1. Myspace.com/W T F????
- Myspace started out as a great tool for new artists trying to make a name for themselves in the music industry. But now there needs to be a new rule: All artists that sign up for myspace music must be approved by the Myspace A&R Department! They need one BADLY!
2. “I gotta do a lot of mixtapes so I can be like Wayne!!!”
- Now, let’s do some research. Lil Wayne has been rapping since 1997. And after 9 CD’s, over a dozen HOT mixtapes, and 10+ years in the game he is where he should be. Wayne has laid his ground work. Remind me, what number mixtape were you on??? And why was the last one so whack???
3. “I’m from OHIO and I moved to ATL to break my music because OHIO ain’t feeling me???”
- If you can’t make a name for yourself in your own city, do you really think it will be easier in ATL? If you just moved to Atlanta thinking this is the place to make a name for yourself in the music industry, take a number. Because you just got in line with a slew of other folks that came here to do the same.
4. “I just need to get a distribution deal so I can get these records on the shelf.”
- Records on the shelf at every music retailer in the USA will not equal sales unless you have a GREAT marketing campaign, HUGE promotional budget, and GOOD Music. National distribution is no good without a national marketing campaign. Can you afford that?
5. “I paid DJ (fill in the blank) to host my mixtape and everybody knows him but nobody knows me!”
- It doesn’t matter who you pay to do your mixtape. If the music is whack, it’s whack. And there’s not a DJ in the world that can cosign it and make it sound better.
6. “I paid (fill in the blank) Magazine for a feature story about me & my music.”
- Just make sure that the other artists that were featured in that issue aren’t the only people reading the magazine you just paid!
7.”Artist development…man f–k that, I got SWAG!”
- For all of the artists out there, that have deals, songs on the radio, reality TV shows, or the ones that have no buzz at all; Swag is no good without PERSONALITY and media training is a must! Fans want to see a STAR! And grabbing your pants to hold them up while try to walk or acting stand-off-ish around fans will not work! You may have swag on a record or in a video, but your personality is at Level Zero in person!
8. “Billboard…what’s that?”
- The words Artist & Business are like oil & water, for some reason they just don’t mix. Artist that don’t ask questions or seek information are candidates to be SCREWED! Take a little time and pick up a Billboard magazine. It’s the best $7 bucks you will have spent in a LONG time.
9. “I just signed to this indie label with major distribution!!!!”
- Ok Cool, but do they know what a record label is supposed to do??? I see so many distribution deals that don’t work because the indie label didn’t realize how much of the marketing cost was THEIR responsibility!!!! Don’t blame distribution because your CD didn’t sell…blame the team of people you hired to work at your indie record label.
10. GREED
- Don’t get taken advantage of in this industry. There are hundreds of people out there ready to sell you a dream and take your money whether your music is good or bad. Music in order to be sold has to have what I call the “PRESS PLAY FACTOR.” I will get into what that is a little later.
11. “I’m going to give away 2500 promo cd’s for FREE!”
- Are you giving away 2500 cd’s with good music on it or 2500 cd’s with bad music on it? Because if the music on it is bad, then you just gave away 2500 Frisbees (some of which are creating clutter in my car). And now I don’t want to hear any more of your music. Remember first impressions last a lifetime.
12. The production inside 285 in Atlanta is starting to all sound the same.
- If you listen to music now, you are hearing what I am hearing. The same damn sound. The writing is the same, the production is the same, the hooks sound just alike. Can I get some originality PLEASE? I LOVE THE ATLANTA MUSIC SCENE! However, my ears are getting weary of the sound. I know some great producers; let me know if you want to hear something different.
13. “I’ve sold 10,000 units in the streets!”
- Yeah and? 10,000 un-scanned units don’t mean a thing. Ever heard of Sound Scan, better yet do you know what consignment is? Proof of sales is one of the most important points that artist miss the most!
14. “I’m Building My Brand”
- I meet more new artist interested in “branding” themselves before they drop an album. Jay Z didn’t become Jay Z overnight, he’s been doing this music thing for a LONG time. Your brand is no good without fans that trust that your music is always going to be on point. I suggest that you focus on your music first and your “brand” later.
15. Does your music have the ”PRESS PLAY FACTOR”?
- I sell music for a living and I ‘m here to tell you that you have a minimum of 30 seconds of your first 2 songs to make a sale. If your music doesn’t have that “PRESS PLAY FACTOR” or that initial WOW as soon as the beat drops, then start over. People can hear a hit as soon as they press play and if they do not hear it they will change their minds real fast.
16. No Networking Skills
- I go to a good amount of industry functions only to find artist holding up the wall, and keeping the seats warm. Networking is key to making it in the music industry. Make it a point to meet 3 new people at every industry function that you go to otherwise don’t go because you’ve wasted your time. As a matter of fact you might be getting this email because I was “networking” at that last event and you were not.
17. Everything that sounds good in the studio does not always sound good in the streets!
- So you’re sitting in the studio, just recorded a track, and your boys are telling you how hot it is right? Well they just might be WRONG! I know that opinions are like a**holes and everybody has one but you at least need 3 people that will be honest with you about your music. Come see me, I will be your first.
18. “My album features this rapper, that singer, and these producers…”
- Features do not always equal success. It’s the chemistry between the artist and the producer. The way an artist delivers lyrics over the track. The artists’ flow should sound effortless. But just because you got a hit producer or a “big name artist” featured on your album, it’s not always going to equal success. Your music starts with YOU!
19. Artists have forgotten about those small town fans.
- If you’re an artist trying to make it and you came straight to Atlanta from your city, you missed a lot of cities in between. Many of those smaller cities have clubs and radio stations as well and guess what…you passed them all and that sucks. I know a lot of artist that book shows outside of Atlanta and make plenty of money. Try promoting your music in those smaller cities. It would be a hell of a cheaper than doing it in ATL!
20. BAD MANAGEMENT
- If I had a dollar for every bad manager I met inside the music store, I would own a condo in Buckhead, Manhattan, and LA. Although every manager does not start out knowing it all, they should at least know enough so the artist will not get screwed. To all the new artists out there, ask your manager if they have any books on how to manage an artist in the music industry. If not buy 2. One for them to learn what they are suppose to do, and one for you to make sure they are not messing up!
