming soon. He doesn’t love your music, he loves your money. Yes if your money is lookin’ right you might get some club love, maybe a few radio spins and wow if you’re really ready to spend some cash you too can have what this sucker bought himself …..

and what was the price tag? A reported $20K straight PAYOLA to Greg Street. What about the cost of the vid, the marketing, the advertising, the wardrobe, the radio plays….Makes me wonder what the grand total for that spanking cost. And just where is Lil’ Wil today? Hmmm I don’t see him on Greg Street’s website, huh, the money train musta ran out……(as of this date Lil’ Wil has not responded to my inquiries to verify this and I will surely update to expand upon his side of this apparent scandal)

If you care to read the research and techno speak here’s the nitty gritty……If you’re not up for a long intense read the BOTTOM LINE IS THIS….if you’re dealing with someone from the industry whether it be a mixtape DJ, radio DJ, A&R or god knows who, check them out, google everything you can about the person and talk to other artists they fux with. Find out the whole 411 before you break bread because 9 times out of 10 they are selling you a name and a dream. Take consideration of the complete cost involved in getting an artist or DJ featured on your track or video, don’t assume they are going to promote your track/video/mixtape, most likely they put their drops on it, and let it ride. It’s then yours to promote, distribute or sit on the shelf. Read more »

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