ISSUES #22: MAY 2016
VIDEOS
MAY 2016
The Garage Cypher Vol. 1
RYCK JANE, RAMAJ EROC & YC
One Day At A Time
RAMAJ EROC
Turnt Up
YRF MUZIK
ON TRACK
The music industry ain't what it used to be. Records sales have been replaced by streaming and downloads and it's rare that you hear about a record going platinum. Even gold records are more of a unicorn these days. Record companies historically had the upper hand and offered artists small percentages of sales royalties from their own music under the premise that they were 'lucky' to be offered a record deal at all. They also demanded 50% ownership of publishing rights that they were technically not entitled to; rights that were intellectual property owned by a song’s writers. This became a component of the record deal that was almost always non-negotiable.
Artists were relegated to subsidizing their label deal royalties with income from touring, merchandise, acting and other 'side gigs' in the industry. Labels typically didn't bother attaching themselves to those income streams and just, rightfully, left that income up to the artist to pursue. With the current drop in music sales income, record labels have retooled their focus and are regularly going after non-traditional income from the artists that they sign. Now they offer what's termed as the 360 deal where they want percentages of EVERYTHING an artist gets involved in… touring, merchandise, side gigs, production, record features, reality shows, movies, etc.
With these factors, as well as the creative limitations labels put on their artists, a lot of artists are bypassing label deals and are now releasing their music independently. Even some established artists have opted out of renewing recording contracts (if they weren't able to renegotiate the terms) and gone on to marketing their music on their own. With advertising and promotions now focused more on the internet, the reduced overhead of releasing music and promoting it became much easier for independent artists to handle.
Now a record release can be successful with more emphasis on strategy and timing and less on money. Online retail sales points like iTunes, Rhapsody, Reverb Nation, Bandcamp, etc., have made it much easier for indies to manage sales, collection of their earnings, process credit card transactions and other things previously out of their reach; or damn hard to organize and supervise. Now a top dollar studio sound can come from a laptop computer and software and not necessarily a six-figure
recording budget. Now social media helps music and artists go viral if they have the right stuff. And we're talking globally, not just in your town, your state or even your country. How cool is that? Granted, you still have to be about your business and educate yourself on the tools of the trade but, it's a lot more feasible now than ever before for artists to make their dreams come true, get compensated properly, get proper credit and ownership and, most importantly to me, do the music that THEY want to do. Embodying the message that THEY CHOOSE. Now the playing field is more level between big music conglomerates and the band that rehearses in the garage and plays local gigs. There is still costs, of course, but much more affordable than ever before.
This month we examine some of the artists that are out there on their grind.
RYCK JANE
Rapper, Trumpet Player
Since recently performing with Beyonce at Super Bowl 50, Ryck Jane has launched her new website, www.ryckjane.com, and is now at work finishing up her EP, Rock Paper Scissors. Ryck and her production camp are in the studio mixing and mastering the project set to release mid-May/early June.
Meanwhile, she is rocking shows around Los Angeles and preparing to shoot her first original music video for her EP single " You Already Know".
Ryck Jane is steadily amassing fans through social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Bandcamp, online radio airplay and online interviews. She has released a number of one-off music videos and performance videos as well as free mixtapes that keep the fans buzzing between releases. The key principals that Ryck Jane is sticking close to are keep grinding, keep providing content for her fans, keep the live shows coming and bang out QUALITY MUSIC.
Being an indie is far from a Cinderalla story. Says Ryck Jane "Being indie is a double-edged sword. I can do what I want, when I want to and how I want to. It allows me to do things on my own terms and the way I want to do my music. I have no limits. The drawback about being an independent artist is that you have to invest in yourself, which can cost a lot of money. There is no label giving me an advance or money for video shoots, etc. So you have to believe in yourself in order to be ok with being financially independent and spending the money to make things happen."
Be on the look out for Ryck Jane's next moves!!! For more music, videos and info go to www.ryckjane.com
This dude has the marketing and promotions hustle down to a science. You want your indie career poppin'? Emulate the moves Ramaj Eroc is making. Oh, and have some dope music too. He's closing in on a million streams of his song "Hooptie"; teamed up with his rhyme and production crew Surreal Gang; and keeping Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube on lock. This Chicago native has been making his impact for a minute now, no record deal.
Ramaj Eroc is currently in the studio working on his next project, Last Train 2, slated for release summer '16.
Says RE: I also host my own music networking event called 'No Major, No Problem: The Lounge' every last Wednesday of each month. It opens up a chance for Los Angeles' underground entertainment scene to meetup & network. We always get some tight performances each show so there's always an air of "the next big thing" taking the stage.
I get that this is a business so, as much as I enjoy getting my props for my music, I have to approach every day with an eye on advancing my career. It feels great taking ownership of my destiny. Why take orders when you can make moves? Right now, my Soundcloud has
accumulated 3.4MIL streams with my single 'Hooptie' reaching 931,000 streams. I keep my social media popping with live Periscope feeds, music videos, music announcements and promos. i do what it takes to push that buzz for me and Surreal Gang.
Peep the stats...
Soundcloud (8.1k followers • 3.4mil total plays)
Twitter (28.8k followers)
Facebook (17.1k likes • Verified Account)
Youtube (1k subscribers • 215k total views)
Instagram (5.5k followers)
Tommy Jay is a super-talented vocalist from Los Angeles that is starting to buzz around the L.A. and Las Vegas music scene. He stole the show at the Positive Black Images Black Diamonds Scholarship Fund Summer Fundraiser last November. People talked about this performance for days afterwards and kept hitting me with "where did you FIND that one kid?". Pretty impressive considering the massive talent on the bill that day.
Four years ago Tommy Jay was created with the purpose of promoting expression and compassion. Tommy notes, "The entertainment industry has a reputation of furthering the opposite values by I'm determined to be a shining light in these loveless times." That's cool but the elephant in the room is that this kid goes in, vocally.
As of late, Tommy Jay is focusing on live performances; adding this to recording new originals, releasing covers, and writing and producing for other artists. Tommy collaborates on production with DJ/Producer, Pedro Laredo and co-writes with friend and Maryland phenom Maya Milan.
Another goal for Tommy Jay is to keep his web presence in constant evolution. He is honing his online skills and teaming up with web-savvy marketing types like long-time friend Jessica Mason, who handles web and graphic design. He now has tons of performance videos on Facebook and YouTube.. SnapChat and Instagram are evolving to fleek status.
CONSIDERING THAT INDIE LIFE?
EDUCATE YOURSELF!
This is a great YOUTUBE series from a production camp called PAY US NO MIND that dishes really great information on how the industry works and how indie artists can stay paid in today's digital marketplace. Worth favoriting on YOUTUBE if you're a musician and artist. You're welcome.
YrF Muzik, working on cultivating their signature energy which is, fun, living in the moment but also addressing the issues that go on within that moment.
YrF's next project is called "Pineapple & Henny" and it will hit this summer. The overall tone of the project will be high energy and
emotionally driven reflection records that the culture can relate to. YC and Black P are the duo dynamic. The state of the art.
YrF Muzik's grind is another textbook example of an indie with polish that looks and sounds just as good as artists with major deals. A key plus for YrF is that YC is a graduate of AIU as a Media Production major (not to mention a minor in Psychology). This meets the indie's need for constant, creative, clever and affordable online content head on.
YC and I discussed some of the highly effective YrF online marketing recipe. "We will typically come up with an overall strategy to market a new releasewell ahead of the release date. We don't necessarily try to reinvent the wheel. The challenge is to think of a fresh way to present the wheel when you're balling on a budget. That's always a challenge that indies face. Presenting your product and imagery in a fresh way that will draw people to it."
"For Pineapple & Henny, we've established a skeleton of a roll out plan that continues to evolve. A month or more ahead of the summer release date we will rev up online content with teaser videos, blurbs on social media and start to get the buzz going with our loyal fan base. AND hopefully new fans too. Our main online resources for music content are Soundcloud and Vevo. We hit it hard on Facebook and Instagram as we approach our release date. Twitter too." After their release date, YC notes that it's been crucial to stay focused with a 'next' promotional phase for continued publicity online that consistently points fans back to the project. Stay grinding, that's the key. Always creating in one capacity or another... music videos, live shows, exclusives, fliers, memes.
"A fresh promotional plan is key to steer people's attention to your music. Hopefully your music will keep people on it". - YC
http://Facebook.com/yrfmuzik
http://Twitter.com/yrfsquad
http://Youtube.com/yrfsquad
http://Yrf-StateOfMind.tumblr.com
----STAY FLY---- SUPPORT IS LOVE----
YRF
Young.
&FLY.
RICH.
M U Z I K
Vernon R. Heard
#positiveblack
#bringmusicback
"WE DON'T CARE" ft. Dame
YrF Muzik
