MS Banner
Music Specialist Speaks
Greetings! 

The main theme of this issue is the major change in thinking that Internet technology brings to the entertainment industry.  A new era in marketing, promoting and selling entertainment in ALL of its different facades has begun.

The Internet now allows worldwide recruiting of talent, fans and customers.  Why not take advantage of it?

 

I appreciate any and all comments, questions, articles or information you want to share from your part of the world.  I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

Allen Johnston
The Music Specialist
3058299010

 

INTERNATIONAL SOUL MUSIC SUMMIT

2011 banner

THIS CONFERENCE IS ONLY FOR THE SERIOUS BUSINESS MINDED ENTERTAINMENT PROFESSIONAL.

 

WILL YOU BE THERE?


REGISTER HERE

 

Bluzapalooza  

BLUZAPALOOZA

SHIPPING OUT TO GUANTANAMO BAY CUBA 

       September 2nd to September 5th

 

On September 2nd, the world famous BLUZAPALOOZA celebrity concert tour will be making Blues history again when it ships out to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to entertain our troops.

 

Starring BLUZAPALOOZA veteren Billy Gibson, the "Prince of Beale Street", this amazing Blues concert tour will be another historic event for the Blues.

 

"It is an honor to be able to bring the Blues to our men and woman in uniform.......men and woman who have made so many sacrifices to keep us safe at home.  We will be giving them a show that they will never forget and that will remind them how much they are loved and prayed for by all of us," said BLUZAPALOOZA co-founder and co-producer Steve Simon.

 

"We are so proud of Billy Gibson and the all-star Memphis Blues revue that he is bringing to Guantanamo to entertain our troops," stated John Hahn, co-founder and co-producer of BLUZAPALOOZA.

 

BLUZAPALOOZA is sponsored by Armed Forces Entertainment, Telarc Records, Alligator Records, NorthernBlues Records, Yellow Dog Records, Ruf Records, XM Sirius Radio's Bluesville, Blues Revue and Steve & Jeff Simon Presents.

 

For additional information contact Steve Simon at stevesimonlive@yahoo.com

   


 

    Music X Ray
          

Need hit songs for my current projects, listed in the header of this post.

 

 

Good quality original tracks. Catchy un-obvious hooks.

Click here to learn more about this opportunity. .




 

 

 

 

We are looking for Light/Medium Tension & Feel Good music for a series on Oprah's "OWN" network. Cues should be instrumental- approximately 1:30 in length and will be featured on a show titled Enough Already. A hoarding-type show that focuses on helping people create clutter-free lives. We are looking for emotional tension music to help convey the severity and struggles of this process. Uplifting feel good cues are also needed for big reveal movements. This is an exclusive deal and you can't be signed to a label or publisher.

  Click here to learn more about this opportunity


Interscope Records Home of Eminem, Lady Gaga, B.O.B, Jessie J is looking for new music in the rock, pop, hip hop, and dance genres. All submissions must be recorded properly to be considered.

  Click here to learn more about this opportunity.  





2011 Americana Logo The 12th Annual Americana Music Festival and Conference presented by Nissan will celebrate the genre's ever-growing recognition and acclaim October 12 -15, 2011 in Nashville, TN.  In an explosion of talent, iconic artists will take the stage alongside the scene's hippest up-and-comers for four days and nights of praiseworthy performances and surprise guest appearances.
 
Robert Plant
Robert Plant

Confirmed to attend "Americanafest" so far include Gregg Allman, Robert Plant and the Band of Joy, Justin Townes Earle, the Jayhawks, North Mississippi Allstars, Foster and Lloyd, and The Civil Wars and hundreds of key members of the music community.

Buddy Miller
Buddy Miller
The Honors & Awards will be celebrating ten years and once again we guarantee a show that will knock your socks off. Jim Lauderdale will continue his tenure as master of ceremonies, joined for another year by Buddy Miller and his All-Star house band. Over 2,000 artists, music lovers and industry executives attend the annual show, which is broadcast internationally through multiple outlets.
Jim Lauderdale
Jim Lauderdale


Registration is online at  americanamusic.org. 

 

 


 

 

I Don't Answer The Phone For Rappers...


Rappers are lame.  Yes, I'm sorry to say this.  But if you are a just a rapper, most likely you are lame to the following people:

  • DJ's
  • Major Label Artist Managers
  • Music Industry Executives
  • Producers (that have Billboard charting songs)
  • Bloggers
  • Major Label Artists
  • Club Owners
  • Promoters

Yeah, I think that about does it.  There may be a couple of titles that I left off the list, but you get the picture.  As far as they are concerned, you are signed to NO BUDGET RECORDS.  Kind of sucks huh?  All the people you think you need to make it really don't want to hear from you.  As a matter of fact, they don't read your emails, ignore your tweets, and hate it when you post your content on their facebook page.  Personally, I think you should go another route.  Take the road less traveled, and go after the people who matter.  The people who like your emails, retweet your tweets, and comment when you post musical content on your facebook page.  There's beauty in numbers.  No matter how big or small your fan base is, you should focus on them.  If you focus on the people who like you versus those that aren't interested, you'll come out a winner. 

Moral of this post, don't be a lame rapper, be a cool artist. 

~TRC
 

VISIT THAT RETAIL CHIC HERE  

She Sumthin' Like A Supawoman
JString Presents...
JString Presents... "She Sumthin' Like A Supawoman (Official Video Mix)"

WORLD PREMIERE


 

MusicDish China logo


Formed in 1999, the Taiwan indie band Tizzy Bac has gained lots of attention for their unique music style. The three young and ambitious music lovers decided to start their "piano rock" style despite the fact that guitarists were ruling the indie scene at the time.

             Eric De Fontenay  

 

Fast forward to 2011 and Tizzy Bac recently returned from performing at the SXSW festival in the US. SXSW was a great experience for Tizzy Bac as they met and mixed it up with indie bands from various countries and backgrounds. But it merely whet their appetite for something even bigger in the future - their first US tour, calling the possibility "a unique and precious opportunity."

 

READ MUSICDISH HERE  

Tune Promoters

Tune Promoters vertical

If you've ever tried writing a song or lyrics...

 

If you've got lots of experience or absolutely none at all...

 

If you've got raw music talent but are UNDISCOVERED -     This is for you here


Now... get your songs, videos or lyrics to Industry Executives - GUARANTEED - Do It here

 

These insiders have agreed to accept submissions in special Private In-Boxes. They are looking for new material and untapped talent.

 

Get your music in front of the "right people"

Details now -click here -


 

Spotify Has Arrived in the USA

Spotify has landed in the U.S.
Spotify has landed in the U.S.

THE BEST MUSIC FREE


 

MAIL BAG
Your featured article sounds real familiar. I hope all is well my friend. 

 

 Mark Boyd
Pinnacle Marketing & Promotion, Inc.
305-965-6533 (o)
310-871-9509 (c)
Pinnaclepromo@gmail.com
Markboydla@aol.com

 

 

Thanks for featuring PALE's video on Mogo.

 

Eric de Fontenay

http://musicdish.com/

 

 

I think we all need to rethink how education could change the game. If only the artist were interested....

 

Professor of Law and Music Business.

Alabama State University

 

 

Loved the "Don't Drink the Kool-Aid" article so much, I had to tweet to my Brand Your Music followers. It's good to see that the SUMC was a success..........

 

Thanks,

Saqqara M. Grant

Music Branding Strategist

"Brand Your Music" 

 


 

 

 

The Music Specialist
P.O.Box 310540
ATLANTA, Georgia 31131
3058299010

 

In This Issue
INTERNATIONAL SOUL MUSIC SUMMIT
BLUZAPALOOZA
MUSIC XRAY
AMERICANA
THAT RETAIL CHIC
J STRING
MUSICDISH CHINA
TUNE PROMOTERS
SPOTIFY
Featured Article
RESPONSE
FAITH SWIFT
BUSINESS HAS CHANGED
          
RED LOGO
Music Specialist

 

My best friend and I speak just about everyday, one of the subjects that has surfaced in the past few days is people wanting to get paid to divulge information, music or film that they may have on any given subject.  This is the classic "The game is to be sold not told" strategy and millions are saying that I need to get paid before I can share with anyone else.

 

I believe that this idea is antiquated, and the continued adoption of it will destroy your business.

 

Almost everyone reading this article was trained to believe that you make an entertainment product, look for a major company to sell it to, allowing that company to own your masters, publishing, copyrights, artwork, etc.  These companies give you an advance then market & promote (charging you) collect all sales and have a portion of all performances, merchandising, endorsements and anything else associated with the project.  One company owns many products, and tells the public how they can access and utilize these products.

 

Today I am telling you that this business model has changed entirely.

 

People are interacting with one another at an alarming rate, passing information, audio, video and business files around without any funds being transferred globally.  The ability to reach your customer directly is causing a new business model and governments plus private industry are adapting rapidly while many in the public sector continue the 1980's practices. 

 

Russia is now scanning, cataloguing and placing ALL of the books found in their library system online.  This is not only Russian literature, but English, French, German and more.  Africa, India, China and other third world countries within a few years will have major penetration on the World Wide Web allowing access to their collective banks of information and knowledge.  Effectively this will mean that the world's knowledge will be OPEN to anyone that has an Internet connection for FREE.

 

We once knew that you had to have a distributor to sell your products.  We put up with paying distributors to ship, house, and even communicate with our companies.  We signed contracts with distributors allowing them to make advance money from our projects if they became a hit and were "picked up" by major labels.  This was what we accepted and allowed as normal business operation.

 

The world's largest distributor of audio & video projects today is FACEBOOK.

 

In years past creativity was extraordinary, each individual writer, musician, singer, dancer, film maker, painter, designer and more worked on their craft and fashioned their distinctive individual style. A few collaborations were developed but for the majority of the entertainment products these collaborations were small (2-3person) units.

 

The majority of today's creativity comes from the ability to hear, see and read ideas from other people globally.  We originally called it "sampling" or "biting" but now it is the way of education world wide. Most of what I write about comes from ideas already circulating on the web.  Being an avid reader I am in tune with many different people from different countries all speaking the same inferences.   We have become "people of the screen" and millions of followers are looking at their screens daily.  In todays market if you do not have a website, can be Googled and have a positive social media score than you are not to be trusted or to do business with.  This is not my call, but the direction that society has taken.  If you see a person online with negative Google comments concerning their business or service, with no visible web presence or with dislikes (thumbs down) on their Facebook account you leave them alone.  The public has the power to make or unmake anyone just on the "thumbs up" rule.

 

The concept of Piracy has now changed into a new concept called Motivation meeting Opportunity.  If I have a copy of your movie and you decide that only the people that pay you should see it, then I now have an audience (MOTIVATION) that wants your product and since I have it available (OPPORTUNITY) I can send it to them for FREE.  A few readers just got mad, but this is file sharing at its lowest level and millions of people are doing it daily.  There is now an entire generation of teens and young adults that will always believe the Internet is the source of FREE information, video and music.

 

For years the idea of copyrights has bothered me, I know that it is an archaic regulation. I have only seen it work when you have money and power to use it.    I have watched the major labels, publishers, performing rights organizations and other groups make BILLIONS of dollars, Euros, yen, pounds, marks or whatever your countries currency is called based on copyright infringement regulations. Very few original songwriters or original publishers make a portion of the huge profit being generated by copyrights.  The Internet is changing the entire structure of copyright law worldwide, causing problems and many different fixes.

 

The new school of thought expands of the concept of "User Licenses" instead of mandatory copyright rules that the public ignores.  A user license is an agreement between the purchaser and the licensor for the right to use the product.  This makes so much more sense when dealing with the Internet and the download and uploading of files.  In particular the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) is becoming more and more popular among originators of entertainment products worldwide.

 

Today's business needs open communication between users for the flow of information to travel while the concept of keeping the information until you get paid is DEAD.  Many of you will continue to think in this antiquated way, as for me I'm opening up my business to interested people for FREE.  My open hand will receive more than your closed fist everyday.  I never said that I won't get paid, but I won't wait to exchange information, files and business acumen on a perceived payday.

 

Join Our Mailing List
MY ARTICLE "DON'T DRINK THE KOOL AID" BROUGHT SEVERAL DIFFERENT RESPONSES.  HERE IS ONE I FOUND ESPECIALLY INTERESTING.

         
J STRING
JAMES STRING

Daffy huh?

 

The problem is that people don't get it.  They don't know which way is up.  Here is a different story...

 

A beautiful woman walked in the awards night conference.  She seemed lost and was looking around.  I remembered her from her picture.  It was obvious that no one had met her at the door.  This was a huge mistake in my book.  So I rushed over... "Ms. Das... can I help you?"  She had no idea who I was or how I knew her. 

She smiled said "Thank you...I am looking for Allen..." 

I looked around the patio area with a quick head turn to the left and the right.  Allen was no where to be found.

I said..."Ms. Dias... It is hot out here.  Why don't I find you a seat on the inside in the air and I will find him for you..." 

She looked appreciative and relieved.  I also thanked her for her contribution to the industry that we love.  We walked on the inside and then asked her which table would be okay for her.  Once seated I went to get her a glass of water, She asked for a pen and paper... I also found that.  Just then I saw Allen and stopped him in mid-stride... Even though he was in the middle of something important, he changed direction to go shake hands with Ms. Das.  Never once did I get the impression that Ms. Das was anything more than grateful to have been met, put into a comfortable position, water and pen and paper.  I never gave her my name... It was not as important as the event that she was being honored or even worse what could have happened if she wasn't taken care of.  

 

Executives like Ms. Das, Mr. Burke, Mr. Johnston, and Mr. Baraka... have had their day to get paper, pens, and water bottles.  You don't do it because you want to kiss their ass.  You do it because... it ain't that freaking hard to do...   You do it because it is the right thing to do...  You do it because you have the opportunity to serve...  

 

Just the previous day Mr. Allen was not feeling well and needed to drink water.  Well I walked across the street and got him like 4 -16 ounce bottles of water.  When I brought them to him, he pulled out a big ass cup with a lid and said "I will drink all that"... He also had that look of appreciation on his face... Again not cause I wanted to kiss ass... It was an opportunity to serve...

 

I wasn't the only person who had an idea about service.  There was an intern who saw there was a need to serve the conference goers. He took it upon himself to be the F&B server for our event.  He took orders, payment, delivered drinks and food.  He didn't have to do this.  He didn't get paid.  But the Park Tavern did not provide this service for us.  But he knew it needed to be done.  So all night he hustled back and forth, from the air to the heat and back again.  He bust his ass so that one of the ladies that I invited had her favorite wine, and she didn't have to move. 

 

As I look to develop my team... I will look at this young man, who happens to be in grad school...

 

Ms. Daffy could have handled this situation entirely different.  Since the group had not sold one record, they should have been there at 8pm having fun with the conference goers.  Singing a cappella and having fun at the Park Tavern.  We had a greenroom upstairs and bathrooms for privacy.  They could have just chilled.  They could have done all there interviews.  They could have been accessible.  But they were prima donnas. 

 

 

 


--

JString, Producer, King of Acid
404-452-6716

 

Official Website:   www.acidtripmusic.com 

Reverb Nation:     http://www.reverbnation.com/jstringsacidtripnation
Myspace Page:    www.myspace.com/jstringremixes 

 

Click to join TheMusicSpecialist

Click to join TheMusicSpecialist

PHOTOS BY FAITH SWIFT
                   2011 SUMC
Jebron
JEBRON
Juanita Craft
JUIANITA CRAFT


               kid

               
Final Draft
FINAL DRAFT
Final Draft Teddy Riley
TEDDY RILEY, FINAL DRAFT
Michael London
MICHAEL LONDON
Big Bruce
BIG BRUCE
Tori Nealy
TORI NEALY
Derek Harper
DEREK HARPER
Bill Clark
PROF BILL CLARK

MAJIC TRUCK
RADIO LADY
INTERNS
INTERNS ONLINE
KWAN
KWAN F3 TECHNOLOGIES
DEE DEE
DEE DEE CHOCETA
JRED, LEIGHALA, TEFLON
JRED, LEIGHALA J, TEFLON DON
CLICK ON LOGO FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
  MS logo
Music Specialist Home

Facebook
Music Specialist on Facebook
Twitter
Music Specialist ib Twitter
Linked In
Music Specialist on LinkedIn

Music Specialist iPhone App
FREE Music Specialist iPhone App