Knowledge is POWER!

Buyers beware! I love music and I love the creative ways to take the music to a new level. There are way too many entities that want to exploit the hard work put into artist projects. Have you ever seen this in your inbox or DM?  "Hope all is well! Great to connect with you on twitter/FaceBook/IG! We're currently offering great, affordable, and unlimited song promo & hosting packages.” I see these messages day in and out. People please read the BIO! Some of the most successful brands don't hit your inbox up or  give you “subscribe to them” message. They have already made its database a proven track record. This is why the independent artists have no major traction. They all too often buy into the BS and never see any ROI (Return on Investment).

Knowledge is POWER! Before you go and pump your money into a bunch of likes and  followers...do some research, ask a DJ! Speaking on asking a DJ...There's plenty of DJ tastemakers and mixers out there, but there's 1 that I highly recommend, the VirDiKO quarterly mixer in Dallas, Texas. If you're in the area around the time of these mixers, as a artist, producer, or entertainment industry professionals it would be in your best interest to make your way to one. 

That was a side bar… sorta. But as there's a need for a regulatory commission on BS for music, there's a need for one to stop the music "promoters" and "marketers" who have PROVEN that there's no ROI for artist. Ok, the BBB is not going to be who you talk to about your wasted money, but as a artist you should find out who has gotten shows based on their fictitious friends, followers and bogus likes. My aim is to encourage entertainers to spend their hard earned money with people or companies that truly connect you with the individuals who care about the direction your music career goes. 

This leads me back to "big daddie THE DJ" and VirDiKO. VirDiKO is the abbreviation for Virtual Distribution KOmpany. This is some gangsta shit! According to @Virdiko's  Twitter,

"VirDiKO Specializing in Global Music Promotion Services To Thousands of Professional

DJs & Music Stakeholders In More Than 150 Countries..." I can say Amen to that! Artists that I've worked with have not only gotten their music distributed across the globe, I see these artist post pics from the shows that came from the result of using VirDiKO. This is not a paid advertisement for this company but a testimony and a fact. ‘Google it’ and see for yourself that this is a great example of putting your money to work. If you're looking for that DJ to hear your music and possibly give you the feedback you desire...VirDiKO is the way. 

Before I power down my laptop and head to SXSW, I want all my DJ friends to get ready for their closeups...because 

#LeslieMac

A Change Gonna Come!

There's a serious need for a Bullshit Regulatory Commission on music. DJs control the night and they have a reputation to uphold and that's 1 reason that new track of yours isn't getting a spin when you walk it in the club. 

Let's explore the word ‘Ritual.’ A Ritual is a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order. 

Now with that little bit of knowledge we can explore this "change". What is a DJ if he can't scratch, what is an MC if he can't rap? Those lyrics were directed at the future. Now we have "Push Button" DJs and songs are being pumped out of the studios faster than I

can listen and write my reviews on Fluence. Now, I will never knock talent or the attempt there of, but I will call attention to quality! So to answer the second question, a MC that can't rap is someone who hinders the movement. These MCs have unintentionally created the politics of the industry. Politics have their own place but in Hip-Hop? NO! What do we say to that? In the words of Hip-Hop legend Chuck D, "Fight The Power."

As the records, CDs, or even the colorful graphics display on your installed DJ program

have a revolution, the industry must have a Re-Evolution. An indie artist is born faster than

mothers delivering a baby through natural child birth. "There's a song and a remix in your inbox," is what just displayed on my computers desktop as I type. There’s passion in the production of these songs, however there's a lot of bad quality projects that are being put out. These projects hinder the good music from gaining its momentum to move from emails to ears. But that's a blog to be discussed at a later day. 

ATTENTION ASPIRED MUSIC ENTERTAINERS

Quality is priority #1! You absolutely, positively cannot cut corners on this part AT ALL. 

1. Get to a studio, with a booth and a engineer… get the sound A-1! 

2. Everyone with PhotoShop thinks they can do graphics, so not the case. Find that 1 graphic artist that really does know how to give you that quality...keep going to them. If it doesn't look good, what are we going to expect from the music?

3. Seek out a lot of good, consistent business relationships. DJs, promoters, Bloggers, fan engagement, and most of all treat your projects and talents as if they're the love of your life. 

This brings me back to Ritual… Imagine having to set the mood or tone for 100s even

1000s of people who want to hang out after work or after a long week or after monumental occasion. Well that's what DJs are tasked with when the club doors open. When fansstream mixtapes to their devices they're looking for that mood changer and motivation. Consider the daily and weekly Ritual of the DJ. Don't think you're going to just walk in and drop off some music and hear your song in the middle of the DJs set! Create a Ritual for your music and then you may fit into the DJs moment. 

I want to end with two finds that I have discovered. 

1. Next 

Next combines Instagram, Tinder, Twitter and Facebook all into one app and lets the artists, DJs, and Music fans discover new music without the garbage that can litter the information highway. Hence one way to regulate the bullshit in music. If you're not delivering a good Listening experience, they will swipe to the left. You have 30-seconds to preview your skills. New fans can view full-length videos and full profiles. No ads and it's free! Next boasts that it's app is, “A real, dedicated music community for mobile.” This is the app that requires you to look good and sound good. You have 30 seconds...GO!

2. Bandcamp 

I'm going to start with a fact....Bandcamp has paid $100 Million to Independent Artists and labels. This direct to fan (DTF) music sales platform, has been the new version of "out the trunk" since its launch in 2008. While the industry reports record sales declining, Bandcamp reports the opposite. In a interview with Billboard Co-founder Ethan Diamond stated, “Bandcamp  has increased 30% in sales last year and now average $3.5 million per month in record sales." That "works out to about 16,000 records a day...One every five seconds, twenty-four-seven." Oh by the way, it's free to join Bandcamp. The site is planning on some major add-ons, so it behooves you to get that project right or the consumers will continue with the 'boo' action. 

If you're looking for a start, submit your music to me at Fluence for immediate feedback. Be a part of the change or end up sounding like the artist that says, “ …I’m just trying to get my music played."  

#LeslieMac