DJ Whizlam'z Blog

Music Biz Truth (unscensored)

2012-03-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

#Preach!!!!!!!!!

New Graduate Jitters

2012-03-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

My last class is near completion and March 30, 2012 is coming closer than ever. I cannot believe that this year came so fast from when I started, and now the reality of life is creeping up on me again. As I have stated before, I am interested in Artist Management and Concert Booking, but I do not know if that is really where my heart lies. Like most new graduates, I am very concerned about what my next steps are going to be; because I feel like I want do as many things as possible in this industry.

I have not dee-jayed since April of 2011 and I have not really had much of an interest in doing so right now. I am worried that I have lost interest in the very thing that has brought me this far which has been music. I never wanted to really do anything with my life other than dj, but since college, I have begun thinking about trying to go further with my talents. In the 22 years of experience that I already have in music, I know that I have learned a lot about various facets of this industry.

I am now asking my professors and other professionals in the industry for advice, but I am worried that I have too many options right now. I feel like I am not sure where to start, which is more frustrating to me than anything else is. I am speaking with my career advisors for assistance with job leads and such, but is this maybe a sign to start my own business at this time? I understand that the job market is still not looking very great, but at the same time, I do not know how great a new business would work in 2012.

The most brilliant people have made successes of themselves by taking risks of course, and I am sure that there have been many trial and errors on their part. I just wonder about how to remain patient and to not worry myself to death about this stuff. I understand that nobody knows what their futures hold, but I really do not like not knowing what my next move is going to be. In any case, I am sure that I will be all right in whatever venture I go into. I guess right now I’m just having new grad jitters and I’m feeling overwhelmed all at the same time.

Full Sail University Personal Reflection

2012-03-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

This past year had been a very interesting one to say the least for me. I had been a student at Full Sail University since March 2011, and I cannot believe it is nearly over already. I remember when had first started this program, that I had thought the next year would take really take forever. For some that may not be aware, I had previously attended the University of Colorado for their Music Industry Studies program from 2001-2007.

I graduated with a Bachelors of Science at that time with a double major in Music Business and Audio Recording. In late 2010, I pondered whether I wanted to continue further with a Masters degree in Music or not, so I had chosen to take online classes through Full Sail. The Masters degree in Entertainment Business title had really peeked my interest, and I thought that this might be the program I had been searching for.

The first class that I had taken with this University was Media Literacy and Research Methodologies, which turned out to be an interesting course overall. At first, I did not think that I would like the class much, but once I got into the swing of things, it became more enjoyable. I do not remember much about the assignments in the class, but I remember how many various social media networks I had access to learn about.

I did not realize how much research went into social media from the standpoint of bloggers and others who help shape this online world. It really made me appreciate even more about how important technology is in today's society. I remember that a great importance was placed on proper APA formatting, which I had not dealt with in this much detail before. It ended up being a very beneficial class for me, because now I understand how critical proper citation really is.

The next course that I had to complete was called Executive Leadership. I really enjoyed this class, because it really had exposed what steps are necessary to be an executive leader in today's entertainment market. The amount of power and influence that a person has over others is nothing short of mind blowing. I can truly appreciate learning a lot about my own power and influence abilities from this class.

I am more aware of what I am capable of achieving as a future executive leader thanks to this course, and the assignments really helped a great deal. The most enjoyable part of this class was the case studies that we were required to complete. I really enjoyed the real world feel of the case studies, and it forced me to think critically and realistically.

Project and Team Management was the next class in the program, which was a challenge for me more than the previous classes to this point. This class was hard for me, because of some personal things I had going on in my life. It was difficult to complete certain assignments on time, but overall I had learned a great deal about working with a team. I think that time management is the lesson that I had learned more than any other, and I can now manage my time more effectively.

The final project that we were asked to complete was fun, because it exposed us to what is required to successfully complete a team project. The project was important for all of us, because we had to complete it in a specific amount of time. We also had to think about Risk Management issues, which could not be more important than in a team management environment. It is true that whatever can do wrong always does go wrong, and this class had helped to effectively prepare for anything.

Business Storytelling and Brand Development was fourth class required for completion in this program. This class had shown the importance of brand development and being able to sell the brand in a very effective manner. I had known previously of how much of a role that logos and such play with a business, but I did not realize how much detail is spent on the overall presentation of that brand.

With this class, I learned how to create my own logo, which was something I had not done for a class before this one. I did not know how much of a role that storytelling held in the business world to strengthen a business's success either. The real world assignments were very helpful in developing my own branding identity style as well.

One critical thing in the entertainment business is the fact that it is a BUSINESS. So many people lose money and do not know how to properly manage their finances. I am thankful that I had taken Entertainment Business Finance, because it challenged me to think realistically about my own business and the costs associated with it. I had thought about owning a business before, but I never went into detail about the costs of running one, or where to go for investment help for starting a business either.

There were challenges during this class and sometimes I did not think that I would have been able to get through them. I think that this class really brought home the importance of managing money to try to make a profit, and how most businesses fail after the first year of operation as well. I can definitely use some of the skills that I had learned in this class to seek funding for my own business ventures.

One of the best classes in the program by far was the Negotiation and Deal Making course. The most enjoyable part of this class was going through the role-playing assignments of making a deal. This was really fun to me, because other students and myself had to pretend to be famous actors, musicians etc, and try to come to a contractual agreement that all would be happy with. These classes made me think about the possibility of becoming an Artist Manager someday, because I had developed a good negotiation style for dealing with potential clients.

When Product and Artist Management was next to complete, I began to understand the link between all of the previous classes at this point. I was able to piece together how I could use what I had done in the negotiation class, and apply it to managing an artist or a product that I would market.

These classes had properly preparer me for Advanced Entertainment Law, which I would have taken again if I could have. This class was a blast to me, and there were things that still did not know about Entertainment legally. The current trademark issues and court rulings that are going on were interesting. I had written a research paper about musician Prince's symbol that made an excellent topic to write about. Another fun assignment was researching how to trademark something and the length of time that it takes to complete.

Many people think copyrighting or trademarking something is extremely simple, but there is so much more to protecting intellectual property than most understand. I believe that today's artists could learn a great deal from a course like this, because many would be able to steer their careers better financially.

Since the Internet is such an amazing tool to use, there are so many options available for media distribution. The Entertainment Media and Distribution class helped me to realize this fact. In this digital age, there are various ways for a person to distribute their material, and digitally is even more of a powerful tool for people to use. I had learned how important digital right management really is, as well as the legislation behind protecting your property.

One of the last classes to complete was Digital Marketing, and this class was a lot of fun as well as the others. This class had really made me aware of the proper marketing plans needed for a successful business campaign. I can appreciate this course, because a lot of thought has to be put into effectively marketing anything. I have seen some businesses that could have used a more effective campaign, and those businesses would still be around today.

A business needs to keep up with the technology of today's Internet connected world, and digital marketing can really be effective in achieving mass appeal. The proper use of social media can go a long way as well as traditional methods to market oneself. I plan to use what I have learned in this class to market different projects that I am involved in. I also think that a proper budget to market with helps a lot as well. To maintain a professional presence online could not be more important than it is now.

The final course that I am currently finishing up is the Business Plan. I realize now how important a strong business plan really is, and how so many businesses have failed because of a weak plan. I did not know that most of them fail from their sales numbers being out of control, and that they really are not realistic figures to begin with. I want to make sure that my business plan is as strong as possible, because I want to succeed with fulfilling my entertainment dreams.

I enjoy trying to figure out how to make a business turn a profit by the end of its second year, because that is when most businesses close up if they have not made any money. The potential investor is the most importance person that you will have in your professional life. This person is the gatekeeper of your business future, and you have to successfully convince him/her that their investment into your idea will not be a waste of time.

I have learned a great deal in such a short period, and I am truly thankful for Full Sail and all of the professors that have helped me. They really know their stuff and I plan to keep in touch with all of them, because they will be a continued source of knowledge and support for my business.

Artist Management Career

2012-02-29T13:36:00.002-08:00

I have been involved with music my entire life, and have dabbled in various facets of the entertainment industry. The most precious part of this journey had been as a disc jockey since I was around 15 years of age. I want to go further into the industry beyond just as a dj, so I have been seriously contemplating starting my own artist management company.

The main reason for this decision is that no one else will represent me, or at least take me as seriously as I have thought this out. Since I have a Bachelor’s degree in Music Business/Audio Technology, I am about to complete my Masters degree in Entertainment Business as well. Both of these degrees along with my industry experience should help a lot in building relationships with others in the industry.

I realize that there are many legs to this monstrous spider called the Music Industry, but it is somewhat intimidating to figure out exactly where I should start. I have some interests in Tour Management, Artist Booking, and Concert Promotion. The live entertainment business is bigger than it probably has ever been, and there is nothing more exciting than a great concert. As a dj, I have been somewhat involved in all of these divisions of the industry, so the choices definitely are widespread to say the least.

I’m hopeful that I will be able to keep in touch with other students at Full Sail University once I graduate next month, and even possibly create an artist management business with a few of them. I am now looking at companies that I may be able to intern with, and try to put myself in a good position for solidifying my entertainment career. For all of my visitors that come to my blog, I would appreciate any suggestions that you may have for this topic.

Expert Views On The Value Of Business Plans II

2012-02-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

Continuing from my last post about this topic, I have had some time to ponder this information thoroughly. I have a better idea now on how I would be able to incorporate the value of a business plan into my own company. With the first key element mentioned previously, I already have a proper business name for my company in place. I am not going to mention its name yet, because I have not copy written or trademarked it yet.

It is extremely important to have the right name matching the right business, because it will not confuse anybody who comes across it, and furthermore it lets you know exactly what the business is about. I believe that my business name does let you know what it is about easily. The second thing that I plan to implement is a logo that is simple and straight to the point. There are a few ideas that I have in my mind for my logo, but I am trying to narrow those choices down.

The next important step for my business is, to create a slogan that will resonate with my potential consumers and pull them in. The slogan is being developed at the same time of my logo, so I am trying to get those things narrowed down to my best choices also. There are four sections of my business plan that I feel are the most important which are; 1) Target Customers, 2) Market Readiness, 3) Competition, and 4) Barriers to Entry.

These sections are the most important to investors, because it is getting to the point of whom your business will be going after and why. The market being ready for my company is important as well, because the figures that I have found tells me that there’s a market for my product. The competition section lets the investor know that I have thoroughly researched who my company is up against, and what barriers new companies may face in this market.

Expert Views On The Value Of Business Plans

2012-02-05T20:15:00.000-08:00

I had just read the stories about restaurant gurus Bobby Flay and Steve Ells, and I must say it is truly inspirational to know how these men have succeeded in their field. I have known about Bobby Flay for a few years now and he really seems to know his stuff. Steve Ells on the other hand I did not know about, because I was not aware that he founded the Chipotle restaurant. It is amazing that Steve Ells started his business with an $85,000 loan from his father, and was able to get Chipotle off the ground.

According to Bobby Flay’s personal website (www.bobbyflay.com), he’s been in the culinary field since he was 17 years old which is astonishing to say the least. I can appreciate the fact that he owns more than one successful restaurant, and has been on three successful television shows as well. It seems that each project that he has been a part of is more successful than the previous one.

According to Forbes Magazine’s website (http://people.forbes.com/profile/steve-ells/19160), he is a graduate from my alma mater the University of Colorado. He got his start at Stars Restaurant in San Francisco and had worked for two years there. He realized early on that food should not be of a low quality or be ridiculously expensive. This is the backdrop to how Chipotle was born (Forbes, 2012).

It was amazing to learn that Chipotle has grown from a single restaurant to well over 1,000 restaurants in 17 years. All of this from a single vision of believing that good food should be affordable and tasty. Bobby Flay has really developed a true sense of what southwestern food is all about, and you can tell that he knows what it takes to create it from scratch. There were some very interesting key points of what investors look for in a business.

The first key element in a successful business plan is the name of the company. If a name does not match the company, then consumers will be confused about the business and probably will not be customers of that business for long.
I had not really thought about it before, but if a name is offensive then it will turn off certain demographics of potential customers.

Picking a proper name to represent the owner and the business is very important. The next key element that I found was important was the logo that a company chooses to represent itself. The name should be easy to read and without it being all jumbled up together. I have seen some places where I could not read the name of the business no matter how hard I had tried.

I agree that a logo should be simple and straight forward, and it should be easy to pronounce as well. The slogan that the company goes by should really hit home with what the business is all about too. The concept of the slogan is equally as important as the other key elements in a successful business plan.

The slogan needs to catch the consumer’s attention and be easy to remember too. Investors want to know where their money is going, and more importantly how much of a payback that they will receive in return. I can understand now how an ROI ( Return On Investment ) can be so important to an investor without a doubt. All of these elements are key in a business’s success, because being marketable is what truly captures a consumer’s attention.

Without a good marketing plan, the business is doomed from the outset. The company must have a strong team-oriented environment and possessing good leadership skills are critical. The owner of the business must show investors that he/she is willing to take risks and to bounce back from any failure. It is important for the owner to prove to himself or herself and to the investors that they are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.

Sources:
http://www.bobbyflay.com/bobby-flay.php
http://people.forbes.com/profile/steve-ells/19160
http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/chipotle_story/steves_story/steves_story.aspx

War On Entertainment

2012-01-19T12:48:00.000-08:00

In a recent tidal wave of political fighting, the new flavor of the day has been aimed against the entertainment industry by greedy lawmakers. There has been a great deal of talk recently about how to fight against online piracy and illegally downloading music and movies. File sharing is nothing new, and I find it hilarious that these lawmakers are making it seem like it is.

I think many people must have forgotten that file sharing started much earlier than in the 1990s, and bands that had created a following as a result of it like Metallica must have suffered amnesia as a result. The original file sharing has been going on since the days of Jimi Hendrix and Woodstock, when people would record the shows on cassette tape and share it with other music lovers. Companies like Sony, Maxell, and others made probably billions of dollars from the sales of blank VHS, CD, and DVD discs.

None of these items were sold with the intention of a music or movie fan just sitting at home enjoying it in solitude. Music and movies were meant to be shared with the public and it is absurd that the government now wants to crack down on online piracy. All of us have downloaded or obtained music and movies legally or illegally at one time, or another. Where do people think mix tapes originated?

I had read an article on the website Mashable (www.mashable.com), where the topic of course spoke about this very thing dealing with online piracy. The interesting thing about the article was that it mentioned that countries like China have been illegally downloading music and movies for decades. I am sure that everything that has happened in the United States has already blown over in other parts of the world.

According to Christina Warren, first run movies hit the streets of China before they are ever seen in the local theaters (Warren, 2012). This has been going on since the beginning of the Entertainment industry. The real pirates that are downloading and selling intellectual property illegally are going to continue doing so regardless of what our country feels about it. Most of the people that are complaining about this stuff has already made their millions of dollars, so there really isn’t any harm being done to them.

The real harm is to the consumer who suffers from non-accessibility to their favorite band or actor. The result has always been the same whether the material was received legally or not. The consumer has always been the backbone of this industry and we all need to remember that. There has not been one musician or actor that has had success in entertainment without some illegal file sharing of some sort as an added help.

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/01/18/sopa-and-pipa-wont-stop-piracy/

My Idol DJ Jazzy Jeff Clowning On Turntables

2012-01-08T13:16:00.001-08:00

Vinyl vs. Serato Scratch Live Debate

2012-01-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

There has been a long standing battle in the hip hop dj world between what’s been considered “real djing” versus “digital djing”, and there are djs who stand on both sides of the fence on this decade long issue. Vinyl records have been equally as important as the turntable itself in the hip-hop world. Ever since the inception of the Technic 1200 turntable in the late 1970s, hip-hop djs have used only vinyl for their amazing party rocking events for years.

That all changed around 2004, when a New Zealand company called Rane introduced a digital dj software program called Serato Scratch Live Serato Scratch Live. Serato had already been around since the late 1990s, but the Scratch Live element brought a completely new twist on how djs manipulated sound with vinyl records. I remember first hearing about this program around 2006 when I was an undergrad at the University of Colorado-Denver.

A fellow dj classmate of mine told me about a program that uses mp3 files in the same way vinyl has been used. I came from the vinyl area and this sounded too good to be true, because of how new and innovative that this idea was at that time. I remember my friend taking me to his house so I could see this “Serato” for myself, because I was just too skeptical about djing with mp3s on turntables. In a dj’s mind, playing with anything besides vinyl was absolute blasphemy in the highest form, and I was determined to never let digital take over my dj talents.

Once I had overcome my prejudice about this program, I eventually bought my own and began experimenting with it at home. This was a phenomenal experience for me, because I had been used to vinyl records all of my life. I had only dealt with mp3s for a few years before this on my home computer. I also had been used to carrying 6-8 milk crates full of records up and down stairs, hallways etc. for 10-15 years anyway.

To make a long story short, this program actually made djing fun again for many people, and it made travelling with your equipment much easier to haul around. Now all you need in order to dj a gig is to have your turntables, mixer, laptop, and Serato itself.

There are still some djs who refuse to use it, and even some that feel you have to earn it through using vinyl records first. I have included a video by a famed hip hop producer named DJ Premier who started off with vinyl, but has since began using Serato Scratch Live as well. I agree 100% with the comments that he had made in the video and I hope that others will understand vinyl’s importance in hip-hop.

DJ Premier Breaks Down Serato vs Vinyl

At some point, audio and digital would have had to meet in the music world, but I think overall that this program was a blessing to djs worldwide. At the same time, there has been some backlash from purists (myself included), who felt that “new school djs” needed to know the history of djing before using Serato. There is unfortunately a misconception about djs now, and that all you need to dj is a laptop and headphones.

Serato has been both a blessing and a curse at the same time, but regardless of others views on its worth, I am happy to now be a digital dj more than ever.

Sources: http://serato.com/about

http://hiphopwired.com/2011/10/20/dj-premier-breaks-down-vinyl-vs-serato-video/

Online Music Distribution Problems For Start Up Companies

2011-12-10T20:55:00.001-08:00

There was a very interesting article about digital distribution that I had read by way of www.cnet.com. The article spoke about potential problems that some starts up companies have faced in trying to distribute music online, and there were some good suggestions on how to improve it. According to Matt Rosoff, a service called Speak Heart allows artists to sell songs through the service’s digital store, and the artist has complete pricing discretion.

This pricing discretion is good on one hand, but on the other hand, the service keeps 25 cents per song sold by the artist. Another problem with a start up service like this one is that most mainstream artists already have their own distribution; so many unknown artists will continue to live in obscurity without any recognition (Rosoff, 2008). Most of these unknown artists are not able to build a fan base online, because their not being given the exposure that they need to break in.

A good suggestion that Rosoff mentioned about was to possibly have a mainstream artist featured on the site to help bring traffic. I believe this is probably what CDBaby and some other services have possibly done to breakthrough with unknown artists. Another service called eMusic had an advantage over Speak Heart, because it has been around for over 10 years already. Speak Heart was really knew, so the uphill battle for recognition was probably pretty steep.

The author mentioned some good advice for beginner artists that are trying to build their fan base. He said “ if you’re a beginning artist, I still think the best recipe for success is to give full downloadable samples away on your home page or MySpace, then sell your music through a service like CDBaby or Tune Core” (Rosoff, 2008). I am not sure how many artists have really taken heed to this kind of advice, but I believe it would help a lot of unknown artists become mainstream much easier.

Source:www.news.cnet.com/8301-13526-_3-9887085-27.html

Some Current Music Publishing Issues

2011-12-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

I had read an article online on www.americansongwriter.com, about some recent changes in the music industry regarding music publishing, and the direction that the music industry is heading in. According to Tune Core founder Jeff Price, he states, “ in the new music economy, a songwriter will have the most power” (Inman, 2011). This is due to the drastic change that major record companies and its artists are facing and how both will survive in the new digital age.

He also believes that songwriter revenue will increase and that the revenue of major record labels will drop from this change. The article also mentions that major record labels will begin to look more like artist management companies, and will offer more 360 deals to milk as much money from their artists as possible (Inman, 2011). The major labels sound like they are seriously in decline, and that the power of the business will fall into the hands of the artists themselves.

According to the website, if record companies continue to decline, then more artists and their managers will seek distribution and marketing deals directly, which will really put the majors in dire straits. An interesting point made in the article, spoke about how artists can collect their own royalties without having to be affiliated with a Performance Rights Organization.

That is where Tune Core and few others come inn, because this service allows artists a way to cut out the middleman when collecting royalties. Tune Core gives artists a chance to make more money from song sales and Internet streams, and works for self-published and non-published writers as well. Of course, the industry is not pleased with the waves that are rippling throughout the music business, but I am happy to see the power is going back to the rightful hands of the independent musician.

Source: http://www.americansongwriter.com/2011/12/a-new-frontier-in-music-publishing/

Industry Expert Blog

2011-11-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

I recently read three very interesting cases in the entertainment industry regarding some legalities going on with music and film. These topics were discussed on a podcast called Entertainment Law Update and the host’s name was Gordon Firemark, Esq. The first topic that I really found interesting, was about the recent ruling on a case involving Star Wars creator George Lucas, and the prop designer of the Storm Trooper character that he hired for the movie.

This was mind blowing to say the least, because George Lucas commissioned the designer Andrew Ainsworth to use Lucas’s drawings to create the mold for the actual character that was used in the movie. After the success of the movie’s release in 1977, Ainsworth setup a website to sell the costumes of the Storm Trooper from the original film and Lucas did not appreciate that.

George Lucas filed a lawsuit against Andrew Ainsworth and the case went all the way to the British Supreme Court. To make a long story short, the court ruled in Ainsworth’s favor, saying that he could sell the costumes on his website and there wasn’t anything that George Lucas could do about it. The judge ruled that the costumes are functional works and not artistic works, which allowed Ainsworth to dodge the copyright infringement bullet (BBC, 2011).

The Court of Appeals and the High Court had previously ruled in Ainsworth’s favor, but Lucas felt that infringement did occur in the United States. Andrew Ainsworth does not own any assets in the Unites States, but resides in the United Kingdom and Lucas could not win in the United Kingdom (BBC, 2011). If this issue had began in the United States, then Lucas might have had won this case. It really blew me away that George Lucas lost this case, because he is the creator of the Star Wars brand.

I was shocked about this case, because I thought that George Lucas had more protection over his franchise than this. I am not sure why he did not have the sculpture trademarked somehow, so the prop designer would still have to get his permission for use.

The second case that I found that was interesting to me was about the Hangover 2 film and the lawsuit against Warner Brothers by a tattoo artist seeking damages. One of the characters in the movie had a tattoo on his face that was exactly like the one that former boxer Mike Tyson made famous.

The tattoo artist by the name of Victor Witmill had designed a tattoo for Tyson and the tattoo was featured in the film. The article mentions that Warner Brothers copied the tattoo without asking Witmill’s permission, and ended up placing the tattoo on another actor’s face (Belloni, 2011).

I remember hearing about this case and I wondered what was going to happen at the end of it. Victor Witmill wanted to stop the film from being released, but the film still came out anyway in spite of the lawsuit. Warner Brothers ended up changing the cover of the DVD release of the movie, probably as part of the settlement.

The last podcast that I found was about Justin Beiber and a fan that invaded his privacy recently. The case involved a fan that somehow found Justin Beiber’s personal cell phone number and began texting the pop star repeatedly. Beiber ended up posting the fan’s phone number on his personal Twitter account, and the fan received 26,000 messages (Firemark, 2010).

It turned out that Bieber had four and a half million followers on Twitter, and the fan had to change his phone number (Firemark, 2010). It just goes to show that you should not invade another person’s privacy. This kind of thing could be a real headache to fight in the end. The podcast also mentioned that this case could possibly become a small claims issue, but did not say definitely that it will for sure.

I believe that some fans can really take things too far at times and this is one of those situations. Just because someone loves their fans, it does not necessarily mean that they want their privacy compromised. I am sure that I would feel the same way about having a fan that did something like this.

Some Recent Lawsuits In Music

2011-10-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

I have read three articles recently that were of a very interesting nature regarding legal issues in the entertainment industry. The first article I came across, dealt with a Russian social network site that has been providing unlicensed music to consumers online. The company is called VKontakte and is in big trouble with the Recording Industry Association of America, because of the unlicensed music that this service is providing.

The RIAA recently filed with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office on October 26, 2011, and mentions about how the social website is “undermining the growth of the international music marketplace” (Recording Industry Association of America, 2011). This type of thing upsets me, because I am sure that the industry is well aware of sites like this one that sells unlicensed music. It makes me think back to the Napster area and how much of a big deal it was at the time. It is a very interesting article that music biz insiders should check out.

The second article that I found spoke about a lawsuit between pop group The Black Eyed Peas and an unknown artist named Phoenix Phenom. The lawsuit was over the popular BEP song “Boom, Boom, Pow”, and Phoenix Phenom claimed that the idea came from her. The court determined that the songs were similar, but not similar enough to warrant infringement to Phoenix Phenom (Wolfe, 2011).

This article is a typical situation of unknown artists trying to get their 15 minutes of fame, and by suing a famous group supposedly would bring that fame. It is sad that some people have to resort to these kinds of tactics in order to make it big in music. There is always going to be some similarities between songs, but to sue somebody over it would take some serious proof on the plaintiff’s part.

The last article I came across dealt with Prince being sued by a New York perfume company. The lawsuit is because of the “Purple Rain” perfume that was named after Prince’s famous album, and Prince was accused of not holding up his end of the deal (Associated Press, 2011).

Prince was supposed to help promote the perfume, but never did which is what brought the lawsuit into play. As busy of a musician that I am sure that Prince still is, there is not reason that he could not have received some screen time for the promotion. He has not been in the public eye much lately, and I think that the promotion could have helped both parties a great deal.

Steve Jobs: iSad (1955-2011)

2011-10-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

I read an article on the LA Times’s website about the recent passing of Apple, Inc. CEO Steve Jobs, and how much he revolutionized the world itself. According to Randy Lewis, Steve Jobs rescued the music industry from the near death state that it was in, and had given music lovers new freedom in finding music (Lewis, 2011). Since the record industry was already on life support, because of online music piracy and file sharing of free music, Steve Jobs was in many ways the savior that the industry desperately needed.

According to Robert Santelli, Executive Director of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, said that Steve Jobs’ inventions of the iPod, iPad etc., have been just as important as the significance of the Sony Walkman and the Cassette (Lewis, 2011). I could not agree more, because Steve Jobs really made it fun to listen to and buy music again. There was a time when specific artists released an album, and I would really get excited when I could get it in different formats.

To be able to have music in multiple formats makes things so much easier to transfer from one form to another. Steve Jobs literally changed the way that we buy music and store it. Another interesting piece about the article that stood out, was about the impact of iTunes on the sales of single songs. In the first year of iTunes’s existence in 2003, digital downloads added up to 30 million. In the span of two years sales had skyrocketed to 1.2 billion song downloads, which is just insane to say the least in numbers alone.

I agree with many others that believe Steve Jobs was a true visionary who has single handedly transformed our world, and has created a fun music buying world again for all to enjoy (Lewis, 2011). I am sure that his passing with affect the world for many years to come, and I truly hope that his successor is just as passionate about humanity as his predecessor was.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-jobs-music-20111007,0,653159.story

New Major Artist Management Deal

2011-09-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

I read an article on Rolling Stone Magazine’s website about the new artistic venture between Universal Music Group and Live Nation Entertainment. This new venture will house Universal’s four management firms under a new company called Front Line Management Group through Live Nation Entertainment.

This deal sounds like a major thing for both of these companies, because the industry in itself is desperately trying to stay afloat in such changing times. The same way that the major record labels all joined under the same umbrella, it seems like the major live entertainment giant and Universal Music is trying to stay alive in the same vein.

According to the author Matthew Perpetua, this join venture is likely to give clients an incredible degree of leverage in the market between Live Nation and Universal (Perpetua, 2011). The goal of this venture is to provide more options to the music buying consumer, which is the person who’s the most important factor in this type of deal. Live Nation will have control of this company, as well as being co-owner of Front Line Management Group.

Also according to a statement by Lucian Grainge, who is the CEO of Universal Music, "We are creating a series of new platforms and global direct-to-consumer initiatives that will further expand the presence of our artists in the evolving marketplace while providing music fans with even more flexibility in how they consume music" (Perpetua, 2011). This deal will hopefully put things back on track with the artist and the consumer, otherwise the industry will just continue to spiral downward.

The figures for this deal would probably be one for the ages, but I’m sure that both companies will become the industry leaders in a new management journey. I just hope that the artist and music buyer doesn’t ultimately suffer from this merger, since both companies were already powerhouses separately before this new deal was presented.

Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/universal-forms-artist-management-company-with-live-nation-20110920

Time 2 Move On

2011-08-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

My mind races in ridiculous speeds and I have a hard time slowing my thoughts down. After actively pursuing my dream of being in the entertainment business, I feel that I have hit a crossroad in my life where I’m questioning my purpose. I have been a dj professionally for 20 years, and in that time there had been many ups and down for me. I’m at the point in my life now that I feel that this dream has run its course, and as painful as this is to say I think it’s time to move on from music.

All of my life there hasn’t been anything more important to me than entertainment. When I first started out, I entertained strictly for the love of the artform itself and never was motivated just for money. The passion that I once had came from within and that really felt good, but the good feelings are no longer alive anymore. This has been the scariest thing that I have ever faced in my life, and I don’t honestly know what to do anymore.

I thought even by going back to school to pursue a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Music / Entertainment would have sufficed. Unfortunately, getting the bachelor’s degree just turned out to be a personal accomplishment, but no progression had come from obtaining it career wise. I still may be involved in the entertainment industry at some capacity, but honestly I really don’t see many options coming my way at this point. Just about everything that a person could do to advance themselves I had tried over and over again.

Once I receive my master’s degree I might just chalk that up as another personal goal, but probably won’t do anything with it either. I think that the time for retirement from this music entertainment maze has come full circle, and I appreciate all of the time I’ve given to djing. Maybe I didn’t push myself hard enough to go further with my gift, but it was definitely fun while it lasted.

Musical Life Support

2011-08-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

I recently had watched a disturbing video on Fox News's website about the current state of the entertainment industry. The video mentioned about how some financial institutions are looking to purchase some music publishing companies as an investment. This video set off an alarm within me, because I felt like there is no way that banks should ever be tampering with artistic creativity. These banks are not concerned about the artist's music at all, and it's only being looked at as a way to make even more money than they already are making.

An artist should never give up their publishing rights to anyone, especially a bank that more than likely does not care anything about you or your work. I watched this video as a part of a class assignment and some other students thought the bank's involvement would be a good thing. I do not see how anybody would think this is good for the music industry at all; because the artist would lose everything he or she has built. If this is the future of the recording industry, then those of us that have given our lives to it are in serious trouble.

The only time it would make sense to sell your publishing rights, would be if the artist is deceased and that artist's family could survive off the value of that music. Otherwise, it should not ever be messed with, and I feel sorry for the artists that are living that have had to sell themselves. At the end of the day, the music is all that the artist has. It is about the music and not throwing a dream around like a worn out shirt. This is what these banks and other greedy vultures in the industry are doing and I am not impressed at all about it.

According to The Music Business Handbook And Career Guide, a publisher's main source of income comes from record royalties and performance royalties from publishing rights organizations such as BMI and ASCAP. Performance royalties are generated from performing on television, radio and other media outlets (Baskerville, 2001). If an artist owns their publishing rights, then they will generate the majority of the money that's owed to them anyway. This is exactly why an artist should not sell their rights, because it's their music and they should get the money that they deserve to have. The banks won't provide this money to the artist, and there have been hundreds of doo-wop groups from the 1950s and 1960s that still haven't been properly paid to this day.

Another example of why artists should never give up their rights happened to Elvis Presley among others. According to a book called They Fought The Law, which was written by one of my professors at CU-Denver named Stan Soocher, he wrote about an incident with Elvis and his manager about this very important issue. Elvis's manager Colonel Parker sold Elvis's royalty rights to RCA Records for $5.4 million. Colonel Parker received the majority of the money and Elvis received hardly anything (Soocher, 1999). Elvis had trusted his manager so much at the time, that as long as he was performing and making movies he wasn't really worried. His manager really ripped him off like most managers ended up doing the same thing to their artists. Alot of artists to this day still aren't business minded, and countless stories about this type of situation is still happening.

The majority of the money that Elvis made from his movies and music went to his manager. His manager really had no concern for his client's well being and just wanted to get over. This to me is the same situation that the banks will do with the publishing rights of some of these same artists. Artists should know everything that goes on in their careers, but most don't care about the legal part of the business. Elvis barely had sought out legal representation during his career and it most definitely had shown in later years. He trusted the wrong people with his career, and in the long run he wasn't as powerful as people had thought. I sincerely hope that more artists in the future will become more business minded, and to stop outsiders from recouping the money that the artist should have instead.

Sources Citied:

Phd, Baskerville. D (2001). Music Business Handbook And Career Guide. 7th Edition. Sage Publications, Inc: Thousand Oaks, California

Soocher, S. (1999). They Fought The Law. Schirmer Books: New York, NY

RIAA Loves iCloud

2011-07-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

The online music service craze has recently hit its peak with a major deal signed between the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and the remaining four major record labels. iCloud, which is Apple, Inc's newest online music storage service on the market, will launch its service this fall. The music industry has been trying to figure out for a long time how to remain relevant in the digital age, and very well may have found their answer with iCloud. The RIAA is a trade organization that supports and promote intellectual property of major record companies.

The RIAA believes that this deal will allow music fans to enjoy buying music legally, and will also make sure that the RIAA keeps the reigns tight on artistic creation. The "big four" labels will get 70% of iCloud revenues, which may help the industry get out of the sales slump that they've been drowned in. This move influences my industry, because of how music content will be distributed online to battle the illegal download problem that's plagued entertainment for years. The basic point of this deal was to make sure that intellectual property is being respected, which had taken a serious hit through file-sharing services like Limewire and Bearshare.

This very well may be the new method of how online music will be distributed, and will allow music to be shared on multiple devices for each consumer. This will be an interesting thing to see how the industry itself will survive with this new "big brother" deal. I'm not sure how I feel about the RIAA's plans with this, but I do know that at the end of the day it's a business. I understand the industry's trying to make money back from previous losses, but I'm skeptical about how much the RIAA really cares about the fan or the artists involved. As long as control is the name of the game, it's pretty obvious that money is the only truly important factor in this new deal. iCloud really sounds like a cool service from what it can do, but illegal music sharing will always exist.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing that the RIAA can do to silence file sharing totally, because if they could then it would have happened many years ago. The fans will always share music with each other and the industry has always known this fact. Disc Jockeys at one time were the darlings of the music industry, because it was through us that music was really being heard anyway. With the digital age in full bloom, nearly anybody can be a dj these days. The technology has been a blessing and a curse for my portion of the industry, but talent will always prevail over button pushing every time. The real djs will always stand out from the folks who just push buttons on laptops.

Love What You Do

2011-07-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

I watched a video on Apple computer's CEO Steve Jobs on the meaning of life. I found the speech very inspiring, because instead of a typical speech to some college graduates of Stanford University, he told 3 stories about his life. The first story spoke about how Apple came into existence, which was totally an accident. He was in college taking required classes that weren't of any interest to him, so he ended up dropping out of school from frustration. Once he dropped out, he went back to the same school to take a Calligraphy class and became inspired behind the beautiful look of the words.

This one class inspired him to design the first personal computer simply because of his love of fonts. That's something I really didn't know about Steve Jobs, and it is amazing that this one class basically revolutionized the computer itself. The main part of the speech that was the most inspiring to me, was about how he was fired from Apple, Inc. This was the company he started, but once it became really big, a new person came in as Apple's main CEO. The new guy and Steve didn't see eye to eye on where the company was going, so Steve unfortunately was let go.

Most people would have given up after creating a successful company like Apple, but Steve went on and created Pixar, which has now become the most successful live animation company in the world. Pixar's success behind the Toy Story franchise had brought Steve back to his old company, and he has been the face of Apple ever since. Apple began with two people and is now worth over $2 billion dollars, which to me is simply amazing to say the least. He kept mentioning in the speech about loving what you do, and he had never lost sight of that goal.

He sincerely believed that if he hadn't been fired from Apple, Pixar and other companies would have never seen the light of day. He truly won, because he could have just stayed with Pixar, but to have your new company and the old one linked together is the ultimate success story. Even with all of this success with both companies, he also had a serious medical scare with cancer, but that scare never derailed his love from what he has done with his life. This man is a true inspiration, because he did not become so depressed to give up altogether, but instead just used those setbacks as fuel to keep pushing forward.

I feel that I could learn alot of somebody like Steve Jobs, and just continue to push myself until I succeed like he did. It didn't matter how long it was going to take for Apple to blow up, but he stuck with it throughout his personal issues regardless. His belief is simple; Live each day as if it is your last, because one day it surely will be your last. You should love what you do no matter who doesn't love it the same. I love knowing that there are other people in the world who want to entertain, and really can't see themselves doing anything else but that. Steve Jobs knew from the beginning that this was what he was put on Earth to do, and he continued to do it even through his illness with cancer.

After watching this video, it really made me realize that nothing matters more than to have a love for what you do, and to achieve it at all costs is paramount to it coming true. He advised the students to keep pushing for their dreams no matter what, and that one day those dreams will come true. I just hope for my own success story, it will be just as inspirational as the Apple story was for me. I truly believe that nobody should ever do anything that they don't have a passion for. It just doesn't make sense, and it's really a robbery of the heart and soul to do anything else.

I'm all for inspiration and I need as much as possible right now. My life is in serious transition, and I also have a major life decision to make in regards to moving to Las Vegas. Most people just go there for the adult entertainment part of the city, but for me it's so much bigger than that. There seems to be alot of opportunities in Las Vegas for djs in all different types of genres, and there's already been an event promotions company that's willing to work with me. I could not only do what I love, but to also get paid for doing what I love. There's nothing better than that to me, and I will do whatever I have to do in order to make my dreams come true.

Reigniting My Passion

2011-06-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

Picture Source (http://inspirationbeach.com/j0433055.jpg )

I read an article online about 5 tips to help reignite your passion, and I felt that there was some very valid points in it. The article was written by Leslie Spencer Pyle from the Entrepreneur website http://www.entrepreneur.com/homebasedbiz/homebasedbizcolumnistlesleyspencerpyle/article204336.html , which spoke about how it's normal for people to feel "burned out" and wanting a change from the norm. This is what I'm currently going through with music, because of how I've grown so tired of the same old routine being a native of a non-musical city (Denver,CO).

One tip mentioned in the article was about becoming an industry insider, which is kind of what I am trying to become while pursuing my masters degree through Full Sail University. There is a music conference called the Independent Music Summit coming up in Cathedral City,CA http://www.goims.org/about.html in September of this year, and I really hope I'll be able to attend it and network with the right people finally. I've really grown tired of the fact that, there are not any conferences of this type that come to Colorado ever, and it's become a real pain to deal with at this point.

I truly realize now that a relocation move is obvious, so that I would be able to attend these kinds of events on a regular basis. I need to be in a musical city more now than ever, and it looks like it will either be Los Angeles or Las Vegas this summer. I'm sure there have been many people like myself who have taken the risk and moved elsewhere to pursue their dreams. In the meantime, I am trying to network more than ever through the various social media outlets that I follow. Reigniting my passion for music has never been more important to me, because it's truly all I know and all I want to pursue in my life.

I also realize how much of a gamble it is to leave one place and move to another, but staying in Colorado has not worked out for me with my career choice of djing professionally. Some of my dj associates have been able to make things work here, but I feel that I've grown too big for my hometown at this point. I found another article on the same subject through a website called Helium ( http://www.helium.com/items/2164697-reignite-your-passion-for-your-career-motivation-for-career-how-to-become-more-motivated-at-work ).

In spite of how much of a challenge it will be to stand out from my competition , there comes a time in a person's life where that risk has to be taken. I have given too many years of my life to this artform to give in to my frustration. At this stage of my life, I need to do whatever it will take in order for my dreams to become a reality. All I have ever wanted to do with my life has been to entertain the world behind turntables, and I want to do it before I'm too old and worn out to even try.

Vinyl Resurrection

2011-06-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

I read an article on a website called Digital Music News, which mentioned about a recent upsurge in vinyl sales in 2011. The National Association of Recording Merchandisers had a presentation in Los Angeles, CA a week ago, and discussed a 25% rise in vinyl sales for this year, which for many djs will ring sounds of joy. I've been one of the few djs that began using digital dj software in the last 7 years, but before then I absolutely refused to use anything but vinyl.

Many people over the years had predicted that vinyl would be phased out altogether, but because of the Hip-Hop artform it never really went anywhere. in the mid to late 1990s, I would say that it went more underground, and you had to go to specific stores to buy vinyl music.
I'm very pleased that many djs have kept the vinyl movement alive, and that will allow people the experience to feel vinyl again instead of cds or mp3s only.

The only reason I moved from vinyl to digital programs like Serato Scratch Live, was because it allowed me access to much more music in the mp3 format than vinyl, but it also kept the vinyl feel of using records with an encoded digital signal. I no longer had to haul 7-8 milk crates full of music everywhere I dee-jayed at, and could now spin just as much music through my laptop and turntables. The wear and tear on my body physically is no longer an issue, and I can just worry about 2 turntables, a mixer and my laptop.

I will never abandon vinyl though, because that's the origin of the Hip-Hop DJ. I still have vinyl that I used to haul around to my gigs, and more than likely I'll keep them for as long as they'll play. The beauty of being a dj from the original vinyl era, is that you can really see how important it is to keep the "warm sound" of vinyl around, because mp3s will never have the "thick sound" that vinyl possesses.

Source of Reference: Digital Music News. ( May 17, 2011). Vinyl Projected to Grow More Than 25 % in 2011. Retrived from http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/051711vinyl#CIgdcAZL2XSQItGrN9AkmA

California Dreamin

2011-05-31T23:37:00.000-07:00

I've have had Cali calling me for years, and I really think this summer I'm gonna answer the phone. I've done all I could do in Colorado, so now it's time to move in a different direction. Some people head to "Hollywood" to try to become stars, and others like myself know things are more serious "life wise". At the end of the day it is really about doing what makes you happy, and not concerning yourself about what your "haters" think.

DJing at Skate City in Littleton Colorado

2011-05-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

The Future of Turntablism

2011-05-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

The new technologies that are available to djs now is insane. There's no way someone could have told me 20 years ago, that djing would have progressed from the days of Grandmaster Flash to where it is now with Serato Scratch Live, Traktor etc. I'm still blown away by what some guys and girls have been doing on turntables these days, and there's not going to be any slowing down anytime soon. I still enjoy watching myself dj, so I haven't lost the love for it yet. I do feel burned out though, just because of how much red tape there is in the industry now. These days I'm trying to rekindle the fire that started 20 years ago. So enjoy a little video that a dj associate of mine created for me.

DJ Branding

2011-05-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

I've had some time to think about the importance of branding since my Executive Leadership Online class assignment on the topic passed a few weeks ago. I know that the image of a dj is just as important as the music that he/she plays behind turntables. I'm currently trying to figure out the most creative way to brand myself, but so far it's been an uphill battle, because I'm a multi-layered individual.

I'm a hybrid of various musical genres that I both play and listen to privately, but how to properly market this conglomerate of tastes in music has been frustrating. I believe every dj is unique and should have a marketing campaign behind them to showcase their talents. At this stage of my career, I feel it's time to take matters into my own hands and create my own marketing campaign. I'm not sure at all how this will happen, but I'm going to work at it constantly until I get a result.

The first thing I'm going to try and do it re-invent myself musically, which will be an interesting process to say the least. I've recently been turned on to Dubstep, which right now is taking some time getting used to it. Most of it I don't care for, but there are some serene style songs that I have heard that I like alot. I have already been djing Hip Hop, Disco, House, Funk etc for years, but I am curious to see how adding Dubstep to my sets will work with my audience.

The other thing that I've been pondering, has been how to gain the interest of booking agents and venue promoters that work in this genre to take me on as a client. I didn't realize how long Dupstep's been around and how most people are just now hearing about it. The European market has been huge for this genre since 2002, and it's just now really beginning to make waves here in the states. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to network with some Dubstep djs that I can spin with, and to gain a new following through adding this music to what I already play currently.

I want to seperate myself from the average dj, and I know doing so is a serious undertaking that will take some really hard work at this stage. I believe I can do it, but the most important thing for me at this point is to leave a legacy behind when it's all over. Many djs have come and gone before me, but I truly want to be one of the few that had remained true to why I became a dj in the first place.

It's always been about the music and not about popularity contests for me. The music's always been good to me, so I believe I should be good to the music as well and represent it correctly. These are the kinds of things that float though my mind on a regular basis, and I'm always trying to merge these ideas together to create something special.

Once I figure out how to combine my love for KISS and my love for hip hop djing, I believe I'll have a unique marketing approach that hasn't been seen or heard before. If there's anyone online who would be willing to help take on this task will be much appreciated, because we all know nobody can do anything great alone.