Independent Artist vs Signed Artist

Rock The Bells 2012 San Bernardino, California August 18 & 19

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 19:39:00 +0000

Rock The Bells 2012

San Bernardino, California

August 18 & 19

Rock The Bells is a two-day annual Hip-Hop summer festival, which consist of over 40 acts performing amongst three different stages. This year’s festival consisted of major acts such as Nas, Wiz Kahlifa, 2 Chainz, Eve, DMX, Ice Cub, Bone Thugs N Harmony, and many more. This year was my first time attending a Rock the Bells festival. I was in attendance for one of the two festival dayts days. My experience was priceless; I was one of the few people in attendance with VIP access. Every performance that I witnessed was legendary. Having a front row view of the stage made the experience even better. There were three performances that kept my attention Nas, Wiz Kahlifa and Ice Cube.

Nas who just released an album about a month ago performed songs from his most recent album as well as songs dated back to the early 90s. Nas made sure to engage with the audience, the majority of his performance took place on the extended walkway off of the stage that lead into the crowd. He also fed off of the energy of the crowed and switched up his set to perform songs that people in the audience began to chant. Nas is a legend and an amazing performer.

Wiz Kahlifa has a strong and loyal fan base. His stage presence speaks for its self. During his performance his fans knew every word to every song that he performed and rapped them with him. His outfit stood out to me as he is very unique with his style and I have yet to see anyone dress the way he was dressed for his performance.

Ice Cube is legend that has been in the rap game for many years. Watching him perform all of his songs from the 90’s made me feel like I was back in that era of Hip Hop music. His performance was very engaging and made him seem like he was still the same age as he was when he first began he career.

Rock The Bells Travels to three cites total San Bernardino, CA, MT. View, CA, and New Jersey. Anyone that is a fan and lover of Hip Hop music will enjoy a Rock the Bells Festival.

Sneaker Pimps Tour 2012 Los Angeles

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 02:47:00 +0000

Sneaker Pimps Tour 2012

The Sneaker Pimps Tour kicked off this weekend with its first show in Los Angeles, California on August 10, 2012. The Show’s headline act was Australian native Iggy Azalea. There were also many unsigned acts that performed as well. The talent acts that hit the stage were people from all over the world. The venue had vendors selling items such as limited edition shoes, to unique T-shirts. Xbox was one of the sponsors for the show and had room with Xbox systems set up with a competition taking place; the winner of the competition received a free Xbox system. The people that attended this event were of a very diverse crowd. Being in attendance of this event allows the crowed to get a taste of both mainstream artist and rising artist.

A Toronto, Canada artist by the name of Blake Carrington put on an amazing show during his performance. He performed three of his songs; all of them have a lot of substance. The first thing that captured the crowd when he walked on to the stage was his bright tie die shirt. His style shows that he is very unique and different from any other rapper in the music industry. I enjoyed how he was very engaging with the crowd and included them in his performance.

There were artist from The Bay Area (Northern California), New York, Chicago, and a few other cities. The group from the Bay Area did a great job with hyping up the crowd. There was a female rapper from New York that did a great job representing for the ladies and incorporating them in her performance. She also had dance moves with her performance. There were two acts from Chicago that also did a great job performing. The Sneaker Pimps Tour is a great way for all up and coming artists to receive exposure through out the US.

www.SneakerPimps.net
http://www.blakecarringtonsworld.com/

2012 Billboard Awards

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 02:57:00 +0000

2012 Billboard Music Awards

This years Billboard Music Awards were held in Las Vegas, NV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena May 20, 2012. With music transitioning to being primarily digital the Billboard Charts continue to track music and artist. This year’s finalist, consist of a variety of artist that held the spots for the top hot 100 songs. Adele who took top of the 2012 Grammy Awards is listed on this list. In addition to Adele this Year the top artist list consisted of Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Katy Perry, and Rihanna.

This award show is very significant to artist as the Billboard Charts are used primarily to track data for sales. The finalist for the Billboard Music Awards are determined by performance from data tracked by Nielsen data for sales, number of downloads, and total air-play. There are many categories involved in this award show from Album of the year to best Digital track. Janet Jackson remains the record holder for winning the most Billboard Awards, with 33 awards total.

This year the Award’s promotion team took advantage of using Twitter to promote the show and also keep people up to date with every step leading up to the show. Justin Beiber has grabbed the attention of this year’s award show after having an amazing performance during the 2011 Award show.

The Billboard Music Award show went dormant the year of 2007 and returned in 2011. This makes the 2012 awards very exciting for today’s artist. The music industry continues to transition with the new technologies of the world. Today the record labels are beginning to find ways on how to run the music business effectively and adapt to all of the technical changes. The 2012 Billboard Music awards will make history. All of the top finalist, have had an amazing year in music thus far, this is a show for all music lovers must see.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Music_Award

http://www.billboard.com/bbma/ - Billboard

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS0xpxNjFH9JrbdSAMvuQhBUQVg2-T7daDxw-kyi0qCufoXOzkaVQ&t=1

http://www.billboard.com/photos/stylus/1976259-lil-wayne-adele-lady-gaga-rihanna-617-409.jpg

YMCMB/Young Money Cash Money Billionaires

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:05:00 +0000

Young Money Entertainment is one of the largest music teams in Hip- Hip. The team has a very strong roster and has been able to recently sign many hip-hop veterans. The team head Lil Wayne has created a loyal fan base for him-self. The most recent artist that have been added to team are Busta Rhymes and Mystical. Busta Rhymes has made a name for himself as an artist and is known for his style of Rapping very fast. Mystical is also known for his style for rapping extremely fast. YMCMB has been taking over the radio with recording artist Drake and Tyga getting spins on every radio station in the US.

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj is today’s female rapper that has no competition. She is an YMCMB artist that has been able to create a fan base like no other. Nicki’s fans are very loyal to her and love to dress like her. Nicki Minaj has been able to set trends that young women continue to follow and imitate. Nicki’s only criticism have been that she has stolen the style of Lil Kim. There have been public beef disputes between the two artist.

DRAKE

Drake is one of the music industry’s most successful talents today. He has the ability to act, which is where he made a name for himself in the entertainment industry before he started rapping. He also has multiple endorsement deals. Drake has a style that he uses in his music to appeal to women. He is always speaking to the women through his music. He also has a very strong fan base that stays very true and loyal to him. Drake is played on the radio all day and has multiple songs out at a time. He also does features with Lil Wayne that automatically have the people in love with the song because of the creativity that the two have when they come together on a song.

http://www.weareyoungmoney.com/

http://www.lilwaynehq.com/young-money-entertainment/

http://www.itswayne.com/young_money_entertainment/ymbanner0rk.jpg

http://youtu.be/83rpGaDwFnA

http://www.itswayne.com/young_money_entertainment/ymbanner0rk

Implementing expert views on the Value of a Business Plan, While writing a business plan

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 03:40:00 +0000

Implementing expert views on the Value of a Business Plan, While writing a business plan

The experts Dave Lavinsky and Tim Berry are two very established and experienced business plan experts. After researching the two professionals I have found that it will be key for me to incorporate the five key attributes to writing a successful business plan. These attributes are; have the right overall value proposition, proper marketing strategy, correct business model, action plan development, and to make sure business plan is communicated properly.

I have made sure to incorporate the needs of my company’s clients in several ways to ensure their needs are met. The value proposition of my company is to provide marketing needs for people that work in the entertainment industry and this is stated very clear in my business plan. Reading about different experts has been very beneficial for me with the development of my business plan. I have been able to change my marketing strategy and make sure to use the proper strategy that will be most beneficial to my company.

Following procedures and steps when developing a business plan is very important. Researching experts on writing a proper business plan is very important. When an investor reads my business plan, the most important section to them will be my financial statements. This is important because the numbers I predict must make sense to the investor. The marketing budget and sales numbers must coincide to convince the investor that the investment is worth their time and money. I also feel the marketing structure is important to the investor, because it displays how the company will attract clients which is how revenue will be generated. Marketing strategies are a key factor to helping with the success of any company. When writing a business plan it is very beneficial to incorporate tips that are suggested by business plan writing experts.

http://www.thebusinessplanstore.com/financialstatements.htm

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/write-business-plan-investors-698.html

http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/guest-blogs/industry-word/attitude-adjustment-5-planning-fundamentals-every-business

http://timberry.com/about

http://www.growthink.com/businessplan

http://www.growthink.com/team/dave-lavinsky

http://freelanceswitch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/businessplan.jpg

Expert Views on the Value of Business Plans

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 03:41:00 +0000

Expert Views on the Value of Business Plans

The two very talented business plan writers that will be discussed are Tim Berry and Dave Lavinsky. Tim Berry holds a MBA from Stanford University and a MA in Journalism from the University of Oregon. He has experience as a judge for different business plan competitions. Berry is the founder and Chairman of Palo Alto Software, founder of bplans.com, and co- founder of Borland International. He was able to turn Palo Alto Software into a multi-million dollar company. Berry also teaches starting a business and business planning to college students. There is no question to how much of an expert at business planning Berry is.

Dave Lavinsky is an expert in business planning, raising capital, and new venture development. Lavinsky launched Growthink University, which is a community for business owners to learn how to raise capital. Lavinksy wrote the business plan for billion-dollar company Key Span Energy services. Lavinsky holds a MBA from UCLA.

There are five key attributes for a successful business plan that are followed by both experts. To have the right overall value proposition is one of the ways to help create a successful business plan. This is to ensure that the company has an understanding of their customers need. Another one is to have the proper marketing strategy. This means the company takes time to develop marketing strategies that are different and unique to the specific business. Having the correct business model is very important also. This is so because it is important to go through every business model until the perfect fit is reached. The way the action plan is developed from reserve engineering success is also an attribute. This is done so s prediction of where the company would like to be in the next 5 years. Lastly making sure everything within the business plan is communicated properly. If the plan is communicated properly it is of no use.

Reference:

http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/guest-blogs/industry-word/attitude-adjustment-5-planning-fundamentals-every-business

http://timberry.com/about

http://www.growthink.com/businessplan

http://www.growthink.com/team/dave-lavinsky

Online Privacy and How it Relates to Music Publishing / Distribution

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:19:00 +0000

Online Privacy and How it Relates to Music Publishing / Distribution

The music business has changed drastically over the years with the advancement of Internet. The Internet allows people to download music for free; which takes away from the money that could have been made from the song. There has not been a way to put an end to online piracy. The majority of people that use the Internet appreciate their privacy. This includes the people that make music; they would rather have their privacy while using the Internet, then allowing the government to keep track of their usage. When songs are downloaded for there is no way to track how many people have the song/album.

The purpose of music publishing is to protect and develop music. Publishing also enforces copyright protection laws for music. Music publishing has served the same purpose for many years, but has had to change the way it operates. Music publishers are responsible for songwriters and composers receiving payment when their music is used commercially. When royalties are accounted for they are distributed to the songwriters and composers. Publishing companies have become the most important form of intellectual property in the music industry.

Composers are left with a choice to make when it comes to keeping their privacy while using the Internet or agreeing with the laws that enforce no more online privacy. If they give up their privacy online then they will be able to collect all of the proceeds that they deserve for their music, since people will no longer e able to download music for free. Online privacy laws have changed the entire music industry as a whole. Jobs have been lost in the music industry due to the technology changes with the majority of music sales being digital. I feel that the Internet will continue to effect music publishing and distribution until there is a way to control and put an end to free downloads.

http://www.mpa.org/

http://www.music-law.com/publishing.html

Entertainment Lawyer Interview

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 01:12:00 +0000

My interview with Brian Broughton was both very educational and informative. Mr. Broughton has practiced law for over 15 years. Entertainment Law has become a field that he has mastered. Brian is currently one of the lawyers at BET Networks. During my interview with Brian I took the time to ask him four very important questions that will be very essential to my business.

1. What are some key terms that are incorporated in a contract between an artist/actor and a company? I would not necessarily say that there are key terms in this type of contract. There are key elements that must be in a contract of this nature. These contacts must include compensation, contract term, dates in effect, contract end date. As long as the contract has solid pieces of information the contract will be effective.

2. How long does it take on average to fully execute a contract? There is no average time frame when it comes to executing a contract. It normally depends of the type of contract and how many people are required to sign the contract. In some cases a contract can sit and not be fully executed due to one missing signature.

3. What are some common conflicts that you face with the contracts that you currently process at Black Entertainment Television Networks? One conflict that I have noticed is with television release forms. These forms are required to be signed, by every talent act that may appear on television during a Black Entertainment Television event. The purpose of this form is to make the people aware that they will not receive compensation for their television appearance. If a celebrity appears on television during a BET event and does not sign this contract there can be a conflict because they will then ask for BET to pay them for their television appearance.

4. What would you say are some key forms of documentation when working as an Entertainment Lawyer? Non-disclosure agreements are commonly used. Talent performance agreements, which is a contract between an entertainment company and a talent act.

Brian Broughton is very knowledgeable of both the music and film business. After interviewing him I was able to see the importance of know the basic information that is involved with Entertainment law.

Legal Controversies in Music

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:55:00 +0000

The music industry has many different legalities that are involved. Songwriters have many responsibilities and rights to songs. Recently in the music industry there have been a few incidents take place. I will be covering three recent legal controversies that took place with people involved in the music industry. Chris Brown was recently charged with robbery for stealing one of his fans phone. Drake is being sued by his ex-girlfriend for not giving her credit for a song that they worked on together. Court ruling that allows songwriters to receive higher percentages for song placements.

Drake has an amazing song “Marvin’s Room” which got a lot of buzz and did amazing on music charts. Ex-girlfriend Erika Lee, whom appears on the song in a phone conversation, claims that she is entitled to part ownership in the copyright in the song, copyright in the sound recording, and payment of songwriter royalties. If his ex-girlfriend is telling the truth she should be granted the rights of the song that she is entitled to.

Chris Brown is being accused of robbery for taking a phone from a fan that took a picture of him. This is a huge controversy because both the fan and Chris Brown are wrong. The fan needs to get permission from Chris Brown before just taking a photo of him. Chris Brown could have asked the fan to delete the photo instead of taking her phone out of her hand and driving off with it.

Recent court ruling allows songwriters to gain millions of dollars in royalties. Universal Music Group was denied an appeal by the Supreme Court. This ruling will affect record labels since the songwriters will now be taking a percentage of sales on a song that once went directly to the record label.

Every legal controversy mentioned is very important to know.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57384614-504083/report-chris-brown-steals-fans-cell- phone-out-of-her-hands/

http://bizmology.hoovers.com/2011/05/06/court-ruling-could-enrichen-songwriters/

http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=c78f688f-902e-497d-a3d2-a07dea28b0da

2012 Grammy Award Show

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:12:00 +0000

2012 Grammys

Grammy week in Los Angles California is full of exciting and productive events for people in the music industry. The Grammys 2012 made a lot of history. With the loss of the great Whitney Houston, her death took a toll on many of the artist participating in the Grammys. The Grammy Awards have taken place for more than 50 years and is the biggest award show for music. People are honored for achievements in recording arts and supporting the music industry.

This year an amazing artist by the name of Adele took home 6 Grammys leaving the show as the top winner. Nicki Minaj Caused a lot of controversy by showing up to the award show with a man dressed up as the Pope. The Catholic Church was not happy about this due to her show performance being very demonic. The Church feels she is sending a very negative message about the people of the Catholic Church.

Chris Brown blew the crowd away with an amazing performance. Chris Brown has turned his career around taking on a positive campaign working hard to win his back. After his incident with Riahnna he has worked very hard to put on great shows and make great shows for the people.

Lady Gaga also was nominated in a many categories this year. She has been doing very well world-wide. The fans continue to appreciate Lady Gaga’s music. Foo Fighters took home a few awards this year also and had many nominations and many different categories.

I feel the 2012 Grammy Award show did bring out a lot of press and media. I also feel this year was different then most years. I feel like the Recording Academy did a great job by acknowledging Whitney Houston through out the show. I am looking forward to the future of the Grammy Award show, it gets better every year.

Artist Management: Irving Azoff

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:46:00 +0000

Artist Management: Irving Azoff

Irving Azoff is great example of a great artist manager. His success speaks for itself when looking at the current position he holds today as the executive chairman of Live Nation. Mr. Azoff sets a great example on how to execute the title and responsibilities of managing an artist. Mr. Azoff has held positions has worked as an agent, personal manager, concert promoter, movie producer, independent record label owner, merchandiser, music publisher, and CEO of a record company. The previous positions that he has held explain why he is the best person for the position he holds today. Live Nation is one of the largest entertainment and ecommerce company’s in the world. Live Nation is the complete package for any artist in the music business today. Live Nation consist of three entities: Live Nation Concerts, Frontline Management Group, and Live Nation Network, which are all needed for the success of any artist in todays music industry. Live Nation also has a contract with Hip Hops icon Jay-Z, this has created a great amount of leverage for Live Nation.

Irving Azoff has a strategy that many of todays record labels and artist managers should consider using. Irving Azoff has no limits with being the executive chairman of Live Nation. Mr. Azoff sets the standard for all artist managers and sets a great example to follow. Mr. Azoff started off promoting events in college, this just shows that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. The leaders of Live Nation have salaries that show the music industry is progressing to some degree even though technology has changed it drastically. Mr. Azoff has been a great addition to the music industry and will continue to make a positive impact. Many record labels in today’s market can learn a lot from the strategies of Live Nation.

Steve Moore Legacy Entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:05:00 +0000

Steve Moore Legacy Entertainment

Steve Moore is the CEO/President of Legacy Entertainment. Legacy Entertainment is an entertainment marketing company that specializes in product placement. Legacy Entertainment is located in Hollywood, CA and works with every big studio from Warner Brothers to Universal Studios. Legacy’s clients consist of Bentley cars and Juice and many more. Legacy Entertainment Guarantees their client’s placement opportunities in feature films, television series and celebrity events.

Interview with Steve Moore:

How long have u been working in the industry? “16 years created company from working with friend.”

What makes u want to continue to work in the industry? “ I enjoy it everyday is different, its new and fresh everyday.”

Are you more involved in music or film? “Pretty equal with celebrity events and business to business.”

Would you say NY or LA has more work in the Entertainment industry? “LA has all of the studio headquarters most NY offices have been shut down.”

What are some of your past projects? “200 feature film projects a year, 50 celebrity events, and television series.”

What are some of your current projects that you are working on? “Monster trophy safari television series and new celebrity events.”

When you are in a position to negotiate how do you deal with negative emotions and leverage and power?

- “I use a term called seal, felt, and found. When people begin to have negative emotions when I am in a position of negotiation, and the person begins to have mixed feelings I let them know of people that I work with that have felt like them and are happy today that they work with me.”

- “Many times when they have loaned up to millions of dollars to companies, there are package deals. This allows me to get new clients to want to sign with my company so they can guarantee that their products will be on television and in films.”

Watch the Throne Tour

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:27:00 +0000

Watch the Throne Tour hits Los Angeles California for a third show due to high request for those that missed the first and second show. The Watch the Throne Tour headline artist are Jay-Z and Kanye West. These two gentlemen released an album in the month of August that broke sales records on iTunes and charts across the world. The Tour began September 22, 2011 and will continue through out the month of December. The show has created a large amount of revenue with ticket prices costing $100-$1000 a ticket. This show has been well put together the fans have shown a lot of support and continue to travel across the country to watch Jay-Z and Kanye West Live in concert.

Over the weekend I spent time at the LA Live center in downtown Los Angeles and I met people that flew in from Oregon, Chicago, and Arizona just to see this concert. Everyone that I met and spoke with said they are very excited about the concert and Love both Jay-Z and Kanye West and feel that they are making history by attending this concert. I have yet to attend a Jay-Z concert but everyone that I speak to that has attended one says it is a priceless experience. I have to commend both artist and Live Nation for making the concert possible. It is an extremely good business move to make money for the artist.

The hype for this tour has made me personally want to attend a Jay-Z concert. If I am able to attend the Watch The Throne Concert tonight I am sure it will be a life changing experience for me. I love the Watch The Throne album and to see the songs performed live would be great. I love the energy that concert goers have and their vibes are great.

http://www.tweematic.com/watchthethrone/

World Star Hip Hop

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:29:00 +0000

World Star Hip Hop

World Star Hip Hop also known as WSHH has become the biggest site for up and coming artist to display their music and music videos. This site has become extremely popular in the urban community. It not only displays music it also displays videos similar to “Americas Funniest Home Videos”. I personally feel the website is great and has a large variety of content. The only flaw I can say the website has is that it is very unorganized. The content on the site is everywhere, the space on the page is not being utilized properly, the advertisements take up a lot of space, and there are no categories for people to search within the site.

I can defiantly say the creators of World Star Hip Hop did an amazing job marketing their site, bringing attention and creating buzz. Many of World Star Hip Hop’s viewers were YouTube users and now can find the videos catered to them on World Star Hip Hop. The site not only displays the music and music videos of up and coming artist but it also allows its users to see their favorite artist music videos first. World Star Hip Hop will have music videos up loaded before they even make a world premier on television.

World Star Hip Hop has become a new marketing tool for the music industry. If your video hasn’t made it to World Star Hip Hop you need to get it on their so people can become familiar and aware of your music. Once World Star Hip Hop improves its websites visual appearance and makes the site more interactive they will continue to do well. The site attracts all age groups and demographics. World Star Hip Hop was a great idea and I am sure the founders are very happy with their company.

www.WorldStarHipHop.com

www.YouTube.com

Speech "How to Live Before You Die"- Steve Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:59:00 +0000

“ How to Live before you die” Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, one of the most powerful men of technology to walk the universe. The speech he made at the Stanford Commencement ceremony allowed the attendees to learn a great amount of information about his life and his views and opinions on life. I was moved and touched by the three stories he discussed during his speech. I was touched by every story and was able to paint a picture of everything that he was talking about.

Jobs motivation to learn and continue to live and love what he does inspires me greatly. His story about his mother giving him up for adoption gave me an entirely different outlook on him. Steve Job’s group up with adoptive parents after his mother in the nicest way possible let it be known that she did not want to be a mother, or was not ready for mother hood at the time. Jobs did not let that stop him from being great and I admire this about him.

Jobs letting it be known that he is a college drop out and it was the best decision that he made allowed me to reflect on my days of undergrad and all of the time that I spent taking classes that I had absolutely no interest in. I love the fact that he spoke of the struggles he went through to get where he is today; sleeping on friends dorm room floors, recycling cans for money to eat, etc. His story is very similar to those that move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. It is not as glamorous as television makes it seem. The people in the industry work hard and put in a lot of hours. The special thing about people in the entertainment industry is the work doesn’t feel like work because they are doing the things that they love.

Jobs touched on how important work is to your life, and how important it is to love what you do. This part of the speech was very motivating, as I do not ever want to work in a field or industry that I hate. I completely agree with him on how important it is to do what you love and he is a prime example of the success that comes when you are doing something that you love.

http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:47:00 +0000

The Recording Industry Association of America plays a huge role in the careers of independent and signed artist. The RIAA is a reliable source for artist and music labels that need the protection of their intellectual property and First Amendment Rights. The RIAA also “ conduct consumer, industry and technical research, and monitor and review state and federal laws, policies and regulations (RIAA).” The RIAA is also responsible for the certification of Gold. Platinum, Multi-Platinum, and Diamond sales awards.

The technical standards that have been created by the RIAA are as follows; Watermark Payload Specification, Global Release Identifier (GRid), and Digital Data Exchange. Watermark Payload Specification is a payload format for data, which is included in a watermark added to music tracks. The Watermark Payload Specification is a great asset for any artist and music label.

The RIAA has a database that allows people to search if an artist has gone Gold or Platinum, etc. It also has many other important data information that is valuable to people in all areas of the music industry. RIAA has a Shipment Database, “It is designed to help music industry professionals, analysts, fans, reporters and students more effectively sort and display shipment data and better understand music purchasing trends. Use the controls below to click through the highlights of this new subscription-based resource (RIAA).” This database will continue to be used to compare statistics over the years that are related to music sales.

Individuals that are involved in the music industry will always be able to depend on the RIAA for reliable pieces of information. They even offer a music industry report, which provides information pertaining to “music industry sales, labels’ investment in artists and  the explosive growth of innovative digital models in the U.S. and abroad (RIAA).”

Independent and signed artist are both dealing with similar issues as the music industry is still developing its self with all of the technical changes with music becoming so digital. Conducting research on the RIAA will allow people from all areas of the music industry to prosper and do better. The RIAA is a great source with a lot of valuable information. They are defiantly an association that all artist and music labels should be affiliated with. The Recording Industry of America is very confident with the work and resources that they have, which should make anyone in the music industry confident with their resources also.

Resources

http://www.riaa.com/aboutus.php?content_selector=about-who-we-are-riaa

Prince of POP USA Debut Concert : B. Howard

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:20:00 +0000

Brandon Howard stage name B. Howard will be perform live in Henderson, NV at the Henderson Amphitheater, October 15, 2011 at 8:30pm. This amazing show will take place during the Nevada Wild Fest. B. Howard’s show is in collaboration with the Lili Claire Foundation, which is an organization that works with children affected by Autism and or Williamsons disease. Brandon Howard has seen the great work of this organization and is very happy to be taking part in fundraising for such a great cause. Tickets for this amazing event are just 20$, this includes admission into the Nevada Wild Fest. Tickets can be purchased at www.HendersonLive.com. This anticipated event has sold over 10 thousand tickets. The seats will be filled with all of B. Howard's fans.

B. Howard has had previous shows and concerts in Japan that completely sold out. This event in Vegas will be going down in history. There has been a very large media presence leading up to this historical event. B. Howard has made a name for himself in the music industry as an amazing Singer/Song Writer/Producer. He has worked with many artists such as Ne-Yo, Trey Songz, Bow Wow, Omarion, Lupe Fiasco (Producer of hit single “Kick Push”), and many others. B. Howard has been aroud music his entire life, his mother Miki Howard is a famous singer that was once managed by Joe Jackson. B. Howard grew up around the Legendary Jackson family and has been able to learn the music and entertainment industry well. The “Prince of Pop”, B. Howard’s USA Debut concert will be a fulfilled show. The USA will love this up and coming star. Days before his show he will be making appearance everyday leading to the show time. B. Howard loves all of his fans an appreciates them.

360 Deals in the Music Industry

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:24:00 +0000

A 360 deal is a relationship between the artist and the music industry company. The company promises to provide the artist with financial support: Direct advances, Marketing funds, Promotion and Touring. A percentage of all of the artist’s income; sales of recorded music, live performances, and any other income is given to the music company. This is the alternative business arrangement to the traditional recording agreement contract. Due to the recent changes in the profit margins in the music industry 360 deals are becoming more common due to the fact that artist depend on other resources of income besides recording music.

In todays Music industry 360 deals are becoming the norm. Part of this is because of the technology changes over the years, which have affected record sales. Lyor Cohen respected music exec touches on this in detail. He explains how the music industry is going through a transition right now due to the digital world that society has become. He references Lady Gaga’s success as an example of the music industry still striving; she was able to sell over a million copies of her latest record. Cohen as the head of Warner Music group has nothing but positive things to say about 360 deals. In the past 10 years Warner Music Group has lost over 10 billion dollars. Cohen is very confident and positive about the success of today’s common agreement between the artist and label 360 deals.

Most artists just need to do their own research and make sure they completely understand exactly what a 360 deal is and what the underlining terms are in the contract they are signing. This will defiantly have a positive result, when the communication is clear between the artist and the label. The artist must look at the 360 deal as an investment in their career and not them signing their “life” away.

KreayShawn Signed a deal with Columbia Records

noreply@blogger.com (LisaNwoye) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:17:00 +0000

Kreayshawn is a White female rapper from Oakland, CA who was able to create a following and fan base for herself without signing a record deal. She was able to use social media networking sites to build her fan base. She is 21 years old, but is able to appeal to the 16 -21 year old age group and the 25-30 age group Hip-Hop music listeners. She has a very crazy and unique style that has allowed her to stand out and out shine others that are similar to her. This young female artist takes pride in where she is from and continues to represent Oakland, CA. She has been able to create a huge buzz for herself, and even took part in the 29011 MTV VMAS.

Kreayshawn is a great example to independent artist that are working hard trying to make a name for them selves. Kreayshawn has created a buzz for herself larger then many artists that are signed to major record labels. Kreayshawn continues to be herself and has not changed who she is which is another reason her fans continue to support her. Her hit single “Gucci Gucci” is what put her on the map. The song describes all of the “basic” females in society that only care about wearing major name brand logos because everyone else does too. She also explains how unique she is and doesn’t really care about name brand items such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

Social media is the best way to go for any unsigned artist in today’s entertainment industry. There is a special technique that must be mastered also when using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc when reaching a target market/fan base. There are many artists out there that depend on social media sits and few are successful, and of those few Kreayshawn is one on them.

For more information check out the links below.

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/06/kreayshawn_gets_a_record_deal.html
http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/06/08/rapper-kreayshawn-inks-deal-with-sony-records/