In this ever changing world of music it is proving most necessary for independent artists and labels to recognize the importance of the village. The village, as I will use the term in this short blog, is the world’s growing community of independent artists and music enthusiasts inciting a musical revolution.
These mavericks or rebels, as some might characterize their fervor, are beating a new drum and clearing a path of liberality from the conventional and therefore mundane musical renderings most popular today. We all, together, hope for an artistic matrix free from bureaucratic control and laundered musical canvases.
As indie artists and labels we must resist the temptation to thumb our noses at the growing mediums of social networking. We must focus on their benefits and the incredible possibilities they afford us. I agree. They do present challenges for artists of all genres and disciplines which manifest in forms of piracy, etc. But I believe they are a necessary evil, and they undoubtedly provide the Indies with a glorious means to reach the masses at little to no cost.
Technology in all of its glory and power is not really the focus of this short treatise. Instead, I hope to draw our collective attention to a much more important ideal, leveraging our village. We can, with a little creativity, a bit of hard work, and a lot of focused and purposeful efforts serve the world in a most profound way. We can deliver, directly to the public, the music they want without the interference of a middle man.
I propose that we are neglecting our responsibility to serve humanity with quality and soul gripping music. Much of the neglect is as a result of our commitment to conventionality in our approach to the business of music. It has been done one way for so long we have grown to accept it is the “right” or only way.
We, Indies, have overlooked our greatest and most powerful advantage, the village. In our rush and clamor for the paradise of success we have been neglecting to recognize the thing we as Indies all have in common. We are doing it our way, on our own!
While that may inspire warm feelings of pride, while it may inspire goose bumps it does not serve our objective to sell records too well. One thing remains true. We need each other! Sadly, we have succumbed to the mistake of seeing the public as consumers instead of informed music lovers. Therefore, we have often chosen to pitch to people with which we have not taken the time to develop relationships.
We also have segregated ourselves as Indie artists and labels in the erroneous belief that there is some lack of abundance or of lovers of music willing to spend their hard earned cash on our musical renderings. The moment we adjust in our thinking we will see we hold awesome power in our hands. Our musical destinies do not have to be determined by marketing, promotional budgets, and radio airplay. There is no lack of abundance or opportunities. They are both immeasurable and without bounds.
When we decide to come together and embrace our wonderful and growing community of Indies and music enthusiasts we will create our pot of gold at the end of our multifaceted rainbow in the land of success. It means we should support one another by simply committing to encouraging one another, spreading the word about some new artist or band we’ve come to enjoy, and buy the records that move us. Every opportunity we reject or dismiss to support one of our own community (Indies) is a missed opportunity for us at some future moment. If we would make it our business to contribute to the creation of word-of-mouth epidemics we could all win.
Therefore, I encourage you; even dare you to step out of the lime-light to see the bigger picture of Indie music as the whole. Perhaps, then you will perceive this present opportunity to energize this swelling movement called Indie music. An investment in someone striking out on their journey of musical independence will be one with incalculable return.
To ensure I will not become a hypocrite of my own proposition, my own message, I, on behalf of Regality Records, have committed to donating some time to spread the word about seven Indie artists this week. I am then going to purchase at least one song I like and enjoy from the artists I select. I simply challenge you to do the same.
We can no longer neglect the power of the village. If we take up the cause I am proposing we will surely begin a movement that will have no end. It will only hold infinite upside leverage.
We are the POWER! The village is us!
For music’s sake,
Rashiid K. Coleman
President/CEO, Regality Records, LLC
My observations of the world’s systems and the machine of capitalism have led me to this personal mandate to make a difference. I intend to provide immeasurable value to as many people as I possibly can, and I will do this with as few discriminate factors as ethically and morally possible.
In most instances capitalism serves society by creating and sustaining viable means for the trades of goods. Commonly, the system is to play out in a way in which value precedes currency. However, this has been reordered, in recent times, into something quite unrecognizable.
I have come to notice, much to the world’s chagrin, that currency flows where there is very little true value and has trumped the natural order. This is the determinate factor that compels me to sound the alarm and call the world to arise from its slumber. This call is a call to stage a revolution!
There will be no need of gun or bayonet. There will be no need of grenade or missile. This revolution will be violent but it will not be served by aggression or ill will. It will serve as notice for change and the possibility of increased equal opportunities and access.
Its inception will be birthed out of a personal change of view, an alteration in our understanding of how to experience and attain the success we want and desire. It will require us to relinquish our perception of lack which breeds contempt for others in their pursuit of opportunity. It extinguishes the flames of tyrannical envy and jealousy. It silences the clamor of competition. We must simply give up our obsession with lack because the truth is… there is no lack!
Our presumption of lack is usually our conditioned response to our current blindness to or negligence of the stream of abundance all around us. The entire universe is framed upon the principle of abundance. All of nature provides the means necessary to satisfy the needs of the world and with those means the capacity to reproduce itself many times over.
So come one, come all. I am instituting a new network that will be driven by the commitments of like minded individuals. It will begin with my commitment to all of you first generation revolutionaries that will dare to follow my example and make a striking blow for change.
The network will be known as the “International Indies Success Network or the IISN.” There will be no monetary fee to be paid for membership. There will be no strange or exclusive creeds to be memorized and droned multiple times a day. The only requirement for membership in this network is a commitment to the success of others as you pursue your own idea of success.
My hope for creating this network is to empower others with a vast and powerful network of indie artists, labels, and entrepreneurs. I intend to level the playing field and remove the need of huge capital reserves to achieve the success we intend and desire.
So here are the brass tacks. I am committing to becoming a part of your marketing and promotions team. I will tell everyone I am in relationship with, advertising to , meeting daily, and all those I will come to know in the future about you and your contribution to the world. I will further your cause and I will joyfully serve your purposes free of charge.
I will do this by leveraging social networks, blogging, vlogging, and simple word-of-mouth networking. With every effort I make to advance my cause I will do the same for yours. Every set of eyes and ears that see or hear my content will see and hear yours as well. It’s that simple.
My only hope and expectation of you will be for you to become a part of the network and do the same for many others that I believe will join our efforts. This is truly a win-win scenario for all courageous enough to break away from the herd of capitalistic clones.
We are all great individually but think of the incredible power we will wield and command as we join our efforts with others committed to the same things. Our concerted efforts will achieve exponential results.
I encourage you to push past your cynicism, your fear and distrust. These are the dynamics that have been programmed into our psyches by society. These are the predispositions that have made it virtually impossible for change to occur.
My commitment to you is firmly rooted in my belief in your goodness, in my trust there is still virtue, and in my hope for the future. My commitment is not contingent upon your reciprocation specifically. I will have no real means of tracking your efforts for others and me. I simply understand that I will experience fulfillment from being true to what I am compelled to do and you will be the benefactor of that commitment.
The only qualifier or disclaimer I must include is that I cannot represent something that puts me in personal conflict. Therefore, I will not support efforts that are lewd or pornographic in nature. I will not support any effort that denigrates or attacks others. I will not support any efforts that intend to tear down society along racial or gender lines. Lastly, I will not support any political dogma. The product or service must be of the highest quality if I or others will be expected to support or endorse it.
If your product or service meets these minimal guidelines of quality and value you are the very person that will make this network great and sustainable. So if you’re an artist, a label, or an entrepreneur and you would like access to a growing network of potential clients, marketers, promoters, and friends, contact me and we’ll get this revolution underway. My info again is rashiidkcoleman@regalityrecords.com.
I look forward to hearing from you, and I am happy to begin a long and fruitful working relationship with you all.
Let the revolution begin!
Best regards,
Rashiid K. Coleman
President/CEO, Regality Records, LLC
www.regalityrecords.com
For decades radio airplay has been the mother ship for artist’s new albums or singles. It has served as the primary and most successful means of marketing musical products to the masses. Commercial radio has performed in constant and stellar fashion, weathering the fierce winds of many innovations, until now.
I would be hard pressed to present an honest, substantive, and relevant argument to refute the incredible benefit of assimilation into mainstream pop radio rotation. So I won’t waste your time with such a ridiculous attempt.
Instead, I hope to propose a less ridiculous concept, and I will attempt to liberate the minds of the masses from the tyranny of the either-or dichotomy that has consumed so many of our consciousnesses.
Being a music lover has led to a twisted, on-off, love-hate affair with commercial radio. Historically, one of the greatest benefits of top 40 radio has been the breaking of new artists and new music. This vehicle has served society, although not always well, by introducing the music we’ve come to know and sometimes love.
I’m still transported euphorically when I reminisce about the first time I heard a new Michael Jackson record over the airwaves on my favorite station. Or my head almost bounces involuntarily when I recall listening to Erik B and Rakim or KRS One. However, to my displeasure I still shudder as I replay some of the more contemporary artist’s music as it is played repeatedly on mainstream radio. It has led to my permanent break-up with commercial radio.
Nevertheless, I must get back to the task at hand. The question remains; do Indies need airplay to succeed? This is a most important question to address. While it may be a proverbial no brainer for the major labels it is not so simple for Indies that are often fiscally challenged.
With money, or the lack of it, often being the most pressing issue confronting small independent labels it is often unrealistic for the Indies to secure airplay. The music is often the last concern as it pertains to commercial radio programming. We often hear the artists and music that the majors have paid to have placed in regular rotation. Advertising dollars often control the musical climate of our post modern world.
Does this mean there is little hope for the Indies to reach the masses with their often innovative and appealing musical expressions? NO! Does this mean that every artist intending to go it on their own is doomed to musical obscurity? NO! Does this mean Indie labels will have to rob banks to garner the kind of financial power necessary to break into the commercial markets? NO!
With the continued quantum growth of technological evolutions the playing field is being leveled quite rapidly. Gone are the days when it is utterly necessary to spend millions of dollars on commercial advertising, billboard campaigns, TV promotional spots, etc… I say hit the road jack!
If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and do some work you can achieve the success you envision. It will not be as easy as hiring the best pitch firm in New York but it is possible to do it yourself. The first thing you’ll want to do is a little introspection. You will have to challenge your current and historical belief systems regarding the conventional approaches to reaching a broad market.
Understand you don’t have to do it the way the majors have done it since commercial radio was corporatized and nationalized. The first thing you may want to explore is the use of local or college radio. It is a growing phenomenon. Dependent upon your geographical location you may have a university in your area that has a radio program. Get in touch with them to discover what format they use, what kind of music, if any, they play regularly, and ask if they’d be willing to add your music to their playlists.
The next step you may want to explore is internet radio. There are a number of options available to you as an independent artist. There are new stations arising regularly. There are even broadcasts dedicated to breaking new or undiscovered artists. Do your homework and find a broadcast that best suits your musical expression. I came across a broadcaster that has provided extraordinary value to my label. You can check out Jango.com. They even offer tracking tools for the songs you place with them.
However, there is no replacement for the access provided through social networking sites. Although the big three are Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube, there are dozens of other viable networks available to you. I will not lie to you. This approach will take a lot of time and effort in the beginning but the initial investment of time and energy has the greatest return on investment that I’ve known.
The most recent statistics for registered users on social networks’ big three are compelling evidence for why you should consider using the social networks as part of your approach. For instance, Facebook currently has approximately 350,000,000 registered users. Are you aware of what it would cost you to attempt to reach that many people via a conventional marketing campaign? Do you have enough zeros in your bank account?
At present MySpace has approximately 271,000,000 registered users and you can actually set up a playlist to demo your songs on your home page in your profile. You can set up a store in your account to sell your records directly to those you befriend. You can target your market directly by accessing friend’s lists of artist with a similar musical styling as your own. No marketer, worth a grain of salt, would allow you to pass on such an opportunity. Get in there and start showing yourself friendly.
According to the statistics I could find in my research over 8 billion videos have been viewed by over 120,000,000 viewers. These numbers were recorded in August, 2009. The common consensus about YouTube is that it is “the” advertising medium of this era. If you chose to focus on this format and made interestingly unusual videos you could gain access to millions and leverage what is known as viral marketing. There are a growing number of people meeting with unexplainable success utilizing YouTube.
These are only three of the major social networks available for your use. The numbers are staggering and they don’t lie. Some of the others out there are: LinkedIn,Bebo, Friendster, StumbledUpon and the list goes on and on.
The key to your success rests in your commitment to creating content. The content can be in the form of written blogs or articles, videos or vlogs, or songs on your page(s). The more value you create and offer to the world of social networking the more opportunities will open to you. Get used to the idea of sharing your successes and how you accomplished those successes at no cost to the public.
Please be clear on this point as you cannot expect to get something for nothing. Money and abundance only follows value. Commit to creating and offering value and you will realize uncommon success. It is advisable to post new content weekly. This will keep your internet presence fresh and alluring, and this will allow you to become known as an expert or authority in your niche.
If you are diligent to leverage the mediums identified in this brief article you can experience success that will surpass your imaginations. There is a huge world out there and they’re waiting to hear from you, to support you, and to help you get where it is you desire to go.
You do not need radio airplay to succeed. With a little creativity, grit, and unshakable resolve you could reach the world and incite a revolution the likes the world has never seen before.
So get to it! There are no limits but those you create. I wish you well and look forward to your contributions to the world’s community.
For music’s sake,
Rashiid K. Coleman
President/CEO, Regality Records, LLC
We’re celebrating at Regality Records, LLC, the Philadelphia based Indie label. This is our official re-launch after a year of highs and lows in success.
In February, 2008 we embarked upon our journey to make our mark and carve out a space in the ever-changing landscape of the music business. Being an artist, this was a huge leap of faith that has proven to be as challenging as initially presumed.
Although the road we still travel is the road we chose it has led to feelings of helplessness, desperation, confusion, isolation, and that feeling in the gut that questions if the choice made was the right choice.
Herein rests the inspiration for this and other articles/blogs to come. I feel a sense of responsibility to share, some of what I have learned, with others considering their own leap as well as the many other daring souls well on their journeys of musical independence.
You may be quite well aware of the state of music today, and you may be aware of the complexion of the music industry. While the two are interdependent and difficult to distinguish one from the other, they are truly animals of very different colors. Music, in and of itself, is beautiful, expressive, and universally transformative. It can uplift, excite, and persuade the most emotionally impotent and austere of us. Music can build, unite, translate, and galvanize across cultures and beliefs. When created and presented, in purity, music is a wonder.
However, we have been assaulted and overwhelmed by the mammoth major labels who have exhibited a certain recklessness and blatant disregard for “real music.” Label executives have become nothing more than musical pimps and pushers saturating the airwaves with their musical crack, and we all know the dire consequences related to that stuff. The motivation is obvious, MONEY!
It would be unrealistic and sorely unfair to minimize the role that money plays in music and our world on the whole. Nevertheless, the majors seem to have unwisely placed the cart before the horse on this point. Money is a great servant to all things but a horrible, tyrannical master. I believe this to be exceptionally true regarding music and the business of music.
The influence of the majors has notably transformed the palates and expectations of the listening public. Much of what is heard via radio and on video television is watered-down lending to its short cycle in contemporary society. In the interest of turning out hits they have neglected to create and offer “classic music.” It is now a rarity to be transported by the music we hear, the music we’re being offered by these so-called experts.
The industry has a wealth of great performers but I don’t know if we could call the majority of them talented. There is no stretch in noting how poorly today’s artists sing and sound in live performances. Certainly in contrast to the icons of yesterday, today’s talents are easily eclipsed. Too many contemporary artists rely upon technologies such as Antares’ Autotune and other pitch correction devices or software to make their voices satisfactory for pressing and distribution.
One would think that the shrinking market share in music sales would incentivize a drastic and immediate change. Unfortunately, it appears their commitments will remain the same. I suspect, due to their cushions of vast financial resources, their need to recoup losses, and their ability to control or influence radio and television programmers, they intend to maintain the guiding interests in the future of the music business.
In spite of it all, now is the time, for all considering launching their indie label, to make their move to stake their claims. There has not been another time, in the history of the world that favors the little guy as this window at hand. I will even stretch out on a limb to say the greater advantages rest with the Indies.
With a well thought out plan, a clear mission, an iron will, a commitment to learn, and a focus on creating timeless music you could excel the future success of the long standing Goliath’s of the music business. Resist the temptation to follow the patterns cut by the majors, believing you must do it their way because it is what has been done. Keep overhead low, value high, and endeavor to create classic music to be treasured for all time.
A key will be to capitalize on the growing popularity of new technologies, soon to innovatively destroy the need and use of the conventional mediums of CD’s, traditional radio, and televised video airplay. Get ahead of the wave and educate yourself to take full advantage of free marketing opportunities through social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube. As Jay Abraham, the marketing genius, would instruct, utilize the force multiplier effect by leveraging all of the big three I just mentioned. Find ways to use them together or in support of the others. Look towards internet radio for airplay and plan to reach satellite radio in your long term goals, if at all. Don’t compete with the majors! Charge forward, following your own design, creating your own opportunities, leveraging these tools that will serve you well for years to come.
Your major investment should be your label’s website. This can and perhaps, should serve as your gateway to the world. You could discover that your target market will exceed your own calculations and expectations. There is a growing demographic change occurring in music lovers and the lines are being erased between cultures, ethnicities, and belief systems.
So broaden your horizons, defy your own limitations, silence your own negative self-talk, and follow your dream.
To be or not to be is not the question. The real question is will you or will you not? I dare you to answer it. If you will, then without excuse, get busy. If you will not, then keep doing what you’ve been doing but stop complaining about and criticizing those that are making a contribution to the world’s society.
For music’s sake,
Rashiid K. Coleman
President/CEO, Regality Records, LLC
A little over a year ago I undertook the incredible task of launching an independent record label. It was the obvious choice to make after more than a decade in music. All of the indicators pointed to the engagement of this new and challenging prospect.
My production team, along with our phenomenally gifted artist worked diligently for months to complete Darius Coleman’s freshman release, I’m In Love With You. It met great reviews. No one having heard the project was disappointed. Our test market was diverse and organic. In spite of the broad net cast the feedback was consistent regarding the album. People loved it and shared their gratitude for an entire album of good music.
Given all of the great feedback, the consistency of mass applause, the warm and favorable response from live audiences, and the growing interest in the project we were beginning to experience unspeakable frustration. The frustration escalated as the uncertainty about the label’s future became a growing concern.
While we were achieving mild success, local and abroad, we were most aware of the underachievement of the project. Sales and access to the masses were far below initial projections. The buzz was not growing about our new, young artist and negative emotions were increasingly more difficult to manage.
The feelings experienced were a result of our having been diligent in our efforts to create a word of mouth epidemic about the album only to realize disappointment and dreams unfulfilled. We were hopeful to push the album to what Malcolm Gladwell would describe as its “tipping point.” The tipping point, according to Gladwell, is the point at which something goes viral and reaches epidemic proportions.
Unfortunately, we didn’t perceive the epidemic we’d expected or desired. There seemed to be something mysterious at work against us. The innovation we intended to deliver to the world was not progressing as rapidly as we deemed necessary. All of this was added with the microscopic operational budget with which we were challenged. It was undoubtedly more difficult without being resource rich.
I was given to much private thought about the misfortune of our fledgling label. I became almost obsessive about advancing and building it. It was then I was smitten with a most beautiful epiphany. I was unintentionally overlooking a most important factor in the process of all things, gestation.
Upon realizing this critical oversight I was provided a means of relief. I hadn’t once considered there would have to be an unavoidable lapse of time in the process of evoking attention to the project and our new artist. This oversight was costly in the sense of emotional energy expended and prematurely utilizing precious resources.
Just as when a woman is impregnated, she would not unwisely expect a baby to be born immediately. She would understand that there is a most necessary period of time that must pass before a vital and healthy life is brought into the world. She would not experience anxiety about the developmental processes occurring in her womb simply because she cannot monitor every aspect of those processes. She would trust that the life within is well and growing at the rate possible and healthy for the unborn child.
The mother would grow in her awareness of her responsibility to this life, and she would certainly commit to living as healthfully as she could to ensure the well being of the child. She would inevitably eat not only to satisfy her cravings or desires but she would eat considering the life of the child as well.
It is no different for your child of purpose, your business, or invention. You must remember to account for the gestation of your endeavor. You may want to continue to do the things you know or deem necessary for the launching and expansion of your endeavor but you will not serve it well if you do not respect its need for a time of development.
You may want to consider the possibility that the lapse being experienced may be in the best interest of the future of your innovation, or music, or book, etc. The gestation period is the essential time of development of all the systems necessary to support the life once it is delivered. It allows the necessary time for the life to make ready to sustain itself in the real world.
This is also true of your endeavor. It would be best served by the time spent in unseen obscurity. It can develop without the threat of misrepresentation, the unavoidable eyes of criticism, and the changing world into which it will enter. Use this time to your advantage, and embrace the glorious opportunity to adequately address those things that may need some work.
This could be a period of personal adjustment and discovery. I have been able to learn so much in this gestational period in the life of Regality Records. It is still in its start-up phase, in its initial trimester, if you will. However, I am growing and have been able to reposition my thinking on many things. I no longer rehearse what I perceive is missing in our operational budget. I simply look for the means or the ways we can afford to expand the business.
In this ever advancing dispensation of technology I have learned that you have little need for multi-million dollar marketing campaigns. With a computer and the allocation of some focused time you could leverage the technology to access the world. You could quite literally launch an international marketing and promotional campaign globally from your primary location for little to no money. I definitely intend to share more about the nuts and bolts of doing so in future blogs.
So don’t despise your small beginnings. Enjoy this part of your wonderful journey. Allow your dream to breathe, and grow, and develop beyond your current scope. You will do well to recalibrate and understand that when the conditions are right for you and your endeavor to flourish you will have all that you’ve foreseen.
Remain diligent, sober, courageous, committed and you too will have a story of success.
For music’s sake,
Rashiid K. Coleman
President/CEO, Regality Records, LLC
I am no rocket scientist but it doesn’t require incredible intellect to identify and understand the current devolution of the recorded music industry. The reasons and influences are many; too many to number and adequately address in this brief writing.
I have mixed emotions about this downturn. On the one hand, I am disappointed and concerned because the lack luster performance of records sales negatively impacts one of the things I love and care about the most, music. On the other hand, I am excited and encouraged by the vast array of possibilities this creates for the free expressions of many undiscovered, hard-to-position artists and musicians.
The industry molds are being tested and broken under the strains of the disappearance of music retail outlets, the concentration of retail distribution in mass retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, the transition to digitally downloadable music content, and last, but not least, rising piracy. The majors are reeling from the devastating blow of these destructive innovations.
For Indie labels and independent artists this is cause for elation. While this slow down is proving catastrophic to the major labels, on many levels, it evidences an incredible opportunity.
While everyone loves the prospect of increased opportunity and certainly those associated with the things we are most passionate about, there are some things that must be considered. It has been said that before one would build a tower, they should first sit down to count the costs to be sure they have sufficient to finish. There is nothing more embarrassing and deflating than the bad press resulting from a miscalculated failure.
Therefore, I intend to share a few important things I’ve learned in releasing an album and breaking a new artist independently. I want to help you count the costs before you take the plunge.
1. CREATE AND UNDERSTAND YOUR MAP: Many would-be label start-ups aimlessly take shots in the dark. It is best to know your destination before you begin your journey. Many artists make a common mistake by approaching the business of music artistically. The context of the business is totally different from that of the art and it must be approached in harmony with that truth. You should be clear about whom your audience is, your target market. You should know how you would reach them. You should consider approximately how long it would take to reach them. You may want to consider what mediums are best suited for your audience. This may determine if you need to have CD’s pressed and packaged or not. While physical units still account for 80-85 percent of music sales this may have little or no bearing on you reaching your audience. There are many companies going to an all digitally downloadable content format. Be sure to identify your budgetary needs before you do anything. There is nothing more frustrating than discovering, because of poor planning, that you don’t have the capital necessary to reach your goal. Knowing your intended end before you begin will, in many ways, provide you the clarity necessary in knowing all of the tangible and intangible resources necessary to embark on your journey of musical independence. Be true to the map you create. So many failed attempts are the direct results of commitments to follow the paths, designs, and patterns of others. Everything that has worked for others may not work for you, and everything that hasn’t worked for others may work for you. Go in with the full awareness you will have pit stops along the way where you will have to refresh, refuel, and rest. These short stops should not be misinterpreted as failures. Instead, you can see them as necessary points on your map.
2. MAJOR IN THE MAJORS NOT IN THE MINORS: This may seem like an insult to include such a basic concept but this is often a concept that meets mutilation in real time. We are often inclined to focus on and deal with matters that prove to be of little consequence to the big picture in our endeavors. Therefore, be sure to focus upon excellence. Create and provide excellent musical products. Resist the temptation to spend your entire budget on the artist’s photos, flashy, artistic CD inserts, huge billboard ads, and outrageous release parties only to offer mediocre music. Make sure the albums you release have more than one or two great songs and the rest mere fillers or B records. Major in the music first! Then partner the excellent music that moves your listeners with sharp and professional images and packaging. Great music is much easier to market than the other stuff. Take a note from the majors. They spend millions to release singles, then doubles, because the albums only consist of one or two good songs and wonder why sales are at an all-time low. You can have great success if you major in the majors.
3. EDUCATE YOURSELF: I don’t know where the saying, “ignorance is bliss”, originated but be sure ignorance is not bliss. There is nothing as destructive and limiting than ignorance. You must commit to a journey of learning. The keys to your success or failure will rest in your desire and ability to acquire new and helpful information. T. Harv Eker teaches that failure is evidence there is still something we don’t know about the thing in which we’re engaged. If you intend to thrive in this densely populated sea of artists and labels you will have to establish a habit of learning. Research blogs and articles pertaining to the music industry, and read books on marketing and promotions. Look at the practices of others to perfect your approach. Some wheels don’t need to be reinvented. I am a consummate student and in my own studies I’ve discovered some powerful tools. These tools literally level the playing field and expand opportunities and possibilities exponentially. The complexion of my entire marketing scheme changed upon learning of the power of the Internet, social networks, video share sites, and blog and article post sites. You can now reach an international audience of millions for little to no money. If you don’t have a website, get one! If you have a site refine your keywords, Meta descriptions, and title lines to make your web presence more powerful. If your site is not optimized then the search engines will group you in with the undistinguishable and therefore, unknowns. Allow your site to work in concert with substantive and valuable content and you will unlock vast possibilities. It has been said, “knowledge is power” and knowledge is power over ignorance. So educate yourself and you can have extraordinary power.
4. STABILIZE YOUR HOUSE: This may seem totally misplaced or a little unnecessary but you’ll understand in a moment. There is no speed bump more jarring, painful, and arresting on the road to success than coming to realize the weaknesses in your own house. You must be sure to qualify the players on your team. This is not meant to make you suspicious of your team or partner(s). However, it is often a critical and costly mistake to overlook the lack of passion or commitment in your inner circle. You must be sure that everyone making the trek understands the degree of sacrifice and persistence necessary to reach the destination. You may have great passion and desire but be assured you cannot have enough for an entire team or organization. Synergy is invaluable to a new business, team, or organization of any sort and it seems all the more true of artistic business undertakings. Be sure to clarify, with your team, the underlying motivations for everyone’s interest and participation. Also discuss the timelines to which everyone is adhering. You may find when the timelines are different the interests and energies grow light years apart. You may not find any malice present in this disparity but it will have the same ill effect on the outcomes you’ve carefully planned and intended. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” It would be wise to have open candid discussion regarding the expectations of all involved around compensation, royalties, and fees. This inevitably draws variable lines in the sand. If you can find people with like minds, who can appreciate the journey and process as much as the destination and profits, treasure it more than the spoils of your success. If you can all speak the same language there will be nothing impossible to you.
5. BE A DOER: You could be a veritable genius, know all there is to know about a subject or task, and still do nothing of significance or importance. Some people talk a great game only to crumble in the heat of engagement. Don’t be known as someone who spends his or her entire life on the drawing board. After you’ve created your map, identified the majors you should focus on, increased your knowledge base, and stabilized your house, DO SOMETHING! You will find no one is impressed with your intentions. You will not be remembered for what you say you will do. There is no award for having a dream. Everyone has one. We are to be remembered for the things we do, the people we inspire with our living, the lives we edify through our contributions to the world. So create great and timeless music and partner your great products with ingenious and innovative business practices and leave the world a better place for having been here. Blaze trails and allow the bodies of your works serve as monuments to your achievement.
For music’s sake,
Rashiid K. Coleman
President/CEO, Regality Records, LLC
www.regalityrecords.com
Have you heard the black male is becoming an endangered species? Do you believe that most young black men are criminal, irresponsible, uneducated, menaces to society? If so, I want to introduce you to a young man that may help change your mind.
Darius Coleman, a young African-American male, born in Philadelphia, PA is a 20 yrs. old beacon of hope. After graduating from the Philadelphia high school for the Creative and Performing Arts Darius was all set to head west to attend college majoring in fashion design. He had completed his preparation for this transition and, along with his parents, was about to secure housing in California where he would begin his collegiate journey.
As he was preparing for the transition into this next, all important, phase of his life he realized an overwhelming sense that there was something else competing for his attention. There was an almost subliminal awareness he was overlooking something critical in the planning of his future.
With further introspection he discovered he was ignoring his life-long dream of bringing joy to people through music. There was a growing sense he was neglecting a great part of himself in the pursuit of a safer, more secure future.
It was because of this epiphany he began discussions with his parents about this most unconventional decision to defer his plans for college to pursue this dream and remain true to what he believed was his destiny.
Upon the finalization of his decision to forego further formal education Darius became the newest artist with an independent record label based in Philadelphia, PA, Regality Records, LLC. His freshman release, I’m In Love With You, was completed within 5 months of his decision and the next chapter of his life began.
He says he wanted to create a work that would inspire, uplift, provoke listeners to love, and challenge social consciousness. In this post-911 world we live in it is refreshing to hear a young man speak of such important and powerful matters. Social analysts, scientists, and politicians would have us believe that the youth of this era are incorrigible, disrespectful, lacking compassion, violent, insolent, sexually deviant, and the reasons for the ills of society. They have been labeled Generation X.
Darius Coleman is evidence that all is not lost. There is hope for the future! I believe he represents a growing number of young men that intend to make a difference in the world, to build instead of tear down, to empower instead of victimize. I believe if we simply offer our support and encouragement for youth such as Darius it will serve as a sign of our commitment to the world’s future.
His music has reached audiences as far as Africa, Sweden, Japan, Australia, and the UK. The response has been favorable and all who have heard his music have come to know his passion for life and humanity. You can find out more about this young man at www.regalityrecords.com. Join him in his efforts to revolutionize the world one person at a time.