Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Saturday, September 3, 2011
I've been listening to a lot of French Music: Thievery Corporation - La Femme Parallel
Deriving inspiration...from a variety of sources.
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
OB Obrien - heads a Canadian label that's slated to be the next big thing: Funny Colour Money
The dude goes by the name "O.B" (and he often says: It's OB Baby). Matt O'Brien: a native of Hamilton Ontario (that's Steel City - in CANADA) and he's a consummate music producer, song writer and artist who I think is poised to do great things for the Canadian Music scene and for Hip Hop in general. I've known of his music for awhile and I've witnessed his progression and I can't say that I'm not a fan of his work, I think he's uniquely talented and his business acumen has garnered him a label deal that enables him to have his own label called...Funny Colour Money. Look out for him and his team.
NOWHERE - OB (OFFICIAL TRAILER)
BEAUTIFUL - OB OBrien & Samm Rawthstein
OB - Funny Colour Money Freestyle
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
My 2 cents about the Music Business and Entertainment Marketing in general
I wear many hats, Im a brand manager, an account executive for a marketing firm, I do artist development and research, I got my break in entertainment by doing logistical site planning for concerts.
I'm immersed in the music industry, I've put countless hundreds of thousands of miles on my car because of it, I've boarded trains and planes in pursuit of musical happiness and I've slept on many studio couches after burning the midnight oil. I'm 32 years old but I'm constantly around young people, I frequent the most viral of blogs and I read the comments of both satisfied and dissatisfied consumers everywhere. I'm constantly learning and I'm always networking and building relationships. The one thing I'm always looking for when I work with people is the "core principles" that will give me a sign that there is a foundation worth building upon, that's number one!
That foundation is your talent...your potential!
I've worked with corporate brands, music artists, designers, practitioners of Yoga and even spiritual advisers, and no matter what there talent is...they've got to want it as bad as I want it for them. You have to understand that you're the head of your business and be as focused on your career as you want me to be. A lot of times people will do deals and expect you to do everything for them. It takes teamwork. So I look for people who have a strong work ethic and are willing to go the extra mile. People approach me often and say "Will you be my manager" and my response is always immediate and I say sure...but what have you managed? And they almost always look at me with a puzzled face!?! lol
I can't manage what you haven't managed yet, if there's something you've built...I can manage it. If your a music artist, do you have a web presence? have you built up a following that requires management? have you performed live? have you booked your own shows? Is your workload so incredibly overwhelming that you need professional assistance?
These are the kinds of people I want to manage and help...
I help people create believability, your act has to have a certain degree of believability already, but I help people buy into it more. In order for this to happen however, there has to be a real strategy behind that act. To break a new musical act, you have to come with two singles and two visuals first to create the definition, to see if people are going to buy into it before you put out an album. You have to come up with a grass-roots marketing campaign to help build the image that surrounds your artistry. All of this is not even possible unless you've established a foot-print for yourself (a mixtape, live shows, web presence, i.e youtube, tumblr, facebook, twitter).
THE NUMBER ONE THING ANY NEW ARTIST MUST DO IS INVEST IN THEMSELVES!!! Don't be ashamed to go out there and get a job, wait tables, bar-tend, drive a taxi...lol...anything that will support your dream, because your going to need a good video director, pay for studio time and mastering, and you'll have to hire a decent graphic designer to do your album art. This is your demo to the world...make it your best effort ever, and when your at this level...THEN you can submit for a manager, a publicist, public relations expert, these people would be more then happy to help you, if that work ethic can be displayed.
And that's my 2 cents for the day...lol
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Ethiopia Habtemariam: The highest-ranking African-American female at a major record label
Ethiopia Habtemariam: via Facebook
Ethiopia Habtemariam was born on September 24, 1979, and she headed Universal Music Publishing Group as Senior Vice President & Head of Urban Music. She will be taking over Sylvia Rhone's position at Motown Records. That makes her the highest-ranking African-American female (of Ethiopian descent) at a major record label. Motown is a division of Universal Music Group, the World's largest Music company.
Ethiopia Habtemariam
She “strongly believed Motown should be youth-driven,” an individual close to the executive told TheWrap. “It’s all about youth. They’re the ones who open the doors.”
How did she get there?
Ms. Habtemariam has signed some of music's biggest superstars, including; multi-platinum recording artist and songwriter Chris Brown, breakthrough artist and songwriter Keri Hilson, gold recording artist and songwriter Ciara. She's steered the careers of BMI Songwriter of the Year and Producer of the Year Polow Da Don, Andre Merrit, Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammad, Ezekiel Lewis (The Clutch), Rock City, and Brian Kennedy to name a few.
She also oversee’s one of the hottest urban rosters in music — from multi-platinum and GRAMMY award winning acts like Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Eminem, Jeremih, Amerie, Ashanti, Jill Scott, Prince, Nicole Sherzinger, Ice Cube, Raphael Saadiq, Swizz Beatz, DMX, Asher Roth, Beastie Boys, R.Kelly, Babyface, Keyshia Cole, and many more. She is a native of Atlanta and she began interning at LaFace Records at age 14. Hired there as an assistant right after high school, she found herself in Los Angeles in 2001 working as a creative manager for Edmonds Music Publishing. Universal came calling two years later.
So essentially she's an executive from the publishing side of the business being given a very senior role within Universal's corporate structure (she is credited with wooing Justin Bieber into a global publishing deal) business moves like that help you a lot. With her background in music publishing and a sharp focus on discovering hit talent, Habtemariam envisions developing Motown to be a magnet for young trendy stars who appeal to the industry’s core youth audience.
It would be good to see how she and Chairman Barry Weiss work together, hopefully he'll be forward thinking as well, just as he was in the 80's during the maturation stages of Hip Hop when he was keenly aware of what the trends were then. Weiss's resume is well established even now (Britney Spears, Usher, Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, 'N Sync and T-Pain) and now with Ms. Habtemariam steering the ship at Motown, things should be interesting indeed.
Ethiopia Habtemariam: "The labels think they dictate what's hot to the consumer. That's the biggest mistake. You can never underestimate the intelligence of the consumer, especially the youth. I'm not going to mention any specific songs, but there are records that are just hits at radio but don't translate into sales. So you have labels that will chase the charts or what's happening in different areas and then will sign those acts.
But they're not quality acts. That's because artist development doesn't exist anymore. I remember when people knew the names of everyone in a group. Now labels might rely heavily on production companies to give an artist some definition. That's because labels have smaller staffs and so many artists. As such, there's a short list when it comes to the next generation of urban music superstars"
- She definately knows what she's talking about...
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Ethiopia Habtemariam was born on September 24, 1979, and she headed Universal Music Publishing Group as Senior Vice President & Head of Urban Music. She will be taking over Sylvia Rhone's position at Motown Records. That makes her the highest-ranking African-American female (of Ethiopian descent) at a major record label. Motown is a division of Universal Music Group, the World's largest Music company.
Ethiopia Habtemariam
She “strongly believed Motown should be youth-driven,” an individual close to the executive told TheWrap. “It’s all about youth. They’re the ones who open the doors.”
How did she get there?
Ms. Habtemariam has signed some of music's biggest superstars, including; multi-platinum recording artist and songwriter Chris Brown, breakthrough artist and songwriter Keri Hilson, gold recording artist and songwriter Ciara. She's steered the careers of BMI Songwriter of the Year and Producer of the Year Polow Da Don, Andre Merrit, Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammad, Ezekiel Lewis (The Clutch), Rock City, and Brian Kennedy to name a few.
She also oversee’s one of the hottest urban rosters in music — from multi-platinum and GRAMMY award winning acts like Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Eminem, Jeremih, Amerie, Ashanti, Jill Scott, Prince, Nicole Sherzinger, Ice Cube, Raphael Saadiq, Swizz Beatz, DMX, Asher Roth, Beastie Boys, R.Kelly, Babyface, Keyshia Cole, and many more. She is a native of Atlanta and she began interning at LaFace Records at age 14. Hired there as an assistant right after high school, she found herself in Los Angeles in 2001 working as a creative manager for Edmonds Music Publishing. Universal came calling two years later.
So essentially she's an executive from the publishing side of the business being given a very senior role within Universal's corporate structure (she is credited with wooing Justin Bieber into a global publishing deal) business moves like that help you a lot. With her background in music publishing and a sharp focus on discovering hit talent, Habtemariam envisions developing Motown to be a magnet for young trendy stars who appeal to the industry’s core youth audience.
It would be good to see how she and Chairman Barry Weiss work together, hopefully he'll be forward thinking as well, just as he was in the 80's during the maturation stages of Hip Hop when he was keenly aware of what the trends were then. Weiss's resume is well established even now (Britney Spears, Usher, Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, 'N Sync and T-Pain) and now with Ms. Habtemariam steering the ship at Motown, things should be interesting indeed.
Ethiopia Habtemariam: "The labels think they dictate what's hot to the consumer. That's the biggest mistake. You can never underestimate the intelligence of the consumer, especially the youth. I'm not going to mention any specific songs, but there are records that are just hits at radio but don't translate into sales. So you have labels that will chase the charts or what's happening in different areas and then will sign those acts.
But they're not quality acts. That's because artist development doesn't exist anymore. I remember when people knew the names of everyone in a group. Now labels might rely heavily on production companies to give an artist some definition. That's because labels have smaller staffs and so many artists. As such, there's a short list when it comes to the next generation of urban music superstars"
- She definately knows what she's talking about...
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Queen of Sufi Music: Abida Parveen sings the words of Poet Bulleh Shah
The queen of Sufi Music, Abida Parveen has amazing tonal and voice control. I can appreciate music of this kind because I'm international in my mindset, I embrace different sounds and my heart is expanded to things outside of the box. Even without knowing the words...you can really feel the passion and the sincerity.
Bulleh Shah: is one of the greatest poets and philosophers of the last 1300 years, equal to Ghalib. He should be made compulsory reading in the schools of Pakistan, India and all other countries, if the world were given these translations in mass, we may then learn to respect each other and put an end to many wars.
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Some Family Heirlooms: Records found in storage LOL
Miami Vice - Music from the series. Featured artists: Glenn Frey, Chaka Khan, Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Jan Hammer, & Grandmaster MelleMel. Eleven songs. MCA Records. 1985. Still has cellophane on the jacket.
Flashdance Original Soundtrack. 1983. Polygram Records. Manufactured under license by RCA Music. 10 songs.
Tina Turner Private Dancer vinyl album. 1983. Capitol Records. Manufactured by RCA Music. I Might Have Been Queen. What's Love Got To Do With It. Show Some Respect. I Can't Stand The Rain. Better Be Good To Me. Let's Stay Together. 1984. Steel Claw. Private Dancer.
I'm not selling...lol
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
*Black History Month - Song of the Day* - Prodigy - My world is empty without you
DOWNLOAD: Prodigy - My world is empty without you
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Drake and English centerback Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United
Canadian rapper Drake was a recent visitor to one of the world’s perennial football club favorites Manchester United, as he took the opportunity to meet and greet with English centerback Rio Ferdinand. The two conversed over the parallels of each other’s business as entertainers as well as a mutual admiration for one another’s trade.
Follow @Iamindemand and join the conversation on Twitter Right Now!!!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
I listen to legends: Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins the legend.
He came up under the wing of greats like Thelonious Monk, who became his musical mentor and guru. Living in Sugar Hill in Harlem, his neighborhood musical peers included Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew and Art Taylor, but it was young Sonny who was first out of the pack, working and recording with Babs Gonzales, J.J. Johnson, Bud Powell and Miles Davis before he turned twenty. It's for this reason that I have a portrait of this legend in my bedroom. Know that this man still lives and mesmerizes crowds the world over with dizzying jazz improvisations and still composes.
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
He came up under the wing of greats like Thelonious Monk, who became his musical mentor and guru. Living in Sugar Hill in Harlem, his neighborhood musical peers included Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew and Art Taylor, but it was young Sonny who was first out of the pack, working and recording with Babs Gonzales, J.J. Johnson, Bud Powell and Miles Davis before he turned twenty. It's for this reason that I have a portrait of this legend in my bedroom. Know that this man still lives and mesmerizes crowds the world over with dizzying jazz improvisations and still composes.
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
What makes Album Cover Art cool to you?
I'm in the creative phase of designing something...
Not sure yet...
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
Not sure yet...
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Candombe is the beat of Africa and it becomes Mainstream in Uruguay
Uruguay's Candombe: is a drum-based musical style rooted in African rhythms, and it was recognised as a cultural heritage by UNESCO recently. It was imported and practiced by slaves originally as a form of resistance and it was a method of communication among the slaves in the face of dangers, it has developed into a national tradition in Uruguay (that has a black population of 5% of the masses) that has evolved through time.
My spanish isn't the greatest, but I understood the essence of the video above, more or less there are differences between what original Candombe is and what it's being represented as in mainstream Uruguay (Kinda like how real hip hop differs from what one would hear on the radio lol). Let those who are of African descent in this video teach you the essence of there rhythm. When they finally play together in the end; the synchronization is really dope.
Below: Mainstream Candombe in Uruguay.
English Video / Documentary
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
My spanish isn't the greatest, but I understood the essence of the video above, more or less there are differences between what original Candombe is and what it's being represented as in mainstream Uruguay (Kinda like how real hip hop differs from what one would hear on the radio lol). Let those who are of African descent in this video teach you the essence of there rhythm. When they finally play together in the end; the synchronization is really dope.
Below: Mainstream Candombe in Uruguay.
English Video / Documentary
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Fela Kuti - Music was his revolutionary weapon of choice (we all fight with our gifts)
F - FOR
E - EVER
L - LIVES
A - AFRICA
The leading creator of "Afro Soul" Fela Kuti...
Fela discovered the Black Power movement in his visits to America through Sandra Smith (now Izsadore)— a partisan of the Black Panther Party — which would heavily influence his music and political views and he would later return to Nigeria a changed man. He was returned to Nigeria when the Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that Fela and his band were in the U.S. without work permits.
After Fela and his band returned to Nigeria, the lyrical themes of his music changed from love to social issues. He then formed the Kalakuta Republic, a commune, a recording studio, and a home for many connected to the band that he later declared independent from the Nigerian state. I can't think of many musicians who've campaigned to create their own country, as Fela Kuti once did, to save his Lagos slum from Nigeria's despotic regime.
Fela set up a nightclub in the Empire Hotel named the Afro-Spot, and then called it the Afrika Shrine, where he performed regularly. Fela also changed his middle name to Anikulapo (meaning "he who carries death in his pouch"), stating that his original middle name of Ransome was a slave name.
The recordings continued, and the music became more politically motivated. Fela's music became very popular among the Nigerian public and Africans in general. In fact, he made the decision to sing in Pidgin English so that his music could be enjoyed by individuals all over Africa, where the local languages spoken are very diverse and numerous. As popular as Fela's music had become in Nigeria and elsewhere, it was also very unpopular with the ruling government of Nigeria. He was...a true revolutionary!
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
E - EVER
L - LIVES
A - AFRICA
The leading creator of "Afro Soul" Fela Kuti...
Fela discovered the Black Power movement in his visits to America through Sandra Smith (now Izsadore)— a partisan of the Black Panther Party — which would heavily influence his music and political views and he would later return to Nigeria a changed man. He was returned to Nigeria when the Immigration and Naturalization Service was tipped off by a promoter that Fela and his band were in the U.S. without work permits.
After Fela and his band returned to Nigeria, the lyrical themes of his music changed from love to social issues. He then formed the Kalakuta Republic, a commune, a recording studio, and a home for many connected to the band that he later declared independent from the Nigerian state. I can't think of many musicians who've campaigned to create their own country, as Fela Kuti once did, to save his Lagos slum from Nigeria's despotic regime.
Fela set up a nightclub in the Empire Hotel named the Afro-Spot, and then called it the Afrika Shrine, where he performed regularly. Fela also changed his middle name to Anikulapo (meaning "he who carries death in his pouch"), stating that his original middle name of Ransome was a slave name.
The recordings continued, and the music became more politically motivated. Fela's music became very popular among the Nigerian public and Africans in general. In fact, he made the decision to sing in Pidgin English so that his music could be enjoyed by individuals all over Africa, where the local languages spoken are very diverse and numerous. As popular as Fela's music had become in Nigeria and elsewhere, it was also very unpopular with the ruling government of Nigeria. He was...a true revolutionary!
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
The Timelessness of John Coltrane: playing "Alabama"
The John Coltrane Quartet
(John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones) in 1963
One of my favorite jazz pieces by John Coltrane called "Alabama" which when you hear it conveys the mood of the times in the Southern jurisdiction of America (you might remember this as the soundtrack for Spike Lee's movie Malcolm X) it moved me so much that I became a deep admirer of two horns men...John Coltrane and others like Sonny Rollins.
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
(John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones) in 1963
One of my favorite jazz pieces by John Coltrane called "Alabama" which when you hear it conveys the mood of the times in the Southern jurisdiction of America (you might remember this as the soundtrack for Spike Lee's movie Malcolm X) it moved me so much that I became a deep admirer of two horns men...John Coltrane and others like Sonny Rollins.
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Rai Music which hails from Algeria, Morocco (North Africa)
Ok, today I'm kinda flexing my knowledge in international forms of music that incorporate a deep seeded African rhythm mixed in with other forms...another style of music that's a favorite of mine is called Rai Music which hails from Algeria, Morocco (north Africa). You've gotta be well traveled in your mind and become a citizen of the world to have an appreciation of other styles of music, and it doesn't require a passport. Fly with me...
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Studio Session: Brother J starts recording for his RnB Mixtape (Coming Soon)
Prepping and setting up always takes about 10 minutes depending on whose recording that day, and today was no exception, standards and settings always need re-adjusting and a Mic-Check is usually how you start things off...
This is just a clip of some footage taken during one of our breaks; Jeromy Robinson (otherwise known as Brother J) was still singing his ass off lol and I thought heh why not show yall a clip of what it's like in my STUDIO WORLD! It's always jokes...
Follow @Iamindemand on Twitter Right Now!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
