The reason why you don't need a record label

Written by Antoine King CEO of Spate Media

This is something an artist that is looking to get signed might not want to hear but you don't need a major label anymore. Major labels used to be the ones that had all the connections and they could get your music to the masses. Now you have social media and if used properly you can reach the masses on your own. Some people may argue that record labels have the money and they can lend you large sums in order to get projects done. If you are generating money by setting up events then you won't need their money. Artists tend to want a label to do the work for them but when they get signed they end up working harder than before. Here are a few reasons why some people want to get signed to major labels.

1- Get on MTV and BET- You don't need a record label to get on MTV and BET. You now have digital distribution services that will send your video to them for a very low cost.

2- Get national radio spins- You can get national radio spins on your own but you do need a radio team. Put a team of about 6 people together and tackle the over 400 independent, college and national radio stations.

3- Set up tours and shows- Record labels do a terrible job at setting up shows and tours. They usually partner with companies like Live Nation that own theaters and Halls. With the right website, publicity and social media promotion an artist can make the contacts to tour if there is a demand to see them perform. Setting up shows is as simple as putting together some artists renting a venue and selling tickets. Try to make your show unique.

4- Get nominated for awards like Grammys- If you go to the Grammy website you can get the information. You don't need to be on a major label to be considered.

5- Major labels invest a lot of money- This is not true at all. Most artists now if they are very popular may get 100,000 to 200,000 for an advance. This money is taxed and all involved have to be paid such as managers etc. Doesn't sound so great after all. Get a job and save your money.


These are the main reasons why some people think they need a label and obviously these reasons are false.

Read More

Anatomy of a Hip Hop Hit in 2013

Written by Antoine King

Hip hop has changed so much over the years its amazing. When I sit down and analyze some of the hip hop hits of today, here is what I came up with. Artists like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Drake have mastered the english language and use it at their disposal. Here is a break down of what it takes to compete with the Drakes and Lil Waynes of hip hop.

1) Beat- The beat has to be amazing. Jahlil beats, DJ Premier and others have crafted some of hip hops classic music. Test your beats make sure they are hot before you record the song.

2) Hook- Mixtape songs don't have to have a hook, but commercial radio singles must be hook driven and catchy. Test your hook and make sure it works.

3) Lyrics- Your flow on the song should match the beat. Write your songs specifically to the track. This will avoid it sounding like your stumbling over your words. Make sure your flow has a strong creative rhythm.

4) Ad Lib- Ok ad libs made famous by Drake, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross. These can be sounds or words that you repeat so the listener knows that its you on the track.

5) Catch Phrase- It seems that songs these days may have a few catch phrases like YOLO or something like that yelled in the background somewhere.

6) Metaphors- Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross have mastered the metaphor and you can hear them comparing heads to mellons and grapes to blood. Make sure your hit has some great metaphors.

7) Similes- Again the top artists use like and as to compare some of the most creative things in hip hop. Using similes in a creative way is almost mandatory in hip hop today.

8) Target Audience- Understanding what your fans like is key to making a hit. Wiz Khalifa talks about weed in every song and his fans bring him weed to the shows. Rick Ross fans love to hear him talk about money. Drake fans love his love songs and music for the ladies. Lil Wayne fans love his outrageous lines. Understand what your audience likes and give them a lot of it in a creative way.

If you follow these guidelines I'm sure you can make the next big hip hop hit.

Read More

Are major labels still using indie promoters to get radio spins

Written by Antoine King CEO of Spate Media

Are record labels still using indie radio promoters to add songs to the playlist? Over the years record labels have paid millions to lawyers over claims of payola. This is where the record label pays the radio stations to play records. This is illegal for national radio. So in order to side step that law they use indie promoters to get songs played on the radio. The indie promoter approaches the radio stations about a particular song and they pay the station up to 100,000 per year in order to get songs added to the play list. Then the indie promoter charges the label a add fee usually about $1,000 per song. So getting songs added to a medium market can cost as much as 20,000 per month for a single song. In the end the label hopes to sell lots of music and concert tickets. Many believe that 60% of the music played on the radio is added by indie promoters.


So do the labels still use indie promoters? Even though this is still illegal using a middleman to add songs, many radio stations still practice this today.

Read More

Can a indie artist get national radio spins on the regular basis

Written by Antoine King CEO of Spate Media

Can a indie artist get national radio spins on the regular basis?

Ok, there are a lot of variables to this question. Are you friends with a big DJ? Do you have a budget of 15,000 or more a month? Are you friends with a huge entertainment personality? Well if any of these questions don't apply to you then you getting regular radio spins are probably not gonna happen. But you can get a few spins here and there. There are many DJ blasting companies that will tell you they can get you spins but that is up to the DJ and the radio directors. Radio directors have a list of records to play from major labels. These major labels usually partner or advertise on the radio stations. If you take a minute and go to the radio station website and look around a bit. There are no indie artists featured on the site. That's because indie artists are broke and they usually don't make much money. Radio stations partner with labels to do events like Summer Jam where they both can make money from selling tickets and sponsors.

So is getting national radio spins impossible? No, but if your an indie artist you don't have a lot of money in the first place so that money should be spent on setting up events. Don't focus on radio spins because they are for the big hitters. Start from the ground up and get your fan base in order before you even think about national radio. Get played on college radio and internet radio first. Become big on internet radio and college radio and then you might get some free spins on national radio but focus on getting big online first.


In conclusion, indie artist should work on internet radio and college radio before going into national radio. Also, focus on setting up events and shows where you can generate revenue to invest back into the business.


Written by Antoine King www.spatemedia.info

Read More

How to get a record deal and build a great career

How can I get a major record deal? I get this question all the time. I wanted to just take a minute and analyze all the successful artists that have reached that point in their career.

Rockie Fresh recently signed with Maybach Music and it touring worldwide with Ross now and the other members of the label. How did he secure a major contract with Maybach music? First Rockie Fresh started by releasing successful mixtapes and videos. Meaning he built some momentum with quality projects and built an audience. By going to events and performing he built connections in the industry but these connections only came into play after he developed the proper buzz.

Myth: Having connections will get you signed to a major label.

First of all, I'm sure Rick Ross knows thousands of rappers personally and none of them have record deal. Why? Because they are not worth investing in at the moment.

Rick Ross thought Rockie Fresh would be a good investment because of his buzz and the connections that he has developed over the past few years.

Understanding how this business works starts with how you plan to generate revenue.

1- Events and shows #1 source of revenue
2- Merchandising #2 source of revenue
3- Album and single sales #3 source of revenue


The first goal for an artist that is really trying to get signed is to land a major tour or set up your own major tour. The reason you create your buzz is so you can set up tours and make money. Getting on hip hop blogs and magazines is so you can set up future shows and sell you content. So you are basically setting up your business to produce revenue.


1- Many artists that get signed are generating revenue from their brand or music.
2- Many artists that get signed have developed great connections from networking.
3- Many artists that get signed have built and core audience and have performed in front of thousands of people.
4- Many artists that get signed have sold out shows using their own name and brand.
5- Many artists that get signed have developed relationships with other successful artists.


So lets make this really simple. I have created a checklist for artists that really want to get signed to a major label.

0- Make sure your music is hot, set up focus groups and get opinions
1- Create a logo and brand
2- Try to get placements on as many blogs and magazines as possible
3- Set up your own shows and events. Everything from concerts to benefits for
a cause you like.
4- Perform where ever you can, showcases, parties etc..
5- Connect with a few local artists that are buzzing and do shows with them.
6- Set up and website and take plenty of pictures and video for your site
7- Also use social networks to get the word out.
8- Save your money and do everything with a budget when selling your music or promoting a video. Its no good if no one hears your music. You should have a budget minimum for every project lets say $2,000 per single release and $2,000 per video this is promotion only.


If you do these things now you look like a profitable business that someone would want to finance. Then and only then will you get labels interested in you.

Read More

Why do major labels like to sign groups like Maybach Music, GOOD Music etc..

Written by Antoine King CEO of Spate Media

Maybe you noticed that major record labels love to sign groups, production companys and crews. Here are a few reasons why groups are more valuable than artists sometimes.

Record labels like to make big deals and its hard for a individual artist to get a big deal unless they have a proven track record of sales. That's the only way your going to get major money to sign to a label. When I say major money I mean millions.

Imagine if the NBA was made up of single players. There would be a lot less action because you would only have two players on the floor representing each team. Less passing, less movement etc..

So keeping that in mind imagine if you have a crew of 8 artists that include a producer and singer etc.. If a few of the artists in the crew are buzzing then this brings a lot more value to a label and a much greater chance at getting a big deal done. Here are a few reasons why more people mean more dollars.

For example: You have Maybach Music. Lets say Rick Ross drops his album in May then July he drops a Maybach Music compilation. Then in August drops a Wale album and the month after that he drops a Meek Mill album. That's four albums in one year and they still have other members, this means more dollars especially if the group or label is buzzing. Labels are interested in selling the most albums possible. Hip Hop is also known for coat tailing, meaning that if your crew is hot most likely the other members will be buzzing also.

Take a look at the list.

1- Better chance to succeed because you can put out more albums and music.
2- People tend to be more interested in groups
3- Usually crews produce their own music, saves money in the long run.
4- Groups usually have their own publicity, radio and marketing team
5- Makes the labels job much easier
6- No artist development involved because groups are usually more refined


So hopefully this can give you a better idea of why its easier to get a deal when you have a team or group involved. So work hard as an artist but the more people you have on your team the easier it will be in the long run. Create a large and productive team with a publicist, event management, radio person, producer, song writers and artists. This will make you stand out in the crowd and allow labels to take you seriously.


Antoine King CEO
Spate Media
http://www.spatemedia.info

Read More

What is a music industry buzz and how do you create it?

Written by Antoine King CEO of Spate Media

Let's start with the basics, your material has to be great quality and it has to be good.

Now let's go!


I get many questions about how to create the best music industry buzz. The Internet has made it very easy to accomplish this. There are so many tools available such as Facebook, blogs, YouTube etc.. You have to use them effectively by tracking your results and setting goals. I want to get into what exactly a media buzz is first. To make it simple, a industry buzz is when you have important people talking about you as well as fans. Simple right?

A proper buzz is created when everything is working together. For example: If you have a song, video or album you are trying to create a buzz around people have to hear or see it, so that means Internet radio, national radio, college radio, cable etc.. Then you have to do publicity such as interviews with blogs, magazines etc.. Then you have to have commercials, video blog, documentary etc.. Now you have shows and events such as listening parties, shows and touring. Once you have done all of these things properly then you have buzz. Once you have buzz then you will get everyone knocking at your door.

Here is a check list to make sure your building your buzz properly.

1) Magazine and blog placements
2) Get real youtube, twitter and facebook following using ads. Set a monthly budget and build your audience.
3) Internet radio and college radio. Make a radio team because there are 100's of radio stations that can promote your music.
4) Street promotions, make sure your have small flyers and business cards to network at other peoples events.
5) Set up listening parties and shows. If you can't bring people out to see you, you will never sell any records.
6) Get to know A&R reps by doing showcases or label meetings.

7) Make a schedule and set goals for example, contact 20 radio stations, magazines, blogs monthly etc..
8) Come up with new creative ways to promote and market your music. Funny videos, funny qoutes on twitter etc..
9) Collab with people that are buzzing in your hood.
10) Make sure you release new music and videos on a schedule every year.

Facebook, twitter, YouTube can seriously add to your buzz but only if you have followers. You have to work hard to build your following and it will get people talking about you.

Antoine King CEO Spate Media
Antoine@spatemag.com

Read More