Politicians Open Door for Independent Recording Artists

Many states are pushing for taxes on digital products. In a recent article written by Anne Broache published on April 15, 2008 on CNET News.com, Broache writes:

"Two years ago, a CNET News.com special report found that 15 states and the District of Columbia said that their laws and regulations meant that digital downloads should be taxed. A few months later, New Jersey joined that list.

Since then, more states have become tax-inclined. In 2008 alone, Indiana, Utah, and South Dakota have enacted laws reiterating their commitments to collect taxes on digital downloads, while Nebraska recently voted to send its governor a bill (PDF) that would tax downloads of books, movies, and music starting October 1. Others, including Wisconsin and Massachusetts, have formed groups to "study" new i Tunes taxes." (Politicians push for new iTunes sales taxes).

Although this sounds tedious it, puts more pressure on the entertainment industry and opens doors for Independent artists. Don't thank your state government officials just yet. They did not do it for their native aspiring artists, nevertheless they have opened a door.

Right about now some of you are saying isn't this bad for me? I sell my music on my web page and MySpace. Doesn't this take money out of my pocket? NO!! If you sell you music on MySpace , Snocap is the one paying the taxes. For those who are unaware, Snocap is the company MySpace uses to allow users to sell their music on their MySpace page. What about your web page? More than likely you are using a company or other service such as cdbaby, e-junkie, amazon, or itunes to sell your music on your web page. Companies such as these are responsible for charging the digital tax.

So does this mean we will be charged more? Possibly $5-$10 more per month at most. Think of it like a Wholesaler. They sell in bulk, so the price is cheaper. Do you realize how many independent artists there are in the world? The tax will not effect the companies negatively and as a result it will not effect you. Secondly what do you think the tax will be on a .99 cent song? Around $.07, we're not breaking the bank here. Also we're in a financial drought, this will help states out a lot and in the end your own family. It all comes around in full circle.

The greatest outcome of the proposed state tax is the financial hit to the major record labels. Record labels cannot afford to loose one dime ($.10) right now. They can barely afford to pay for their star recording artists. That precious $.07 tax is more than they give each artists per album sale!

Door Opened For Female Producers

The technological evolution has truly hit the music industry hard. Record executives never dreamed that a young college student would create a program called Napster years ago. They also thought the shutting down of Napster and serious law suits would stop downloading. They truly under estimated the intelligence of music listeners across the globe. In their ignorance and arrogance they are paying a dear price. However, independent artists should thank them. They have opened the door and leveled the playing ground for real talent.

If and independent artist can make a truly ear catching song and promote themselves successfully via Internet (save over head costs), they have a shot. Take for example the hit song 'Soldier Boy'. Although I am not a fan, the fifteen year old rapper/producer created the song in his home studio and posted it on MySpace, Face Book, You Tube, and SoundClick. The rest is history. Technology has truly changed the game and given the underdog a shot. People must learn how to take advantage of these opportunities. One hint is do not attempt what has already been done. You must find the next new method and be the first.

The window of opportunity has also opened for female producers everywhere. With technology changing marketing strategies, female producers no longer have to adhere to the standards of the male dominated industry. No longer to they have to go through male dominated management companies, A&R's, record executives. Alicia Keys had to wait for about six years before Arista put her on the shelf. It worked, Clive Davis is a genius, but still the upcoming female producers have other options.



A prime example of this new generation of technology Internet based female producers is Jamille Luney. Her name is growing in popularity across the globe. Through word of mouth she has landed remix opportunities with Nas and Alicia Keys. I'm sure Ms. Keys probably gave Ms. Luney some advice, female producer to female producer. However, Jamille has an advantage Ms. Keys does not. In addition to having to parents as lawyers, Ms. Luney is not constrained by the normal precepts of the music industry. She was not sculpted or created by a corporate record label or artists development team. That being said, she has a lot of creative freedom and is not held captive by 'work for fire' clauses or terms and conditions of recording contracts. However, she does suffer from one disadvantage. Her fan base and popularity is solely at this time determined by the music listeners and the public. Alicia Keys is in the music network, so they will opt to promote her first. Nobody wants to offend record industry giant Clive Davis. So you better play Alicia before Jamille.



This won't last for long. Clive is suffering along with the rest of the music industry. He recently had to let go of Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, and their discussing terminating Fantasia's contract as well. Sales are down, what else can he do. He has to turn to more popular acts like Alicia, Justin, and Outcast that can produce. BUT IT DOES NOT STOP THE DOWNLOADING! Young kids all want ipods, they live on their computers, cell phones, and to make matters worse, all cell phones will come with mp3 players within the next five years.

Big industry names may get more airplay and mass marketing. However, their popularity puts them at the top of the list for being downloaded illegally. " I like that new Alicia Keys song 'No One'. I'm gonna download it for free!" This happens everyday. "I like that 'No One' Remix by that new producer Jamille Luney. The only place I can find it is on her website though. Guess I'll have to buy it. That's okay $.99 isn't bad. I don't feel like calling my friends to see if one of them has it and I don't feel like waiting for them to email or instant message it to me. I've gotta get to Amy's sweet 16 party!"



The above statement is an over exaggerated example and Jamille's remix is not for resale, but that is the mindset of these young children. It's hard for us to imagine. We did not grow up with Internet and computers in almost every household. However, today's children are tomorrow's consumers. They want things fast and quick. Since they can access everything with a few key strokes on a computer, patience has gone out the window. They're not going to waste time trying to get a ride to a CD store to buy Alicia Keys, they're going to download her. They're not going to waste time trying to find Jamille's songs for free or wait for their friends to send a copy. They'll pay the $.99, they may even shell out $1.00 if the song is really hot!

2008 Music Technolgy / Industry

HELLO 2008.

The music industry as we have known it is dead. The industry as we presently know it, well the truth is we don't know it. Nobody knows what is going on, how to stop downloading, let alone what does P. Diddy want to be called this year? Diddy right, no 'P'? Here is what we do know. Computers are more affordable then ever, they are only going to become more accessible, and you can make a hit song on Fruity Loops music production software for around $250. Put all this together, there is going to be a lot of music being created. We're in a huge economic recession and people are broke and depressed. Economic depressions have been the birth places of cultural and artistic renaissance periods. Big Band swing music is a prime examples of artistic musical expression that was birthed out of The Great Depression.

2008 will prove to be one of the most explosive musical creative years. Why? In addition to an economic crisis we have an international one. WAR. Artists do not like war and the negative energy dramatically impacts creativity. Look at Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Billie Holiday's famous 'Strange Fruit' which referred to black lynchings and civil unrest of a divided America. Even King David was writing songs (psalms) through Wars and chaos. Every true artists will write from their pain and turmoil. However, don't look to mainstream artists like Jessica Simpson to sing about Iraq unless Daddy rights her a song to increase promotion (he's probably doing that right now, her numbers are down). You'll find the birth of music in the streets, in the underground, undefiled by globalization and money hungry record labels.

Independent artists have something Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Billie Holiday, and the like never dreamed of: Affordable recording technology. Half the battle has been one, a well fought victory. HOWEVER, the other half is still up for grabs. It is the one vehicle that today's artists, yesterday's artists, and deceased artists, have not been able to master: Marketing and Promotion. This is where the snakes come in and this is how royalties are lost. As of toady, there seem to be few ways to mass market or effectively determine a target audience to promote music without capital investors (big boys with money). A few success stories have hit the press, but these people were truly blessed in that God delivered their target audience too them (i.e people stumbled on too them on MySpace, YouTube, or FaceBook). The labels are holding on to the marketing and promotion powers, or at least they're trying to. I don't know how much longer they can hold out. You can get a computer for $500, Fruity Loops for $250 or less, Internet for $30/mo or less (or free), and people like staying at home not spending money surfing the web. Hmmm.... I wonder what is going to happen?

Our Remix of Alicia Keys' 'No One'

It's the song playing RIGHT NOW!!








When Jamille Luney first brought us the track (without Alicia's vocals) we were a bit sketchy. The track was hot, but really avant-garde. She was definitely pushing Alicia out of the pocket of the simple 'No One' tune blasting on the radio.

After we added the vocals we received not complaints from Alicia or her management and it scored over 40,000 plays on MySpace in a month. No one, No one, No one, No o-n-e but Alicia Keys, Jamille Luney, and Trackmasterz can pull that off.

Beyonce Produced By Jamille

Jamille Luney, our Sr. Executive producer, just produced a track with Beyonce on the vocals. It's sick and it's playing on the player below. Jamille is making a name for herself as a producer. We need another female producer in the game and the collab with Beyonce definitely won't hurt. Congrats to our sister and boss, Jamille Luney.

width="450" height="345" name="mp3player" align=""
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" FlashVars="culture=en-US"
pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">

Our Nas & Alicia Keys Remix

We scored a deal through our executive producer Jamille Luney to remix Nas & Alicia Keys to our track "Mysterious". You can listen to the remix here.


Nas' portion fit perfectly, but Alicia's vocals did not come out so well (sorry to say). There was litte we could do, we just received the vocal tracks and were left to fend for ourselves. We tried every trick in the book, sped it up slowed it down, you name.

Long Time

Sorry guys we have not posted anything in a long time. Things have been crazy. We will not lie, we love our independent artists. Hell, we're independent artists. However, the economy has been terrible so sales have been down. Therefore we've been focusing on selling exclusive tracks to labels. We have to cover over head. We're still here for you guys and you are our number one focus with the exception of God.

This works to you're benefit as well. As we sell more tracks to labels and mainstream artists, we build credibility. Trackmasterz and Spoken Word Beats is gaining momentucrem and credibility everyday. Please excuse our absence as of late and we'll be posting new tracks shortly.

Trackmasterz

Reason 3.0

Somebody asked our executive producer what software we use to produce music. We use Propellerheads Reason 3.0 We received the 3.5 update, but never got around to loading it. We plan to and we're excited that the 4.0 is in beta or soon to be.

Would we recommend Reason? We recommend using what program works best for you. Reason is our top pick and we would advise experimenting with it first. Find a friend who has it and ask a few questions. Test it out before you go and shell out the money. If it's something you feel comfortable on after a couple weeks GO WITH REASON!!

Reason has amazing sounds, effects, processors, and you can sample sounds into it like an AKAI MPC. It works well on both PC and Mac so you can't go wrong. Finally, you can use it with most major audio sequencers (i.e Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic, Nuendo, etc..). This is done through a something called rewire, which enables you to make your beat in Reason, but record it directly in to Pro Tools or whatever program you're using.

All the aspects mentioned above are great, but you do have to be computer friendly to learn how to do all these things. In short patience is a must. I wanted to throw the computer through the wall when I first started using Reason four years ago, but now I don't use anything else. Go try different programs and pick the one you feel most comfortable with. Trackmasterz is comfortable with Propellerheads Reason.

Need a Manager?

Almost everybody needs a manager because nobody is accepting unsolicited material. The question is how do I find one? If you're looking on you're own stop looking at those big major labels (unless you know somebody on the inside). Look at small labels who are making waves. The perfect example would be Hidden Beach Records. This is a smaller indie label that houses Jill Scott. Nobody even heard of Hidden Beach until a few years ago when Scott took home a Grammy. When they're small they're looking for talent and a lot more open minded. Problem is, there are not a lot of labels like this.

This brings us to option 2: Musician's Atlas.
The Musician's Atlas is a magazine that lists all the music industries contacts. We're talking managers, entertainment lawyers, record label A&R's, independent A&R's, distribution companies, you name it. It costs about $50.00 and is only printed quarterly or yearly. If you're an aspiring artists and you cannot afford it, go to Borders (we have not seen it in Barnes & Nobles lately), bring a pen and paper and start writing some names down. Now remember the guys that make this magazine have to eat too, so go visit their website and throw them a donation at http://musiciansatlas.com You want somebody to buy your album instead of burning it off the web for free right?

Congratulations you're on the road to finding a manager! No you're not done but you are a hell of a lot closer.

Is Your Beat Really Hot?

How many times have you let people listen to your tracks and get comments like "the mix is off" or "EQ that differently". They may in fact have a valid point. However, if the person you are talking to is a music business contact (i.e A&R, entertainment lawyer, or manager) then their critique is probably a bull crap excuse just to stall you or string you along and keep taking money. Sad but true, a story that employees at Trackmasterz know all to well.

Have you listened to the crap that's on the radio? It's awful and if Britney Spears can get a recording contract then you know they're lying. Has nothing to do with talent, again it's all about money to them. They have to see you as a product, a product they (major record labels, marketing firms, and distributors) can manipulate, sell, and dispose of easily (if need be and heaven forbid). It's a dirty dirty industry, but life is dirty. It's no dirtier than congressmen and senators lobbying for campaign money. Yeah that's pretty dirty!!

In short, you have to be careful about believing criticism. Examine the source it comes from, determine their motives, then decide should you take their advice and go back to the drawing board. Hell, they could just be trying to take the song.

Queen Latifah's " Last Holiday"

This by far is her best work. If you're a Queen Latifah fan and you have not seen it you should be ashamed. If you're not a Queen Latifah fan you should be ashamed. Why are we talking about it? We're into film as well, we just only know how to make the sound in respect to movie production. However, we do love movies!!

Everyone at Trackmasterz and Spoken Word Beats loves this film!! What better way to evaluate our tastes and learn about who we are then our movie picks. If you've been skeptical about what kind of people are behind the music at Trackmasterz and Spoken Word Beats then here's away to find out if we're trustworthy. Go watch "The Last Holiday" starring Queen Latifah. You can buy it at Wal-Mart for like $5 or visit Blockbuster and get 4 for $20.00

After you watch this, you'll trust Trackmasterz and Spoken Word Beats forever!!

Spoken Word Beats Arrives!!

We're esctatic and could not be happier for our sister company. They have a great team of producers and creative staff. We wish them all the success and we encourage all of our fans and customers to visit them spokenwordbeats.com

Spoken Word artists, we know you're hot but spice it up a little bit with your performances, stay unpredictable. That keeps the audience coming and guessing. Perhaps you might try some music occasionally. Hmmmm wherever could you find some?
Spokenwordbeats & Trackmasterz

Indie Artists Beware of Non-Approved Production Companies

Not all production companies are industry approved so it's best to verify. GOOGLE the name of the company and their producers to see their discography, reputation, customer reviews, and client roster. Always use an industry approved production company, even if it's not trackmasterz.

Best wishes Indie artists.

Scott Storch's Studio Equipment

We already coined Scott Storch to be a linear producer with his infectious melodies. So how does Storch concoct such contagious tracks? Take a look at what we found out from Remix magazines' interview.


Scott Storch's Studio

Akai MPC2000XL, MPC3000

E-mu Vintage Pro sound module

Novation SuperNova synth

Roland XV-5080 sound module (2)

Soundart Chameleon audio DSP engine

Studio Electronics SE-1 sound module

Yamaha Motif synth

Digidesign's Pro Tools


According to the atricle Storch leaves the software side and recording (i.e Pro Tools and microphones) to is audio engineer. You can read the rest of the Remix interview at the link below:

http://remixmag.com/artists/remix_captain_contagious/index.html

Timbaland's Studio Equipment

Over the years Timbaland has become one of the most dominant music producers in the world. Go to any country and chances are somebody knows who you're talking about when you say Timbaland. How does he do it? Timbaland does not let too many secrets out, but we do know some of his equipment he's used in the past. The inventory list we have came after an interview with Remix magazine.


Timbaland's Suggested Studio Inventory:

Korg Triton and a Yamaha Motif 7
Ensoniq ASR-10 (Kanye West and the Neptunes have this as well--it's a discontinued
keyboard that samples)

Yamaha NS10s for monitoring
Neumann U 87 mic, a UREI 1176 compressor and a Neve 1076 preamp for microphones
Digidesign Pro Tools
VSTi software synths

You can read interview with Remix magazine in depth at the link below:
http://remixmag.com/artists/remix_wideopen_spaces/index.html

How to Pick Which Program to Produce Music With

Aspiring music producers,
There are hundreds of software programs and tons production equipment. How do you choose which one? The answer is right between your eyes. Whatever works best for you!! JayZ has used tracks made on an AKAI MPC 2000 from Kanye West. JayZ has also used tracks made using Pro Tools, AKAI MPC, and other various sound modules/key boards from Timbaland. Kanye West does not use any computer software. Timbaland uses both computer software and studio hardware. Both these producers are Grammy winners and nominees. It does not matter what you use, but what you produce. Is the track hot? Can people hear it? Can they feel it? Than it's all good. Pick what works best for you.

New Rendition of Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain"

The female producer dubbed as "the female Timbaland" (Jamille Luney) produced a rendition of Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain". It's not only impressive in instrumentation, it's amazing someone her age knows anything about the great Lady Day. We've been told Luney is an avid Billie Holiday fan (it's stated on her MySpace).

To hear Jamille's rendition of "Don't Explain" visit her MySpace
http://myspace.com/jamilleluney

Interview With Major A&R's

We came across an interview with four major A&R's on allhiphop.com. The A&R's interviewed include Lenny S. Vice (Vice President of A&R at Rocafella/Def Jam since 1996), Riggs Morales (Senior Director of A&R for Shady Records), Jason Mazur (A&R Coordinator/Scout at TVT Records), and Kenny Scalido AKA Tick (Director of A&R at Warner Brothers Records).

You can read the interview at: http://allhiphop.com/blogs/breedingground/archive/2007/08/03/18355030.aspx

Learning Music Production For Free

If you want to learn music production but do not have much free time or money, check out http://tweakheadz.com. This site is incredible and free.

Free Sound Samples

You can never have enough sounds samples if you're a music producer. Here are a few sites that provide free sound samples. We'll keep adding as we find more (that are reputable).

http://www.canadianmusicartists.com/samples.html
(if using windows you have to right click and open the sound file in new window)


http://www.kara-moon.com/index.php?modid=mod02&l_submenu_id=m001_02_02
(this page offers different formats i.e wave file, Reason file, Kotakt, etc..)


http://www.tweakheadz.com/patches.html
(this page offers patches for different programs)