K'Naan on the state of Hip Hop in Canada

K'Naan speaks out on the state of hip hop music in Canada. I have to admit I agree with most of what he is saying, but it is hard for Canadian artists to compete with U.S. artists. U.S. artists have bigger budgets and more opportunities. Not to mention the fact that the Canadian population is only 11% of the U.S. population.

Here are a few quotes:

“I do think there’s a little bit of an inconsistency with just how the music industry in general works with regards to urban music, especially urban music from Canada."

“We have a lot of artists in Canada who are hip-hop artists and so on, but not a lot of the young people out there who are making music are actually putting out consistent work, you know what I mean?”

Do you agree?

Read the full article here - Toronto Sun

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How to get into Canadian Music Week Free

In order to get your music to the right people you have to be where the right people are. In Canada that place is CMW or Canadian Music Week. Usually, this conference takes place the first or second weekend every March in Toronto. Everyone who is anyone in the business is there "making moves" why shouldn't you?

Well maybe because you don't have any money. According to their website if you wanted to register and attend the conference, you need to pay:

TuneUp MUSIC Badge:
includes access to 3 days of TuneUp seminars, exhibits and festival showcases.
Register on or before March 5, 2010...........................................$250.00
Walk-Up Rate..........................................................................$300.00

This is the best value for your money but do you have $250.00 to throw around? Didn't think so. Well I've gone to the conference 4 times and I didn't pay a cent. It was FREE! How did I do it?

1) Create 3-4 high quality songs.
2) Go to www.cmw.net and apply in September to be a showcase performer.
3) Best case scenario you make it in and have to perform in front of important people who will help your career. Worst case scenario they send you complementary tune-up passes for you and your crew. That easy.

or

If you've missed the deadline you could always contact them and ask to volunteer. If you want to make it you've got to do whatever it takes to network with the right people and in Canada those people are at CMW.

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Essential items every artist should have: (Part 5 of 5) Where is your dedication?

Now that you have your demo, business cards, a team and an online brand it’s time to use these tools to network. You must make an effort to use them every day. This is your job! A lot of people use the same tools, so how do you use them to your advantage and get a step on the competition? Dedication & Persistence.

You have to keep your brand updated. Come out with new songs or projects and release them strategically. Timing is everything. Use the launch of a new album to pursue radio and print interviews. Launch your album with a show. Just remember that every opportunity you take to market and promote yourself gets you one step closer to your dream. Make sure you set achievable goals and stick to them. Without a short term goal like “release my album by June 2010,” nothing will ever get done. You don't want to be 80 years old and have nothing to show for it.

EPKFY8RMVYFR

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Essential items every artist should have: (Part 1 of 5) Where is your demo?

The most essential item that an artist can have is a demo. A demo proves that you can create good music and if you don’t have one ready at all times, a lot of doors will remain closed. If you are in the business of selling music, then your demo is your business card. Here are a few tips for your demo:

1) Create at least 8 original songs that are well produced and mixed. Even though it is a demo is should sound as professional as possible.

2) Show these songs to at least 20 different people who will give you objective feedback on your songs. Ask them to rate the top 5 songs. After you have a pretty good idea about your top 5 songs, you now know what songs should be on your demo. Do not have over 5 songs on your demo and place the songs in order starting with the song that was rated the best. People have short attention spans. If you hand them a mixtape with 20 tracks, they will only listen to the first 2-3 songs and lose interest.

3) Make sure your CD is presentable. It should look professional and have your contact information on the CD itself and on the CD holder.

4) Always have your demo on you. You never know who you might meet.

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Find a Producer

There is one universal and vital component that every rapper and singer needs in order to create a song. They need music. Unfortunately, most artists do not know how to compose and/or create music; therefore they need someone who does a producer.

It is fine to start out using instrumentals that have already been used by other artists but all artists who have every made it have done it by creating their own sound and they had a producer to help them. Snoop had Dr. Dre, Missy had Timbaland, and Janet Jackson had Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam. Who do you have?

I know what you are going to say “producers cost money.” Yes, good producers do cost money but if you have the talent something can always be worked out. Also there are plenty of unknown producers who are trying to find a talented artist just like you to feature on their music. All you need to do is find them.

Sure it’s easy to find producers online on bulletin boards or chat rooms but is much easier to build a true relationship with someone if you find a producer that lives in your city. Find someone who is excited about your talent and who will help promote you in exchange for credit on the track. A good producer will also already be working with other artists they you might be able to collaborate with you and the best producers will make you better than you already are.

So I know it’s easier to download the instrumentals from your favorite tracks and create your own songs but it’s much more rewarding to find a producer and create your own sound that you can market.

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1 Artist 1 Beat

"I'm not a businessman - I'm a business Man!" - Jay-Z

When I talk to artists who try to “make it” in the music business, I ask “what have you been doing so far?” 9 times out of 10, I get an answer that sounds something like this “I am coming out with a mixtape, demo, album, soon and I’m going to promote it online.”

Ok, that sounds great but what’s the plan? In order to be successful in any business you must understand how the business works and offer something that someone will want to buy.

Here are some questions that every artist needs to answers if they are serious amount making an impact:

Product: What are you offering? How is your music different from other artists? How will your music get produced?

Market: Who is your target market? A&R’s, fans? What are these markets looking for? And how will you offer them your product? By when?

Strategy: How are you going to market yourself and your music? Where are you going to market? What is the timing? Can you be contacted easily? Shows, videos, guest appearances, interviews in media (ezines, blogs, TV, radio, magazines, newspapers)?

These are just a few questions that need to be answered if you are serious about making an impact. If you want to make it in the music business you have to start thinking like a business man.

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1 Artist 1 Beat

Google Me Baby!

Do you have an online brand? and if so, can people easily find it?

Try this: Google your artist, band, or real name into Google. How many hits are there? How many of them are actually related to you? Can people find you and contact you easily? Is your name so common that it gets lost in the hundreds of links found on Google? If this is the case, you need to focus on creating your unique online brand. Even if you don't create music, EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE AN ONLINE BRAND.

Tips:

Choose a unique name: How many people have an artist name that begins with "lil"? A LOT. It is important to create a unique online brand for yourself and your music. You must treat yourself and your brand like a company would. It is also not enough to just have a unique name, now you must create a unique brand which includes everything from, your sound, style, and language. Once you do this, you must convey this message to your audience.

Create an online presence: These days everyone has the basics Myspace, Facebook, & Twitter but what about the hundreds of other sites. Do your homework and sign up for as many as possible. What about www.yourname.com? Do you have your own website? Its not that hard to get one made with little or no money. A personal professional looking website creates credibility, which will serve you well in the future.

Keep in Touch: Once you create you online presence, make sure you stay connected so people can reach you. Don't just set up a fan page, blog, or twitter account and leave it there collecting dust. Update it! but don't annoy people. There is a fine line between informing and destroying your fan base or reputation.

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1 Artist 1 Beat

Buying Music on Myspace

Myspace Music who would pay for it? Every artist who wants to "make it" knows that they should put their music on myspace.com. This is a good promotion tool but who will buy your music?

Many artists have a lot a of fans on their myspace but out of your 1,456 friends who would actually pay money to get your money on their ipod? I wouldn't think there would be that many.

Myspace thinks it can get people to pay for music off of their site, what do you think? Will people pay to download unknown artist's music?

Read more here

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New Release - Powered by YourProSound.com

Stop dreaming about creating music and download beats and create your sound now!

New Video Release - Megan Fox (Obsessed) by Menoza

Do you have music? Can you get on the internet? You can be a star.

Who says you can't make it in the music industry. All you need is a unique sound and internet marketing.

Create your music and then make a plan on how to market it.

I came across a good article that proves my point. Here are some quotes, read the full article with the link below.

"Anyone can record a CD on a laptop, and if they can figure out a way to market it, they can bypass traditional gatekeepers."

"Social media sites like Facebook and MySpace can play a huge role, too, with word-of-mouth marketing. A new film or recording can get an instant boost on Facebook, just 10 minutes after its release and well ahead of what media critics will say about it, he noted."

Read the full article here:
Tech change is music to his ears

Designing - YourProSound.com

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