ThatRetailChick

On Sunday January 24 HONOR MUSIC GROUP is having a jam session with 5 very talented ladies and 1 soulful DJ!!  If you’re free andin Atlanta be sure to stop by GUMBO ATL!  I’ll be there!

I have always wondered why DJ’s have the hardest time breaking the artist on their Record Labels.  Take a look at some of your top DJ’s and their artists.  Can you name one single from that one artist?  If so great.  But if you can’t that’s a problem, and now you know what I mean.  So, I decided to take to the phones to find out what some peoples thoughts were.  Initially, in my style, I was prepared to go in, hence the title, “RECORD BREAKERS THAT CAN’T BREAK THEIR OWN.”  Then I realized that there was a lesson in this.  As much as we need the DJ, it takes more than a spin to break a record.  You got to have a campaign.

Now don’t get me wrong those spins are a BIG part of the equation.  WE NEED THE DJ.  However, even if the BIGGEST DJs’ in the game  don’t have a team of people working different avenues to break his artist, he will have a hard time just like anyone else.  But still, it didn’t make since.  You got the biggest DJ in the game backing you up, screaming your name, plus he has a legion of other DJs’ that are suppose to be doing the same thing.  Right?  So what’s the problem?  Who’s to blame?  It’s not one person; it’s the structure of the company.  There are other types of promotion to consider when putting together the right marketing plan for an artist. 

Consider this, breaking an artist is like a politician running a campaign for office.  Before you start to put out your debut single, ask yourself these questions.

How am I going to run my campaign?

What does the artist stand for?

Who does he represent? 

When is the best time to drop?

Where should I start my campaign first?

If you plan to be the OBAMA of this industry, be prepared to run in this race.  Because even those leaders at the top right now are having a hard time making people believe in what they have to offer.

Before we create hype around anymore artists, please believe that the truth will come out and at some point the fans will speak.  With that being said, when will indie artist learn that all those fake hits on that video you paid to have posted NO LONGER HAS ANY CREDIBILILTY!!!! 

Payola is not new!  It’s  been going on for years.  But when it hit the independents, folks got paid.  And boy are they sticking it to ya!!  However, I don’t think the independents are reaping any benefits from paying to participate in the music industry.  Let me tell you…

If you got a dollar and a dream, there’s somebody around the corner ready to sell you some BS for your dollar and tell you they can make your dreams come true!

I think it started with Myspace. As soon as artists found out they could pay to increase their Myspace plays to get labels attention, people that we never heard of had 250,000 plays.  And we still don’t know who they are!  Moving on…artists now look to online video websites to produce 200,000+ views.  And for the right price, they’ll hook you up!  It’s really hard for me to believe that you got 1 million views on a video, 130 followers on twitter, and 20,000 plays on Myspace…COME ON SON!!!  It has to balance out, otherwise IT’S ALL HYPE!

In addition to that!  If I walk past a local music store or kiosk in a mall 3 times and see your same stack of free CD’s there everytime, then you have a problem!  And your video got 1 million views online…yeah ok.  Ya’ll are going to have to do a little better than that, cause these hood marketing plans ain’t getting it done!

from Brian O.
to thatretailchick@gmail.com

date Mon, Jan 4, 2010 at 12:26 AM
subject Store Closed?!?
mailed-by gmail.com
signed-by gmail.com
WOW…this is Brian O., I used to frequent the Sound Shop all the time while I was in undergrad (2004-2006) but I had been shopping there since 1995 when I lived a few blocks away from the mall. You might not remember me right off hand but you used to call me “B” whenever I would come in to buy Screwed and Chopped mixes and underground mixtapes. I must’ve spent thousands of dollars at that store! I just had to drop you a line and say something because I didn’t know the store was closing. I live up in Michigan now but I was just home for Christmas for a few days and had I known, I definitely would’ve stopped in to at least wish everyone farewell and pick up some CDs. Somehow I always knew the time would come when the store would close up because so many other retail stores have over the past few years…first Earwax, and now the Sound Shop. I know that I and many others appreciated the hospitality that you and the other ppl at the store showed us whenever we would shop there. I lived out in fayetteville but I made 90% or better of my music purchases from your store for that reason. Damn…I wish you many blessings in your future endeavors and hope that the music can continue to thrive in the tumultuous climate that’s overtaken the music retail industry the past several years.

Ok so you got 15 songs, sound effects, and a DJ giving shout outs…but did anyone take the time to Executive Produceor A&R your mixtape?  I was telling my BIG WIG INDUSTRY FRIEND just last month, “if you are going to do another mixtape for your artist, make sure the DJ is really involved in the process.” 

The process = song selections, track placements, mixtape theme, etc. 

Just think about the artists that were actually able to make a name for themselves from mixtapes.  And I refuse to say names because it would mean that I am cosigning DJ’s.  But really, do you think these rappers got lucky and just recorded some heat then handed it to the DJ?  I think not!  As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure that is not the way it happened.  Think of how many times you see this…

Random rapper + random mixtape + random download link on free mixtape site + random mixtape DJ hosting

So all of a sudden you (the artist) have taken on the A&R/Executive Producer process???  I am sorry, but 9 times out of 10 that is a going to be a fail.  There is a reason artists have to turn in albums before they are released.  And if you want to be an artist, you CANNOT start off being the A&R or Executive Producer too.  So here’s a word to the wise, if you insist on making a mixtape to catapult your career, please get someone to oversee the process.