There are many arguments as to when the Streaming Era began. Some say it started with the launch of Spotify in 2008. Others claim it began much earlier &ndash; when platforms like Pandora and Last.fm gained popularity. Regardless of when exactly it commenced, the repercussions &ndash; good and bad &ndash;&nbsp;are being felt now more than ever before. Despite the ease of accessibility, a quick chat with any artist nowadays will reveal great disdain for the monetary structures of DSPs. This, in turn, has highlighted a pertinent need for change. One person who&rsquo;s set on spearheading this change is Mag Rodriguez &ndash;&nbsp;a former producer/engineer and artist manager turned tech entrepreneur. Since launching his direct-to-consumer music commerce platform EVEN earlier this year, Mag&rsquo;s been on a mission to prove to the world that better possibilities are out there. We recently had the pleasure to chat with Mag about the genesis of EVEN, what differentiates the platform from every other music platform, and how he foresees technology continuing to impact the music industry in the future.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Can you walk us through your journey in the music industry?&nbsp;
​​I started making music in 2008 when I was in eighth grade. I was transferred to a different school across town, and that's really when I was introduced to Hip-Hop. I'm originally Mexican, and grew up listening to a lot of Mexican music. When I ended up getting transferred to a school on the North Side of Milwaukee, which is a primarily Black community, they put me on to a lot of Hip-Hop and R&amp;B. A lot of my classmates were also making music.&nbsp;
In high school, I started producing and engineering. My music teacher really embraced my creativity and ability to dive into the unknown. I started recording my classmates and producing for them. Two of my early classmates were incredible artists. One of them, my friend Wade, ended up signing to CMG during our senior year of high school. That was my first introduction to working with an artist that kind of went to the next level. Then my other friend ended-up becoming my first client. His name was IshDARR. He was a year younger than me, and, straight out of high school, we just kind of went on the road for six years. He graduated in May, and then we immediately went on tour with ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul &ndash; and soon after Europe with Post Malone. Throughout this time, I built a roster of various producers, songwriters, and other artists that I began developing. This was essentially the start of my career. I kind of just got thrown into it really.&nbsp;
I also had great support from great mentors. The person I always give a lot of credit to is Amanda Berkowtiz. At the time, she was an A&amp;R at Epic. She ran a label called Vested In Culture with Sylvia Rhone, and she co-managed IshDARR with me. She was my guide to the industry. There were also various other people whom I learned from throughout my time in the industry, including Nima and Ghazi at EMPIRE. They were some of the first people who really took a chance on me and my clients. But there were more &ndash; Jonathan Master who was at EMPIRE, Tunji who&rsquo;s now CEO of Def Jam. Joe Hadley is someone who always picks up the phone when I call and always offers great advice. They&rsquo;ve all been a part of my journey in music. Even if it wasn&rsquo;t direct mentorship, all of them were incredibly helpful.&nbsp;
I did take a turn in 2018 and started working for a venture firm that wanted to launch a music program for artists and managers. We launched that in Milwaukee. It was an incubator program. But then we launched a program in Detroit called the Motown Accelerator program through a partnership with Universal Motown Capital, launched a program in Cleveland, and, yeah, that took me on this five year run within the venture space. A five year run of taking the venture model, but bringing it to the music industry and helping incubate and develop artists. I&rsquo;ve worked with over 60 artists during this time and awarded over $600,000 in grants to artists. We did over a billion streams with the artists that we worked with there, and we never took a percentage or any equity. It was just fully community driven. And then, yeah, started building EVEN in Spring of last year.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
Early on in your career, your primary role in music was that of an artist manager. How did your experience in management influence your current role as CEO of EVEN?&nbsp;
I dove into artist management without any expectations of what it was and meant. Management is less about managing the client or the artist, and more about managing the relationships around the client. The biggest thing it taught me was managing relationships and being a good person. People in this business want to do business with people they like. I think that has now trickled down to where I&rsquo;m at now in my career. A lot of those relationships that I developed in my early days are now relationships that I can lean on when building EVEN.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
How would you describe EVEN to a kid?&nbsp;
I would describe it like a movie theater. If you want to watch a new movie, you have to pay a certain amount of dollars at the movie theater, or wait 30-45 days for it to be on a streaming platform. That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re doing for the music industry.&nbsp;
Artists can now release an album directly to the fans. The fans can either purchase the art directly from the artists, or they can wait a certain amount of days for it to be available on a streaming platform. It&rsquo;s the same model. That&rsquo;s at least how I describe it to my little brother, and it makes sense to him. His response is always &ldquo;Well, I only like to watch five or six movies a year at the theater.&rdquo; And I&rsquo;m like, &ldquo;Well, that&rsquo;s exactly what we&rsquo;re building.&rdquo; You&rsquo;re not going to buy every album or every release, but you&rsquo;ll buy those handful of albums from your favorite artists every year that motivate you to go a step beyond just pressing play.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What sparked your vision for EVEN, and why did you decide to name the organization EVEN?&nbsp;
Yeah, it's interesting as far as the name goes. I had the name before I had the company. I used to drink the Kool-Aid that is &ldquo;streaming&rdquo; for a long time. I believed, and still believe, in streaming and what it has done for the industry. Throughout that period of time, as I started working with more and more artists, I saw how the output had outweighed the demand for music. There are hundreds and thousands of songs being released every single day, and everyone&rsquo;s chasing one of the 100 slots on the New Music Friday or Now Playing playlists. The problem is that only so many artists can get in front of fans and these ecosystems. What ends up happening is you don&rsquo;t end up with a sustainable ecosystem for both parties &ndash; the streaming platform and the artist. This is where the name came from. I was like, how do we build an ecosystem in the music industry that feels even?&nbsp;
Sometimes we lean on words of equity and equality, but I think for me, it was really leaning into a word that didn&rsquo;t feel too aggressive or ambitious &ndash; something that feels a part of everyday life. Simply saying artists should be paid more doesn&rsquo;t really offer a solution. I wanted to find a solution. I wanted to help artists put a price on their work, and give it value. That&rsquo;s my aim.&nbsp;
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&nbsp;
On EVEN&rsquo;s website, it describes the platform as a &ldquo;first-class experience for fans&rdquo;, and claims to revolutionize the way artists connect with fans. How is EVEN restructuring the way that fans and artists are interconnected?&nbsp;
We are opening the door for both artists and fans. On the artist side, an artist can have a million fans, but unless they&rsquo;ve ever bought something directly from the artist, it&rsquo;s impossible for the artist to know who these fans are. On the fan side, the fan knows who their favorite artists are, but they have no way of reaching them directly. Sure, they can shoot an Instagram DM, but they&rsquo;ll likely never see it. You can comment on every post, but you aren&rsquo;t actually creating a relationship that feels &ldquo;even&rdquo;.&nbsp;
With EVEN, fans have the opportunity to not only buy art from the artist, but to engage with the artist. The artist now has the opportunity to engage with their fans, and it&rsquo;s amazing to see. We hand over our data to artists &ndash;&nbsp;emails, phone numbers, location, etc. &ndash; and I hear stories on the daily where artists are making incredible connections with their fans. I heard one story recently where an artist had a woman who he&rsquo;d never met before pay $55 for his album when his close friends were paying something like $5. So he ended up calling her and asking her why she bought the album, and she responded saying that she&rsquo;d been a fan for years. These are the types of relationships we want to see. We want artists to be able to connect with their fans from all over the world.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
How does EVEN differentiate itself from traditional DSPs, and other music marketplace platforms like iTunes and Bandcamp?&nbsp;
The number one thing is that EVEN isn&rsquo;t a DSP. In many ways it&rsquo;s similar to one, but EVEN is more of an infrastructure. We understood that to create the appeal for artists to trust us with their art, we needed to create a level of discovery, something that we are continuing to develop. EVEN is closer to a Shopify. The backend operates more like a Shopify, where you&rsquo;re taking the music and converting it into a product and an experience that you can sell to you fans, audience, and community. This is something that traditional DSPs don&rsquo;t provide access to. When you upload your music to a DSP, you&rsquo;re entering your product into a buffet. It&rsquo;s just something that can be picked up whenever it&rsquo;s wanted. There&rsquo;s no guarantee that it&rsquo;ll be consumed.&nbsp;
With a platform like EVEN, you position your art where people have an option to consume, but in order to do so, they have to pay for it. In this way, many people won&rsquo;t remember the last meal they had for free. But they certainly remember the last meal they paid $100 for.&nbsp;
Another way EVEN is different are all the community features. You aren&rsquo;t just paying for an MP3 file &ndash; many times you don&rsquo;t even get a file when you make a purchase. You&rsquo;re paying for access and proximity to artists and community. We have community features like a chat where you can talk to other fans. We have virtual release parties, Q&amp;As, meet and greets, as well as general, early access to music and content. But it doesn&rsquo;t end there &ndash;&nbsp;we also give early access to tour tickets and merchandise. That&rsquo;s what you&rsquo;re buying with EVEN &ndash;&nbsp;the experience of community.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
We personally believe having music available directly to super-fans on EVEN first, similar to Netflix&rsquo;s model, greatly attributes to the hype and momentum of the eventual release on DSPs. Have other DSPs embraced similar models?&nbsp;
This is a question that I&rsquo;ve asked myself. I believe what EVEN is doing is a new category within the landscape of music, but also in consumer behavior &ndash; this idea of &ldquo;sell music first, stream second&rdquo;. I think the best way to push a category forward is competition. You need other companies attempting to do the same thing. The same way there isn&rsquo;t just one record label or distribution company. There are hundreds. So far, we haven&rsquo;t seen anybody else instill this model.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Artists often hear that if they offer their music exclusively on a particular DSP first, the other DSPs will not support the release because of the exclusivity. What do you say to artists who are concerned about such risks? Does this risk truly even exist?
If we were a streaming platform, that risk would be very real. When an artist releases their music on EVEN, it&rsquo;s not an EVEN exclusive, but rather an artist exclusive. EVEN enables artists to lease their music to their fans. We are just a vessel that allows you to do that. We are the infrastructure that allows you to offer that experience to your fans.&nbsp;
Now, I think on the other side of that, there are more than 200,000 songs being released every day, and that number is constantly growing. So with that in mind, I&rsquo;d say chasing streaming platforms is not a viable and scalable solution for your business and career as an artist. The only viable and scalable business is building a fan base, building a community, and incentivizing and awarding them. That&rsquo;s not limited to this current moment either. Look at the biggest superstars on the planet. Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande &ndash;&nbsp;all of them have been doing this. They&rsquo;ve cultivated a fan base since day one. Building a fan base and building community has been a core part of their business, and a big reason for their success.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What are some of the biggest lessons that you've learned during your journey in creating EVEN?
Building a team when scaling is hard. It is less about finding talented people who have done amazing things in the past and more about finding passionate people who believe in the vision of the work we are doing and are willing to unlearn everything they thought they knew to help build a better ecosystem for artists and the industry at large. It's okay to say no to opportunities. It's okay to change your mind and try something new.
&nbsp;
Who are some of the artists on EVEN's platform that you're especially excited about?
I'm excited about every artist who decides to trust us with their art. But every day, I become more and more excited to work with emerging artists and creators who have never made a dollar from their music, and they come to EVEN and make their first $100, $500, $1,000, etc. Those are the moments I value the most.
&nbsp;
What are the top three tips that you'd share with artists who are looking to get the most out of EVEN's platform?
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Focus on the community around you first.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Create a compelling campaign for your current audience.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
During and after your campaign, make an effort to talk to as many people who bought your release.
</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
How do you foresee EVEN evolving over the next 5-10 years?
EVEN will continue to evolve as the needs of our partners evolve. EVEN's initial vision was to answer the question, "Will fans pay for music before streaming?" The answer was yes. Then it evolved to, "Can we connect artists and fans like never before?" We did that through experiences, community chats, live streams, etc. Then something magical happened: we began to attract creators outside of music.
Through this, we discovered something: owning the relationship with your fans requires dozens of tools, and EVEN will solve that for them. EVEN is becoming a creator suite that provides flexibility, makes day-to-day operations easier, and frees up time and brain space to focus on the most important element of their businesses: creating.
&nbsp;
How do you foresee technology impacting the landscape of the music industry over the next decade?
It's easier now than ever to reach a global audience, but it's almost harder than ever to connect directly with your audience. Globalization is a fairly new term in entertainment, and it is something we prioritize at EVEN. Can a fan in Kenya, Malaysia, or Brazil buy a release from an artist in Mexico using their native currency and payment methods? It might sound very simple, but it didn't exist until now, with EVEN.
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&nbsp;
If you could only have access to one artist's discography for the rest of your life, which artist would you pick?
Frank Ocean.
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s one album that you&rsquo;d take with you wherever you go?&nbsp;
It's not even a tough question, it's just an embarrassing answer. I play this album on every flight, and I can't give you a real reason beyond just like, it's one of my favorite albums. It's not my favorite album, but it's the album that I listen to all the time and it&rsquo;s Views by Drake.
It's such a good album and maybe it's just that 2016 was just such an interesting time in my life that maybe I&rsquo;ve always resonated with this project. Hopefully I don't catch any heat for that one.
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&nbsp;
What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you?&nbsp;
I think for me it's to stay curious. The name really resonates with me. It&rsquo;s a something that I say all the time &ndash; that I&rsquo;m a big ass kid. I relate to it in a sense of always being curious and asking questions. So, without making it a long answer, I would say it means to stay curious.
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Mag Rodriguez On Advancing Artist Equality with EVEN & Becoming a Tech Entrepreneur 

With more than 100,000 songs being pushed out each and every day, it&rsquo;s hard to wade the waters in hopes of finding your new favorite artists. Coupled with this increase in music releases is an increased volume of music discovery platforms, all of which promise to be the go-to source for what&rsquo;s current, groundbreaking, and new. With this myriad of platforms that are present, how do we decipher which are really contributing to the space, and those that are fake? For Jaxon Buzzell, founder of modrNation, the answer comes from having a refined ear, an engaged community, and a true love for music. modrNation is much more than your average Instagram repost account or blog. With a full creative agency, music video production team, print publication, and string of live events under its belt, modrNation has hopes of becoming the next pillar of music discovery for future generations of artists. We recently spoke with Jaxon about working with his favorite artists, the beginnings of modrNation, and some of the artists who he&rsquo;s most excited for.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
When did you come up with the idea for modrNation?&nbsp;
Jaxon: I came up with the idea in April of 2020. I was a Senior in high school, and it was right when people stopped going to school because of COVID. Teachers didn&rsquo;t really know what to do yet, so I had no classes, no homework, and couldn&rsquo;t play basketball, I was lucky to have all of this free time. I had been doing photography for a bit at this point but struggled to find artists that would let me shoot music videos for them, so I started modrNation as a means of networking with artists, finding upcoming music, and immersing myself in the scene. It started out as a blog with the goal of bringing video opportunities but has since expanded into so much more and ultimately the umbrella company for anything I work on.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What made you want to create your own music discovery platform?&nbsp;
Growing up I always loved finding new music and exploring different genres, so there was definitely that aspect of it and I also just thought it&rsquo;d be cool to talk to my favorite artists. The foundation of it was that I wanted to shoot music videos, and since I had no experience, maybe if I offered more support on the blog side, I&rsquo;d be able to shoot for these artists whether it be photos for an interview or a full video. That was the main purpose behind my going into it, but I also always loved discovering music and wanted to have a platform to put on the artists I didn&rsquo;t see getting supported on my favorite pages at the time. I was always a kid who just wanted to do everything, so I was very scatterbrained until I started modrNation, it&rsquo;s been the first project of mine I&rsquo;ve been able to stick with over the last few years as it has the ability to grow and change as I do personally.&nbsp;
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We live in a time where there are more artists and songs than at any point in history. With this huge influx of sounds, what makes an artist or group of artists stick out to you?
For me it&rsquo;s all about having a sense of self and purpose behind what you&rsquo;re doing, I feel that&rsquo;s what gives artists the individuality to stand out amongst the masses. Someone who can build a story around what they&rsquo;re doing or what it is that they&rsquo;re trying to portray will always stand out to me more than someone who just has the technical ability. I think that&rsquo;s most important, especially when it comes to me wanting to feature them on the page. Sonically, I always pay attention to production before vocals, I feel like I can choose if a song is intriguing to me a lot of the time before the lyrics have even come in. Anything that&rsquo;s pushing the music culture and artistic conversation forward is what I feel needs to be highlighted, it&rsquo;s more about what an artist is doing for music as a whole rather than just if it pleases my personal taste.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
With this influx of new music, comes an influx of media outlets that hope to be the pulse of music discovery. How does modrNation separate itself from the pack?&nbsp;
modrNation is different because of what we can offer to artists and how delicately we approach each project. Outside of an Instagram post, blog writeup, or playlist, we manage artists, creative direct rollouts, A&amp;R projects, and host live events. You can really come to us with anything, and we&rsquo;ll pull it off or put the people in place who can. There&rsquo;s a lot we can offer to artists and brands, and that&rsquo;s really what I&rsquo;m focusing on right now over the content or event side of the company. The creative agency and artist management side of the brand is my main focus, rather than just being the best outlet. There are so many outlets each with their own unique taste, I personally feel that the last thing music needs is another person&rsquo;s opinion on what music is good or bad. While it began with intentions to become the biggest music discovery platform, I now see it as more of a services company that can still provide music content when we find something that inspires us to via the magazine or a showcase event. The music blog space is so oversaturated, and I feel it&rsquo;s also very subjective. Every person and every outlet has a different taste, and it&rsquo;s impossible to be everyone&rsquo;s favorite outlet, so I just choose to move purely and support what I&rsquo;m passionate about.&nbsp;
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Is there a certain criteria that you stick by when it comes to featuring artists on modrNation?&nbsp;
There aren&rsquo;t really any criteria, especially lately as I&rsquo;ve slowed down on the artist coverage. We&rsquo;ve been pretty quiet this past year and this month will really be the first month back on the curation side. It&rsquo;s not a requirement, but I always prefer taking submissions as I feel it&rsquo;s important to support the community that&rsquo;s supporting us. A lot of it is about the pitch we get and seeing that an artist is really passionate about what it is that they&rsquo;re doing, but there are no boxes to check or rubric we go off of.
&nbsp;
Who are some artists on the come up right now that you&rsquo;re most excited about?&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s so many and I don&rsquo;t want to give up too much of the sauce haha. But really, there&rsquo;s an artist Kurtis Wells who&rsquo;s doing something I&rsquo;ve never heard before and I think he has the potential to drop a class album. I love the singer/songwriter scene too, Alice Shone, Sydney Ross Mitchell, Devon Gabriella, runo plum, there&rsquo;s so many talented artists. Amie Blu is also an absolute gem, I love her music so much. On the rap side, Ajna, mynameisntjmack, Wakai, Jawnino, MESSIAH!, Ovrkast., Sideshow, and that whole scene is really special.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
In addition to writing about artists, creating playlists, and interviewing the next generation of talent, modrNation is actively producing a physical magazine and throwing in-person events. Are there any other projects or initiatives that modrNation is hoping to bring into its ecosystem in the future?&nbsp;
The second issue of the magazine is being worked on right now, and it&rsquo;ll be in a much different format than the first. The concerts are one of my favorite things to work on too, definitely something I want to bring back this year in a larger capacity. I&rsquo;ll be studying in London this Fall and am hoping to book a show out there. The pillars of modrNation at the moment are media, management, publishing, and creative services. Last year was big for the management branch, and we have a lot in store for the second half of this year so I&rsquo;m really excited.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What advice would you share with artists who are hoping to be featured by platforms such as modrNation?&nbsp;
As cliche as it is, being yourself is obviously important. That&rsquo;s the only thing that will separate you from everyone else. If I want something that sounds like Kendrick Lamar I&rsquo;ll listen to Dot, if I want Travis I&rsquo;ll go to him, don&rsquo;t try to mimic people because you can&rsquo;t do someone else&rsquo;s style better than theirs. I guess the other thing would be to experiment with your sound and understand that music and creativity are never &ldquo;done&rdquo;, an artist's responsibility in my eyes is to spark cultural discourse so you should always be aiming to push boundaries and challenge the norm.
&nbsp;I also always encourage artists to move as if these blogs and discovery platforms don&rsquo;t exist; I&rsquo;m not saying that as in &ldquo;don&rsquo;t submit your music&rdquo;, but don&rsquo;t look through the platforms and try and replicate the music that they support. Every single breakthrough artist is something new, even if they&rsquo;re reminiscent of something old, Tommy Richman is a perfect example giving us a sound all of his own. Ignore the music industry until the music industry comes knocking at your door.&nbsp;
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Interwoven into your love for music is a deep-rooted passion for photography. Not only have you shot photos of JID, Khalid, and midwxst, but you&rsquo;ve also directed music videos for The Alchemist, Boldy James, MAVI, and more. When did you first develop these passions, and what is it like to work alongside such amazing artists as the ones I&rsquo;ve just listed?&nbsp;
I started with photography when I was like 15, mostly nature and street photography similarly to how most people start. I&rsquo;d always liked art as a kid, and as I got older photography just sparked my interest and remained a constant. My dad has done it his whole life, so I kind of just naturally was around it and thought it was cool, my older brother was also a big part of me getting into it. I was just sticking with the nature stuff for a few years, but I really wanted to start shooting music videos. Once quarantine happened, I really couldn&rsquo;t go out and take photos at all, so that&rsquo;s when I learned how to edit videos through YouTube tutorials and footage shot around the house. modrNation was really how I got my start shooting videos, and it started with an artist named Sideshow who I met through a mutual friend Dexter Navy. I shot my first video for him around September of 2020, and he also introduced me to The Alchemist so that&rsquo;s how we were able to shoot the TV Dinners video with Boldy and it was just a chain reaction from there. It&rsquo;s awesome to work with these artists, as they&rsquo;re some of my favorites and it keeps me inspired to be the least experienced one in the room, that&rsquo;s something I always strive for. I also much prefer to work with artists who really inspire me regardless of their size or stature, but when I get the opportunity to work with someone I&rsquo;m inspired by and has an audience that&rsquo;s obviously the ideal situation.&nbsp;
If you could shoot photos of any artist in the world, who would it be?&nbsp;
For me it&rsquo;s all about an artist having a strong visual identity and narrative, like I&rsquo;d love to shoot for someone like Tyler The Creator or Olivia Rodrigo who are building entire worlds around every rollout with each leading into the next. I also love do old-school, Chimodu-style shoots for people like Snoop, The Roots, or even Al Green or someone like that. LL COOL J too, my mom loves him and his photos are always so sick. Honestly though the thing I loved about pursuing a career as an artist photographer was that you never knew what artists were gonna grant you those life-changing opportunities and it allowed me to grow bonds with artists I would&rsquo;ve never otherwise known much about.
&nbsp;
What do you hope to accomplish in your career over the next decade?&nbsp;
This is a really hard question for me but I know that in ten years I want to have the freedom to only touch projects I&rsquo;m passionate about and have the platform in modrNation to assist the artists I believe in to achieve long and fruitful careers. At this moment I think expanding into a label and offering creative agency services on a global scale would be amazing, but who knows where the music industry will be in ten years so I plan to just do what feels right in each moment. The main thing is just having a team of artists and executives who inspire me and having the ability to pivot to whatever excites me.
What&rsquo;s one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go?&nbsp;
Immunity by Clairo, there&rsquo;s a song for every mood&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you?&nbsp;
When I was a kid, my mind would run a lot more freely. So when I think about being a big ass kid, it means to be creative and pursue the passions that you want. I feel like a lot of artists maintain that kid-like mentality and it&rsquo;s a beautiful thing, I hope to keep that as long as I possibly can.
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Jaxon Cover Page 1

Jaxon Buzzell on the Origins of modrNation and the Current State of Music Discovery

Throughout the entirety of her career, Melissa Chaile has had to wear multiple hats. Whether preoccupied with blogging and hosting radio programs towards the beginning of her tenure in the music industry, to now creating global marketing campaigns and working with some of music&rsquo;s biggest names, Melissa is used to having her hands, and schedule, full. After bouncing around different organizations and record labels for the better half of the last two decades, Melissa has worked her way up to Director of LatAm at BMG, where she currently oversees marketing campaigns for a wide-array of global musical talent. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Melissa about her journey as a marketer in the music industry, her experience working with artists like Tainy and Zion y Lennox, and the biggest lessons she&rsquo;s learned during career.&nbsp;
When did you first fall in love with music? 
Melissa: Oh, I know exactly when! I was five years old, and I was a huge Whitney Houston fan. The Bodyguard came out, I bought the album at five years old, and I sang my little heart out and I wanted to be Whitney Houston. That was when.&nbsp;
I was in talent shows singing Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Tony Braxton in like, 6th grade, 5th grade. I wanted to be a singer, but I realized that I wasn't going to make it. So I thought, let me do radio &ndash; and that's how I started.
Can you share some of your journey in music, and how you ultimately became a Director at BMG?&nbsp;
When I was in kindergarten, I used to love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, specifically April, who was the reporter. I wanted to be a reporter because of her. I used to watch &lsquo;Primer Impacto&rsquo; on Univision with my parents, and the girls were always so elegant and well-spoken in how they did their reporting &ndash; Mar&iacute;a Celeste, Myrka Dellanos, and Cristina, who was like our Spanish Oprah. I always wanted to do something like that, whether it was music, journalism, or reporting.&nbsp;
So I was like, you know what? Let me do radio because I felt like it was a good way to start. But when I started radio in 2007, online radio was becoming a thing, which progressed to video blogging. I started noticing that social media and the blog scene were becoming relevant, so I wanted to become a combination of these things, and to be a personality. I eventually started a blog with a bunch of friends of mine, and we called it Strawberry Blunt &ndash; we were an all female Hip-Hop blog that spoke their minds. It was a double entendre, right? Because we were blunt, but we also smoked. And it really blew up. We started our own radio show. A lot of guys were shutting doors on us. We were pretty girls, and we felt like if we didn't give a guy an opportunity or a chance, they would shut the door on us. So we were like, you know what, let&rsquo;s do our own thing. We started getting booked all around New York City to host parties. We gave a lot of girls opportunities with their first industry job, and really taught them how to blog, do interviews, and to maneuver their way around the music industry. A lot of the girls I still talk to. Some of them are really big DJs now. They work for Complex. They work at MTV.&nbsp;
That really opened up a lot of doors, because if I wasn&rsquo;t able to do social media and marketing for our blog, I was able to do it for other businesses. We helped Angie Martinez with her blog. We helped Funk Flex with his. From there, I started doing marketing for LG and big brands. The blog wasn't making any money, so I needed to make money. As I&rsquo;m doing all of this, mind you, I'm a single mom. I had my kid in 2007. So this whole time, my son grew up through this whole struggle of mine, of me working in the music industry. I was doing a morning radio show at La Mega 97.9 here in New York at four in the morning. Then I would go do social media for a real estate company, and then at night, I would hang out and do parties in the Hip-Hop scene. So I was just like a full 360-degree type of person doing all this at the same time that I was raising my son.&nbsp;
Throughout your career, you&rsquo;ve worked with a variety of artists on new music rollouts, marketing campaigns, and other endeavors. Looking back, who were some of the favorite artists you&rsquo;ve worked with, and why?&nbsp;
I loved working with Tainy when I worked at Roc Nation. His team was very on point, very professional, and also very hardworking. They never missed. I loved working with Tiago PZK. Tiago came from nothing and made something for himself. At 20 years old, he wasn't the type of kid that was a rock star wanting to party and hang out with girls. No, he was in it to win it, going to the studio, making music. That's what he was about, and I love that. I also loved his management team &ndash; Phil Rodriguez, who is the owner of Move Concerts, is an amazing person. Loved working with him.&nbsp;
I want to say Zion y Lennox, just because the team that they had was very fun to be with. I loved working for them because they were my favorite reggaeton group growing up. Like, hands down, one of my favorite reggaeton groups, and the fact that I manifested working with them later on in my life, it was like a dream for me. So in that sense, another one that I really liked working with that a lot of people don't know is Immortal Technique. I worked with him for a little bit. That was interesting. I also grew up listening to his music and the fact that I was working with him was a dream come true for me. And then most recently now, is JLo's team. Working with JLo here at BMG. Just seeing how such a high profile artist and how the team works and being on that side, it's taught me a lot. It's taught me a lot, definitely.
&nbsp;
What would you say is the most rewarding aspect of your current role as Director of Marketing at BMG?&nbsp;
I think the most rewarding thing is the educational part of being able to teach our BMG team about the Hispanic culture and how we work &ndash; bridging that gap. I think that's always been my thing. I've always wanted to be on that crossover side. For me, it's going to be building that relationship with my VP, who I admire very much, Zarah.&nbsp;
For modern artists, social media and marketing are deemed just as important, if not more important, than the music they make. What should artists be prioritizing when it comes to planning their marketing efforts?&nbsp;
New artists should be prioritizing so much. I know this sounds terrible coming from a label side, but I think that they should prioritize their own business skills, really learning the business and how it works so that they know who to trust and who to work with. Your team is everything, and if you don&rsquo;t have a teammate to do something, you have to learn it yourself. The industry is changing so much all the time. Right now as an artist, you're your own business. Once you realize that, I think that's how you should strategize. So I think as an artist, brush up on your business skills, know who your team is, and work hard. Even if you're signed to a label, you gotta work harder than the label.
As a latina working in a largely male-dominated space, what are some of the challenges you faced throughout your career, and how have you managed to overcome them?&nbsp;
You know, it all depends. I've definitely worked with men that have hit on me. And if you don't aren't responsive to that, they don't give you the opportunities. I go around it. I figure it out. If I feel like one door is closing on me, I find another way to open the door. I try to build solid relationships with people so that things like this don't happen. Being in a male-dominated industry has been hard, but I also have received backlash from women, which sucks, because we should be supporting each other. What I'm trying to say here is the reason why I do get some backlash from women and competitiveness is because it is such a male-dominated industry, and I think women feel like we're scarce out here.
So I have to go for what I can because I'm the only woman in the room. I think that my way of giving back and getting around everything is just mentoring the younger people before me. Because I know that when I first started, I didn't have anybody to really guide me, so I know what that feels like. I wouldn't want that to happen to other women, so I try to be there for them. I'm mentoring, like, four females right now. It's a lot, but I love it. It's actually the most promising, the most fulfilling thing for me. If I could just do this full-time I would.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
If you could work on a campaign for any artist or with any brand in the world, who would you choose and why?&nbsp;
Nas. I did the reggaeton thing. I got to work with Zion, right? I got to do some Hip-Hop, I worked at Roc Nation. That was really cool. But now to work with somebody like Nas would be, honestly, the best thing ever.&nbsp;
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What&rsquo;s one of the biggest lessons that you&rsquo;ve learned throughout your tenure in the music industry?&nbsp;
Never take anything personal. I think that we get into our own heads sometimes, and we think that, oh, this person doesn't like me, or whatever, but you don't know what that person is going through. You don't know why they're having a bad day. You don't know what's going on. So if it's not something you can control, then brush it off. Don't take it personal. Tomorrow is another day.
&nbsp;
Are there any new, exciting platforms that make your day-to-day within the world of marketing easier?&nbsp;
I really like Sprinklr, and I started using this really when I started working with global campaigns. It's very expensive, but if you're a big business and you have a global company, it's really good because you're able to create a sort of Facebook platform where you have all your content in one place. Let's say you have a business in Korea and an office in Poland. You can make it useful so that everybody has the content that they need in one space and everything gets done in there. You can check off the boxes. So it's kind of like a scheduler for all your platforms in one. It's something that I really like. Sprinklr is one of my faves right now. I'm just thinking about your other question.
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Imagine you were to have dinner with any three artists, dead or alive. Which three would you choose, and what food would you eat?&nbsp;
It would be Cardi B, Method Man and Bad Bunny. We&rsquo;d have Mang&uacute; Tres Golpes.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go?&nbsp;
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and if I can have an honorable mention &ndash; Playero 38.&nbsp;
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What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you?
It&rsquo;s adulting, but never letting go of that childhood &ndash; that childlike sense. So big ass kids to me, especially in the music industry, means being responsible, but also having fun.
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Melissa Chaile on Her Storied Career in Music and the Ongoing Shift in Marketing Strategy

One of the biggest challenges that artists are continually running up against is finding the right place to store their music. In digital audio workstations (DAW), the music still feels very much like it&rsquo;s still being conceptualized. On digital streaming platforms (DSP) like Spotify and Apple Music, the music feels fully realized and ready for mass-consumption. What about the place in the middle of the two? This liminal space between creation and official release is where Dancho and Jos&eacute; are planting the seeds for a creative technology revolution. [untitled] is the brainchild of these two childhood friends, with the crux of their revolutionary music platform being the creation of a sacred place to store and listen-to music that&rsquo;s still a work-in-progress. We recently caught up with them both to discuss the genesis of their platform, how they are facilitating a new generation of artistic collaboration, and the importance of treating &ldquo;unfinished&rdquo; music as precious.
&nbsp;
How did the two of you meet one another? 
Dancho: Well, we&rsquo;ve known each other since before we were born. Sounds a bit ridiculous, but we come from a Mexican community that immigrated from Mexico City to San Diego. Our parents knew each other from Mexico City. Our great grandparents, actually, we found out recently, used to be friends, and they used to go to the park together. We became really close over the fact that we're both the youngest of three siblings. Our older brothers were a huge inspiration for us musically. All of our older brothers were really obsessed with music together. They were even in bands together. His brother used to drive my brothers to the concerts in San Diego.
We also grew up like eight minutes away from each other, and developed very similar interests. We were both obsessed with music, and then we both became obsessed with technology and Apple and all this stuff, and it just kind of happened beyond us in some ways. Someone else was dictating our relationship.
Jos&eacute;: When I was in 9th grade, Dan came up to me, and he's like, &ldquo;We should build an app.&rdquo; And I said, &ldquo;Yeah, I do want to build an app. I'm actually thinking of a project or whatever. And then Dan's like, &ldquo;I'm thinking about a way to be able to create your own clothing, like a fashion app, where I can just put in my own design, and then get that clothing shipped to my house.&rdquo; And I was like, &ldquo;Yeah, that sounds like a really cool idea.&rdquo; We just kind of kept chatting from there.&nbsp;
Dancho: That's the start of our book. That's the intro.
&nbsp;
If you had to explain the idea behind [untitled] to a kid, how would you? 
Jos&eacute;: I think for a&nbsp; kid that's making music, it's literally a place to get started. Our mission is to nurture and maximize the creative process for artists. As a kid, you're at the beginning of that journey and [untitled] will be your best friend throughout it.
Dancho: We're building the best place to store, listen to, and organize work-in-progress music. One of the most exciting parts is that we'll see all these kids who start making music when they're, like, 12/13, start using [untitled] to store their ideas and develop them. Then by the time they're like 24/25 and they're blowing up, they'll be able to go back to their [untitled] and have ten years worth of ideas all in one place. With [untitled], you're able to start documenting your entire creative journey, your entire evolution as an artist.
Jos&eacute;: That's the coolest thing to say to a kid. You know how kids growing up will sometimes consider making a time capsule? That&rsquo;s what [untitled] does for your music.
&nbsp;
When did the idea for [untitled] first come into existence? 
Dancho: As we said, we've been obsessed with technology since we were kids, and we've been obsessed with music since we were kids.By the time we were in college, we were working with startups. So that's kind of like what we were doing professionally. We were doing internships, doing all that stuff, just trying to break into the tech world. In parallel, we started getting re-obsessed with music now as not just consumers, but actually making music. During my sophomore year of college, Jos&eacute; started making music and he started sending it to me, and I was like, &ldquo;Damn, this is cool.&rdquo;
He was making these awesome beats on his phone, and was sending them to me just for fun. I also started dabbling in making music on GarageBand. Around this time, Jos&eacute; also introduced me to BROCKHAMPTON, who were a huge inspiration for us &ndash; seeing all these kids who were just making music in their bedroom.
Around the same time, we both had started to get some experience with helping out our friends who made music. My older brother is a musician, so I was helping him out with his group. As we got deeper into this world&nbsp; we became really frustrated with the tools that existed for that entire process. Especially coming from the startup world, we're so used to all these incredible productivity tools that exist for all these different industries. You have tools like Notion, you have tools like Figma, you have all these productivity tools&nbsp; In music it just felt like there weren't really beautiful tools built to help artists nurture and maximize their creative process. We decided that we wanted to build a company that had that at the core of its mission. So we built [untitled].
Jos&eacute;: I think Dan and I realized that music is a four dimensional form of communication. It's just a way of communicating between one person and another. Sometimes friends send each other music. It's easier than sending like a 30 sentence paragraph over text on how they're feeling. You could just send a song and then immediately understand how they&rsquo;re feeling. We all tend to think about music as this thing that you release to the world, but in reality, there's a lot of music being sent just between close friends. In fact, if an artist is releasing maybe, let's say, ten albums over the course of their career, which is maybe like 100 - 200 songs, then they've definitely made over 10,000 songs. A lot of that music gets sent to just a few people, whether it's your mom, your significant other, whatever. For musicians, I think there's this pressure for the music that's released on DSPs. In reality, the other 9000 tracks that you haven't released are very valuable. They have intrinsic value. They have the spiritual value of your emotions, of who you are as a person. Artists shouldn't feel like they are beholden to experiencing their music in a predefined way. Sometimes fully materializing a song is just sending it to your mom or sending it to your friend or sending it to your bandmates. Right now, the mainstream concept of fully materializing your music is putting it on Spotify or on Apple Music.
We saw this gap between the DAW and the DSPs. In the DAW, a song feels like it's still being worked on in terms of editing and production. On DSPs, it feels like it's already a finished product. We saw this space where you want your music to feel materialized without it being on a streaming service. When you bounce your music out of the DAW, where are you going to listen to it? A song doesn&rsquo;t feel realized on the Files app and Dropbox. It feels like a random file. On [untitled], a song comes to life, and you can let it sit there without pressure.
Dan: It's really sad that for many artists pre-[untitled], they had to listen to their precious creation, their precious emotional output, on a product that does not really value it. Right? You put the song that you wrote after you were sad one evening because your girlfriend broke up with you on Dropbox or the Files app, and it literally just feels like any other file. It's sitting right next to this PDF that your boss sent you. It's like sitting right next to where my emotions are is this random PDF about my professional life. There isn't this sense of treating unreleased music sacredly. It's kind of bizarre that it's easier and more delightful to listen to someone else's song on Spotify than to one&rsquo;s own music on whatever service you're using. [untitled] is designed to treat your unreleased music preciously, and be the best place to listen to it.
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&nbsp;
How is [untitled] facilitating collaboration between artists? 
Dancho: On [untitled] today, what I can do is make a project. Call it Jos&eacute; and Dan's Retreat #1. I make this project. I enable the link, because every project starts off private on [untitled]. As Jos&eacute; mentioned earlier, we care a lot about privacy and making sure artists feel like they're in control of everything that they upload on [untitled]. If they don't want anyone to see it, they only want themselves to see it. We want them to know that it's private.
So in order to be able to share on [untitled], you have to enable the link, which means create a link that you can now share with someone else. In those link settings, there's a toggle that says &ldquo;Allow Collaboration&rdquo;. Super straightforward. You flip that toggle on, and I send it to Jos&eacute;. Now Jos&eacute; is basically a collaborator on that project. He can upload audio to it as well. He can edit the cover art, he can edit the title, he can rearrange the tracks. He can do almost everything&nbsp;that the owner can do.&nbsp;
Not everything, but almost everything the owner can. And now it's a collaborative project. It's literally like if we're making an album together, we're both in control of that album. Now, if Jos&eacute; wants to add a cover art that he thinks could be a good fit, he can go ahead and add the cover art. It's really beautiful to see great records come to life in that way.
&nbsp;
If [untitled] was able to launch in any era of music, which would it be? 
Dancho: Honestly, this is the perfect time. The DIY artist is now the most powerful person in the room. The person who can do it all themselves is the most powerful person in the room. Why are we seeing a rise in DIY artists? Because technology is allowing us to be DIY. As I was saying earlier, right? Like 20-30 years ago, you needed a recording engineer, you needed to know how to play guitar, you needed to know how to play the drums. You needed to know all these technical skills to be able to make something great. Whereas now you just have to have good taste and you have to make good choices, right? Now is really the only time in history that this has been possible.
Jos&eacute;: If I really had to make a decision, I would say the early 2000s. I was pretty young. I turned 10 in 2006, but I already had my top favorite bands locked in. I missed out on so many bands that I didn't even know about until ten years later. So anywhere from 2000 to 2010, those ten years. It would have been such a blast to build tools for that era. In general, I think I agree with Dan's choice. At the end of the day, the present is so exciting, but also sometimes you want to get nostalgic and you want to kind of be like where you were when you were six years old. So I don't know.
Dancho: If I'm just going full dreamlike and everything that we have today already exists, honestly, I would actually go more towards the future than the past. I'm really curious about the next 50 to 100 years. We're probably going to go to Mars, right? In 100 years we're probably going to have the first levels of settlements on Mars. I'd be really curious to see what type of music gets made there, and I'd be really curious to see how that music is being shared with people on Earth. Like literally interplanetary collaboration for music. Right now we hear of people making music in Mexico and collaborating with someone in the States, or people making music in Europe and collaborating with someone in the US. I&rsquo;m so curious to see what's going to happen once we reach a level of settlement on Mars where there's, like, interplanetary collaboration.
[untitled] lives at the intersection of technology and music, and shines a light on the profound impact that software will continue to have on the music industry. How do you see technologies such as [untitled] continue to impact the industry as we know it?
Dancho: With [untitled], we're not in service to the music industry. We're in service to great music and to creativity. At the end of the day, other companies may be trying to make the music industry more efficient and optimize the music industry, and a lot of those products aren&rsquo;t really built with the creative person in mind. They don't build for the musician. They don't build for the artist or the producer. That's the biggest difference between us and all the other tools that maybe are trying to compete with us. We are in service to great music and to creativity.
&nbsp;
How do you see [untitled] impacting music and the music industry over the next 5-10 years? 
Jos&eacute;: It would be amazing if in the next five to ten years, you're going to be listening to your friends' music more than you're listening to people's music who you don't know. Dan and I are going to be very happy when that day happens.
Dancho: I think over the next 5-10 years, [untitled] will create a renaissance of great music. We're allowing it to be way easier to listen to your music. Everyone knows that listening to your music is key to creating great music. Listening to your demos over and over and over again is key to making them great, because you have to get into the details. You have to get into the weeds.
The best art in the world, the best pieces by Picasso, were done because he created a shit ton of drafts. He literally made tons of drafts. That's what made Picasso so great. He made a bunch of drafts to create that perfection, right? And in music, the same goes. You have to go through a lot of demos. You have to go through a lot of versions to land at the best one. [untitled] is making it easy to listen to all those versions and obsess over them. Our app is the only file sharing app in the world that allows you to loop demos. Literally, you can just click &ldquo;loop&rdquo;, and it will loop over and over and over again. No other app can do that for your own unreleased music.
To summarize, I think a lot of great music is going to come out in the next 5-10 years because our product is going to allow you to really draft your ideas, obsess over your demos, and get deep into the music that you're making.
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&nbsp;
If you guys could create your dream supergroup of artists, who would you select? 
Dancho: All right. For me. It's George Harrison. Salvador Dal&iacute; as a designer for the group, he can make music too if he wants. Kevin Parker. Need to sprinkle in someone who's really good at just making every detail. I would have a really interesting female vocalist to add interesting flavors to the sound. I'd probably add Joni Mitchell to the group. Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Kevin Parker, Salvador Dal&iacute;.&nbsp;
Jos&eacute;: I prefer his band. I want his band.
&nbsp;
What was the first album you bought with your own money? 
I don't remember buying it. My parents probably bought it for me, but I remember one of the first CDs I had was Blink 182. Just the self-titled album.
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go?
Dancho: &lsquo;The White Album&rsquo; by the Beatles. It&rsquo;s had a deep connection to me since I was a kid.
Jos&eacute;: &lsquo;Kakashi&rsquo; by Yasuaki Shimizu
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&nbsp;
What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you?&nbsp;
Dancho: Instinctively, it's an adult with a very childlike curiosity. I think one of the keys to staying creative and constantly being able to create interesting ideas is having a childlike curiosity &ndash; following your instincts and emotions, and not overthinking anything. It&rsquo;s an adult with an insane level of a childlike curiosity.&nbsp;
Jos&eacute;: Not too much to add. I think Dan and I really love the concept of childlike curiosity. Hearing the word kids, it definitely brings you to that concept immediately.
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[untitled] Cover Page 1

[untitled] Co-founders Dan Lilienthal & José Chayet on the Rise of the DIY Artist and How Their Platform Will Kickstart a Music Renaissance

There aren&rsquo;t many organizations that operate at the intersection of both fashion and music, but one that&rsquo;s capable of playing in both of these creative arenas is VFILES. Known for groundbreaking runway shows, exemplary music discovery, and a radical commitment to developing the future of creativity, VFILES has amassed quite the reputation since it came into existence more than a decade ago. Founded by Australia&rsquo;s Julie Anne Quay, VFILES has spent the past 11 years attempting to democratize creativity by restructuring the systems that both the fashion and music industries operate under. They have a goal of &ldquo;discovering, incubating, and empowering the global youth&rdquo;, and with various initiatives at the helm of being launched, the NYC-based organization is making strides towards a lasting legacy that will surely impact the creative entrepreneurs of the future. We recently spoke with Julie Anne about VFILES becoming a non-profit organization, how she started her career in fashion, and why physical and mental well-being are essential for every type of creative.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
When did you first fall in love with fashion?
Julie: Probably as soon as I could choose what I wore, and have a say in what I was wearing. I would say that&rsquo;s when I fell in love with fashion, probably around the age of 3.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Growing up, who were some of your biggest fashion influences?&nbsp;
I grew up in Australia, so my relationship with fashion was always as an observer &ndash; seeing different trends and what was happening. When you grow up in Australia, your biggest fashion inspirations are international &ndash; international music, international magazines, international runway shows. Then what follows is the localization of that, so what&rsquo;s happening at local shopping centers, malls, retail locations.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ve had an expansive career, some of which has been spent at places such as VH1, Vogue Japan and Australia, V Magazine, and now, VFILES. How did you begin your career in fashion and media?&nbsp;
I basically got my start by working as a shop girl at Esprit, when Esprit launched in Australia. So I learned pretty much all of my retail and marketing skills through Esprit, which is one of the best brands ever created. That was my beginning.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
When did you create VFILES, and what was your intention behind its creation?&nbsp;
We came up with the name VFILES in 2011, but we started working on VFILES in 2012. The whole goal around VFILES was to democratize fashion and music, and create a safe space for people to share, create, and feel empowered by their creations.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Though largely centered around fashion, music is also a big component of VFILES&rsquo; identity. How would you say fashion and music influence one another?
In fashion, the way you dress is your brand. The songs you sing are the voice of your brand. So we always say this at VFILES, music is the voice of fashion. Fashion is the lifestyle of music.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ve been quoted many times saying that VFILES is &ldquo;for the kids in the line&rdquo;, something which stems from when you&rsquo;ve noticed that the kids standing in line outside of your parties were the ones who should be inside. What does it mean to empower the youth, especially as it pertains to those from marginalized backgrounds?&nbsp;
I have this ridiculous sense of fairness, and it&rsquo;s just not fair. The access to opportunity is so imbalanced. What it means to me, I don&rsquo;t know, but it means a lot. I don&rsquo;t even know how to put it into words. The world&rsquo;s not fair, and the playing field is not level. I&rsquo;ve been blessed to have the career that I&rsquo;ve had and still have, and at a certain point you start to think about what your legacy is going to be. You want to leave something behind when you&rsquo;re not working anymore or when you leave the world behind you. Through VFILES and through the career that I&rsquo;ve been lucky to have, if you can level the playing field a little bit and sprinkle some more creative stars up there, then that means everything to me. That&rsquo;s my focus.&nbsp;
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&nbsp;
One of VFILES&rsquo; tenets is to close opportunity disparity in the creative industry as it pertains to those from underrepresented communities. How is VFILES approaching this issue, and how have you witnessed these issues throughout your career?&nbsp;
We spend a lot of time researching this. The fashion and music industries are very good at saying they&rsquo;re going to do things. More diversity in front of the camera, more diversity behind the camera. We have more women here, more this, more that. These problems are actually systemic. All of the industries have systems within them, where the only way you can break them is by joining the system. It&rsquo;s not just about creating a fund here and there. It&rsquo;s more like, how can we actually put more people into the system that think like we do? Meaning that they appreciate equality and diversity, have strong social justice, have strong hiring and growth mindsets, etc. We realize that the only way to actually do that is to empower entrepreneurs and help them get into the system so that they in turn can change the system. So it&rsquo;s more like a trojan horse theory, as opposed to just giving grants.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
VFILES used to host a monthly event titled PASS THE AUX where artists would plug in and perform original music. Do you currently have any plans to do more of these parties?&nbsp;
We are planning to bring back PASS THE AUX within the next month or so. Before the pandemic as a for-profit company, we&rsquo;d discover talent through PASS THE AUX and then maybe release their music or have them perform at fashion shows, etc. As we look back now, holding a new status as a non-profit organization, we realize that this isn&rsquo;t enough, and want to move the needle. What artists need are to be exposed, given the opportunity to perform, open up for other artists, etc. As technology has progressed, music distribution is something that anyone can do. It&rsquo;s all the other things, the music videos, the marketing, the performing that they need. So in terms of PASS THE AUX, you&rsquo;re going to see it in a different format.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Back in 2020, you launched VFILES LAB, an incubation program which aims to discover, educate, and empower &ldquo;original thinkers&rdquo; from an array of creative and intellectual pursuits. In your perspective, why is it important to provide such education and mentorship opportunities for the next generation?
It goes back to our whole trojan horse philosophy. People need tools. Money isn&rsquo;t enough. You could give someone any amount of money, but if they don&rsquo;t know how to run a company, set it up, hire people, build a brand, run marketing, and all of those basic things in your toolkit, as well as mentors and people you can call on for help, it&rsquo;s going to be hard to succeed. 90% of startups fail, and I think that answers the question.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
VFILES recently became a 5013C, otherwise known as a nonprofit. What does this mean for the future of VFILES?&nbsp;
I think it&rsquo;s so exciting. Name another non-profit that does what we do. Name another non-profit that can message out to the community and culture, and really stand behind them to empower and grow. It&rsquo;s also such a unique opportunity for us to trailblaze within the non-profit space. It&rsquo;s hard. You think being a for-profit business is hard? Try being a non-profit business. When you&rsquo;re a non-profit, you get measured on how much you help people. How many grants you give out, how many people you reach, how many workshops you&rsquo;ve created. That&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s most exciting about it. If the thing you want to do is democratize creativity and empower creative entrepreneurs, there&rsquo;s no better way to do it than as a non-profit. We&rsquo;re super excited about it.&nbsp;
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What&rsquo;s a piece of advice you&rsquo;d share with someone who&rsquo;s looking to embark on a creative career?&nbsp;&nbsp;
Yes. I&rsquo;m a professor at the Roc Nation School, and one of the classes that I taught recently was all about failure. Try and fail. Try and fail at something every day.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
One of your passions outside of VFILES is the connection between exercise and wellness, and how it impacts our day-to-day lives. Up until recently, you were even a Soul Cycle instructor up until recently.&nbsp; Why is it important that creatives place emphasis on their physical and mental well-being?
That is a complete biological and physiological thing where you function better when you&rsquo;re rested, eating well, and active. That&rsquo;s it. To me, if you want to be a great creative, you need space and time to think, and you need to be well-rested for your brain to work. I swear by that, and have lived my life by that since I was young.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Where do you see VFILES heading in the next decade?&nbsp;
Our goal is to become a prolific non-profit organization, in that we create our lab program, our academy program, our fashion and music programs. I want to reach more people, create more opportunities, and partner with some of the other big non-profits out there so that we can use our influence to work with their impact. You will see the VFILES brand back in the fashion space - a percentage of all sales will empower our non profit programs - creatives supporting creatives is what we were born to do.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What would you say to the 8 year old version of yourself?&nbsp;&nbsp;
In the second grade, I was the teacher&rsquo;s pet, and it was borderline embarrassing. My advice now would be to just lap that up, take your roses, and enjoy the moment. A win is a win is a win, no matter how big or small it is.
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go? 
Wow, that&rsquo;s a really hard question because I can&rsquo;t really say just one album. I literally take my entire library with me everywhere I go because I have different music for different moments.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you? 
I have somehow never grown up. I&rsquo;m the mother of kids in their 20s, and I&rsquo;m somehow permanently 22. Being a Big.Ass.Kid. is really like being Peter Pan.
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Julie Anne Quay on Empowering the Youth and Changing the Way the World Views Non-Profits

Few music industry executives have managed to make quite as big of an impact as Amber Grimes. With more than 15 years of experience in leadership positions at Spotify, Capitol Records, and now, LVRN, Amber has made major contributions to the current state of music. Despite the busyness of her schedule, Amber also recently launched her latest endeavor &ndash;&nbsp;
Amber&rsquo;s Book Club. A nonfiction book club that aims to create community, share knowledge, and unleash the power of reading, Amber is on a mission to share her love for literature while continuing to lead a noteworthy career in music. We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Amber to discuss what motivated her to join the team at LVRN, what inspired her to launch her very own book club, and why authenticity is the most important characteristic of great artists.
&nbsp;
How would you describe your current role as EVP/GM of LVRN to a kid? 
Amber: I tell people what to do.
&nbsp;
Prior to working at LVRN, you worked in Artist &amp; Label Relations at Spotify, were SVP of Global Creative at Capitol Records, and led your own consulting and brand management agency. Throughout all of these experiences, what were three of the most valuable lessons you learned? 
That&rsquo;s a great question. One was learning how to communicate with everybody in each of those positions. I have to speak directly to the artist, the manager, and the label. I have to basically connect with every person that&rsquo;s a part of an artist's career. I have to know how to diversify my communication style to be able to speak to everyone. I have to be able to adjust to who I&rsquo;m talking to, and all of these experiences taught me that.
The second thing is being able to have empathy for everyone in their position. I&rsquo;ve been everybody except the artist. I can understand everyone&rsquo;s point of view because I&rsquo;ve been them before.
The third thing is to know at least 50% of what everybody does. I think the only way you can properly run a company, manage a team, or manage multiple teams is to have that knowledge. I don&rsquo;t need to be the smartest person in the room and I&rsquo;m never trying to be more proficient in a job than the person that I hired, but I need to at least know 50% of what their job is so that I can hold them accountable. I have to know what they&rsquo;re doing so I know if they&rsquo;re doing it right or wrong, and I have to be able to help them.
These three things have been most valuable to me in my decade plus career.
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What ultimately motivated you to join LVRN as EVP/GM? 
I&rsquo;ve been blessed to come from a city where I can work with my friends and people that I know, and ultimately love, to come up. I stepped out of that environment to have new experiences and step out of my comfort zone, but I always wanted to have it as an option to come back to. I don&rsquo;t think everybody gets that opportunity &ndash; it&rsquo;s very rare. It was a very rare opportunity where my growth was also me returning to my comfort zone. Usually growth is only found outside, so this wasn&rsquo;t an opportunity that I was willing to miss out on. It&rsquo;s the most fulfilling job that I&rsquo;ve ever had.
&nbsp;
LVRN is home to an abundance of talent, some of which includes Summer Walker, 6lack, and dvsn. In your opinion, what is special about the roster of artists at LVRN? 
When LVRN first started it was coined an R&amp;B label, which is beautiful because R&amp;B can sometimes be forgotten about. We&rsquo;re now able to translate our passion for R&amp;B artists to global artists. We&rsquo;re able to do the same things for Davido as we are for Summer Walker, but do it with our own spin. I think the beauty of LVRN and our roster is that we are able to translate our skills and everything that we&rsquo;ve learned since being in this business to all genres and artists. We&rsquo;re only just discovering this now as we continue to find success working on a bigger level and with a wider range of artists. One thing that all of our artists have in common is authenticity. They are them whether we like it or not, and we can work with that because it&rsquo;s very hard to find success with artists who don&rsquo;t have a vision for themselves. What we do best is help amplify an artist&rsquo;s vision.
&nbsp;
Throughout your career, you&rsquo;ve held a variety of leadership positions. In your perspective, what is required of a great leader, and how are you reaching that standard every day?
I actually just read this book called &lsquo;The Diary of a CEO&rsquo; and the author puts into words what I think it takes to be a good leader. I didn&rsquo;t have the words for it before. He speaks about a great leader as someone who has to be inconsistent. When you hear that, you immediately go &ldquo;What? You have to be consistent. You have to be like this, you have to be like that.&rdquo; It was the most beautiful thing ever because, yes, when you&rsquo;re a great leader sometimes you have to hire people, and sometimes you have to fire people. Sometimes somebody comes in crying because they may have had a loss in the family, and somebody may be struggling at home with something. There are all of these different things that you have to deal with and people you come in contact with.
To me, a great leader is someone who can rise to any occasion. You can&rsquo;t be the same in every instance. It doesn&rsquo;t work in my business, because it&rsquo;s a people business. When you embrace being a well-rounded, confident person, you are an incredible leader.
&nbsp;
What inspired you to create your very own book club? 
I wanted to see if anybody else was reading. It was an experiment to see if I was the only nerd in my friend group or social environment that liked to read. I really started it to find my people, but also to give people a book club that speaks to them and engages younger people who want to read. I have a responsibility to be the source of things, and this was one of the things that I wanted to become a source of. If you ask me &ldquo;Why isn&rsquo;t this happening? Why isn&rsquo;t that happening?&rdquo;, my question will be &ldquo;Well, why don&rsquo;t you do it?&rdquo;. So, I just did it and wanted to see how it would go.
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What attracts you to both an artist and an author? 
Authenticity. Authors have a voice, and in nonfiction, I think it can be a little harder to find a voice because it can be cheesy, gimmicky, and cliche. But when something really moves me, it&rsquo;s because the author speaks in a way where either I understand or I&rsquo;ve never heard it quite like that before. Some authors talk to you like a friend. Some books can be daunting and unapproachable, so I&rsquo;m looking for that voice or something that connects with me.
It&rsquo;s the same for artists. I need to be able to connect with their message. I have to believe in an artist the same way I believe in reading a book from page one to 300 because I know at the end we&rsquo;re all going to win. It&rsquo;s the same for me.
&nbsp;
Amber&rsquo;s Book Club is a nonfiction book club that specializes in &ldquo;memoirs, personal growth, self-transformation, and business books&rdquo;. What is it about nonfiction books, particularly the aforementioned nonfiction books, that are especially intriguing or of value to you?
I think a lot of people use books as an escape, and that&rsquo;s beautiful. That&rsquo;s generally what people become fiction lovers for. As someone who&rsquo;s a college dropout, I use every experience in my life to learn. Nonfiction books are like free college. There&rsquo;s a book out there for anything I want to learn or change. I consider my love for nonfiction books as an opportunity for higher learning, for higher education, and I want to take something away from a book that I can apply to my life the next day. Going back to my response that referenced &lsquo;The Diary of a CEO&rsquo;, if you would have asked me that question in January, I would have answered completely differently. I would have misrepresented myself because that book helped me structure my thoughts. Nonfiction books help me answer questions better, feel seen, and change my life completely. I don&rsquo;t want to escape, I want to be better in my reality.
&nbsp;
Do you remember when you first fell in love with reading? If so, when was it? 
Yeah. I read a book titled &lsquo;You Are A Badass&rsquo; by Jen Sincero. I read it because it was popular and thought that I was a badass. There was a specific part in the book where she talks about buying a car. I had just spent $1,500 on a lemon Ford Focus, which at the time, was all I had. Within the first two weeks of buying the car it broke down on me. I read this book, and Jen talked about the same scenario of buying a car. But instead, she went to the dealership and bought a car that, at that moment, she couldn&rsquo;t afford. She knew she was a hard worker and would do whatever it took to make sure she could afford it. I was like &ldquo;Oh my god, that is me. If I give myself a challenge, I will always rise to the occasion.&rdquo; I bought a $1,500 piece of shit because I had $1,500. I don&rsquo;t operate like that in my life at all &ndash; just doing what I can.
This motivated me to buy a Nissan Altima that I couldn&rsquo;t afford. I immediately called a friend and asked to work in their new shop for extra cash. I was working for Def Jam at the time, and when I got done at the office I would work in the evenings for her. I was ultimately able to afford the car, and make extra money because of the extra effort I put in. I immediately changed my life, and all I had to do was read this book. I was holding myself back this whole time because I just didn&rsquo;t have this information or perspective. After that, it was up.
&nbsp;
If you could have dinner with one author and one artist, dead or alive, which author and artist would you pick? 
Neale Donald Walsch. He&rsquo;s the author of my favorite book &ndash; &lsquo;Conversations with God&rsquo;. If I don&rsquo;t meet him before my life is over, I&rsquo;m going to be very upset. I really want to talk to him. The artist I&rsquo;m going to bring is Drake. That&rsquo;s the answer. I don&rsquo;t have too many questions for him. He should just sit and listen to Neale talk.
&nbsp;
For many working professionals, it can be extremely difficult to find time to stay consistent with reading. What are some tips you&rsquo;d share with people who are looking to stay on track with their reading regiment? 
Since starting a book club, I&rsquo;ve been forced to read twice as much as I used to. I realized that we all have so much time to read. Audible and audiobooks have made it so much easier to listen while you work or on your commute. There&rsquo;s so much space in the middle of the day that you don&rsquo;t use wisely. Now that I have to use every second, I realize how much time people waste instead of putting towards reading. Obviously, at the end of the night or whenever work ends, you have to commit to books being your solace. At the end of a long day, I read for 30 minutes before watching my favorite show.&nbsp; You have to be disciplined about your time if you really want to read more.
&nbsp;
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
I&rsquo;ve become things beyond my wildest imagination in one year, and have changed my circumstances in unbelievable ways in five. In ten years, I have no idea what will happen. I try not to think that far ahead so I don&rsquo;t limit my growth. I work towards goals instead. I don&rsquo;t know what will happen, but I am so excited to see what will happen.
&nbsp;
If you could only take one book with you wherever you go, which book would you choose?
&lsquo;Conversations with God, Book One&rsquo; by Neale Donald Walsch
&nbsp;
If you could only take one album with you wherever you go, which album would you choose? 
&lsquo;The College Dropout&rsquo; by Kanye West
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What does the term &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you?&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s someone who can still get in touch with their younger self. For the most part, our younger self is the dreamer &ndash; the person who feels as though anything is possible and doesn&rsquo;t think through logistics or limitations. They dream like anything can happen because they don&rsquo;t know what can happen. Once you&rsquo;re an adult, it&rsquo;s hard to stay there because of bills and responsibilities. As a creative, being a big ass kid is a place where you can go in your mind and career when you want to dream and think without limits.
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Amber Grimes on What Makes Great Leadership and Why She Decided to Start a Book Club

When Timbaland first started developing Beatclub alongside his longtime manager and business partner Gary Marella, the pair had dreams of creating a platform that would usher change into the music industry. Fast forward to now, Beatclub is doing exactly that &ndash; providing opportunities, community, mentorship, and more to music creators of all pursuits. With the technological landscape for producers and artists to virtually collaborate, brands and organizations to shop for music directly from the source, and artists of all identities to obtain the opportunity of a lifetime, Beatclub is empowering everyone from bedroom producers to household names. Daniel Glogower, a longtime music professional with experience on all sides of the industry, is the Chief Business Officer of Beatclub, and has seen firsthand how the platform has grown over the years. We caught up with Daniel recently, and learned some more about what the future of the platform holds, the origins of Beatclub, and the qualities that all great artists share.
&nbsp;
How did you begin your career within the music industry?
Daniel: I&rsquo;ve always been into music, I was one of the fortunate few who knew what they wanted to be at a very, very young age. I&rsquo;d say my first official foray in music was getting signed to a record deal to a label named Ruffhouse Records. They went on to sign Cypress Hill, The Fugees, Kriss Kross, but this was very early, as the label had just started. Me and two other guys from high school had started a rap group. I used to do the beats and production. We got signed quickly, but we never came out and nothing ended up happening with us, but I knew that I wanted to be in music. I had it in the back of my head that even if I&rsquo;m not making music, managing artists is something I could do. After college, I took a job initially with Macy&rsquo;s and then later Lord &amp; Taylor as a Buyer and Planner, and hated my life. I just wanted to be in music, and couldn&rsquo;t really figure out how to get there. Eventually, I quit, and took a job in Hoboken, for a food delivery service. One day while I was doing that, someone ordered food and it sounded like a party was going on in the background. It ended up being a record label, and they were having a release party. I asked if I could fax over my resume, and after two and a half weeks of calling every single day to follow-up, I got a job where I was sweeping floors and packing boxes in the warehouse. I did that for a few weeks, and then finally the boss told me to come to his office, and listen to him sell CDs and tapes over the phone to different music and party stores. He wanted me to learn how to sell. I sat there every day for at least a month and a half, and finally one day he had me start selling. I was pretty good at it. I did over a million dollars in sales in my first year, which allowed me to have a voice at the company. I ultimately ended up becoming the VP of A&amp;R, and was at the company for five years.
&nbsp;
Throughout your lengthy tenure in music, you&rsquo;ve worked alongside some of the greats, including Pharrell Williams, Jay Z, J Balvin, Frank Ocean, and so many more. In your experience working with such legendary artists as the ones I&rsquo;ve just mentioned, what are some common qualities that you would say all &ldquo;great&rdquo; artists share? 
Everyone talks about the &ldquo;je ne sais quoi&rdquo; or the certain thing that people have. I remember&nbsp; meeting Coi Leray, and when you walked in the room you immediately knew that she was going to be a superstar. That&rsquo;s one side of the fence. Then there&rsquo;s the other side of the fence. I remember talking to Talib Kweli about Mos Def, and he said &ldquo;for me, I have to work really hard for me to be able to do what I do. I have to practice and work, and it doesn&rsquo;t come as naturally as it does for Mos.&rdquo; I&rsquo;ve heard Rick Rubin say &ldquo;consistency and hard work will outlive talent any day of the week.&rdquo; Especially in this day and age where the barrier to entry is lower and you have all of these resources at your disposal, you can hustle past those who are just resting on the laurels of their talent. I&rsquo;d say that consistency and hard work are important. Some other things are being able to connect with people, and being a respectful and good person. Whenever Pharell walks into the studio, he walks up to everyone and introduces himself as though no one knows who he is. That humility speaks volumes, and makes people want to engage with you. The common thread amongst the people who succeed is that they&rsquo;re consistent in their work, they work hard, and they treat people right.
&nbsp;
When did Timbaland first come up with the idea for Beatclub? 
I spent a year trying to convince Timbaland to create a soundpack for Splice when I worked there. After moving on to Native Instruments, both Timbaland and Garry Marella approached me with the idea for Beatclub in late January of 2020. They told me their vision, and though they were inspired by the previous Splice deal, they recognized that Timbaland would lose out on publishing, royalties, and credits if he followed through with it. They wanted to make something with more creative empowerment, and the idea would be a centralized hub that would give music creators of all levels the resources, community, education, and mentorship that they need, with of course the ability to monetize the assets that they create.
&nbsp;
Have you been involved with Beatclub since the very beginning? If not, when were you first brought on board as Chief Business Officer?
I was employee number one at Beatclub. &nbsp;
One of Beatclub&rsquo;s major value points is enabling artists and producers to monetize their creations. What tools and features does Beatclub have that helps facilitate these connections?
We do this through two ways. One is our opportunities portal, which is a place where members can get exclusive access to placement opportunities for their music. At any given time, you&rsquo;ll see around 70 - 100 opportunities listed. Some examples of these opportunities are the NHL needing music for the Stanley Cup, Dreamworks needing music for a theme song, Netflix has a children&rsquo;s series that needs background music for episodes, Peloton needs music for a commercial, Cordae is working on a new album and needs certain beats. All of these are types of opportunities that exist in our platform, and we update this list weekly. Through this system, you&rsquo;re able to seamlessly submit your beat or song for that opportunity. From there it goes to our A&amp;R team where we pick the best of the best, and then filter the selections down to the company, stakeholder, or A&amp;R. In just a few months, we&rsquo;ve gotten over 850 tracks placed in different opportunities and put millions of dollars in creators pockets. The second way we&rsquo;re able to do this is through our two-sided marketplace. This is a place where any creator can customize their profile page, upload their social links, upload their content, and then sell the basic building blocks of music. They can upload their beats, soundpacks, acapellas, demos, and more, and then customize the licenses in which they&rsquo;re selling these assets. This is empowering for creators, and we believe this will eventually be viewed as the LinkedIn of the music business.
&nbsp;
Over the last few years, we&rsquo;ve seen the emergence of a variety of organizations who hope to operate in a space that is similar to the one that Beatclub is in. What gives Beatclub the advantage over its competitors? 
Our company is for creators, by creators, and that&rsquo;s what gives us the ultimate advantage. We have an intimate knowledge of this community that many others don&rsquo;t have, and we look at it from a very holistic lens. Some of the competition that&rsquo;s out there may just be championing the bedroom producer and saying &ldquo;fuck the industry&rdquo;, and aren&rsquo;t facilitating major industry connections. We&rsquo;re here for everyone, and want to help creators make money and be exposed so that people can see and hear them. We also have a system of feedback with our opportunities where we help teach our creators about what they could do to improve and become better. Timbaland has always been known for finding new talent and blowing them up, and this is a way for him to do that at scale for thousands of people as opposed to a handful. On top of that, we look to cover the entire creator journey rather than just pieces of it. A lot of other companies only focus on one thing, but we&rsquo;re a centralized hub for all of it.
&nbsp;
Why is it important that platforms such as Beatclub exist, especially for younger artists trying to get their name out there?
Beatclub helps level the playing field. We are the intermediary between this world of people who are trying to be seen, and those who&rsquo;ve been looked at as the gatekeepers at the top. We&rsquo;re able to leverage Timbaland&rsquo;s reputation as someone who mentors creators to help bridge the gap between those two worlds. Our ultimate goal is to help creators monetize. We feel that the most important thing to keep any music creator on their journey is to put some money in their pocket. Overall, that&rsquo;s the reason why music creators should want to work with Beatclub.
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This past February, it was announced that Hipgnosis, a major song management company, invested in and partnered with Beatclub. What does this news mean for the creators on the platform?
A popular practice in music is looking back at hit records from the past, and sampling them to turn them into the hits of the future. Our partnership with Hipgnosis and these other catalogs will allow for a list of songs that these rights holders have to be easily clearable. That way, creators know in advance that there will be less friction when getting these samples cleared. This is going to be advantageous to all levels of our community.
&nbsp;
What is your favorite aspect of Beatclub&rsquo;s platform?
Currently what I&rsquo;m most excited about are the opportunities that we&rsquo;re able to give to the community. It just feels good. There was one placement that we got for a young woman from the Caribbean who was able to buy her grandmother a new house after it had been destroyed. There was a guy who got a $20,000 placement after being on the platform for a week. Those stories are amazing to me, and are probably my favorite thing about Beatclub.
&nbsp;
What does the future of Beatclub look like?&nbsp;
Our two-sided marketplace is set to launch in a couple of weeks. We envision that developing into the music industry version of LinkedIn, where every music creator will have all of their tools, assets, services, and content on their profile page. That&rsquo;s going to be the center, the heartbeat, of our platform. We&rsquo;re looking very soon to put our transactions on blockchain, so if you&rsquo;re going to buy a beat off of someone, all of it will be on the blockchain through smart contracts. We believe that this technology will be the great equalizer of the music industry, so we want to get ahead of that and guarantee fair payments to anyone who&rsquo;s participating in our platform. Ultimately, we want our platform to be a huge place for discovery. We want it to be a pre-DSP, or an option to a DSP, where the music that&rsquo;s being created will be showcased here as well. We&rsquo;re also looking towards technology where creators can go live and sell beats as well, similar to something like QVC.
&nbsp;
In addition to your current role at Beatclub, you also serve on the Advisory Board for Girls Make Beats &ndash; a nonprofit organization that aims to empower girls and expand the presence of women in the music industry as producers, DJs, and audio engineers. From your perspective, why is it important to foster an environment of inclusivity on all sides of the music industry? 
When Beatclub was only a year old, we had a Clubhouse where we had Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and all the heavy hitters on there. Right before we went live, someone who was working with me said &ldquo;isn&rsquo;t it sad that there aren&rsquo;t any women here?&rdquo;. This stuck in my head, and since then has been something that I&rsquo;ve keenly been aware of. I&rsquo;ve just been trying to do my part to level that playing field, because it&rsquo;s a terrible, astounding fact to realize. This industry exists at the level in which it does, and there are little to no women that are able to participate in it at this level. When you look at the Top 50 songs on the charts right now, the female participation on production is less than one percent. It&rsquo;s horrible. Being associated with Tiffany and Girls Make Beats is me trying to do what I can to help and open doors. To make sure that I can provide as many seats to the table as possible, because it&rsquo;s not fair and there are super talented people who are out there. With Girls Make Beats, we want to foster an environment where girls are interested in this space, and believe that they can be a part of it.
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&nbsp;
What would you say to the younger version of yourself who was so desperately trying to land a role in the music industry? 
I would say the biggest piece of advice for my career would&rsquo;ve been, stay very close to your peers that are also trying to make it. Those peers are ultimately going to become the SVP&rsquo;s and the CEO&rsquo;s and the Founders of a lot of different companies. Also, you don&rsquo;t have to become a part of the machine, but become your own machine. And do it young so you have plenty of time to mess up and learn how to do things right.
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go? 
Stevie Wonder - &lsquo;Innervisions&rsquo;
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What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you? 
I see it as someone who looks at the world through fresh eyes, as opposed to jaded and tainted eyes. They find inspiration from what they see as opposed to looking at the negative and harping on that.&nbsp;
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Daniel Glogower on The Origins of Beatclub, Empowering Girls Who Make Beats, and His Vision of The Music Creator Economy

We live in the midst of the Streaming Era. Since the late 2000s, streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music have disrupted the music industry &ndash; completely transforming the way music fans are listening to their favorite artists. Physical CD and digital MP3 sales are now giving away to internet-powered streams, and the metrics of success are undergoing immense change. Despite this evolution in music consumption, music copyright laws and rights management practices are still struggling to catch up to the times. Artists are paid at a fraction of what they used to and are in a continual race to grasp some semblance of profitability. Jamie Dominguez is a storied music industry professional who specializes in rights management, music publishing, music copyright, artist development, and so much more. As a self-described &ldquo;Creative Sherpa&rdquo;, Jamie&rsquo;s passion is advocating for creatives and ensuring that they have the knowledge and tools available to them to ensure financial success as they pursue their passion. We recently sat down for a conversation with Jamie where we discussed the evolution of music royalties, her new role within the Music Licensing Collective, and why it&rsquo;s mandatory for all artists to have an understanding of rights management.
&nbsp;
What do you value the most about working at the intersection of music and business &ndash; specifically music rights management and music finance? 
One of my fundamental driving forces is to really leave the industry better than how I found it. Having spent so much time throughout my career really guiding songwriters and their teams on the business front, I&rsquo;ve been able to witness their everyday struggles and challenges firsthand. Fundamentally speaking, the music industry really hasn&rsquo;t been established as a very artist friendly business. I&rsquo;ve been trying to repair a lot of that and fix these problems. The key to doing this is education, and letting artists and their teams be aware of the options available to them.
I&rsquo;ve used this term to describe myself &ndash; a creative sherpa. I feel like that&rsquo;s really my purpose, to be a guide and to educate artists in rights management. In my career, having worked in the space of performance rights and royalties for creators, I&rsquo;ve noticed that there&rsquo;s a real lack of understanding surrounding rights in general. Throughout my career, rights management has been an underlying factor in every position that I&rsquo;ve held. Every creator that I&rsquo;ve come across or management team or whoever I&rsquo;m dealing with, there seems to be a need to learn more about all these different revenue streams and how they affect career longevity.&nbsp;
I don&rsquo;t take it for granted how important my guidance and knowledge in this specific area is. I serve the community and help to build more sustainable careers for artists, but also a more sustainable and transparent music industry in general.
&nbsp;
For nearly two decades you worked in Creative Services for SESAC &ndash; a global performance-rights and music licensing organization. What would you say are some of the biggest lessons that you&rsquo;ve learned throughout your experience in SESAC? 
In my role at SESAC I was really responsible for building our roster of songwriters and music publishers from the perspective of licensing and growth. Not only for the company, but also to represent the writers and ensure they were getting paid royalties. My time at SESAC was really my training ground. It was where I learned everything, built my network, and established a community for myself in my career.&nbsp;
I think for my biggest three lessons, one was to be fully transparent with artists and to give them the best advice. I was in a unique position because I wasn&rsquo;t signing artists to a deal where we were taking ownership of their rights. We were just responsible for paying out their performance rights &ndash; royalties. I was in a really good spot where I could develop trust with artists. They often came to me for objective advice on all sorts of things. I really learned how to build trust through honest communication and relaying information in a way that is fully transparent and educational. Even though I worked for SESAC, I would still advise artists to explore all of their options, and to talk to every single company to explore their best options. Being fully transparent was certainly a big lesson. Whether you&rsquo;re dealing with an artist, creator, or someone on their management team, being fully transparent is something that is foundational to building a career, but also your trust and your network.
The second lesson would be having an understanding of what rights management is. The music industry is complex. It&rsquo;s one of the few industries where there&rsquo;s really no barrier to entry. You can come into the music business without having a formal education. You don&rsquo;t need a degree and you don&rsquo;t need a certification unless you&rsquo;re an attorney or accountant. You can be someone&rsquo;s manager, you can work at a label as an A&amp;R, you can do all these things. Artists are often approached by people who want to be their manager, and this can create precarious circumstances where if you&rsquo;re a new artist, you may not have a full understanding of your situation. Early in my career, I didn&rsquo;t understand how valuable the knowledge of rights management was. Now, I think people are much more educated because they&rsquo;ve seen the pitfalls of having a bad record deal. People have a better understanding now of the value of owning their rights as an artist.
It&rsquo;s also important to have an understanding of the complexity of the industry. There are so many different facets to the music industry where artists can make money. There are more than 50 potential revenue streams for any given artist. There&rsquo;s a lot to wrap your head around, and I&rsquo;m not even pretending to understand half of them, but it&rsquo;s important to have a broad understanding of everything. Though it can be overwhelming, it&rsquo;s important to seek proper guidance if you can.
&nbsp;
How has your tenure with Sound Royalties, an organization that primarily focuses on music funding, shaped your perspective on the financial side of being an artist? 
In the last three and a half to four years, the industry completely flipped because of the pandemic. At Sound Royalties, the concept was to essentially help artists refinance their royalties. It was a really new business model, because we weren&rsquo;t taking ownership of anything. It was essentially a private bank that was built for the music community. Prior to Sound Royalties, artists would have to go to traditional banks to get a loan or would have to sign a deal where they&rsquo;d give up some of their rights in exchange for an advance.
My time at Sound Royalties taught me a lot about how important the finance world is in the music industry. I learned about the importance of having a handle on where all of one&rsquo;s earnings were coming from, cleaning up all of your finances, auditing, and making sure your income is growing how it should be. It taught me how to look at royalty statements and guide artists through that process. I really got to look at all of the income streams, not just performance royalties, and it was really interesting for me to see how varied everybody is and how everybody is struggling to maintain liquidity in the music industry. It&rsquo;s really tough.
&nbsp;
What drives your passion as it pertains to protecting and ensuring the rights of creatives, especially as it pertains to the ownership of their work? 
I&rsquo;m passionate about it because it&rsquo;s literally their livelihood. That&rsquo;s how they create longevity and make a living out of making art. It&rsquo;s how they build generational wealth if they do it right. To have a grasp on publishing and rights management is maintaining ownership to a certain degree. I&rsquo;m not saying that it&rsquo;s not valuable to have a record label or publisher, because of course it is. But you have to be educated on what&rsquo;s best for you. I think it&rsquo;s crucial, and rights management is one of the most important things for an artist to understand.
I&rsquo;m not saying they have to do it all themselves, but you can&rsquo;t just rely on your team either. Artists really need to have a personal understanding of how rights management affects their livelihood.
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You recently announced that you&rsquo;ll be stepping into a new role as the National Director of Industry Relations at The Mechanical Licensing Collective. What specifically about The Mechanical Licensing Collective drew you to this organization? 
I&rsquo;m really excited about this role because The Mechanical Licensing Collective came out of legislation that passed a few years ago called the Music Modernization Act. This was fundamental in the future of the music business in terms of streaming royalties and how they&rsquo;re distributed to creators. A lot of copyright laws are outdated, and there was nothing in the law about how to distribute streaming royalties as all of these platforms are very recent. The Mechanical Licensing Collective was formed in 2019 out of this Music Modernization Act.
They were the non-profit that was designated by the copyright office to distribute this blanket license to the service provider, which in this case is the streaming provider, and to collect and distribute these mechanical streaming royalties to the creators. It&rsquo;s an extremely important organization, and has made immense progress over the last several years. The MLC just passed the $2 billion mark in royalties distributed&nbsp; since it became fully operational three years ago, in 2021 , which is pretty incredible.
What I love about the MLC is the work that the organization is doing because it&rsquo;s what will establish the trajectory of how artists are paid and will make the streaming royalties system more efficient. As a non-profit, 100% of the royalties are paid to the artists. I&rsquo;m thrilled to be here from the ground up while the organization is still growing.
&nbsp;
The MLC is on a mission to &ldquo;ensure songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers receive their mechanical royalties from streaming and download services in the U.S. accurately and on time&rdquo;. If you had to explain the term &ldquo;mechanical royalties&rdquo; to a kid, how would you do so? 
That&rsquo;s a good question. Typically when I describe royalties in general to anyone, whether they&rsquo;re a kid or adult, you have to approach it in a very rudimentary way because it&rsquo;s so complicated. But basically, creators are paid for the reproduction of their songs.. Today, mechanical royalties are paid to the songwriter when the song is sold in physical format (like vinyl), downloaded, and streamed via "on-demand" streaming services.
&nbsp;
What are you most looking forward to as you settle into your new role within The MLC? 
I'm just really excited to see how everything progresses, and I think we're in a really exciting time in our industry. The MLC is just one example. We&rsquo;re definitely at a turning point, and I feel we are slowly finding ways to remedy mistakes of the past. What I&rsquo;m most excited for is being able to continue building community and contributing to a healthy, sustainable, and viable music ecosystem for both creators and the business. We can all play together in the sandbox and be profitable, but to be fair and equitable and make sure that everyone&rsquo;s getting paid their share and that everything is transparent is a priority.
&nbsp;
Over the next decade, how do you foresee the music royalties space evolving? 
I think we&rsquo;re getting glimpses of the future. We have so much technology, including blockchain, that&rsquo;s available to us right now that would enable us to pay artists. It would be great to have a mechanism like blockchain or something similar where royalties would be paid directly to each party involved without having to be first sent to a publisher and then have payments be distributed as money in the bank. I&rsquo;m not saying that it should replace any of these entities, but it could be a tool that they use to make the whole process more efficient. I&rsquo;ve been in conversations with a lot of startups who are building protocols and platforms with this concept in mind, so I just think it&rsquo;s a matter of time before people are adopting it.
&nbsp;
What advice would you give to artists out there who are looking to ensure that they are actually getting paid for the music they are creating? 
There&rsquo;s two things I&rsquo;d say. Number one is to have an understanding of the concept of rights and how that works, even if it&rsquo;s from a very high level. Fundamentally, it&rsquo;s easy to create music. But you really need to understand what you&rsquo;re creating in terms of the copyright. The second thing is to know that everything is negotiable. There&rsquo;s no real industry standard. Every deal is different and every agreement is different depending on the publisher, label, artist, etc. Everything is situational and everything is negotiable. The minute someone says to you that something is &ldquo;industry standard&rdquo;, just know that this doesn&rsquo;t really exist. There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with asking every question you want to ask and fighting for what you want. You&rsquo;re entitled to that. Artists are entitled to that. It&rsquo;s their body of work, and they own it. Before they give that up, they are completely entitled to negotiate on their governance.
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For the last few years, you&rsquo;ve served on the New York Chapter Board of Governors for The Recording Academy. How did you land this role, and what have been your biggest takeaways in your time working within The Recording Academy? 
I got involved with the Recording Academy early on in my career. Throughout my career, I&rsquo;ve always been loosely involved with them. I&rsquo;ve always been big on building community, and so I&rsquo;ve always been involved with their events. This opportunity came from me always being present in these situations and my desire to build a better music community. That&rsquo;s how I got nominated to run for the Board of Governors.
My biggest takeaway in what is now my third term is how important it is to create change from within. We always hear people complain about The Grammys and how it&rsquo;s not truly representative of the music community and certain genres are underrepresented. That&rsquo;s something that you have to change from within. It&rsquo;s a voting body of peers, so if you&rsquo;re not a member of that body and can&rsquo;t really advocate for your community in these spaces, then there&rsquo;s no change being made. You have to play an active role if you want to see something happen. You have to do your part. I&rsquo;ve really seen a lot of changes in the organization since my involvement as a governor. There was the formation of the Black Music Collective, which now is omnipresent in the organization. You see more of a focus on latin genres and AAPI and African communities. We&rsquo;re seeing a constant evolution.
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s one album that you&rsquo;d take with you wherever you go?
One album is really tough. I&rsquo;d say my album would have to be a Bob Marley album. Lately I&rsquo;ve been listening to &lsquo;Catch a Fire&rsquo; and &lsquo;Kaya&rsquo;. It would be one of those two.
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What does the term &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you? 
Big.Ass.Kid is your soul and your spirit. It has nothing to do with age or the number that&rsquo;s assigned to you. Being a big ass kid is being very pure and less affected by your environment. You still have a fresh perspective on things. That&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s beautiful about kids. When you talk to them, they&rsquo;re so unabashedly honest and genuine. So I think being a Big.Ass.Kid is being an authentic human, and having an energy that is pure.&nbsp;
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Jamie Dominguez on the Evolution of Royalties, Her New Role at the MLC, and Why Understanding Music Copyright is a Must for Artists

Pigeons &amp; Planes is one of the most reputable and storied music discovery platforms to make it out of the Blog Era. Founded in 2008 by Jacob Moore, P&amp;P has lived through a multitude of music industry evolutions, and has somehow always found a way to remain at the forefront of culture and music. Despite his notoriety as the platform&rsquo;s founder, P&amp;P isn&rsquo;t all that Jacob has been up to. When he isn&rsquo;t busy documenting the latest in music and entertainment, Jacob is a dedicated label founder and a co-curator of P&amp;P and Big.Ass.Kids&rsquo; compilation album &ndash; See You Next Year. No matter the arena, Jacob is lending his time, energy, and ear, to helping advance the music he loves in any way possible. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Jacob where we discussed the genesis of Pigeons &amp; Planes, the importance of giving artists the space to grow, and why, now more than ever, there&rsquo;s a need to nurture artist development.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What inspired the name Pigeons &amp; Planes?&nbsp;
I always wish I had a better story for this. I thought of the name in about 15 minutes. I always liked pigeons and the idea of this wild animal that lives mostly in cities and worlds built for humans. At the time I was reading Hip-Hop blogs like Nah Right and 2DOPEBOYZ, but I was also reading Pitchfork and Stereogum, and I knew that I wanted to combine them &ndash; so think Indie-Rock and Hip-Hop, and brand new artists as well as bigger, established artists. Pigeons &amp; Planes kind of came from two things that are in the same world. They both fly, but they represent opposites in a lot of other ways. So yeah, whether it&rsquo;s talking about Indie music and Hip-Hop or rising stars and A-list stars, I think Pigeons &amp; Planes kind of represents everything.
&nbsp;
Pigeons &amp; Planes has remained one of the top destinations for music discovery for the last decade. What would you say has been the key to success for P&amp;P during this time?&nbsp;
I think a huge part of it has been not being stuck in our ways. Every few years we've had to change, whether it be the type of music that we're covering or the way we're covering it. We started as just a really simple music blog that posted 20 times a day about songs that we liked, and it evolved into doing longer form editorial and then YouTube videos and then social media. Now it's vertical video. Our longevity comes from being open to whatever changes beyond our control and going with it instead of fighting it. I think we've seen a lot of other brands come and go because they did one thing and they wanted to keep doing that one thing versus being open to changing.
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What do you look for when recruiting new writers to contribute to the publication?&nbsp;
I think the most important thing is just finding people who are passionate. I'm totally down to let someone write about something that I'm not personally moved by if I can tell they're really into it and passionate about it. Even if an album isn't my favorite &ndash; if I'm reading something and can tell the writer loves it, I want to know why and understand it. I think passion is the most important thing. I think I&rsquo;ve always been really open to letting writers and contributors kind of do their own thing with P&amp;P. I don&rsquo;t want to control things too much because passion drives P&amp;P. Sometimes contributors will even convince me to like something, and that&rsquo;s the best case scenario.
&nbsp;
How does it feel to promote artists on different sides of the industry? Both as media coverage and on the release side?
For me it's not all that different, but it's more exciting to actually work directly with artists and be a part of the creation and the release of music. When we're covering music on the media side, there are a lot of blind spots. With No Matter projects or See You Next Year, we get so many more of the behind-the-scenes details. We hear the demos, we see the creative process, we work directly with the artists and their teams. It gives us a lot more to work with, and just on a personal level I feel more attached to it.
&nbsp;
What do you feel is missing in today&rsquo;s music coverage, as the industry moves away from written reviews and into multimedia content?
What's missing is context and depth. When I was getting into music as a kid, I looked up to artists like Kurt Cobain and 2Pac. It started with the songs, but the reason I became so loyal to artists went way beyond that. I got to learn about what they stood for and where they were coming from, and that made the connection even deeper. It made my reaction to the music so much more powerful.
I think making those deeper connections with artists today is difficult. There is so much music and content being thrown into people's faces every day, but it's all very fleeting. You hear a song on a playlist or catch a snippet on social media, but there isn't always an opportunity to get into an artist's story unless that artist happens to be really good at social media. And being good at social media shouldn't be a requirement for all great or successful artists.&nbsp;
That's where media has an opportunity to step in, tell some of those stories, give artists a platform and fans a chance to connect with artists in a meaningful way. It's not easy, because those deeper dives&mdash;especially with new or rising artists&mdash;aren't going to pay off as immediately as a viral 15-second video clip. But in the long run, it's a vital piece of documenting culture and it's a way to uplift the artists who we believe can make a lasting impact.&nbsp;
With See You Next Year, we&rsquo;ve made content about every artist on this project. It may not reach millions of people, but I really hope that a handful of fans found a new artist they like and then had a chance to learn more about the person behind the music. Even if it only happened with a small group of people, that can be a really powerful thing.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
What is your biggest piece of advice for artists out there who are looking to be recognized by major music publications such as Pigeons &amp; Planes?&nbsp;
For better or worse, artists have to think beyond the music &ndash; like how they present themselves and how that translates to social media or live events or whatever. There&rsquo;s so much music, and it&rsquo;s harder than ever for artists to stand out. I think storytelling is what I always come back to. As a writer, you want to find those interesting, compelling stories. Artists can tell stories through their cover art, Instagram captions, during live shows, or even in how they interact with fans. There are so many ways to tell stories, but you have to think about it and understand what story it is that you&rsquo;re trying to tell. You have to think about what you want people to know about you and get that across. Getting big playlist looks or having a moment on social media might get you a lot of streams, but I don&rsquo;t think it creates a real connection with fans. Stories are what will build a long-term audience.
&nbsp;
Outside of your work with Pigeons &amp; Planes, you are also a co-founder of No Matter &ndash; an independent record label. What sparked your desire to create your very own record label, and how does it feel to promote artists from both a music outlet and record label perspective?&nbsp;
I think what sparked this desire was seeing, on the P&amp;P side, the real lack of artist development and how many artists would sign record deals too early or be pressured to make hits and work with people they don&rsquo;t relate to. I saw these things happen so many times, and I saw it go wrong so many times. I wanted to be able to work closely with artists and really hone in on that development process. I think it takes time and room to experiment. That&rsquo;s what I like the most, even on the P&amp;P side. My favorite part is finding an artist really early and helping throughout those beginning stages. It&rsquo;s really exciting, and I wanted to be closer to that. That&rsquo;s where the label idea came from. No Matter is still a very small operation, and we&rsquo;re very selective about who we&rsquo;re going to work with.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What types of artists are you on the lookout for when it comes to searching for new talent at No Matter?
It has to be something different. There&rsquo;s so much music out there that&rsquo;s great, but sounds like something else that already exists. To me, the music has to stand out. I feel like I know it when I hear it or see it. It doesn&rsquo;t need to be super experimental in the way it sounds, but I think there always has to be something that&rsquo;s really unique or different.
&nbsp;
No Matter isn&rsquo;t the only avenue where you work directly with artists on new music. Both Pigeons &amp; Planes and Big.Ass.Kids have partnered up for two years in a row for See You Next Year &ndash; a compilation album that unites some of the brightest talents in music. What is your favorite part about working with artists on the creation of music?&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s an interesting question. I mean, I try to stay out of that part of it. I always share my opinion and give feedback if the artist wants it, but I think my approach has always been to trust the artists that we&rsquo;re picking, because we&rsquo;re picking them for a reason. I don&rsquo;t like to get involved with telling them what to do creatively, but I think giving them that freedom to create is really cool. This year at Shangri-La, we saw some of the artists try things that we would have never expected. I think this came from them being comfortable because there wasn&rsquo;t pressure from us. It wasn&rsquo;t like we told them what the album should sound like. It was more so just giving them the freedom to go to this incredible place, mess around, try new things, and work with people they wouldn&rsquo;t normally work with. Out of that comes some of the coolest things that you could have never really planned for.&nbsp;
My favorite part is setting the right tone and giving artists freedom. In so many other ways today, there&rsquo;s a lot of pressure &ndash; whether it's pressure to make something that works on social media or pressure to make your label happy. It's rare for artists to have a situation where they don't feel that pressure.
&nbsp;
SYNY2 was made last June at Rick Rubin&rsquo;s famous Shangri-La studio, with artists like Kenny Mason, Paris Texas, Monte Booker, and more on-premises for a week of collaboration and creativity. What was the most memorable part of this experience in your opinion?&nbsp;
The whole experience was incredible, but it has to be the night where we walked out into the living room at Shangri-La and AG Club was just freestyling over the piano. It was such a surreal moment. It was totally unplanned and unexpected. Dustin from Big.Ass.Kids was just playing piano, and then the AG Club guys just kind of circled around him and started freestyling a whole song, then ICECOLDBISHOP joined in. That song ended up being &ldquo;How to Cry&rdquo;, but it really started with two hours of them freestyling in the living room and eventually moving into the main room. That was one of the memories that I'll always take with me from Shangri-La and that See You Next Year camp. I think that, again, that moment comes from the freedom and spontaneous nature of that whole week.
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&nbsp;
If you had the opportunity to create a song with any three artists dead or alive, which three artists would you choose? 
I have to put Andre 3000 in there. I have to put Kurt Cobain in there. I&rsquo;ll say Andre, Kurt, and Fiona Apple.
&nbsp;
What do you hope to accomplish over the course of the next decade? 
The biggest problem or thing that I want to try to help solve today is the lack of artist development. Music has been so important to me throughout my life, and when I look back, all of the artists who I loved are artists who I don&rsquo;t think would survive today. They&rsquo;re the artists who were disruptive and probably took longer to develop and try new things, and I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s a lot of room today for artists today to have that kind of career.
Throughout the next decade, that&rsquo;s the thing I want to focus on &ndash; creating spaces for artists to have room to develop, tell their stories, and create a connection with an audience beyond the pressure of just making social media content every day and looking at every song as something that has to go viral. To me, that is kind of ruining the music industry today, and I don&rsquo;t want to see that happen. I think P&amp;P is in a position to at least have a little bit of an impact on that.
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What is one album that you&rsquo;d take with you wherever you go?&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve got to go with &lsquo;Madvillainy&rsquo;. I feel like it&rsquo;s one of those albums that&rsquo;s been in constant rotation ever since I was young. Most albums I&rsquo;ll listen to for a few years and then maybe won&rsquo;t for a few years. They&rsquo;ll come and go. &lsquo;Madvillainy&rsquo; has been one that I always go back to in so many different eras of my life.
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What does the term &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you? 
&ldquo;Big ass kid&rdquo; means holding on to that wild imagination that I think all kids have that you kind of lose throughout your career. It&rsquo;s hard to keep. I think it means striving for those wild ideas without overthinking too much.
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Jacob Moore on the Longevity of Pigeons & Planes, SYNY, and Why Artist Development is More Important Now Than Ever Before

Luke Bailey is no stranger to the financial space. In fact, after an 18 year career in the sector, he finally had enough. Tired of the fact that those around him hardly looked like him, he decided to set out on his own venture, one that was rooted in both representation and education. This is the driving force behind Neon Money Club, a digital platform that aims to inject financial wellness into people&rsquo;s everyday lives by making it both relevant and accessible. Co-Founded by Jackie Liao, the pair are out to make financial health the new flex. We recently caught up with Luke to discuss Neon Money Club&rsquo;s origins, how NMC differentiates itself from other financial ventures, and how music ties into his pursuits.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
How did you meet Jackie, and what inspired you to create Neon Money Club?&nbsp;
Luke: Jackie and I met through an intro from a mutual friend. We quickly realized that aside from our love for kicks, we shared the same upbringing and North Star - to give the world the keys that we&rsquo;ve been lucky enough to gain during our careers. I went out in search of a co-founder and gained a brother instead.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Why is equal representation within the financial space important to you?&nbsp;
Equal representation is important everywhere for me. I&rsquo;ve seen my whole life how people are treated differently just because of who they are and where they&rsquo;re from. How established brands invest in quality at their stores in the Flatiron district, but not at the one on 125th street. I believe that everyday, hard-working people should have access to a premium experience and that established brands should do the work to put heart and intention into their offerings. With NMC we put our time, money and effort where our beliefs are. We built something for the 99%.
&nbsp;
What separates Neon Money Club from other fintech ventures?&nbsp;
At NMC, we don&rsquo;t look at financial wellness as some magical state to achieve someday. We look at it as a way to live - today.&nbsp; Our members can show you their rare pair of J&rsquo;s, but also their portfolio with Nike stocks. You look left and right and see brands in Fintech and elsewhere renting the culture for their own gain, but their execs don&rsquo;t reflect the community they&rsquo;re attempting to sell to. We don&rsquo;t have to rent the culture - we live here. There has never been a Fintech like this run by a team that looks like us. But behind the fits and beanies is a collective of ex-bank execs and creatives who have no interest in preaching or talking down to our community of members. Instead we move with them.
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What is Neon Money Club&rsquo;s long term goal? Where do you see Neon Money Club in 10-20 years?
Our goal is to inject financial health into the everyday fabric of society. We want you thinking of your finances just like you think of your fit. There&rsquo;s a wall of anxiety when discussing financial health and we&rsquo;re here to tear it down by taking the conversation to where people&rsquo;s attention already is. We&rsquo;re going to add our unique perspective to the majority of consumer finance. We&rsquo;ve built a premium financial ecosystem where members don&rsquo;t have to go elsewhere to grow themselves. Today you can buy an iPhone, a MacBook and stream content all from Apple without compromising quality. Imagine if you could do the same with a modern financial platform? What financial platform has the bravery to launch a dating app? We did it to respect where people are and what they&rsquo;re interested in.
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What&rsquo;s something you&rsquo;d share with a 20 year old who is seeking to become financially literate?&nbsp;
A 20 year old has a greater advantage than a person twice their age. You have TIME on your side. We built Neon Money Club to give you a head start to educate yourself in a place that doesn&rsquo;t use confusing banking language from the 1920&rsquo;s. Start here, and if we don&rsquo;t have what you need, you tell us and we&rsquo;ll create it. We built NMC specifically for our 20 year old selves.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
How do you utilize music to spread awareness for Neon Money Club?&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m probably the only ex-rapper to also make a billion dollars for a major bank. I never looked at working in banking as any different than making music. To me, everything is music. When I was young, I always thought my music would get me to the Grammys. But instead, I&rsquo;ve been there a few times just as a result of the work we&rsquo;re doing in finance. It&rsquo;s a full circle moment.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What are some of your favorite sneaker/clothing brands right now?&nbsp;
The best brands all have the same thing in common - their stories are just as high in quality as the goods they produce. They don&rsquo;t just design clothing, they design a lifestyle. One of the best brands doing this today (by a mile) is Aim&eacute; Leon Dore. Great music producers don&rsquo;t just make beats - they create sonic environments. Teddy Santis and team have created a very special environment at ALD. (QGTM).
&nbsp;
What is one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go?&nbsp;
&ldquo;A Collection of Fleeting Moments and Daydreams&rdquo; by Orion Sun. I&rsquo;d fly to the moon with that album.
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&nbsp;
What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you?&nbsp;
It means youth, perpetually. Not in a sense of staying young forever. For me, maintaining youth means staying curious. My hunger to be exposed to new things is what drives me.
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If you&rsquo;re interested in learning more about Neon Money Club and The Cream Card &trade;️, then take a stroll over to <a href="https://joinneon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joinneon.com</a>.

Cover Page 1 Lukebailey

Luke Bailey on Equal Representation in Fintech and Making Financial Literacy “Cool”

Throughout our youth, we all have hobbies and passions that fascinate us. Whether it be sports, video games, art, or more, these interests tend to occupy our minds and time unknowingly, and become interwoven within our individual identities. What happens when these passions lead to the career of one&rsquo;s dreams? How does one go from merely being fanatical about something, to making it a part of their day-to-day professional life? These are two questions that perhaps may best be answered by New York native, Al Damashek &ndash; Founder and Executive Director of Move Forward Music. After falling in love with live performances when he saw Talib Kweli perform at Celebrate Brooklyn in 2001, he&rsquo;s gone on to lead a career in the performing arts that has spanned more than 15 years. Eventually using his experience booking and marketing concerts, managing artists, and producing culturally-significant events to launch his own entity, Al Damashek is now the man behind some of NYC&rsquo;s most reputable shows. We recently sat down with Al and spoke with him about his origins in the music industry, the challenges of running one&rsquo;s own business, and how he envisions Move Forward Music continuing to blossom over time.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
When did you first fall in love with music?&nbsp;
Al: As early as I can remember, really. I&rsquo;ve always loved music. My dad played a lot of music around the house when I was growing up. The first rap album I bought was &lsquo;A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing&rsquo; by Black Sheep, and it was a dubbed cassette. It was like an early version of bootleg albums, which aren't even really a thing anymore. There was a kid in my elementary school who sold dubbed cassettes for like $3 or $4 or whatever. That was like the first piece of music that I ever purchased, and I was probably around eight or nine years old or something like that.
That album starts with a really raunchy, sort of violent, fantasy. It's definitely not appropriate for eight or nine year olds to listen to, but it was so subversive and, even at that age, I understood it as like a jokey kind of parody song. That was my first album, and that's where I really started to love Hip-Hop and set my journey off as a listener. I'd say that was a big moment for me. Then growing up, I was like a big Roots head. I saw The Roots in concert like four or five times in the 90s and early 2000s.&nbsp;
The big moment when I decided to get into concerts was when I saw Talib Kweli play outside in the rain at Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park in 2001. I just thought it was so ill that people were willing to stand out in the rain and listen to his music. It was raining on us, but everybody was still together, catching a vibe, and feeling the spirit of the show. That was a big moment for me in terms of understanding the power of live music.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
In your own words, how would you describe Move Forward Music?&nbsp;
Move Forward Music is concert production and experiential production agency with a focus on pushing music culture forward in a progressive way by supporting artists and creating platforms for artists to express themselves without limitations.
&nbsp;
What sparked the idea behind Move Forward Music?
Move Forward Music started when I was at SOBs. I got a little restless, and wanted to do my own thing. My philosophy on life is always &ldquo;just move forward.&rdquo; Don't dwell too much on anything that's happened, whether it's good or bad, in the past. You got to learn from everything. You learn from your wins, you learn from your losses, but dwelling on them never helps. Even when you're celebrating a big victory or you just took a big L, you still got to make the next best step. That's always been my philosophy on life and business. Just assess things from where they're at and to make the next best step for you. That&rsquo;s where I was at during the time I was at SOBs. I was there for about two years, and though it was a great experience working there, I didn't really have any pathways to grow in my position. So I started throwing some shows on the side, and that's how I moved forward.&nbsp;
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How does your previous experience as a talent buyer at Webster Hall and SOB&rsquo;s influence the work you do now under Move Forward Music?&nbsp;
When I left SOBs, I was just kind of trying to figure it out. I was 24 years old, and I didn't really have a lot of contacts in the music industry outside of what I had just learned in my previous two years at SOBs. When I started the company, I was trying to figure everything out, and then in 2014 I got tapped by Webster Hall to produce a weekly party called &ldquo;House Party&rdquo;, which became like, the biggest weekly Hip-Hop party, definitely in New York, but probably anywhere else on the planet, to be honest. It was 2000 kids a week. We had the whole building of Webster Hall &ndash; we had all four floors and each room had a different vibe and major DJ. Funk Flex and Just Blaze were in the main room. Vashtie had a 90s room. Jasmine Solano and Melo-X did the Reggae room. There was a different vibe on each floor. On top of that, we started bringing artists to perform every week and do a couple of songs. Whoever was hot at the time had to come through and perform at &ldquo;House Party&rdquo; at Webster Hall in order to break their record. We really built it up.&nbsp;
From there, I started to look around the city because people were hitting me up to do their first shows since &ldquo;House Party&rdquo; was so hot. Everyone wanted to be a part of it and break their artists there, but you had to be pretty commercial to play &ldquo;House Party&rdquo; because it was a mainstream party. You had to be on the radio or have something like a really hot single in the streets, so I couldn't put everybody there. So I started doing shows at Baby&rsquo;s All Right and different venues around the city. That's how Move Forward Music built the reputation for being first, and doing everybody's first show when it comes to New York.
I had a moment around that time when I was trying to figure out what the next step was. I looked around, and everybody in New York City, for the most part, was either from a past generation or didn't know anything about Hip-Hop culture or really, from my estimation, much about New York culture. At that point in my career, I decided to be that guy. I was like, all right, someone's got to hold it down for New York. Someone's got to be booking these shows with a cultural understanding, and from a reference point that feels natural and can really service the city. That became my path, and from there, I just started booking everybody's first show and building a reputation piece-by-piece to the point where now we're the go-to promoters.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
You pride yourself on working with some of the industry&rsquo;s brightest stars well before anyone else has even heard of them. In your opinion, what makes a great artist stick out early on in their career?&nbsp;
I think a willingness to embrace their own individuality, and also a willingness to do the work at the early stages in their career. A lot of times when people see an overnight success, that artist has actually been putting in the work behind the scenes that people aren't really aware of. I also think making an emotional connection on stage with fans is important. Those are the artists I feel like are really special, and are on the way to something even more special.
&nbsp;
What are some of the biggest challenges you&rsquo;ve faced since founding Move Forward Music, and how have you overcome them?&nbsp;
The main challenge for any independent entity in the concert industry, the music industry, and really any industry is that we're in an era of consolidation. Big companies are consolidating more and more, and it's hard to build leverage. As an independent, building the brand to be able to withstand those pressures and find ways to work with different venues in different spaces without the resources of a major company was definitely a huge challenge starting out. Now that we're 15 years in and trying to grow, and I think any entrepreneur will tell you this, the process of growing the team and figuring out business expansion is a challenge.&nbsp;
The way I overcame the first challenge was by showing up, doing the work every day, making the most out of every opportunity, and battling through. My whole philosophy has always been that if you do work that you can be proud of for as many different entities as you can, and create good partnerships and a good history for yourself, you'll be able to stick around. That was my key to success in getting this far.
In terms of expanding the company and growing to the next level, that one we're still figuring out. I try to identify the people that I bring on my team by using the same type of skills as I try to use when identifying good artists. I try to find people to bring onto the team who have really good taste and are passionate about music and bringing people together in the same way that I am. I try giving them as much game as I can, and help them grow. I also allow them the space to contribute to the brand and to the identity of what we're doing, and allow people on the team to have agency over what they do, and trust that they're going to deliver. For me, that's a big thing, and I'd say that goes to the other challenge. As I get older, I have to be early on all the artists, and you have to really stay attuned to what the kids are listening to and what's next. I got to know what the next trend is, and having younger people around me that I trust are carrying the brand forward with me is a big part of that as well.
&nbsp;
If you had the opportunity to create your dream lineup for a music festival, who would perform and where would you host the event?&nbsp;
My dream music festival would take place in Prospect Park Long Meadow &ndash; where I spent almost every weekend growing up &ndash; and would feature the most iconic artists I've worked with in my career, plus a few personal favorites. Can you guess which are the artists we never got to book? &nbsp;
Kendrick Lamar, Amaarae, Denzel Curry, Destroy Lonely, Ravyn Lenae, Willow Smith, De La Soul, Gil Scott Heron, Sister Nancy, and David Byrne.
&nbsp;
What are some of your favorite shows that you&rsquo;ve worked on?&nbsp;
What I love about Move Forward Music and what we do is that we get to create these moments. I grew up a Hip-Hop head, reading The Source Magazine and trying to soak up everything. Now, I've expanded my brand well beyond Hip-Hop and into all different corners of music. My thing is to bring people together around these moments when the artist is on the rise, and everybody in the room kind of knows and feels it. There are so many favorite shows, but just off the top of my head, Tems at SOBs felt like a big watershed moment for Afrobeats in New York. Baby Keem at Baby&rsquo;s All Right was another big one.&nbsp;
We did Queer Ball with Orion Sun for Pride Month, and that was a really special one because it was an expansion of the brand into a new space for Move Forward Music. I also feel like it was the truest representation of what we do because we were really bringing people together around pride and the whole queer culture. Going back to one of my earlier shows, Kendrick Lamar at Southpaw in 2011 was one I'll never forget. Those are some really key Move Forward Music shows.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Following the debut of his first solo album, you recently had the opportunity to produce two Andr&eacute; 3000 shows at Brooklyn's St. Ann &amp; The Holy Trinity Church. What was it like working with Andr&eacute; 3000, and can you describe the experience of seeing him perform live in this setting?&nbsp;
Working with Andre 3000 on his first ever live solo shows was really special because I grew up on Outkast, and Andre's music had a huge influence on me and had soundtracked so many important moments in my life. When I got the call from his agent, I knew that St. Ann &amp; the Holy Trinity would be the perfect setting for the intense, atmospheric, and creatively vulnerable project that &lsquo;New Blue Sun&rsquo; is. His team agreed and we went to work on it right away as we had only two and a half weeks to produce the shows. They sold out immediately so most of the work was in the production &ndash; setting up the stage and lights to make sure the church looked and sounded amazing. The shows exceeded everyone's expectations and I am just now coming down off the high from the experience two weeks later.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
How does Move Forward Music differentiate itself from other talent booking and event production agencies?&nbsp;
By always being first. That's a starting point. I think we also lead with an artist-first mentality. Everybody that's part of my team comes from some kind of creative background, whether they&rsquo;re an artist themselves or a DJ or producer or something along those lines. We have a good understanding of what makes a good experience for artists, and I think that's a really important thing. We're not only trying to create an experience for the fans, but a big part of it is making sure that the first experience you have in New York is a special and memorable one.&nbsp;
We always make sure that we think about what the artist&rsquo;s needs are, we move with intention, and we curate our shows and events around cultural moments and niches that are going to bring people together.
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What do you hope to accomplish with Move Forward Music over the course of the next decade?&nbsp;
Over the next five to ten years, I hope to create more opportunities for artists to expand their careers, and a lot more opportunities for fans to engage with their favorite artists and for people to come together. We&rsquo;ve recently expanded into doing more experiential work with brands, which I think is really important because branded events can make big noise and they can be culturally important. They spend a lot of money producing events. It's a whole different scale compared to day-to-day concerts. We're lending the expertise that we&rsquo;ve built over 15 years of producing events, and bringing that to branded events and experiential activations so we can take our curation to a bigger scale. The long-term goal is that there will be a Move Forward Music label at some point, but we're still getting there. I don't have a timeline for that yet, but I think it makes a lot of sense with all the access to artists that we have, and the platform that we've been able to build to promote those artists.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Move Forward Music has started out the year with a streak of shows that feature some of the hottest rising artists in Hip-Hop right now, including Chow Lee, KARRAHBOOO, R2R Moe, BbyMutha, and more. Who are some of the rising talents that you are personally keeping an eye on?
I really like Vayda, Vontee the Singer, 454, Flyana Boss, and Wolfacejoeyy, right now. Ask me in a couple months and I'll probably have a new list of artists that I'm excited about.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go?&nbsp;
I'm going to say Jay Z&rsquo;s &lsquo;Reasonable Doubt&rsquo;. That album was super inspiring to me when I was growing up, and I love the landscape that Jay is able to paint and depict through the lyrics on that album. It's a very vivid, storytelling album, and still slaps to this day.
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What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you?&nbsp;
It's being able to hold on to that feeling of fun and playfulness that you have when you're growing up that we all tend to lose as we get older, become adults, and get lost in the grind. It&rsquo;s that energy that kids have where everything is new and everything is a wonder. For kids, everything is always new, and there's an infinite world to keep learning about.&nbsp;
I think that, as adults, we all could benefit from holding on to that energy and that desire to learn and just be curious, be fun, and be playful. That's what I love about how I found my career and Move Forward Music. Essentially, what I do is create spaces for adults to be playful, to enjoy music, and to experience something in a way that's just fun and free. I think it'd be good if we all were big ass kids.
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Al Page 1

As a Talent Buyer & Entrepreneur in Entertainment!

Al Damashek on Crafting Unforgettable Live Music Experiences

Throughout music and entertainment, there are many who&rsquo;ve managed to carve their own lane, but none who have been able to do it quite like Scott Keeney. More commonly known to the masses as DJ Skee, he&rsquo;s dabbled in many different arenas over the course of his two decade career. Whether it be as a mixtape DJ working alongside The Game and Kendrick Lamar, orchestrating the marketing behind T-Mobile&rsquo;s Sidekick throughout the mid-2000s, or paving the way at the forefront of culture, DJ Skee has made a career out of doing what he loves. We recently had the opportunity to catch up with the Hip-Hop legend, who reflected on his recent entry into the entertainment memorabilia space, what made artists like Lady Gaga and Travis Scott stand out to him, and why following one&rsquo;s passions is the ultimate key to success.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
When would you say you first fell in love with music?
It's kind of within my blood. My mom was a singer. My dad was a piano player, so it's kind of engraved in me. I think I fell in love with it when I was in the womb. My parents used to play music for me. My dad would hold speakers up in my mom's belly. I think it was even before I was born.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
In the beginning of your career you were a mixtape DJ and producer, and ultimately ended up releasing more than 100 mixtapes. Then, artists would release several mixtapes per year, whereas now it can take several years for a single body of work to be put out. How would you say the landscape of releasing music has changed since the beginning of your time in music?
I mean, it's wildly different, right? Like the mixtape era is gone. Because of streaming services, everything has to be legally processed and cleared, which has enabled anybody to put up music. You know, the way that we were doing a mixtape like &ldquo;Dre Jackin for Beats&rdquo; style doesn't exist. Now you have to go through the paperwork and add the formalities of it, right? Mixtapes were the most pure and underground and authentic way for a lot of artists, especially ones that were trapped into bad record deals, that didn't want labels controlling it. It was the most pure form of expression at the time, and that's now gone away. A lot of that mixing unfortunately has kind of disappeared because of those licensing challenges. If you weren't there, it's tough for people to understand, right? If you look up my catalog, you're not going to find it on Spotify. You still have to go to a mixtape site, the gray areas of the internet, to even find where those things are. So things are kind of a relic of yesteryear now, which is crazy. But I think now too, the challenge is just the gamification of the algorithm and streaming, right? It's really changed the way that music is needed. And back in the day, you used to need a DJ to get exposure, The DJ was the curator and with streaming services, that's no longer the case. A lot of those platforms are important. That's why my career has evolved, right, from being on terrestrial radio to launching Dash. I realized those changes were happening. You used to have trust that the DJ was putting on an artist. That's how you listened to a mixtape. That's how Kendrick got started, right? Doing a mixtape with myself and a couple of others, we did a bunch right at the time, like Big Mike and Envy and others collaborating on those projects and putting out his first ones. That's why people would pay attention to him because they trusted the DJ to be the curator. And those days are kind of gone now. You're going to have to find it and go down the algorithms and get on the playlist instead of partnering with a DJ, which has some advantages and disadvantages. But it's definitely changed.&nbsp;
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Out of all of the mixtapes that you were a part of, do you have any in particular that were your favorites?
The ones I really got known for were with The Game &ndash; &lsquo;300 Bars&rsquo; and things. But personally, there's some great ones over the years. People always come back to me for Freddie Gibbs and putting out really his first mainstream project. And kind of at the time, he was left for dead after leaving Interscope. So we kind of started that career. Right. Like it was the first time the mainstream heard from him, although the industry had already kind of put him away. I always reference the JAY-Z &lsquo;American Godfather&rsquo;,&nbsp; with all samples from &lsquo;The Godfather&rsquo; soundtrack, which is one of my favorite movies. There's so many good ones over the years. It was crazy ones with Travis Barker to Chris Cornell, RIP, to of course Nipsey, RIP. Those were iconic. You still hear my drops on Nip&rsquo;s Spotify which is so crazy. But, yeah, it was quite a run looking back on it.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
One of your biggest achievements throughout your decorated career has been the introduction of groundbreaking artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, and more on your radio and TV platforms. What&rsquo;s something that made these world-changing artists stick out to you when you first heard their music?&nbsp;
People always ask that, right? Obviously the music has to be good, but that's like the barometer. It's like you have to have the perfect storm of stuff, and sometimes it doesn't happen. There's always been artists that I've thought were going to blow up that haven't, right? So nobody's perfect in that. And that's where luck somewhat comes into a factor. But there's just this factor, this charisma that's impossible to define, that you just know when you first see them. You just know when you see it. I&rsquo;ve been fortunate enough to see enough artists and really be able to recognize those things. I've been able to be there early on in identifying a lot of these trends before they really became mainstream, and I think it's just that intangible asset that's tough to say.
&nbsp;
You hosted and produced five seasons of your self-titled program &ldquo;Skee TV&rdquo; on Fuse, with this program ultimately becoming an extremely popular epicenter for finding out what&rsquo;s current in music and entertainment. What sparked the creation of this TV program?&nbsp;
For me, it was great. I launched a YouTube channel right after YouTube first launched. I saw that short form content was going to be massive, and I thought, that me as a DJ interviewing artists, touring the world, and also just being into other things like sneakers and technology and things, I was like, hey, let's just put a camera on and put up like a short two minute episode every day. And that led to us launching Skee TV online, which led to a TV show. Mark Cuban cold emailed me and was like, &ldquo;love your content&rdquo;. I've done some stuff on Access and some guest hosting on his network. He's like, &ldquo;have you ever thought of doing a show?&rdquo;. And I was like, &ldquo;yeah, sure. Let's do it&rdquo;. It's so awesome that he gave me that platform and that opportunity. It just came from grinding and creating content for years and years and years, and then building and networking and then being able to be fortunate enough to be in that scenario where you get somebody like Mark to email you and believe in you and give you a shot.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Looking back on all of the episodes of Skee TV that you created, do you have any in particular that you find yourself looking back on?&nbsp;
I haven't watched any of them, to be honest, in a while. But there's all those moments, right? Having Kendrick kick off the first show right when he was on that trajectory was incredible. Being the first to ever put Post Malone on TV, Travis Scott on TV, Logic on TV. A lot of artists that were actually established, it was the first time they were on TV because there weren't any other platforms for them. So being the first place for a lot of those guys was just iconic. One week you look up and it's Future. Next week it's 2 Chainz. Like next week it's Snoop. Next week it's E-40. Next week it's Ice Cube. It was a moment, man. I don't think we appreciated it at the time, especially the level of talent. We were really fortunate enough, in retrospect, to have one of the craziest lineups ever on TV, especially at the time when music wasn't historically getting really a lot. We were really the only platform for it.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Coupled with your DJ, producing, and trendsetting talents, is an incredible business acumen, something which has helped you become one of the most impactful music executives this century. How have you managed to become such an influential mind within the world of the music business?
I think it's always been following passion. I think I just had a native drive towards business. For me, I was always just entrepreneurial from a young age. So I think it was just something that was like inside me, right? I never worked a real job. I was selling baseball cards and then selling sneakers, flipping PS2s and Xboxs back in the day. It was just something that naturally came to me. Steve Brick took me under his wing, and kind of nurtured me and showed me the industry and introduced me to both the marketing corporate worlds. I remember flying up being 18 years old and him taking me up in a private jet to go meet the CEO of Nike and pitch them in a whole marketing campaign and seeing what that was like. So being able to get those experiences and learn from them, and then evolve was incredible. It was just something that I've always had a passion for. I love kind of playing four dimensional chess and figuring out how to get all these different unique pieces and things to come together. If you look at the crossroads of my career, it's been identifying trends early on, whether it's artists or brands. From my perspective, I think following these passions has always just been fun for me. I have this unique skill set that allows me to walk seamlessly between those corporate and music worlds without changing myself. I've just built a unique lane for myself. It just comes out of interest in things that I love.&nbsp;
 
What&rsquo;s a piece of advice you&rsquo;d share with those hoping to be a part of the next generation of executives in the music industry?&nbsp;
Follow your passions. Whenever I've chased money specifically, it hasn't panned out. When you follow things that you really love, that's where the best success has always come from and business has always kind of found its way into that. So try to create your own path and take your own lane. Don&rsquo;t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and jump in and just go find ways to make things happen.&nbsp;
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Outside of music, sports are one of your biggest passion areas, something which has ultimately led to the development of Skee Sports - your very own sports entertainment agency. How would you describe Skee Sports in your own words, and what types of initiatives are you currently working on with Skee Sports?&nbsp;
Before I got into music, I thought I was going to be a pro athlete. And it's funny, as a kid, my favorite moments were not only watching Michael Jordan play, but watching his intro. I still get tingles thinking back to when they introduced Jordan. You hear the commentator at the Bulls Arena saying, from North Carolina, number 23. SKEE sports started off with me seeing that natural overlap between working on mixtapes and getting love from all these athletes. On the TV show, we started doing segments where we interviewed athletes about music. And then we started bringing in musicians to sports worlds. It led from that, from content to then actually doing the music at stadiums. Like, I grew up in Minnesota, so I'm still a diehard Viking fan. When they opened their brand new stadium, they called me out Sunday night, the opening game against the Packers to kick-off the season. They asked if I wanted to DJ and it was like &ldquo;yeah, of course, I'll already be there&rdquo;. From that, we built an award winning company that kind of sits at the intersection of sports, music, culture, lifestyle. We're never going to be X&rsquo;s and O&rsquo;s in sports news. My landscape is right at that intersection of it. We've done so many things in that world, and even got into the sports cards from that, too, which has been a fun kind of project.&nbsp;
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The Releast is "a next-generation authentication standard and marketplace for entertainment memorabilia." What inspired the creation of The Releast, and what do you hope to achieve in your latest endeavor?&nbsp;
A combination of things: primarily the fact that most artists don't even realize how big of an opportunity is in front of them (without any additional work) and the fact that up to 90% of the memorabilia in the market is fake. We also want to preserve history and build legacy the same way baseball cards have done for players like Mickey Mantle or Honus Wagner across generations. Our goal is to create a significant, new revenue stream for talent, and give fans the closest and most meaningful way to show fandom.
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If you had to explain what The Releast is to a kid, how would you do so?&nbsp;
We sell memories. Our entire mission is to allow fans to connect with their idols in a more meaningful way than ever &ndash; owning an item they once used during a moment they will never forget.
&nbsp;
If you could only own one piece of sports memorabilia and one piece of music memorabilia, what would they be?&nbsp;
That's tough! For sports I would say the game winning ball used when the Vikings win a Super Bowl (someday!), and for music I think I own it already: Dr. Dre's platinum plaque for &lsquo;The Chronic&rsquo;, &lsquo;Doggystyle&rsquo;, &ldquo;Nuthin&rsquo; but a &ldquo;G&rdquo; Thang&rdquo;, &ldquo;Who Am I? (What's My Name)&rdquo;, and &ldquo;Dre Day&rdquo;.
&nbsp;
The collectibles market has boomed in recent years, with a <a href="https://www.marketdecipher.com/report/collectibles-market">recent report from Market Decipher</a> indicating that the market size is at an estimated $458 billion. How do you foresee The Realest impacting this market in the years to come?&nbsp;
Estimates show it growing to over $1 trillion within the decade, and we want to become the most trusted authentication standard and brand in the space that fixes fraud with our best-in-industry security and authentication protocols, and create a turnkey system for fans. 
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go?&nbsp;
JAY-Z&rsquo;s &lsquo;Blueprint&rsquo;. I'd say that it has a perfect mix of a little of everything. That moment came out right when I was moving to New York, or I was originally going to move to New York and then ended up moving to LA, to work for Steve Ripkin. I left high school early to jump into the music industry. Up and down from &ldquo;The Ruler&rsquo;s Back&rdquo; back on down. It's motivation music. That's probably one that's really stayed with me ever since.&nbsp;
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What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you?&nbsp;
I mean, that's kind of how I look at myself, for better or worse, right? I get to do what I love, and I'm following my passions and making a career of them. So while we've grown and become a lot bigger than we were, we still have the mind, freedom, and, hopefully, energy of a kid.&nbsp;
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You can find DJ Skee on IG here: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/djskee/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@djskee</a>

Dj Skee Cover Page 1

DJ Skee on the Evolution of Entertainment and Revitalizing the Memorabilia Market

Ayo BOOM!
So check it:&nbsp;
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It was &lsquo;83, and I was an RA at NYU.&nbsp;
Shocking shit, I know.
At the time, anybody who knew anything knew throwin&rsquo; parties in res halls was lame, so shit never got too wild or crazy on my floor.&nbsp;
It was an easy gig. Free room, free food, lower tuition - and all I had to commit to was a little finger-waggin&rsquo; to keep up appearances.&nbsp;
Anyway, my residents knew that I would never write &lsquo;em up or give &lsquo;em a hard time unless they were being excessively dumb. Actually doing my homework was enough of an adjustment for me - I wasn&rsquo;t trying to fill out any damn reports.&nbsp;
So, the dudes in the res hall knew I was chill, and we had a mutual understanding - I tried to give everyone their space. No funny shit - and if you were gonna smoke weed in your dorm room, you had to let me get a hit or two in if you wanted to avoid any problems.
The NYU grind was crazy, and I was still trying to keep my appearances up around The Neighborhood, so I was rarely even around the dorms. But one day, while I was laid up in bed sick as hell with a head cold, I got a noise complaint about a room on my floor. Perfect motherfuckin&rsquo; timing.
The complaint came from the hall beneath us and called out the music from my resident&rsquo;s room as being &ldquo;way too loud&rdquo;.&nbsp;
And you know what? It was loud. It was loud as hell!
The culprit, my man Ricky, was hosting a few &ldquo;guests&rdquo; in his room, and these fools were basically throwing a full-on punk show in Ricky&rsquo;s dorm room. I mean, electric guitar, bass, two amps, and a whole drum set were all crammed in Ricky&rsquo;s tiny little dorm room, along with mics and stands and all kinds of other equipment.&nbsp;
I knew Ricky was trying to make it as a record producer, and I had admired the shit out of his drive. Still, even though I was usually lenient as hell, this seemed a little ridiculous.&nbsp;
I asked Ricky: &ldquo;What the hell is going down in here? &rdquo; He told me he was cutting a record. Can you believe that shit? My man was cutting a record in a damn dorm room. I didn&rsquo;t know how to respond. I mean, on the one hand, I respected the hell out of it, on the other - what the fuck, Rick?
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Being that I was a chill RA, I just gave him a verbal warning and told him to get the damn guitars unplugged and the drumset broken down and outta there.&nbsp;
He was annoyed, but he understood. The punk playing the guitar flicked his pick at me and called me a &ldquo;poindexter&rdquo;. I brushed it off. I mean, the kid looked like he was barely sixteen. Plus, I was pretty sure I&rsquo;d seen him around - at the club or the skatepark - somewhere I couldn&rsquo;t quite place.
Before I left Ricky&rsquo;s dorm, and as the band started packing it up - I had a thought. I told Ricky that the kids complaining would probably be less pissed about the music if they were bumping hip-hop instead of trying to recreate CBGBs in Ricky&rsquo;s dorm room. I mean, I loved punk music, of course - practically came up through the punk scene. But not all the kids at NYU seemed to be keen and hearing that shit ring out through the dorm halls at 2 pm on a Thursday.
The kids just wanted to bop their heads and chill.&nbsp;
Ricky was amused, and a conversation started brewin&rsquo;. We started talking records, and I suggested Ricky start working on a break beat. I ran to my room and brought him my favorite record, Sun Ra&rsquo;s Space is the Place. That record&rsquo;s a top-five to this day.&nbsp;
I threw it on Ricky&rsquo;s table and started jamming it - not too loud of course.&nbsp;
The bass player started laying a few bars down. Just a joke at first, but then shit started to get real. Pretty soon, a cypher was building, and the kids weren&rsquo;t half bad.
Ricky let Side A play through and when it finished, I let the boys know: like, &ldquo;damn, y'all beast-ed that beat.&rdquo; Right then, I saw the band look at each other like a lightbulb had just gone off in their heads.&nbsp;
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In the weeks that followed, Ricky would be up day and night, listening to Bad Brains, then Grandmaster Flash, then The Beatles, then back to hip-hop with some Coldcrush Brothers, it was all over the place - but the music was constant. I never even saw him go to class.
He was posted up in his dorm room like a mad scientist on a mission.
A couple of semesters later I was chilling in my room listening to some Gap Band on my Walkman when a bright purple flier slid under my door. It was advertising the launch party for Ricky&rsquo;s then-unlicensed &ldquo;label&rdquo; - Def Jam.
Of course, I knew I had to pull up, and of course, the party was hot.&nbsp;
It was being thrown at Danceteria, a club that, at the time, was one of the trendiest music spots in New York. It was wall-to-wall talent. T La Rock, Jazzy Jay, Afrika Bambataa, LL Cool J, and on and on and on. I grabbed myself a bev and chilled out waiting for the first act to go up.&nbsp;
After a while the lights went down, the spotlight hit, and there they were&hellip;The Beastie Boys.
And they burned the motherfuckin&rsquo; house down.&nbsp;
We had a couple of shots and shared some laughs after their set. I was a fan for life.&nbsp;
At that same party, Ricky linked up with a young, opportunistic businessman by the name of Russell Simmons, and the rest is hip-hop history.&nbsp;
A year later, Ricky was the now infamous Rick Rubin, and, along with his new business partner, caught a historically lucrative deal with Columbia Records - but that&rsquo;s another story for another day.&nbsp;
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Aight, stay up.
- Francisco.

2 (1)

How The Beastie Boys Came To Be

Bargin' In On The Beasties

Jeanin E01 (1)

Jeanine McLean on Music, Mentorship, and Turning One’s Passions into a Career

Ayo BOOM!
So check it:
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December, 2018.
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I was in Amsterdam on some European Vacation vibes. I&rsquo;d been pretty overworked at the record company and as the holidays started to roll around, I couldn&rsquo;t stand the thought of spending another Christmas in New York with all the clueless, wide-eyed, overweight tourists and their determination to create as much sidewalk congestion as possible. My sister was throwing together a holiday celebration at her new crib in LA, but I wasn&rsquo;t about to do another corny-ass palm-tree &lsquo;Christmas in the sand&rsquo;, either. I kind of just wanted to run away from the holidays that year. I mean, it wasn&rsquo;t really on some Grinch shit, I was just tired. So, I had decided to spend my Christmas kicking back in Amsterdam eating mushrooms, and avoiding all the western Christmas nonsense.
Pretty quickly upon my arrival in Amsterdam, I started seeing this Polish baddie, Oola. A day shy of Christmas Eve, she invited me to a club event where she was getting paid an absurd amount of money to walk around with some big blue tequila bottles - you know the kind where you slap the top of the bottle and it rings like a bell when the bottle is empty? Those. All Oola had to do was walk around with the bottle for a bit and post a few pictures on her &lsquo;Gram (@OolaLa.AMST) and ka-ching.&nbsp;
I hung back in the club&rsquo;s VIP lounge for most of the night. At one point, the club promoter slipped me a couple of mushroom caps. I ate like four and kept it moving. As the event died down, Oola and I got invited to this late-night Christmas party that the promoter was throwing. We were intrigued, and the psychedelics were kicking in, so we accepted the invite. You already know the place was filled to the brim with some fake ass suckas; everyone on some performative &ldquo;we gotta work together&rdquo; bullshit, praising me to whoever was passing by but finishing with &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t afford your services right now, but we should definitely work together sometime.&rdquo; Annoying. Anyway, as it got later, shit started getting a little freaky, like on some Eyes Wide Shut type of noise - you know, venetian masks and ritualistic sex sessions and shit. Wasn&rsquo;t my vibe. Plus, I was tripping dick. I had to find my girl so we could dip.
After seeing some wild shit that not even holy water could absolve me from, I stepped outside for some fresh air. I hoped none of those masked-up deviants had linked up with Oola, but I needed a break from searching. As I stood on the stoop outside of the party, I suddenly heard the soothing sounds of a flute ring out from an unclear distance. I immediately thought of Kenny G, and it set me off.&nbsp;
Everyone in the industry knew Kenny G was basically the biggest scumbag in smooth jazz. My mind turned to my sister, who Kenny had hooked up with some years back. He dated her for five weeks, ghosted her, then sent her a $1900 invoice for &ldquo;The Pleasure of His Flute-Accompanied Lovemaking.&rdquo; So yeah, I had beef with Kenny G. Knowing of Kenny G&rsquo;s love for both European tourism and anonymous group sex, I took a deep breath in and decided to follow this enchanting sound thinking it may be Kenny. I was ready to kick his ass.&nbsp;&nbsp;
After a few circular strolls around the block with indomitable determination, I found the source of the flute sounds. It was an Andre 3000 sighting! A real Christmas miracle. There had been a growing mystique around 3000 and his potential whereabouts, and there he was, in plain sight. I was bugging. Of course, I&rsquo;m a fan, who isn't?
I approached Andre and he lifted his head up slowly to face me. I asked if it was really him, or if I was just straight up hallucinating.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We all hallucinating, big dog.&rdquo; He said to me, &ldquo;What you see is what you&rsquo;re meant to.&rdquo;
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His response seemed appropriate. Still, I had a ton of questions: When is the new album dropping? You need some help with it? When did you become the Pied Piper?&nbsp;
Everything outta Andre&rsquo;s mouth was like a&nbsp; riddle. He thought he was master Shifu or something. Andre had always been fascinating but he was talking like a shaman at this point - dispelling legitimate if not difficult to decipher wisdom between flute riffs. I let him rattle off his more random thoughts until, ultimately, I felt compelled to ask Three Stacks a more personal question.&nbsp;
&ldquo;What brings you out here, 3000?&rdquo; I asked.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I am a specter of the most divine order, a flame flickering in the wind, representing the planet of St. Owner. I fly, and I land where I&rsquo;m needed&hellip;&rdquo; he said. Or you know, it was some shit like that.
&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you have a family to be with? Like, kids? I mean, it&rsquo;s Christmas and you out here playing flute outside a sex party.&rdquo;
He laughed for the first and only time during our chance encounter. Said his girl and his kids were staying in a hotel down the block, and he just went outside for a stroll and some &ldquo;flute time&rdquo;. Made sense. He asked if I was spending the holidays alone, and scoffed at my response. I told him about coming out to Amsterdam to avoid New York, then I told him about my sister&rsquo;s get together in LA, and the whole Kenny G mixup, and he seemed to make a connection. Said my anger toward Kenny was misplaced. Said I had it all twisted. I told him I didn&rsquo;t know what he meant.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Damn.&rdquo; He said. &ldquo;Silly mortals haven&rsquo;t a clue.&rdquo;
Thinking I may be hallucinating the whole encounter, I asked for his number. Just as his mouth opened to speak, I heard Oola calling my name in the distance. I quickly turned around to respond, and when I turned back to Andre, he had disappeared like Batman. Mad rude. Still, I felt I&rsquo;d been, in some way, blessed.
Snow started to fall as Oola ran out to meet me and told me all about her experience watching the masked deviants get down as she peaked on mushrooms. I took her hand and we started to walk back toward the party, ready to call a car. I started rambling on about what just happened with Andre. Oola listened carefully to what I was saying but she clearly wasn&rsquo;t buying any of it. I could tell. She kissed me on the cheek, and got into a rideshare she had ordered for herself while I was telling her my Andre story. Nice girl. Never would have worked.&nbsp;
I pulled my phone out to order a car of my own when I looked up and saw an obviously hammered man waving to me. It was Kenny G - stumbling out of the sex party. I approached him with some anger, but almost immediately made the decision to squash our beef after he apologized for &ldquo;that whole ordeal with my sister&rdquo;. He said he was back in therapy and working on himself. I decided to believe him. He told me he was weirdly happy to see me. Kenny knew he was gonna be all alone for Christmas, so he flew his private plane out to Amsterdam to spend the holidays &ldquo;away from everyone&rdquo;. Sounded sad when he said it. We shared a cigar on the stoop and I listened to him tell me about how he had the &ldquo;biggest flute in music&rdquo; as I booked an overnight flight to LA from my phone.&nbsp;
Made it to my sister&rsquo;s just in time for Christmas dinner. Roast chicken, yams with the extra syrup, fish and grits, and all that pimp shit.&nbsp;
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A solid holiday, after all.&nbsp;
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Aight, stay up.&nbsp;
- &lsquo;Cisco.
&nbsp;

Andr E3 Kcisco

My After-Party with André: A Cisco Christmas Carol

When you&rsquo;re cousins with Kanye and college roommates with John Legend, one can assume that a career in music is the most likely path to take in life. Given these surroundings that Devo Harris found himself in, it&rsquo;s no shocker that his resume now reads Grammy award-winning producer and co-founder of G.O.O.D Music. Though these successes are incredibly substantial, Devo&rsquo;s current ambitions extend beyond melodies and harmonies.
These days, Devo lets his creative juices flow as CEO of Adventr &ndash; a tech startup that seeks to transform video content as we know it. Connecting media giants, creators, and viewers in ways that have never before been seen, Devo Harris is pioneering a technological evolution that promises to restructure how we interact with media.
We recently had the pleasure of speaking in-depth with Devo about his award-winning career, the imprint that Adventr is planning to leave on the media landscape, and how he foresees transformative technologies such as generative AI impacting the future of the music industry.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Though you have an extensive resume working on the business side of music, you also have credits as a producer and co-writer. How did you begin your journey producing and writing music?&nbsp;&nbsp;
Devo: I've always loved music. I used to be a singer, and at some point the singing didn't seem like an option to really advance with. So I started DJing in college, and like a lot of other producers, I started to make beats. After DJing at these different clubs and parties, you figure you know how to make people move, and then you start playing around with beats. So between that and living with my roommate, who became John Legend, I just had a wealth of resources and inspiration around me.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
As a writer, you&rsquo;ve been nominated for and won two Grammys for your work alongside Kanye West and John Legend. Looking back on these projects in particular, was there anything about either of them that was particularly special to you?&nbsp;
They're both geniuses in their own right. I wouldn't have gotten into music if I didn't know those guys. I knew they were special, and so I knew if I helped these special folks, there was probably an opportunity for me. But 100%, if I did not know both John and Kanye, I would not have attempted to get into music.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
These days you&rsquo;re largely focused on your pursuits as an entrepreneur within the tech space, with your latest endeavor being Adventr. How would you describe Adventr in your own words, and what are you looking to achieve?&nbsp;
Adventr is a platform that makes it easy for creatives to make video experiences and achieve performance results that were never before possible.&nbsp;
When I started working with Kanye, a big part of my job was burning CDs. This is before iTunes and streaming. We literally had to mail CDs to people, and to make the CDs, you had to do it in real time with a CD burner machine. It took a long time to make a CD for someone with beats on it. When iTunes, LimeWire, and Napster came out, it was just fascinating to watch technology and media formats change right in front of your eyes. I remember when MP3s came out, I felt like you couldn&rsquo;t get any more advanced than MP3 &ndash; that this is the end of the journey of audio innovation. Now, MP3s are outdated. Then streaming came, and now you don't even need a file, you just access it through the internet.&nbsp;
So I've had this obsession with formats for a while. What we're doing with Adventr is really introducing a new format that I believe will become standard on the web. We are really looking to introduce tools that define the next generation of video on the internet.&nbsp;
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How did you make the leap from the music industry to tech, and how has the tech industry evolved since your beginnings?&nbsp;
I made a music video some people may have heard of for a song called &ldquo;Attack of the 5 ft. Hipster&rdquo; over a decade ago. I believe this was the first interactive music video where you can choose what happens in it. People love that video. That's how I got into technology. I still use a lot of tools and lessons that I learned during my time in music in my technology work.&nbsp;
How has technology changed since I've gotten into this space? Well, it's less racist, number one. When I started getting into tech and was looking to raise money, it wasn&rsquo;t happening no matter how many Ivy League degrees I had or how much money I made. Being a black tech founder a decade ago was a non-starter on the capital side. Things have changed in these terms. There are more diverse founders, which is great. It's easier than ever to make technology products through the cloud and other sorts of tools. One thing that I'm excited about, which I always felt was going to happen, is that video has continued to grow. When you think of the future, you don't think about books and a lot of text. The future looks like videos, moving billboards, holograms, and is more image driven.&nbsp;
That's why I'm excited about what we're doing at Adventr, because it squarely fits in with where the world is headed.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The video you just mentioned has been dubbed by many as be the first interactive music video to ever be created. Can you share some of what inspired you to create this visual, and how this went on to impact your current work with Adventr?
That music video was made on fumes. We had no money, so we shot this thing with an iPod. We were trying to do something super cool and different with this Rock-Rap group called Riot !n Paris. We were pushing the boundaries of technology. This is all stuff that we still do. We&rsquo;re still pushing the envelope creatively. We're still pushing the boundaries of technology every day, and now we get to do it with more resources, though we're still not quite at the Meta level yet.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
How do you foresee interactive video impacting the music industry as time progresses?&nbsp;
It's interesting because I know there's a disinvestment in video in the music space right now, but what we&rsquo;ve found is that with these more participatory formats, people engage more, they remember more, and they buy more. Not just a little bit more either, but dramatically more. So I think as that information becomes public knowledge, I think there'll be an uptake in more interactive formats across every space, including music videos.&nbsp;
The days of you making a video and literally putting it out and saying, &ldquo;I hope everyone likes it&rdquo;, is so dated. What we do at Adventr is not just interactive videos. In fact, you're not allowed to say &ldquo;interactive videos&rdquo; in our company. Now, you can make interactive content, but what you can also do is make videos that are intelligent. You can make videos that people talk to, you can make videos people sing with and they can correct you while you're singing. You can make videos that know about your browsing history. You and I can both get a video, but yours will look different &ndash; yours will be different than mine based on your web experience. So there's all sorts of signals and data that can make video more relevant to you. That's really what we're doing at Adventr. I think all those capabilities are going to be powering video generally in the next few years.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Generative AI is one of the cornerstones of Adventr&rsquo;s interactive video technology. With so many hopping on the AI bandwagon since the creation of ChatGPT, how do you foresee this technology impacting the music industry in particular?&nbsp;
Man, I&rsquo;m really excited about AI and all the opportunities that it creates. The impact of AI will be partially based on regulations and how AI is legislated. I don't know how it's going to shake out, but I think AI is just going to make music even bigger. I think it'll make it tougher, but it'll make it bigger. The same way that people pushed back years ago. When drum machines and samplers came out, they started putting out these digital tools like Logic and FruityLoops that came with the music already in it. So imagine musicians. You're a musician and you hear about these new recording tools where all the instruments are already in it, and they already have all the drum beats and the guitar loops.&nbsp;
People felt that this was a major travesty &ndash; that this is the end of the music business. &ldquo;You don't need musicians anymore&rdquo;. &ldquo;There will be no more heart in music&rdquo;. All it really did was just make music more accessible to people. I don't play any instruments, so years ago, me and my sensibilities would not have been able to participate in the music space, which would mean no &ldquo;Diamonds From Sierra Leone&rdquo;, et cetera. Technology allows people like me to express myself, and I've hired a ton of musicians using it too. It&rsquo;s the same thing with AI. It just opens up the playing field to more people.&nbsp;
I would not be as scared of AI as I feel a lot of creators are might be, because you'll get more growth in the industry, more niche, and new sorts of sounds and vibes. All in all, I'm excited about what people will do with AI.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Who are some of the members of your team at Adventr, and why did you choose them to be a part of your company&rsquo;s mission?&nbsp;
We have a great team, and we're hiring, so definitely check out our website or LinkedIn. We're doing some really new stuff, man, and we have a new way of looking at media. I want people on our team who are smart, who are motivated, who are risk takers, and who enjoy cinema and video.&nbsp;
Our Head of Product is a filmmaker. He was my boss at Vimeo. He was the General Manager of Vimeo and now works with us, helping us shape our knowledge. Siara Singleton just joined our team. She's on the marketing team, and spent years both teaching marketing and working in cybersecurity marketing for other digital tools.&nbsp;
For me, I need to see evidence that you can get stuff done by yourself, that you like the space that we're in, and that you believe. A lot of people who work in our company are people I told no at first. They would push back, and start just doing stuff for free. They were just so hungry to work for our company. That sort of passion really shines through for me.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
In the tech space, growth and adaptation are a constant. How do you handle competition in the tech world?&nbsp;
I don't think about competition a whole lot. We do research and we keep tabs, but we have a pretty singular view of what we're doing. For me, if we focus on executing what we're doing and being the best and most valuable for our customers, we'll win. I think it's the same thing in music. If you spend a lot of your time looking at your competitors, seeing what other artists are doing, and benchmarking against other artists and peers, it's going to be really hard for you to stand out, innovate, and lead.&nbsp;
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&nbsp;
Is there any correlation between music and tech? Do you get a similar feeling completing a project as you did when finishing working on a song? Is collaboration similar?&nbsp;
It's very similar. I think one big difference is that with this tech stuff you're never done &ndash; there is no such thing as something being done. From a musical perspective, you could say the song is done, the album is done, but other than that it's totally similar.&nbsp;
When I was in music working with Kanye and GOOD Music, we had a small crew of very passionate people who were united on a mission not just to make Kanye and the label as big as possible, but to influence culture, to leave a stamp on history, and to develop our own skills and careers. It's the same thing that we're doing in tech.&nbsp;
We don't know where we'll be a year from now, but we know we have a group of passionate people who are pointing in the same direction, making our goals very clear. Especially for us at Adventr, you have to innovate to get there. That's the same thing that we did in music. The same way I don't play any instruments, I don't code either, but I know how to get the right people in the room to deliver the feeling. That's a big part of what I think what you have to do in music &ndash; you have to create these feelings. That's what we do at Adventr too. We want creators and the viewers to have the same feeling of energy, the same excitement, the same anticipation. Just like when we made that crappy music video a decade ago.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What are the differences between an emerging artist and an emerging tech entrepreneur?&nbsp;
I think it's really similar. I've been on my tech journey for many years, and now we're starting to break through a little bit and people are like, &ldquo;wow, where'd this come from? This is crazy. You just made this. You have all these patents. I never heard of this. Where'd this come from?&rdquo;.&nbsp;
It's a very similar journey to artists who often work many years, and eventually find themselves. You might think it's overnight, but it's not. People probably started hearing about Kanye in, what, 2004? His first album came out around then. When I met him in &lsquo;95, he was already a professional in the studio. He'd been working in the studio for years. He was producing for artists in Chicago, so it was probably 1990 or maybe even before that when he was getting started.&nbsp;
So it's a lot of work. There's a lot of differentiation. If you're a new artist, you should figure out how you sound different. Do not try to sound like everyone else. You want to sound like your own thing, and find the people who believe. Find the people who believe in what you're doing. Put them on your team, give them the space to execute. Being an artist is a lifestyle. It is not a job. It's all consuming, and it's a lifestyle.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Are there any pieces of technology that you feel artists should be using to gain a competitive edge on their competition?&nbsp;
If you have a strong engineering buddy, there's all sorts of cool things you can do with AI to communicate with fans. Maybe your music is similar to Offset&rsquo;s for whatever reason. You feel people who mess with Offset, also mess with your music. You can build little scripts that go and communicate with Offset fans automatically, and tell them about you on social media, email, et cetera. It's really fascinating what you can do with some of this technology.
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s a piece of advice you&rsquo;d like to share with someone who&rsquo;s looking to start a tech venture of their own?
Think twice about it. It's a lot of work. I think you want to think about where the puck is going, not where it is. So what does five years from now look like? What are the macro trends that you can point out to potential team members or investors and say, &ldquo;this is what's happening, and this means the future looks like this&rdquo;? Do you have any special advantages that can make it easier for you to compete or achieve that goal? It&rsquo;s important to be honest about your skill set and where you need help, and then work your ass off to get that help on your team.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
If you had the opportunity to put any two artists on a single song that you could write for, which two artists would you pick?
Oh, wow. You know, living with John Legend, I could write records, write hooks, and I could perform them and you would think I should be banned from ever being near a keyboard. But then I would have John sing the same thing and then suddenly it&rsquo;s a single with Common. The performance does so much &ndash; it does everything to bring a song to life. So when you ask that, I really think, &ldquo;who are the best performers who could bring a song to life?&rdquo;. In terms of how I approach songs, I think it'd be pretty cool to have Aaliyah and Drake on a song. I think they're both awesome performers who would complement each other, and could take a crappy song and make it hot.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Do you have any plans to return to making music, and do you currently use music as a creative outlet in your personal life?&nbsp;
I could see myself making music for a movie or something. I am a partner at Crescendo Royalty, which is a fund that buys music rights and copyrights similar to Hypnosis. I get a music fix that way.&nbsp;
Right now, as we work on Adventr do different marketing projects and films, my musical outlet comes from picking some of the music for these different projects. I want our marketing vibe to feel more like Griselda than Microsoft. That's where music currently sits for me.&nbsp;
How can I use music that the people don't normally get to hear, and use that as an expression of our brand and what we're trying to do with this underdog, super innovative, and urban-based organization. That's inspiring. That's what I want you to take from our brand. That's how I'm creatively involved in music right now..&nbsp;
&nbsp;
If you could only take one album with you wherever you go, which would you choose?&nbsp;
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I think it's the perfect Hip-Hop album.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/1cc2038f-7b13-420a-9e34-b5c66bc76dac?width=1500&amp;height=1864" alt="Devo Page 5">
&nbsp;
What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you?&nbsp;
I feel like a big ass kid speaks to the child within us all. It speaks to who you were before you were jaded, before you had crazy bills, before you started making compromises, and just speaks to the state of living and being from your heart
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/8d32145c-356b-45ec-9258-7edd0c018f82?width=1500&amp;height=1864" alt="Devo Page 4">

Devo Page 1

From Grammy Award Winning Producer & Writer to Tech Founder

Devo (Springsteen) Harris Shares His Entrepreneurial Journey

Sync licensing is an invaluable avenue for artists seeking to both monetize their music and expand their audience reach by licensing their music/songs for use in diverse mediums like movies, TV shows, advertisements, or video games. This arrangement involves granting a license to a third party, allowing the use of the music for specific content in exchange for a fee or, at times, gratis (free) usage. Sync opportunities, therefore, represent a potential means of accessing new audiences and, in some cases, can prove highly profitable.
&nbsp;
Maximizing Sync Opportunities: Essential Strategies for Artists
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Tailoring Your Music for Sync:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="3">
Create Versatile Tracks: Develop music adaptable to diverse moods, scenes, and emotions. Offer instrumental versions, shorter edits, and variations with or without vocals for flexibility in placements.
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="3">
Mindful Lyricism: Craft lyrics that are relatable, adaptable, and steer clear of references to specific events or brands that might limit their use.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Crafting music that aligns with the unique demands of sync opportunities is pivotal. Music used in synchronization should complement visual content, evoke emotions, and contribute to storytelling without overshadowing the scene. To enhance the likelihood of success:
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Building Relationships and Networks:
</li>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Networking holds immense significance in the music industry. Establishing connections with music supervisors, publishers, and licensing companies can open doors to valuable sync opportunities.&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Strategies to foster relationships include:
<ul>
<li>Participating in Industry Events: Conferences, workshops, and seminars serve as crucial networking platforms where artists can engage with industry professionals</li>
<li dir="ltr">Leveraging Online Platforms: Joining online communities, forums, and social media groups frequented by sync licensing professionals can widen one's network.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Professional Presentation and Metadata:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="3">
Providing High-Quality Audio: Submit professionally mixed and mastered tracks in top-quality formats such as WAV or AIFF.
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="3">
Detailed Metadata: Include comprehensive song information, composer details, precise pub + master splits, publisher, contact information, sample information (if applicable), and any other pertinent details aiding search and categorization.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Presenting music submissions in a professional manner with accurate metadata is essential to stand out amid the multitude of submissions received by music supervisors. It involves:
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Research and Target Appropriately:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="3">
Identifying Target Opportunities: Researching TV shows, films, commercials, and other media projects that resonate with your music style and genre.
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="3">
Personalizing Submissions: Tailoring pitches to address specific supervisors or companies, showcasing a profound understanding of their requirements.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
An in-depth understanding of the projects and shows seeking music is vital for successful sync submissions. Key steps involve:
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Moreover, while sync licensing offers substantial revenue potential for artists, there are instances when issuing a gratis (free)&nbsp; license for music usage in sync opportunities can strategically benefit artists. Here are scenarios to consider:
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Promotional Use:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Offering a gratis license for music in high-profile projects or collaborations with well-known filmmakers can significantly amplify an artist's visibility and recognition.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Building Relationships:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Providing gratis usage can serve as a means to initiate or strengthen ties with directors, producers, or content creators, potentially leading to future paid opportunities or collaborations.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Portfolio Enhancement:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Permitting gratis usage in reputable projects or renowned brands enriches an artist's portfolio, potentially attracting more lucrative clients in the future.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Charitable or Non-profit Causes:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Supporting charitable endeavors through gratis licensing aligns with an artist's values and contributes positively to meaningful causes.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Emerging Artists and Exposure:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
For emerging artists, granting gratis licenses to indie films, student projects, or smaller-scale productions aids in garnering attention and exposure within the industry.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Limited Budget Productions:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Offering gratis licenses to independent or low-budget projects, particularly those resonating with the artist's vision or values, can support and elevate the production's quality.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Strategic Entry into New Markets:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Introducing music to new markets or regions lacking the artist's presence by issuing gratis licenses can serve as a strategic move to reach a fresh audience.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
It's pivotal for artists to assess each opportunity individually, weighing the potential benefits of issuing a gratis license against the value of their music and the terms of the agreement. Even when granting a gratis license, outlining terms explicitly in a formal agreement is crucial to protect the artist's rights and specify the permissible use of the music. Additionally, gratis licenses should be approached cautiously, ensuring they do not compromise the value of the artist's work or become a habitual practice across all opportunities without considering long-term goals and sustainability.
&nbsp;
Understanding Usage Rights in Sync Licensing
Usage rights in sync licensing delineate the permissions granted by the rights holder (e.g., artist, songwriter, composer, or music publisher) to license their music for synchronization with visual media. These rights define how the music can be used and the limitations under which the licensee can utilize the music for their projects. Examples of usage rights include:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Exclusive and Non-Exclusive Rights:
</li>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Exclusive Sync License, Exclusive Territory, Non-Exclusive Sync License, Non-Exclusive Territory.
</li>
</ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Duration and Term:
</li>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Term-Limited License, Perpetual License.
</li>
</ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Media Usage and Restrictions:
</li>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
All Media Rights, Limited Media Rights, Exclusivity Restrictions, Geographical Restrictions.
</li>
</ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Renewal and Extension:
</li>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
Renewal Clause, Extension Option.
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
&nbsp;
An additional request that artists often include in their agreements is the "Most Favored Nations" (MFN) clause. The MFN clause ensures that the artist receives equitable and favorable terms compared to other involved parties in the same agreement. By demanding an MFN clause, artists can safeguard their interests, ensuring parity and fairness in the agreement's terms, and utilizing it as a negotiation lever to secure the best possible conditions for their music's synchronization with visual media.
&nbsp;
In conclusion, sync licensing stands as an opportune way for artists to monetize their music and amplify their exposure. By employing strategic approaches, artists can optimize their opportunities for sync placements, determine when a gratis license is favorable, comprehend usage rights, and negotiate agreements equipped with essential clauses like MFN, thereby strengthening their position in the sync licensing landscape.
&nbsp;
Interested in getting your music pitched for Sync opportunities or just in need of consultation? The B.A.K Artist services team is here to help! We have professionals who can assist with admin, rights management, song registration and more. Our Play.Ground network features some experienced sync agents who are interested in listening to your music.<a href="https://www.bigasskids.com/artist-services/sync"> Check out Sync at the Kat Caf&eacute;. </a>

Artist Manual 4   Sync

Sync Strategies: The Artist's Guide to Maximizing Music Licensing Opportunities

Mine ears adorned with buds - enchanting vessels, where melodies unfold - a private symphony, whispers of Muses that only I embrace!
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/6ea91b08-6f58-45e2-a908-0cb635dd355d?width=1048&amp;height=1048" alt="2 (1)">
&nbsp;
Hark! Frank Ocean, a man of renown, his voice doth possess a soulful resonance. Mine ears hath recently partaken in the strains of his revolutionary work, "Channel Orange," delivered through this modern contrivance thou term'st "a streamer." Beyond his melodic prowess, an openness about his very self, a defiance of norms ingrained in the minstrelsy's tapestry. The musical realm, once governed by tradition, now feels the winds of change by his hand; a banner of transformation and identity.
&nbsp;
Upon this album, a plethora of songs, a veritable trove of poetry, each a potential play within mine own repertoire, replete with familial and street intrigues. I shall briefly discourse upon a select few, delving into the manifold dynamics of kinship and urban life encapsulated therein.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/b4c91e60-e0af-4dfb-b85e-eac7a122e511?width=993&amp;height=993" alt="3 (1)">
&nbsp;
&ldquo;Thinkin Bout You&rdquo; - This sonnet recounts a liaison eluding Ocean's grasp, a dalliance just beyond his fingertips, and therein lies a tempest of turmoil. The melodic tale unfurls, delving into the tapestry of regret and heartbreak, as the strains of music weave a sorrowful ode.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/5ceb82a3-fa5c-4604-813d-4573afc5c768?width=1080&amp;height=1080" alt="4 (1)">
&nbsp;
<blockquote>
&ldquo;Or do you not think so far ahead
Cause I been thinking bout forever, ooh
Or do you not think so far ahead
Cause I been thinking 'bout forever, ooh&rdquo;
</blockquote>
&nbsp;
He can change only what he can change. The quandary of existence doth reside within us both.
&nbsp;
Methinks the melody, &ldquo;Sierra Leone&rdquo;, doth summon the rhythm of mine own&nbsp; Prince Hamlet. The lyrics, a reflection of a heartbeat's cadence, do resonate as if penned from my very breast.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/4d8c9570-f694-4bb9-9a86-ea6892f3d5d6?width=1080&amp;height=1080" alt="6 (1)">
&nbsp;
&ldquo;Sweet Life&rdquo; - This doth resonate as a locale from my nightly visions, akin to the realms that dwell within my slumbers. 'Tis a sound so unfamiliar, as if 'tis a melody never afore encountered by mine own ears yet reminds me so of Juliet in a quarrel with Romeo. The harmonies transport me to ethereal domains, evoking a sensation hitherto unknown.
&nbsp;
<blockquote>
&ldquo;You've had a landscaper and a house keeper since you were born
The sunshine always kept you warm
So why see the world, when you got the beach
Don't know why see the world, when you got the beach
The sweet life-&ldquo;
</blockquote>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;Crack Rock&rdquo; - I knoweth not what &lsquo;Crack' is, but I taketh a liking to it. Where can I discover this &lsquo;Crack Rock&rsquo; of which Ocean speaketh?" I wouldst delight in unraveling how the influence of&nbsp; crack&nbsp; might have shaped the denouement of Romeo and Juliet. And a &ldquo;Glass home&rdquo;, could you imagine?
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/a5324ba9-3721-470c-8c3b-ff9e7fe4a937?width=1006&amp;height=1006" alt="5 (1)">
&nbsp;
Yon record's most harrowing strain, "Bad Religion," doth Ocean find himself ensnared by the shackles of love, in a quest for life's answers amidst the confines of a cab's retreat. This ballad, strings bleeding in lament, unveils the singer's impassioned plea, a resounding cry echoing forth: "hellloooo." The pangs of love, like arrows piercing the heart, render Frank Ocean vulnerable in his most fervent entreaty, a soul laid bare in the pursuit of solace.
&nbsp;
This musical composition was of a wild nature. Should I, by my own judgment, appraise this creation, I would proclaim, "It is to be," for I cannot fathom a world&mdash;be it thine or mine&mdash;where "Channel Orange" might not exist.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
GRADE:
5/5 To be&rsquo;s.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/a11cac9b-8e1a-4425-9f19-ad2852dab671?width=963&amp;height=963" alt="7 (1)">

1 (1)

William Shakespeare Reviews Frank Ocean’s album, Channel Orange

Going from A&amp;R Assistant to President of one of the most decorated independent record labels in music is a path that many would love to take, but only few are able to walk down. One of the few who&rsquo;s taken this trajectory is Erika Montes, the former VP of Artists and Label Relations at SoundCloud who is now the newly appointed President of Rostrum Records. Rostrum is known for discovering artists such as Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa, and Rich the Kid, and as Erika takes the reins from former President/Founder Benjy Grinberg, she hopes to lead the next generation of talent under Rostrum&rsquo;s umbrella. We recently sat down for a conversation with Erika where we delved into her experience working with Fall Out Boy, what she hopes to accomplish at Rostrum Records, and how her time at SoundCloud helped reshape her love for music.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
When did you first fall in love with music?&nbsp;
Erika: Music was so present in my house. I grew up in Ecuador. I was born in New York, but I was brought to Ecuador as a baby, and I was there until I was 7 years old. I grew up in those years with my grandmother, and my neighborhood was just super lively. There are parties all night, and whenever you have a celebration, it&rsquo;s a big deal. The whole neighborhood comes out, there&rsquo;s so much dancing, and I think that&rsquo;s what grabbed my love of music so early on. I grew up with all of this latin music, and seeing my family and neighbors and dance at these parties was something that just really resonated with me.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
How did you begin your career in the music industry?&nbsp;
I went to BU for two years, and returned to Miami the Summer after my sophomore year. I needed a job, and had a family friend who worked for a latin record label called PolyGram Latino. She knew someone who needed an A&amp;R Assistant, and I was like &ldquo;what does that even mean?&rdquo;. She told me that I&rsquo;d be assisting her, and that she searched for artists to sign to the label. I thought &ldquo;I&rsquo;d get to listen to music and go out and see local bands? I want to interview for that job&rdquo;. I got the job, and started working the next day. I ended up loving it so much that I never went back to school.
&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ve worked with artists like Rihanna, Kanye West, Justin Beiber, and Fall Out Boy at the early stages of their careers. What were these experiences like, and do you particularly like working with artists who are towards the beginning of their career?
I really love building, so I think early is a big deal for me. You can contribute so much, and though you can contribute at all levels, you feel as though you&rsquo;re in it together when you&rsquo;re at the beginning. I remember when I met Fall Out Boy, my boss at the time told me that they were going to give me the group to work on. We had The Bravery and The Killers, and they needed someone to work on this band Fall Out Boy who was on the come up. At the time, I was a video promotions manager, and I took the opportunity and killed it. I was with them through it all, and it was such an important part of me. I knew then that it was such an important thing for me, to be there from the very beginning.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Prior to your current role at Rostrum Records, you were the Global VP of Artist and Label Relations at SoundCloud. What were some of your takeaways from your six year tenure in this position?
My role at SoundCloud was honestly the job that I learned the most from. Def Jam was the job that really shaped me as far as the person I wanted to be in this industry, but SoundCloud brought me so much educational wealth. I learned so much about the value of subscriptions, ad revenue, all the things that I never thought of. It also renewed my passion for music because I was discovering artists, and figuring out who they were at the early stages of their career. I not only was able to use my gut, but we had all this technology behind it that allowed me to give artists looks. This experience really teed me up for where I am now.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
One of the initiatives you helped launch during your time at SoundCloud was the &ldquo;First On SoundCloud&rdquo; program, which is a multi-phase, year-long investment into nine of the platform&rsquo;s emerging artists. What sparked the creation of this program?
Funny enough, I wasn&rsquo;t solo on that. There was another Erika, Erika Leone, who I worked with on this. We wanted to come up with a program where we could highlight artists. Before myself and Erika arrived, SoundCloud didn&rsquo;t really have a way to recognize the artists who were growing on their platform. I first came in when 21 Savage, Lil Uzi, Post Malone, and all of these artists were just getting signed. There were all of these artists who started out on SoundCloud, but SoundCloud had never found a way to work with them. We wanted to create a program where we could recognize these artists on the come up. The first edition was about celebrating one big artist that had succeeded on the platform, and then give way for the discovery. Kehlani was that artist in the first campaign. From that point on, we focused on &ldquo;who&rsquo;s next?&rdquo;.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ve now gone from working directly with artists at the DSP level to working with artists at the label president level. Do you have any particular insights from your prior experience with SoundCloud that you&rsquo;re taking into your new role at Rostrum?
The best part is, you already know what it&rsquo;s like on that side now. Streaming is so important. Our goal when we were at the label was &ldquo;how many records are you selling?&rdquo;. These days it&rsquo;s &ldquo;how much is streaming?&rdquo;. It was probably the best experience to have. When I&rsquo;m talking to my artists now, I definitely let them know the real real.
&nbsp;
You stated how the two most important factors that you were looking for in your next role were the opportunity to develop artists and to work in the independent space. How does your role as President at Rostrum Records check both of these boxes?&nbsp;
When you think about Rostrum, they have such a big reputation as far as being an independent label goes. Benjy founded the label in 2003, and at the time, there weren&rsquo;t many independent labels. They&rsquo;ve done such a great job at being such a large independent, so it definitely checked that box for me. I couldn&rsquo;t even believe it when this was being brought to me. Benjy has definitely built a reputation for taking his time with artists, and helping to develop them. You don&rsquo;t do it because of the numbers, you do it because you really love the artist, and that was something that was super important coming in. It wasn&rsquo;t about the artists meeting certain numbers. We stick by these artists and help them develop. It was the perfect opportunity for me.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/73de6150-0bc4-4772-991d-1c40c9a51cfd?width=1492&amp;height=1864" alt="Slide 2 Erika">
&nbsp;
What do you hope to achieve at Rostrum Records over the next decade?
I want to break an artist this year, that&rsquo;s not even a decade thing. To me, DC the Don is it. I&rsquo;ve known DC since my SoundCloud days, and to me, this is all happening for a reason. He&rsquo;s going to get to the next level this year. I want to break artists, and want to continue what Benjy built. I want to create the next iteration of it, so artists have a safe space and can remain independent. That&rsquo;s super important to me, and will remain super important to me. The music industry is ever changing, and we need to learn to change alongside it and not resist it, and that&rsquo;ll always be a big thing for me.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
You were recently recognized as one of Remezclas&rsquo;s Major Mujeres &ndash; a list that highlights latinas in the music industry who are making their mark, and paving the way for a more inclusive future. How did it feel to be featured on this list, and what do you hope to change in the music industry when it comes to diversity and inclusion?&nbsp;
It was such an honor, and I&rsquo;m super excited and super thankful. Taking this job when it was brought to me was important because there aren&rsquo;t a lot of women in these positions, and much less diverse, latina women. I knew that I was ready, and that I could step into this challenge and take it head on. What I want to do is bring in the next generation, whether it&rsquo;s by mentoring them or hiring them. These are the things I hope to do. I hope to bring more women into this industry, mentor the ones who are just starting out, and open up these opportunities.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/a908ad47-a41b-439f-ba54-110ba2acfd69?width=1388&amp;height=1734" alt="Slide 3 Erika">
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s a piece of advice you&rsquo;d give to someone who&rsquo;s latinx as they begin to navigate a career in the music industry?
There are a couple of things. One is to be kind to everyone you meet, and that&rsquo;s just a human rule. This industry is very much made of relationships, and you never know who you&rsquo;re talking to, so be nice to everyone. The second one is, when you&rsquo;re facing issues, make sure you don&rsquo;t let them bring you down. The way I was raised was to not ruffle too many feathers and to keep your head down. At some point, I realized I needed to be seen, and couldn&rsquo;t walk through life and my career like this. Put your head up high, and walk through anything no matter what gets thrown at you.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What would you say to the younger version of yourself?&nbsp;
Don&rsquo;t ever doubt yourself.
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go?&nbsp;
Lauryn Hill&rsquo;s &lsquo;The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill&rsquo;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/683b7acf-b83c-47c7-8946-4f46543570c8?width=1491&amp;height=1864" alt="Slide 5 Erika">
&nbsp;
What does the phrase &ldquo;big ass kid&rdquo; mean to you?&nbsp;
Never growing up, and I mean that in the best way. We get so caught up in the world around us, and to be a big ass kid is to be as carefree as we were as children, and take that with you forever.&nbsp;
 <img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/c9bbe2ff-ddd0-41f4-8122-7febbd7b6e55?width=1491&amp;height=1864" alt="Slide 4 Erika">
&nbsp;
You can find Erika on IG here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/erikam0ntes/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@erikam0ntes</a>

Erika Interview Cover

Erika Montes Reflects on Her Journey in Music

Introduction
Navigating the modern music industry demands innovation in revenue generation. As an emerging artist, diversifying income sources beyond traditional avenues is necessary. This week&rsquo;s entry explores 3 innovative strategies &amp; platforms that enable artists to expand their financial horizons while creating more meaningful connections with their audience. It&rsquo;s exciting to see that some of these platforms intersect with one another, a sign that release strategies are evolving.&nbsp;
*Please note that we are not affiliated or sponsored by any of the below mentioned companies.
&nbsp;
Monetization Strategies:
&nbsp;
1. Fractional Royalties 
Fractional royalties, also known as fan-funded royalties or music investment, involve allowing fans or investors to purchase a share of an artist's royalties from their music catalog or specific songs. This innovative approach enables fans to invest in an artist's success and potentially earn returns based on the music's performance. This investment provides immediate capital to the artist, allowing them to fund their music projects, tours, or other creative endeavors.&nbsp;
By offering fractional royalties, artists agree to share a portion of their future earnings with investors over a predetermined period. This arrangement allows artists to access immediate funding while potentially sacrificing some future income generated by their music. Offering fractional royalties can also lead to increased engagement and support from fans. This can result in a more dedicated fan base, leading to increased music sales, concert attendance, or merchandise purchases, indirectly contributing to an artist's overall revenue.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/55d84acf-50ff-44ff-8e3a-5b5cc9473605?width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="Royal">
&nbsp;
<a href="https://royal.io/">Royal.io</a>&nbsp;was founded in May 2021 by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Blau">Justin Blau</a>, who is popularly known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3LAU">3LAU</a>. The company is backed by musicians such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chainsmokers">The Chainsmokers</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic_(rapper)">Logic</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kygo">Kygo</a>. It is a marketplace that enables anyone to invest in music and earn royalties alongside artists. They believe that the future of the music industry is one where fans and artists co-own music and participate in the financial upside together. Royal allows artists to retain independence and creative control as fans fuel their careers.
It's important to note that while offering fractional royalties can provide immediate financial support and engage fans in the artist's success, it involves sharing future earnings. Artists should carefully consider the implications of such agreements on their long-term financial flexibility and revenue sustainability. Additionally, the revenue generated through fractional royalties might vary based on the success and popularity of an artist's music.
Other platforms: <a href="https://www.anotemusic.com/">ANote Music</a> <a href="https://www.songvest.com/">Songvest</a><a href="https://www.songvest.com/"> </a><a href="https://corite.com/?ref=alphagrowth">CoRite</a> <a href="https://fanvestor.com/">Fanvestor</a>&nbsp;
&nbsp;
2. Super fan engagement + monetization
Bundling music with merchandise as a pre-release strategy targets dedicated fans who are willing to invest in exclusive experiences or items associated with an artist's upcoming music release. This approach not only generates revenue but also fosters a deeper connection between artists and their super fans.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/fb28a61f-0f45-4eb6-a6aa-41618b25353d?width=400&amp;height=400" alt="Even">
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.even.biz/">EVEN </a>is a platform focused on enabling artists to bundle exclusive experiences with their music releases. Users can purchase special offers, such as early access to albums or unique merchandise. The platform has boasted success stories of artists accelerating their revenue, enabling them not only to recoup but also to profit from their music prior to the official commercial release. It serves as a pre-launch strategy, likened to a consumer paying to see a film in the movie theater before it becomes available on Netflix. Essentially, fans get direct access first! EVEN doesn&rsquo;t aim to replace DSPs but instead intends to assist artists in generating more revenue by offering unique experiences that complement the traditional release methods. The platform is currently in the BETA stage, with an official launch targeted for March 2024.
It's crucial for artists to choose platforms based on their reach, terms, and ability to effectively engage their fanbase. While bundling music with merchandise can be a lucrative strategy, artists should consider balancing exclusivity with accessibility to ensure they are reaching a broad spectrum of fans while rewarding their dedicated supporters. Additionally, as the landscape of online platforms evolves, artists may find new opportunities to explore bundling strategies to engage their audience.
Other platforms: <a href="https://bandcamp.com/">Bandcamp</a>
&nbsp;
3. Blockchain Monetization
Releasing music on a blockchain offers several significant advantages and opportunities for artists in the modern music industry. This approach provides artists with greater control over their work, transparency in revenue distribution, enhanced copyright protection, and opportunities for new forms of engagement and monetization. It empowers artists in navigating a more equitable and transparent landscape within the music industry.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/3a855e06-8085-45e3-91fb-81893bef1e9a?width=1200&amp;height=628" alt="Audius">
&nbsp;
<a href="https://audius.co/">Audius </a>is a decentralized music-sharing and streaming platform that leverages blockchain technology to offer a platform for artists to release their music directly to their audience. Audius provides various avenues for artists to monetize their music on the platform.&nbsp; Here are key points about Audius&rsquo; monetization capabilities&nbsp; and how it utilizes blockchain:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Decentralized Platform: Audius operates as a decentralized protocol, meaning it doesn't rely on a central authority or server to manage content. Instead, it uses blockchain technology to distribute content across a network of nodes, ensuring data integrity, security, and censorship resistance.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Direct Artist Uploads: Artists can directly upload their music to Audius without intermediaries like record labels or streaming services. This allows artists to maintain control over their content, distribution, and royalties.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Blockchain for Transparency: Audius uses blockchain technology, specifically a blockchain-based protocol called Solana, to ensure transparency in the music distribution process. Blockchain records all transactions, ensuring that artists receive fair compensation and royalties without third-party interference.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Content Monetization and Token Economy: Audius integrates a token economy, utilizing its native token called $AUDIO. Artists and listeners can earn $AUDIO tokens for various actions, such as streaming, curating playlists, or promoting content. These tokens can be traded or used within the platform's ecosystem.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Community Governance: Audius incorporates community-driven governance, where token holders can participate in decision-making processes related to platform development, features, and governance decisions.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Censorship Resistance: Due to its decentralized nature, Audius is more resistant to censorship compared to traditional centralized platforms. Content remains on the network unless removed by the artist or consensus of the community.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
User Experience: Audius aims to provide a user-friendly experience similar to popular streaming platforms, making it accessible for both artists and listeners.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Fair Distribution and Copyright Protection: The use of blockchain in Audius helps in tracing ownership and rights, potentially addressing copyright issues by attributing ownership clearly and facilitating fair distribution of royalties to artists.
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Here are some ways in which Audius facilitates monetization for artists:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Direct Streaming Revenue: Artists earn streaming revenue based on the number of plays their tracks receive on Audius. This revenue is generated through advertising and subscriptions on the platform.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
$AUDIO Token Rewards: Audius operates on a token economy with its native token called $AUDIO. Artists can earn $AUDIO tokens based on the engagement and popularity of their tracks. These tokens hold value and can be traded or used within the platform's ecosystem.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Creator Staking: Audius allows artists to stake $AUDIO tokens to promote their content. This means that by locking a certain amount of $AUDIO tokens, artists can boost visibility for their tracks on the platform, potentially leading to increased plays and revenue.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Exclusive Releases and NFTs: Artists can offer exclusive content, special releases, or limited edition tracks as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on Audius. Fans can purchase these unique digital collectibles, allowing artists to monetize their music in new and creative ways.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Direct Fan Support: Audius enables direct support from fans through features like tips or donations. Fans can support their favorite artists by tipping them directly with $AUDIO tokens or other digital currencies.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Merchandising and Exclusive Content: Artists can link their Audius profile to external merchandise or exclusive content platforms, allowing them to sell merchandise or offer special content directly to their fanbase.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Community Engagement: Audius encourages community engagement and incentivizes artists who actively participate in engaging their audience. Active interaction, playlist curation, and community involvement can lead to increased visibility and potentially higher earnings.
</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
It's important to note that while Audius offers multiple avenues for artists to monetize their music, the actual earnings can vary based on the popularity of the artist, the engagement of their audience, and the overall performance of their tracks on the platform. Additionally, the value of $AUDIO tokens and the token-based rewards may fluctuate based on market conditions. Overall, Audius represents a shift toward a more artist-centric and decentralized model in the music industry, offering artists a platform to share their music directly with fans, maintain control over their content, and potentially earn revenue through the token economy and fair royalty distribution facilitated by blockchain technology.
Other platforms: <a href="https://www.sound.xyz/">Sound</a>, <a href="https://blog.ujomusic.com/">Ujo</a>, <a href="https://open-music.org/">OMI</a>
&nbsp;
This comprehensive manual offers various innovative ways for emerging artists to generate revenue, providing diverse options for effective monetization in the music industry. By embracing these strategies, artists can expand income sources, strengthen connections with their fanbase, and empower their artistic journey toward financial sustainability in the dynamic music landscape. If you&rsquo;re interested in exploring any of these innovative strategies, the B.A.K team is here to help!
&nbsp;

Monetization Options

Artful Revenue: Exploring Innovative Platforms and Strategies for Artist Monetization

Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell ya 'bout this album. It's called "Ready to Die" by a fella named Notorious B.I.G., or Biggie Smalls, as some folks know him. Now, I may not be the hippest cat when it comes to the rap scene, but this record caught my attention, and I reckon it's worth talkin' 'bout.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
First things first, the beats on this thing, they're like a Texas two-step, you know? They got this rhythm that just grabs ya, makes you nod your head even if you're not sure what they're talkin' about. And Biggie's voice, it's got this gravitas, like he's been through some real-life stuff. You can hear it in every rhyme, every line he drops.
&nbsp;
Now, the lyrics, they're somethin' else. Biggie's got this way with words that's both street-smart and introspective. He's like a cowboy tellin' his own tales, paintin' pictures of Brooklyn life that even a rancher from Texas can relate to. The struggles, the dreams, the whole shebang&mdash;it's all there in his rhymes. See, in this line of work, you can't talk about every song, so I'm going to tell you a little bit about the ones that I connect with.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/dc923607-e6d4-414a-acf1-6dfa63d65e3d?width=1080&amp;height=1080" alt="2">
&nbsp;
"Things Done Changed," the first track, sets the tone like one my many inaugural addresses - &ldquo;the big show,&rdquo; as I like to call it. Biggie talks about how the world's different now, and I can't help but think about how things changed in the Middle East, too.&nbsp; Anyway, the beat's got this serious vibe, but you can still tap your boots to it. It's a powerful way to kick off the record. Or an invasion for that matter. Could you imagine?
&nbsp;
"Gimme the Oil" is a wild ride. Biggie's flow is like a Texan tornado, fast and furious. He's talkin' 'bout the grind, the hustle, and it's hard not to respect a man who's workin' to make a better life for himself. Forget about being fooled twice, you couldn't catch this man asleep at the wheel not even bout one time. The beats here are like a stampede, relentless and unstoppable. Good for you Smalls. I think I can feel what you&rsquo;re feeling - and I like it.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Then there's "Juicy," and let me tell ya, this one's like a victory lap. &ldquo;Mission Accomplished,&rdquo; as I always say. Biggie's celebratin' success, and it reminds me of those days when I was sittin' in the Oval Office, achievin' things. The beat's smooth, like a fine bourbon, and the horns give it this triumphant feel.
&nbsp;
&ldquo;One More Chance&rdquo; One more chance - that&rsquo;s a funny thing.&nbsp; The fine honeys of Brooklyn give BIG a chance just like the American people gave me a second term. It&rsquo;s the same in a lot of ways. You see. Me and BIG, we spend a lot of time on the phone. Not listening, per se, so I can relate. We listen, we listen, then we drop bombs. It&rsquo;s not so hard.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&ldquo;Big Poppa&rdquo; Now this one spoke to my heart.. Brought a chuckle to your boy Dubya&rsquo;. Now, the calamari between BIG and his poppa had me reminiscing about my own dear old dad. I'm not quite sure who Mr. Wallace daddy was but big HW, we called him Big Poppy. Ah I remember those fishing trips he'd take me and my brother Jed on.. dang, we used to do it every weekend.. Even had these fancy rods with the infrared beams but we never caught a damn thing, them largemouth bass used to play us like dummies.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/cb8164fb-d976-4891-94fb-f52d7faecd83?width=1080&amp;height=1080" alt="3">
&nbsp;
Matter fact, BIG probably remembers my pops, he was the bad boy running the ship around the time his music came out..... Where was I? Ain't it funny how a single word can throw you completely off your train of thought?..... Right, the song. This man moves like a real cowboy, he talkin bout having the gun up on his waist, listen we shoot from the hip out here, in that sense, we're the same - mano y mano. Couldn't tell you much about what he's saying in the rest of the song, meteors aren't really my thing but love it.. Like a commander in chief, he don't need to explain&mdash;he don't need to explain why he says things. That's the interesting thing about being a rapper.
&nbsp;
In the end, "Ready to Die" ain't just a rap album; it's a slice of life. And just like in life, nothing is&nbsp; perfect. It&rsquo;s not all sunshine and roses. I can&rsquo;t shoot straight with y&rsquo;all and tell you my good friend Dick Cheney didn&rsquo;t say we have to keep a barrel of oil for ourselves here. Makes things... copacetic.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
GRADE:
4/5 BARRELS OF OIL
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/d621f699-c517-4b1b-9ad4-7a50321d35df?width=1080&amp;height=1080" alt="4">

Gwb Reviews Biggie

George W. Bush Reviews: Ready to Die by Notorious B.I.G

Your account on various platforms serves different functions. On some platforms, it will be the first impression fans have of you; on others, it will be how fans discover your music. Yet, on another, it will be how you interact with fans and partners. Because your account will serve multiple functions, Big.Ass.Kids is here to walk you through some of the most common problems and their solutions to help maximize your account's success and provide the intended first impression. In the second of a series of manuals, we will guide you through various ways to maximize your Spotify page.
When releasing new music, Spotify is #1 because of the profile optimizations available for artists.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
1. Professional Profile Picture 📸
Your profile picture will often be the first impression new listeners have of you. Therefore, ensure it reflects your artist persona. Spotify provides <a href="https://artists.spotify.com/blog/what-makes-an-excellent-artist-image">helpful tips</a> on uploading your picture. At the very least, it should be a hi-res image with dimensions of at least 2640x1160 pixels but no bigger than 20MB. Additional tips include being creative and unique to make sure you stand out.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;2.&nbsp; A Compelling Bio👤
Update your bio with a brief description of yourself, influences, reasons for making music, your target audience or anything related. This helps new fans understand your artistic identity better. You have 1500 characters, so make good use of them even if that means less is more. If your brand is a bit mysterious, share what you&rsquo;re comfortable with while staying on brand. Also, link your social accounts through the dashboard for easier access for your audience.
&nbsp;
3. Artist Verification/Claim Your Profile ☑️
One common issue is artists failing to claim their profiles on major digital service providers like Spotify and Apple Music. Claiming these pages offers many benefits, including access to analytics, playlist submissions, and editing tools. To secure your profile, reach out to your digital distributor for the artist URL. Then, visit artist.spotify.com/claim, input the URL, and claim your profile. You'll know you've done it correctly when you see the checkmark, as seen below Teezo's name. 
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/e66939dc-2061-46ff-98d9-dbc960373efa?width=1550&amp;height=474" alt="Teezo Verified">
&nbsp;
4. Pin a New Release or Playlist to Your Artist&rsquo;s Picks 🧷
Select a playlist you've created or a recent release to offer fans an easy song to explore when first checking your music. This tool can engage and attract new fans quickly. Feel free to add a short message with the selection to give fans insight into why you made that choice. You can update this every 2 weeks.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/cc0b7a3a-0f00-4e06-8159-a6237ddca0cf?width=772&amp;height=292" alt="Teezo Pin">
&nbsp;
5. Regular Updates
Treat Spotify as another social media platform for outreach and music sharing. Regularly post updates, keeping your bio, profile pic, and links up to date. Tease new albums, upcoming tour dates,&nbsp; merch or share favorite playlists to keep fans engaged.
&nbsp;
6. Use Spotify Analytics to Understand Your Audience
Claiming your profile grants access to these analytics. Spotify for Artists provides detailed insights into who's listening to your music, their location, and how they discovered you. Use this data to explore marketing opportunities, brand partnerships, potential tour routing, and collaborators.
&nbsp;
7. Use Canvas for Visuals
Spotify's Canvas feature allows artists to post looping visuals instead of static album covers. Use this to make your track stand out. You can post unused clips, live artwork, or snippets from a music video.
&nbsp;
Optimizing your Spotify profile is essential, but it's genuine engagement, quality music, and establishing connections with fans that truly pave the way for sustained success on the platform. Frequent your Spotify For Artists page as they are always rolling out new features that artists can use to grow their fanbase.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Seeking guidance or assistance? Contact the <a href="https://www.bigasskids.com/artist-services/artist-development">B.A.K Artist Services team</a> for personalized advice and consulting sessions aimed at improving your page. Whether you're facing challenges with setup, selecting the ideal photo, or crafting a compelling bio, our Artist Services team is here to support you. We provide tools for your independent success and a strategic plan to elevate your page!
&nbsp;
Written By: Max Krinsky

B.a.k. Artist Manual Optimizing Spotify Cover

How to Optimize Your Spotify Page: Tips for Making Your Page Perform

Ayo BOOM!
So check it:&nbsp;
20 years ago, I was down in Atlanta paying a little visit to my old side piece - just chillin&rsquo; and hangin&rsquo; and smokin&rsquo; and bangin&rsquo;.&nbsp;
You know the deal.&nbsp;
Anyway, my girl and I were on the couch coolin&rsquo; watching Monk or some shit when all of a sudden my pager starts blowing up. Remember - this was 20 years ago.&nbsp;
When I finally checked who had been annihilating my damn line, I was pretty surprised to see it was my boy Marco - an old friend I met bussing tables at Blanchard&rsquo;s back in &lsquo;87. Turned out Marco knew I was in town and told me he was in the middle of an emergency. I had to meet him ASAP.&nbsp;
Marco started a catering company in ATL a few years beforehand and had done pretty well with it. The only problem was - he had trouble holdin&rsquo; onto staff members. Why? Well, probably &lsquo;cause Marco was one of the biggest assholes to ever spawn out of the Lower East Side.&nbsp;
Still, we practically grew up together, so I was inclined to help him out, especially since my side chick was starting to annoy the shit outta me and my flight back to New York wasn&rsquo;t touching down &lsquo;til almost a week from then.&nbsp;
But I milked it a bit. I mean, I basically left his ass on &ldquo;read&rdquo; and let a few beeps out the pager go ahead and ring out until I finally got on the phone with him.&nbsp;
Now, at the time all this was goin&rsquo; down, all Marco told me was that he had just booked the biggest job he ever had and that he needed help desperately - and immediately. Said he&rsquo;d be forever indebted to me if I would just meet him on some studio lot and help him out for the day.&nbsp;
Against my better motherfuckin&rsquo; judgment - I obliged.&nbsp;
I borrowed some crumpled-up black shirt from my side piece&rsquo;s brother and made my way to Marco. He made me &lsquo;Banquet Captain&rsquo; and all I had to do was keep an eye on all the fruits and pretzels and cold beverages and such and make sure everything was well stocked. Too easy.
Anyway, the movie being filmed on set wound up being Like Mike 2 starring none other than Lil&rsquo; Bow Wow. One of the PAs told me His Airness was gonna show up - but that was a lie. I wasn&rsquo;t close to the action, but I was close enough to hear the slate.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/ff00a47b-76af-4a83-9f84-3dc698e2304c?width=1030&amp;height=648" alt="Fiction Bow Wow Cisco Little Man Big Set">
&nbsp;
Things went smooth for the first few hours. Me, all like - &ldquo;here, have an apple!&rdquo; or &ldquo;Yo those empanadas are the bomb, right, chief?&rdquo;
The day took a turn when I heard &ldquo;CUT!&rdquo; And a whole new wave of people from set made their way to the catering table. I stepped aside naturally, y&rsquo;know, so as to not hover over them. Still, I stayed close enough to answer the one question I kept hearing over and over... &ldquo;Is this gluten-free?&rdquo;
Now if you know me you know I&rsquo;m hella good about keeping my patience - but this one kid? He wouldn&rsquo;t stop talkin&rsquo;.&nbsp;
Questions on questions on questions: &ldquo;Are there GMOs in these snacks?&rdquo;, &ldquo;Are these organic?&rdquo;... I didn&rsquo;t know who this kid was but he was irritating as shit. I mean I heard these child actor kids were a handful but there was something else going on. This kid - he was just annoying!
I didn&rsquo;t know whose child this was. I mean was he in the cast? The son of a wealthy producer? Some bum-ass nepo-baby?
I didn&rsquo;t know shit. All I knew was he was weaseling me out. So I said, &ldquo;Listen, little man, quit bothering me and just ask your Pops what you should or shouldn&rsquo;t eat&rdquo;.
The kid turned around slowly and dramatically. He clearly felt disrespected and had a complete meltdown next to some gummy bears.&nbsp;
Little did I realize - it was the star of the movie &ldquo;Lil&rsquo; Bow Wow&rdquo;.
I didn&rsquo;t recognize him. Why the hell would I? - I remember having the first movie on in the background laying pipe one night and being somewhat amused by it but I didn&rsquo;t place him.&nbsp;
I had no clue the chain of events I set off with one &ldquo;Lil&rdquo; comment.&nbsp;
My &ldquo;little man&rdquo; bullshit launched this kid into a complete and total tantrum.&nbsp;
Kid was literally kicking and screaming. He even threw a croissant in my damn face!
At first, I didn&rsquo;t know what to do, but after that croissant assault? Shit, I tensed up and asked Little Man if he needed a nap.&nbsp;
Anyway, shit flew off the handle. They had the whole set shut down and everything. Marco was pissed but not pissed enough to hold anything I said against me.
As we were packing up, I heard Little Man get on the phone with who I believe was his manager. I heard him say that the whole &ldquo;Little Man&rdquo; statement was the final damn straw.&nbsp;
Made him think that having the &ldquo;Lil&rsquo;&rdquo; in his professional name made people not take him seriously. Apparently, the kid had just broken the record for &lsquo;Most Times Punk&rsquo;d&rsquo; and someone had put in his head that he might get an MTV Movie Award and put an end to Ashton&rsquo;s Punking by making a Like Mike sequel. But now? That delusion was gone.&nbsp;
He knew no one took his little ass seriously.&nbsp;
An executive showed up to resolve this issue and the argument got a bit explosive. Despite the fact all the posters and promotional material had been finalized and ready for a merchandise rollout, Little Man felt like no one would take him seriously if he kept acting like a kid. He wouldn&rsquo;t finish the movie. He refused it.&nbsp;
Despite a cute little pitch about &ldquo;embracing the little-ness&rdquo; and &ldquo;being an idol for little-ass kids everywhere&rdquo; - the talent was unamused.
My Little Man felt like he would never get his way and stomped outta there - never to return to set.
Like Mike 2 with Mr. &ldquo;Bow Wow&rdquo; never saw the light of day. It was recast and repurposed by the studio - released as a straight-to-video jawn.
As for me? I went back to my side piece. Hit that shit one last time and made my way back to the old &lsquo;hood.&nbsp;
Sad to say but I never did speak to Marco again. I hear he&rsquo;s a regular fixture at Tyler Perry&rsquo;s studio now.&nbsp;
Happy for him.&nbsp;
And as far as Bow Wow goes - I heard he hooked up with one of them girls from Love and Hip Hop. You know, the one from all those screamin&rsquo; memes?&nbsp;
Happy for him, too.&nbsp;
All&rsquo;s well that ends well.&nbsp;
Still, I think I would&rsquo;a liked to have seen that movie.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Aight, stay up.
- Francisco.
&nbsp;

Little Man Big Set Slide 1

Bow Wow Aint Lil’ No More. A drama

Little Man, Big Set.

Ayo BOOM!
So check it:&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The year was &lsquo;95, I remember because I was on my Drivin&rsquo; Miss Daisy shit carting my nephew around the city. My nephew, Little Willie, had broken his leg over at Columbus Park tryna slam a Jordan-style dunk on the court like an idiot.&nbsp;
Willie might&rsquo;ve broken a leg, but he still had responsibilities to fulfill. Y&rsquo;see, Willie was set on getting into the family business - music.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;d made some calls and helped get Little Willie an internship at Columbia Records. He was hype, and he had every right to be. Columbia in the &lsquo;90s hit different.&nbsp;
At the time, I was a scout for an indie label, discovering some great acts, too. I was making my own hours, doing my own thing - totally content with where I was at.&nbsp;
Anyway, ever since Willie&rsquo;s dumbass accident, I had taken on the responsibility of dropping him off every weekday morning - and he usually got a ride back from one of his co-workers or a friend from the block.&nbsp;
This one Friday, he asked me to come back and pick him up.
Shit, I was annoyed as hell. It was Friday in 90s New York! I had plans!
But he was my nephew and he was &ldquo;handicapped&rdquo; so how the fuck could I say no?
I told him I&rsquo;d give him a lift but that if he wasn&rsquo;t out by 5:00 pm, I was gonna leave his limp-y ass. I mean, I was already pushing plans around, and traffic in the City on a Friday is no joke.
I picked a spot to pull up and chill out while waiting, but I felt like today was the perfect opportunity to pop my head in. See, my afternoon had been goin&rsquo; pretty well. I had gotten to Columbia earlier than anticipated, and I found great parking. And it was free.
So, I walked into Columbia to see where Nephew was working.&nbsp;
The receptionist recognized me from her wilder club days and let me know where Willie had been assigned.
Basically, he was running, or limp-ing coffee for a sound engineer - some squirrelly guy who had flown in from Miami and was very obviously not a New York native. Willie saw me walk into the studio and froze. I could tell he was a little embarrassed but, no more embarrassed than he probably was fucking that leg up trynna stunt on the court.&nbsp;
Still, I could tell he was on edge, and when I looked over into the booth&hellip;I finally realized why. Holy shit, I thought, that&rsquo;s Mariah Carey. She was killing it. I mean, I heard her range was crazy but Shorty was hitting those high notes differently.&nbsp;
The song was a little up-tempo joint with a solid but familiar groove. I recognized it almost immediately.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/0cbc5128-1a1a-444d-b608-495e4e046403?width=1000&amp;height=710" alt="Fiction Mariah Cisco One Sweet Day">
Mariah and Cisco in the Studio, 1994
&nbsp;
Mariah was singing over Genius of Love by Tom Tom Club. Apparently, she had heard the song on the radio a few days beforehand and just started riffing that now-iconic chorus on top of it.
The engineer was bopping his head, clearly lovin&rsquo; it, but also clearly on edge.&nbsp;
Y&rsquo;see, the sample wasn&rsquo;t cleared yet, and the suits were nervous.&nbsp;
I was posted up in the common area, it was just me and a rugged rapper from Fort Greene I would&rsquo;a recognized anywhere - The Bastard himself. He was passed out, 40 in hand, completely unaware of the current situation. In the next room, this dude - everyone was calling him Dave - was losing his mind, talking to some producer and some suits about it, referring to the whole situation as a &ldquo;fuckin&rsquo; fiasco.&rdquo;
These cats were hopeless.&nbsp;
There I was, just a wallflower at the back of the room, catching glances of Mariah in the booth in one room and on the other the inevitable bad news that this banger could go unheard.
Little Willie came up to me and told me he wouldn&rsquo;t be done by 5:00 pm. The engineer was still on edge and on his twelfth cup of coffee. He was gonna need more, and he damn sure wasn&rsquo;t gonna get it himself.&nbsp;
This Dave dude, the suits and the engineer were willing to try anything at that point, and I was pretty sure I could be of service.
You see, nearly a decade prior, I spent a weekend in jail with a guy who had gotten thrown in for &lsquo;drunk and disorderly conduct&rsquo; outside of a concert hall. Same as me&nbsp; - twin shit!
This dude was cool as hell, a real creative type. We spent the weekend talking about everything and anything music-related - favorite records, favorite venues, shit-talking all the bands that were selling out.
Turned out, my jailmate was actually one of the cats from Tom Tom Club - a brilliant but stubborn dude.&nbsp;
I had ran into him and his wife, also in the band, a few times since then just hanging out at different venues, but we never really spent much time together since our little jail stint.
I was a bit reluctant, but I knew the track was a hit, so I approached Dave and introduced myself. I told him about my connection to the band and told him I was pretty sure I could talk him into clearing the sample.&nbsp;
They thought I was shittin&rsquo; them. Like I was lyin&rsquo; and, even if I wasn't, like I there was no way I could pull it off. Considering I was low-key tryna get a job there, I was persistent, and eventually, Dave set me up in his office, gave me the right number, and told me to make the call.&nbsp;
So I called him up!&nbsp;
&ldquo;Chris, My guy! What&rsquo;s going on Brother!?&rdquo;
My man recognized my voice immediately.&nbsp;
Came through like, &ldquo;What&rsquo;s up, &lsquo;Cisco? &lsquo;Member Corrections?&rdquo;&nbsp;
So you know, we chipped it up on the line just catching up for a few minutes until I finally laid out the situation. After what seemed an eternity for that Dave guy, the engineer, and suits - it was really like 4 minutes - it was a done deal.&nbsp;
It took some convincing, but after hearing me vouch for the quality of the track, Tom Tom Chris&rsquo; lawyers called the people at Columbia and cleared the sample, after securing a pretty lucrative deal for the band, of course.&nbsp;
Maybe the most recognizable suit in the room, Mariah&rsquo;s man, Tommy, came through not even 2 minutes after I hung up with Chris, cigar in hand, ready to meet the cat who cleared the sample.
Right then and there, Dave offered me a job in the A&amp;R department at Columbia, and the entire trajectory of my career changed.&nbsp;
It was one sweet-ass day.&nbsp;
Little Willie&rsquo;s limp-y ass got fired for bringing the sound engineer decaf on accident, though.
And we still caught traffic.
But thanks to one random overnight lockup, I wound up securing myself a life-changing new gig.
One sweet, sweet day indeed.
&nbsp;
Aight, stay up.
- Francisco.
&nbsp;

One Sweet Day Cover

Right Place Right Time – How a Weekend in Jail Led To One of the Biggest Records of All Time

One Sweet Day.

The Engine Behind The Musician: The Artist Manager
Discover the pivotal role of an Artist Manager in a musician's journey and the top signs you've got a gem on your team.
&nbsp;
The Multifaceted Role of an Artist Manager
In the dynamic landscape of the music industry, the role of a great manager is comparable to that of a guardian angel, guiding and elevating the trajectory of a music artist's career. A stellar manager is not merely a behind-the-scenes orchestrator; they are the architect of success, seamlessly navigating the intricate pathways of the industry to cultivate opportunities, forge strategic partnerships, and foster an environment where creativity thrives. Beyond the logistics, a great manager serves as an advocate, understanding the artist's vision intimately and ensuring it resonates with the world. Their ability to blend business acumen with genuine passion defines their role as a vital catalyst in transforming artistic dreams into tangible realities, making them an indispensable force in an artist's journey to stardom.
Just like leaders, management styles vary from manager to manager but the great ones all share common characteristics. Care, passion and a sense of responsibility &amp; determination to help their clients achieve their dreams and fulfill their potential. I&rsquo;ve had the privilege of working alongside some of the greatest managers in the history of music - Chris Lighty and Sarah Stennett. Two very different management styles but both extremely effective.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s explore the styles of each of these two.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/f276ab46-57e6-44b8-8877-2c92e86263e6?width=543&amp;height=371" alt="Chrislighty">
Chris Lighty (VIOLATOR)
Chris Lighty, founder of the legendary 90&rsquo;s- 2000&rsquo;s management company VIOLATOR, was known for managing iconic artists like LL Cool J, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes and 50 Cent. He was recognized for his strategic and business-oriented approach. His management style was characterized by a strong, street-smart focus on branding, partnerships, and securing lucrative deals for his clients. Lighty played a pivotal role in expanding artists' careers beyond music, exploring opportunities in endorsements, sponsorships, and other ventures. His emphasis on financial acumen and business diversification set him apart, and he was regarded as a shrewd negotiator with a keen eye for identifying opportunities that extended well beyond traditional music avenues.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/64189d50-b92e-4641-a8dc-174d6b22be0b?width=373&amp;height=375" alt="Sarah Pic V2">
Sarah Stennett (FAE GRP)
Sarah Stennett, founder of FAE GRP is known for her hands-on and holistic approach to artist management. Stennett places a significant emphasis on artist development, working closely with her clients to shape their artistic identity, image, and overall career trajectory. Known for discovering and developing a number of successful artist careers such as Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, Iggy Azalea, Zayn Malik, Lil Peep and Madison Beer to name a few.&nbsp; Her management style involves building a comprehensive strategy that not only includes music releases and performances but also encompasses brand partnerships, endorsements, and strategic collaborations. Stennett's approach is characterized by a deep understanding of the artist's vision, fostering a collaborative relationship that extends into various facets of their career.
Chris Lighty's style leaned toward a strong cultural understanding, business expansion and strategic partnerships, Sarah Stennett's approach is equally as encompassing, involving a close collaboration with artists to shape their overall artistic and commercial identity. Both managers share the common goal of maximizing their clients' potential and creating long-lasting, impactful careers in the music industry. Ultimately the artist&rsquo;s personality and needs will determine the management style that suits them best.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Here at 10 roles a manager must do well:&nbsp;
<ol>
<li dir="ltr">Artistic Development: Cultivating and honing the artist's unique style, ensuring continuous growth and evolution</li>
<li dir="ltr">Performance Preparation: Getting ready for live shows, including rehearsals, stage presence, and connecting with the audience.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Media Presence: Managing the artist's image across various media platforms, from interviews to social media, to build a strong and consistent brand.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Networking: Building and maintaining relationships with industry professionals, collaborators, and fellow artists to foster career opportunities.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Strategic Planning: Developing short-term and long-term plans to achieve career goals, considering releases, tours, and overall trajectory.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Contract Negotiation: Handling negotiations for deals, contracts, and partnerships to secure favorable terms for the artist.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Financial Management: Overseeing the artist's finances, budgeting for projects, and ensuring financial stability.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Brand Building: Establishing and enhancing the artist's brand identity to create a distinctive and memorable image.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Fan Engagement: Connecting with fans through various channels, maintaining a strong online presence, and fostering a loyal fan base.</li>
<li dir="ltr">Health and Well-being: Prioritizing the artist's physical and mental well-being, ensuring they are equipped to handle the demands of their career while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
How can you tell a manager is doing a great job? Well, a&nbsp; proficient manager's effectiveness can be gauged through various indicators that contribute to an artist's success and overall well-being. One key factor is the manager's ability to secure opportunities, such as performances, collaborations, and media features, demonstrating their commitment to advancing the artist's career. Successful negotiations for contracts and partnerships, maximizing financial and strategic benefits, highlight the manager's skill in navigating the business side of the industry. An active and positive presence within the music industry, coupled with a strong network, showcases the manager's dedication to keeping the artist's career at the forefront of industry trends. Effective communication, including regular updates and clear expectations, contributes to a healthy artist-manager relationship.&nbsp;
Additionally, a manager who fosters the artist's artistic growth, supports well-being, and proactively problem-solves challenges is likely contributing to a successful and thriving career. External validations, such as positive feedback from industry peers and collaborators, further reinforce the manager's effectiveness and positive reputation within the music community.&nbsp;
Ultimately, a great manager not only advances an artist's career but also cultivates a trusting and respectful relationship that fosters mutual growth and success.&nbsp;
Behind every successful musician is a dedicated Artist Manager. Recognizing their worth and spotting the right one is vital to finding success in the music industry.
If you are looking for management, take a look at our Artist Development Packages.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Elevate your music career with our artist services:&nbsp;
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Dive into <a href="https://www.bigasskids.com/artist-services/artist-development" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Artist Coaching</a> with video consultations, enriched with A&amp;R feedback, brand advice, and a detailed pre-call questionnaire to tailor the session to your journey.&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Opt for our <a href="https://www.bigasskids.com/artist-services/artist-development" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Account Set-Up &amp; A&amp;R Admin Support</a> for hands-on help optimizing 10 key platforms, ensuring you're on top of royalties and more, inclusive of a 90-minute workshop with additional resources.
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
Explore flexible, custom-priced <a href="https://www.bigasskids.com/artist-services/artist-development" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Artist Management Consultations</a> for tailored guidance on music rollouts, bookings, media relations, and more without long-term commitments or shared revenue percentages.
</li>
</ol>

Green Flags

Green Flags You’ve Got a Great Manager

Jesse Kirshbaum Slide 1

Jesse Kirshbaum and the Intersection of Music, Brands, and Technology

Scrolling through social media, one is met with an onslaught of memes, recipes, get ready with me videos, and, more recently, music discovery platforms that are shining a light on the next generation of artists. In the years that have followed the COVID-19 pandemic, a new type of outlet has risen from the cracks, one that heavily relies on visual and audio formats to share discoveries instead of blog posts. These platforms spread their roots using Instagram, Tik Tok, and Discord, and have now replaced many traditional publications as the go-to for discovering new music. At the helm of such platforms is That Good Sh*t, the brainchild of music curator, content creator, and artist manager Annabelle Kline-Zilles. We recently spoke with Annabelle about the changes that have impacted music discovery, what makes an artist stand out to her, and how she&rsquo;s able to keep up with such a rigorous schedule of content creation.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
What inspired you to create That Good Sh*t?&nbsp;
Annabelle: I had been toying around with the idea of creating some kind of music blog for a while, and once my Tik Tok videos started taking off, I realized that people were really enjoying my music taste and wanting to see more. I was inspired by platforms like Pigeons and Planes and Soulection who share music in a very curated way; showcasing their personality as a brand through their music taste. I was inspired to share my taste because I knew it was something special, and I wanted to help people connect more deeply with their own music taste.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/7862bd41-b71b-4a7a-b99c-92fd4137acca?width=1200&amp;height=1500" alt="Bak Interview Annabelle Kline Slide3">
&nbsp;
What separates platforms such as That Good Sh*t from other traditional blogs and publications?&nbsp;
I think it's the commitment to our curation, as well as our unique branding, and an evolved method of sharing content. Firstly, we only share music that I truly love, and will never promote an artist just because they're popping or someone offers us money. We literally only share good sh*t. Secondly, I hand draw all of our graphics; I think it gives our page a very fun and welcoming vibe. Lastly, our home base is our Instagram; whereas in the past "blog era" we had lots of platforms where editorial content on a website was the main event. I think we do a great job of catering to Gen Z and a generation of people who mainly live on IG and Tik Tok.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/fe36dd0b-feda-417c-8f4a-f387bef3b441?width=1491&amp;height=1864" alt="Bak Interview Annabelle Kline Slide2">&nbsp;
&nbsp;
How do you approach music curation, and what makes a song/artist stand out to you?&nbsp;
It's all about emotion; how the music makes me feel. When I feel a song touch my heart in a certain way and evoke certain emotions within me, I know exactly where to place it alongside other songs in order to tell a story or evoke a certain feeling. When I'm curating a playlist; it has so much less to do with genre and everything to do with: "what is the emotion I want to evoke in the listener and what songs will get them there?". What makes a song/artist stand out to me is an unexplainable emotional impact. It's that feeling that wells up in your chest and throat when a song is just SO GOOD, you don't even know what to do with yourself. That's what That Good Sh*t is to me: that feeling.
&nbsp;
How do you stay up-to-date with emerging artists and trends in music?
Being on Tik Tok definitely keeps me in the loop; I also pay close attention to the artists I look up to and what music they're sharing. I'm aware of what's trending and important but at the same time I am very much in my own bubble of music discovery. From all the submissions I get I'm constantly discovering dope emerging artists. Also, I'm blessed to have so many incredible artists as friends, and they're always sharing their music with me! I keep up with the music I care most about, even if it may not be the most popular music.
&nbsp;
You create an immense amount of content on a weekly basis, ranging from playlists, Reels/Tik Toks, Vlogs, and more. How are you able to keep up with such a constant flow of content, while at the same time ensuring that everything feels fresh?&nbsp;
I think my dedication to constantly creating comes from how passionate I feel about wanting to be the best at what I do. I honestly always feel like I'm behind, and like there are ways I can be improving. That drives me to constantly be creating content, working to get better and constantly show the world that I can really do this shit and do it well. I also take care of my health to the best of my ability so that I have the energy to be constantly creating- I exercise, eat healthy (most times), wake up early, and stay organized. And most importantly, I have chosen to make content creation my full-time job, so in order to pay my rent, I need to be constantly creating; I enjoy pushing myself in that way. At the same time, I make sure to rest often and take time to actually live my life; without proper rest nobody can create all day every day.
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s your favorite part of the community that you&rsquo;ve been able to foster through That Good Sh*t?&nbsp;
My favorite part of the That Good Sh*t community is how loving and safe it feels. This can really be felt at our events like Sunday Sounds or our open mic nights; the community is incredibly diverse, made up of people from so many different backgrounds who connect over a shared love and appreciation for good music. I also admire how our community is full of self-starters. It seems everyone is taking real steps to make their dreams come true, start their own platform or business, really put their music out there, etc. It's a community of dream chasers!
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s a piece of advice that you&rsquo;d share with someone looking to create their own music discovery platform?
Stay true to what you love. As your platform grows, and people start to ask for favors, do not be afraid to say no. And this is ESPECIALLY a message for my fellow women in this; we experience so much pressure to people-please and put others before ourselves. There's nothing wrong with being generous and helpful, but when it comes to creating your own platform, you have to stay strong in sharing what music you truly love. That's what will help you carve out a platform that stands apart from the rest. Follow your vision for yourself and nobody else's!
&nbsp;
How do you envision the development of That Good Sh*t in the next few years?&nbsp;
I envision That Good Sh*t being an important platform for rising artists; like if you're placed on a That Good Sh*t lineup or do an interview with us, then it feels like a badge of honor and the rest of the world knows this means you're heading to great places with your music. I definitely envision us curating large-scale festivals. I envision us creating unique IRL experiences to foster excitement about music, and continuing to build a strong community in which artists and creatives can find resources and support.
&nbsp;
What is one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go?
Blonde, of course. With Mama's Gun as a very very close second.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/51dc736e-3b52-43be-a92d-8ced32aacd02?width=1491&amp;height=1864" alt="Bak Interview Annabelle Kline Slide5 (1)">
&nbsp;
What does the phrase Big.Ass.Kid mean to you?
It's funny because my partner always jokes with me saying "you're a big ass kid". And it's so true! I feel like retaining the curiosity, enthusiasm, and silliness of a child has been so essential for my journey as a human and a creator. To be a "big ass kid" is to have big, outlandish ideas and be brave enough to believe wholeheartedly that they can happen. It means believing that you can do anything, without letting the worries and stressors of the "grown-up" world kill your dreams.
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/b927e722-d584-4fee-bed7-f9d1d51a900e?width=1491&amp;height=1864" alt="Bak Interview Annabelle Kline Slide4">

Bak Interview Annabelle Kline Cover

That Good Sh*t is Restructuring Music Discovery

Love Renaissance, LVRN, is currently a powerhouse within the music industry. With artists such as 6LACK, Summer Walker, Westside Boogie, dvsn, and plenty more under their guidance, the Atlanta-based record label has more than its fair share of hitmakers. Started more than a decade ago by college friends and Atlanta natives Justice Baiden, Carlon Ramong, Tunde Balogun, Junia Abaidoo, and Sean Fomoso McNichol, LVRN has developed into an organization that has found itself in position to pioneer the future of music. Justice Baiden in particular, is reshaping what modern artist development looks like, prioritizing much more than simply what is being put on wax. We recently spoke to Justice about what his priorities are when it comes to developing an artist, his love for R&amp;B music, and the importance of being a dreamer.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
When did you first fall in love with music, and when did you know that you had a special ear for identifying musical talent?
Justice: I&rsquo;ve been in love with music for as long as I can remember, I&rsquo;d say maybe since I was 3 or 4. I first realized that I had a special ear for it during my sophomore year of high school. I found myself almost curating the sound of what everyone who was around me was listening to.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
As a native of Atlanta and first generation immigrant, how do you weave your identity into the work that you do? &nbsp;
I think it&rsquo;s unconscious. It&rsquo;s based on how I see the world. With my lineage and where I grew up, these things come out without me even knowing, then one day you look up and realize it. It&rsquo;s all unconscious.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
How did you meet your LVRN Co-Founders Carlon Ramong, Junia Abaidoo, Sean Fomoso McNichol and Tunde Balogun, and what sparked the creation of LVRN?&nbsp;
We all went to college together. We were all striving for the same goals, but separately. The idea of working on a singular artist kind of brought us together, and that&rsquo;s how we ended up forming the tribe. We believed that to accomplish what we wanted, it was going to take a village, and we stood on that and will continue to stand on that.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/35e06189-ecc7-4904-af9e-947b70e1522c?width=1200&amp;height=1500" alt="Justice Slide2">
&nbsp;
LVRN&rsquo;s roster of artists is overloaded with talent, some of which includes Summer Walker, 6lack, Westside Boogie, and DVSN to name a few. As the Head of A&amp;R at LVRN, what are your biggest priorities when developing an artist, and how do you go about successfully guiding an artist&rsquo;s career?&nbsp;
I think it changes over time. There really isn&rsquo;t like a &ldquo;one size fits all&rdquo; with this. How I go about it is spending the time digging to find out who their most authentic self and message are, and helping to polish that. Now more than ever, an artist really has to have a definitive point of view, and my job is to pull that out as much as possible in their music, how they visually communicate, and overall represent that when they walk into these rooms. That&rsquo;s kind of what I&rsquo;ve been sticking to at the moment. I also try to open their palette in terms of what they&rsquo;re used to artistically. I have a vast selection of resources whether it&rsquo;s old music, old films, old photography, as well as what&rsquo;s happening now, and I&rsquo;m always trying to help get them inspired in that way.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
When searching for new talent, what would you say is most important to you? Is it just the music, or do additional factors also come into play?
I think authenticity is most important to me, and then the next thing would be hard work. Hard work as in, if you weren&rsquo;t going to be making any money at all doing this, were you going to do this regardless? These things are what I look for.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="https://bak.directus.app/assets/cc83cb0f-8592-4ccc-b51a-ff6567631039?width=1200&amp;height=1500" alt="Justice Slide3">
&nbsp;
The bread and butter of LVRN largely lives within the realm of R&amp;B music. In your personal opinion, what&rsquo;s so special about this genre and the artists that make this style of music?
For me, it gets back to what made me fall in love with music. Music was a way of expressing oneself, and artists always knew how to say things in a way that regular humans didn&rsquo;t. Specifically with R&amp;B and the concepts of love and life &ndash; this genre seems to touch more on these topics. It&rsquo;s more of an intimate genre, and this has always allowed me to connect with it differently. It&rsquo;s also like a breath of fresh air because you feel like you can relate to whoever&rsquo;s singing deeper than you can with any other genre in my opinion.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
In your recent appearance on The Rap Caviar Podcast, you proclaimed that the United States is currently making the worst music in the world. Where do you feel like artists from the US are missing the mark, and how would you say international musicians are leading the pack?
For the longest time, music was a huge export from the eastern world to the western world. As of now, that export isn&rsquo;t in dire need because all of these different regions are now releasing their own music. They&rsquo;ve taken what they&rsquo;ve seen from the eastern world, and are infusing it with what is both culturally and visually relevant to them to create something new, whereas music here has become very stagnant.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Back in 2020, LVRN introduced a division of its organization that was entirely devoted to the mental health of artists. What was the inspiration behind this, and how has this division been of use since its inception? Do you hope to inspire such initiatives at other labels?
First and foremost it helped us as partners. We all have our own egos and shit that we&rsquo;re going through. When we did a group therapy session together, it helped us a lot, and we were able to work through our issues and find different ways to be more positive when working through difficult times. We thought that this same idea could work for our staff and artists. As an artist, you obviously have to be there for yourself, but at the same time you&rsquo;re essentially giving yourself to the public, and have to be at their mercy which is a lot. Whatever tools we can provide, we try to make them available, and we&rsquo;re still looking for new ways to help. We see the issues first hand and hope that other labels will do something similar, but if they don&rsquo;t want to do it then cool, your favorite artists can just come sign here.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Over the past several years, LVRN has strengthened its women leadership with a long list of new additions, some of which includes Amber Grimes as Executive Vice President, Selena Garcia as Executive of Operations, and Amal Noor as a Senior Director of A&amp;R. In an industry that is so dominated by men, what is LVRN&rsquo;s stance on diversity and inclusion, and why is it important to break down these glass ceilings?
First of all, it&rsquo;s stupid that there are even any glass ceilings in the first place. I think we have to get back to the space of capability and hiring the best, most passionate person for the job. That&rsquo;s how we get to the best version of output, and the fact that these barriers to entry are even a thing is stupid. For me I try not to even think that way, but I do understand that it&rsquo;s important to remain cognizant of the disadvantages that we suffer both racially and sexually. We just hire the best people for the job.
&nbsp;
Following a recent investment from Matt Pincus&rsquo; MUSIC, LVRN received a valuation that surpasses $100 Million. Can you describe your feelings upon this deal being finalized, and what&rsquo;s next for LVRN following this new investment? &nbsp;
When you&rsquo;re a kid they always say &ldquo;dream big&rdquo; right? In the back of your mind you&rsquo;re always wondering &ldquo;well how am I going to do that&rdquo;? This solidified that motto for me in a more tangible way, and opened my mind to this actually being true &ndash; that dreaming big is something that is actually real. For me it&rsquo;s unlocked a whole new level of curiosity and a new level of not seeing boundaries. I can fly as high as I want to.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
In a recent interview you described how one of your biggest qualities is being a dreamer. In your own words, what does it mean to be a dreamer, and how has this belief in &ldquo;anything is possible&rdquo; guided your life&rsquo;s journey up until now? &nbsp;
It&rsquo;s super important to me. It&rsquo;s not one of those things that&rsquo;s innate and that I&rsquo;m going out of my way to try to do. It&rsquo;s something that&rsquo;s within me and attached to how I see the world, and I think that reaffirming my belief just came from the little things I experienced in life. Over time, I really understood that anything that I put my mind to will ultimately become possible. I also realized that this mindset allows you to not feel trapped by circumstance. For me it&rsquo;s the healthiest way to be, because this world can really be a lot.
&nbsp;
In the decade that has followed the origins of LVRN, what would you say was your proudest moment/achievement?
Making it this far.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
You&rsquo;re one of very few music executives who&rsquo;s made a reputation for themself from their style just as much as they have for their work in music, with your IG handle even being @justicewearscoolpants. Has fashion always been a big part of your life, and what would an 8 year old Justice think of your style now?&nbsp;
It just goes back to being on the forefront of culture and what&rsquo;s happening right now. For me it&rsquo;s a huge method of expression, and it&rsquo;s a way to show what you&rsquo;re interested in without actually saying it. It&rsquo;s just something that I&rsquo;ve always been really into. I think he&rsquo;d think it&rsquo;s cool.
&nbsp;
What is one album that you&rsquo;d take wherever you go?&nbsp;
&lsquo;My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy&rsquo;
&nbsp;
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What does the phrase Big.Ass.Kid mean to you?
Always living in creativity, and not letting the weight of the world stop your imagination.
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Interviews

Mag Rodriguez On Advancing Artist Equality with EVEN & Becoming a Tech Entrepreneur

Jaxon Buzzell on the Origins of modrNation and the Current State of Music Discovery

Melissa Chaile on Her Storied Career in Music and the Ongoing Shift in Marketing Strategy

[untitled] Co-founders Dan Lilienthal & José Chayet on the Rise of the DIY Artist and How Their Platform Will Kickstart a Music Renaissance

Julie Anne Quay on Empowering the Youth and Changing the Way the World Views Non-Profits

Amber Grimes on What Makes Great Leadership and Why She Decided to Start a Book Club

Daniel Glogower on The Origins of Beatclub, Empowering Girls Who Make Beats, and His Vision of The Music Creator Economy

Jamie Dominguez on the Evolution of Royalties, Her New Role at the MLC, and Why Understanding Music Copyright is a Must for Artists

Jacob Moore on the Longevity of Pigeons & Planes, SYNY, and Why Artist Development is More Important Now Than Ever Before

Luke Bailey on Equal Representation in Fintech and Making Financial Literacy “Cool”

Al Damashek on Crafting Unforgettable Live Music Experiences

DJ Skee on the Evolution of Entertainment and Revitalizing the Memorabilia Market

Jeanine McLean on Music, Mentorship, and Turning One’s Passions into a Career

Devo (Springsteen) Harris Shares His Entrepreneurial Journey

Erika Montes Reflects on Her Journey in Music

Jesse Kirshbaum and the Intersection of Music, Brands, and Technology

That Good Sh*t is Restructuring Music Discovery

Justice Baiden Speaks on Significance of Authenticity

Freelancer Spotlight

Atlanta Cobb

Chris Brannen

Rebekah Espinosa

Jordyn Reese

Rodney Hazard

Leonard Madu

Natalie Jacobs

Bryan Hahn

Haley Brawner

Artist Manual