Divine Intervention #2
Industry Advice From The Divine Miss M
Peace Miss M, I'm an aspiring hip hop producer who is located in a city where hip hop doesn’t really thrive. It's a small town with a lot of small town thinking. I'm trying to come up with the best means of getting my music heard and building with some people in the business that want to make something happen. I'm just not sure how to get to reach these people and through what medium. My initial intention is to put out a beat sampler CD of my work, hit a couple shows in a nearby college town - hip hop thrives there. But if you can suggest any other means that may be more productive, I would definitely appreciate it. Thanks.
-Trez260
Peace Trez:
I wonder where you’re located, because you may not be as bad off as you think. If you are one of only a few people in your market that’s making beats, you have the potential to shine there without any competition. Does your market have a commercial or college radio station? You may be able to catch people as they come through town by building a relationship with the on-air personalities and DJs in your market. They may be able to use some of your beats as instrumental beds when they do their station IDs, announcements, and celebrity interviews. That may get your name out there, and you never know--an artist might just like what he’s talking over and may want to hear more. Your initial intention is also a great idea. I would suggest that you follow the same steps--build relationships with the key people in that nearby town, and visit them often, especially to deliver new beat CDs and meet new people. It may take you a while to build up a name for yourself and to reach your ideal targets, but you’ll learn a lot along the way. I would never suggest blindly sending your beats to any record labels--remember rule #4080. By the way, I listened to your beats--you’ve definitely got potential. If anybody else wants to check out this brotha’s beats: soundclick.com/bands/6/trez260music.htm.
Hey Miss M, I took a meeting with an ad agency about an upcoming promotional project. They were spelling out the scope of the project when out of the blue, the guy asked about a kickback if I got the account. Since no actual numbers had been discussed, I replied that a kickback could certainly be available depending on the size of the budget. Any guidelines on what's a suitable percentage kickback for a $5000 project? Thanks.
-Naive Freelancer
Peace Native Freelancer:
If the person at the agency asking for the kickback is the one setting the price, the two of you should be able to negotiate something that is fair for everyone involved. I would recommend 10-20% of the price, which from $5000 would give this person $500 - 1000. You can give anything in that range depending on what you can afford to spend, but 10% is the lowest you should go. A 1% kickback would be regarded as insulting and may cause the contact at the ad agency to never hire you again. When you get that check, let’s get together and have some coffee – your treat :).
The Divine Miss M has survived the ups and downs the entertainment industry for 13 years and is here to share that insight with you.
So if you need advice on dilemmas within the music industry, hit her up at thedivinemissm@thecrusade.net.
Message The Divine Miss M and tell her what you think or chime in with your take on the situation
« Eye Spy: Lingerie & Swimwear Affair AAPRC Weekly: Marcy DeVeaux »
The 2-Way
Replies: 0
Archives:
Crusade galleries
