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Posts
*Rollingout "Theories & Suspicions" Section
Vol. 11, #22 (May 27,2010)
Gil Scott-Heron wrote the celebrated, militant poem "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised." The title, which has become a popular mantra, means that thinking is paramount and, unfortunately, not a common practice. Featured on his 1971 album, "Pieces of Man," the lyrical poem describes how media transformed into a medium that keeps individuals, especially African-Americans, from thinking. Although Scott-Heron's piece focused on television, his concept also applies to radio.
As a child growing up in Memphis, TN, music was one of the most socially responsible mediums for communication, political and social activism. This was even applicable to R&B music. Although it was one of the most expressive vehicles for transferring the amorous feelings of love; during the Civil Rights era, the music was used to give voice to important social commentary reflective of the needs of the African-American community. In fact, most popular artists consistently used their music for this purpose, producing some of the greatest love songs known to this genre. Whether it was Aretha Franklin's "Respect," which spoke of equality for black women, Marvin Gaye's protest of the Vietnam War in "What's Going On," or James Brown's "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud," music tended to reflect the needs of the community and collective more than the selfish avarice of the individual.
Today, there are few such artists with a focus and dedication that would allow them to sing for the betterment of the African-American community. Instead of Marvin Gaye, James Brown and Sam Cooke, there are The Dream, Pleasure P, Chris Brown & Trey Songz. These individuals - albeit talented -lack substance and often sing about the same topics.
Looking at Trey Songz, it appears that most of his songs are about sex as suggested by the clear messages in the songs: "Sex for Yo Stereo," "No Clothes On," "Make Love Tonight," "Just Wanna Cut," "Neighbors Know My Name," & "I Invented Sex." One would imagine that a conscientious and responsible adult would be able to sing about subjects beyond sex, and I am certain that he could if he tried, however, his focus may be elswhere. Perhaps he doesn't know the history of the music that's representative of the community from which it originates.
Throughout history, we African-Americans have used music as a tool to tackle prejudice and racism. It appears that this practice is no longer perceived as vital and may even be considered by some to be unappealing or unimportant. The question is, will music ever continue the legacy of Marvin Gayes' "Make Me Wanna Holler" or Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come?" I cannot answer that, for it seems that most current artists in hip-hop and R&B are more interested in being carbon copies, content with "out ignorating" each other.
It is obvious that the revolution will not be on the radio either ...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
How People use "Nielsen Data" to hurt musicians.
January 21, 2010
How people use Nielsen to hurt musicians.
Written by: Jeff Core
I read an article today at Digital Music News about comments by Tommy Silverman - founder of Tommy Boy and the New Music Seminar.
With all due respect, his information is wrong. But worse, the conclusions he reaches from this faulty information could be damaging to artists.
Some highlights include statements like:
Silverman counted 105,575 new album releases that year, and found that just 225 of those were new artists surpassing the 10,000 unit threshold for the first time. Of that, just 14 were do-it-yourself artists, unaffiliated with a major, indie, or other entity."
and
"What does this say about the Chris Anderson 'Long Tail' promise?" Silverman blogged in Musician Coaching. "Clearly the ease of making and distributing music does not benefit 'breaking' music. Breaking music requires mass exposure which requires luck or money or both. I can say with great authority that less new music is breaking now in America than any other time in history. Technology has not helped more great music rise to the top, it has inhibited it. I know this is a bold statement but it is true."
I wrote a response to the editor of the blog where the article appeared, I do not know if he will post it, but I feel so strongly about making certain word gets out, I am re-posting my response to Tommy's statements here
------------
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing you in response to Tommy's information and posting - the good news, he is dead wrong. The truth is more artists and bands are breaking now in America, and around the world, than at any other time in history. Technology has absolutly helped more great artists and bands rise to the top.
The Nielsen data cited is not only incomplete, but also provides a false analysis.
Let me provide you some hard stats to back this up:
According to Nielsen and Tommy there were:
"...106,000 new (music) releases in 2008"
In 2008, TuneCore released approximately 90,000 newly recorded releases
This means, according to Nielsen and Tommy, almost every single new music release in 2008 was distributed via TuneCore.
I know this simply not to be true - the base assumption that Tommy is making is as dead wrong as his other statistics.
Another example, Tommy states:
" just 225 of those (the new releases) were new artists surpassing the 10,000 unit threshold for the first time. "
This is an empirically false statement for a few reasons.
First, in order for Nielsen to accurately track sales, the UPCs for those albums must be pre-registered in their database. If the UPC is not registered in its database, Nielsen can not match the sales data to an album (or song). For example, if a digital store tells Nielsen it sold 100 copies of UPC # 123456789, and Nielsen has no idea what UPC # 123456789 is, it can not report the sales.
Next, the majority of the 90,000 releases via TuneCore in 2009 were not registered with Soundscan therefore making it impossible for them to track or report on the sales.
But these two points are actually kind of moot. Music is no longer bought by the album, it is bought by the song across an artist's catalog. Tracking album sales as the sole indicator to determine if something is "breaking" is analogous to tracking only vinyl album sales to determine if something is "breaking"
Some examples:
When they were unsigned, the following TuneCore artists sold the following quantities of songs across their releases:
Kelly sold over 2,000,000 million tracks
William Fitzsimmons sold over 150,000 tracks
Soulja Boy sold over 200,000 tracks
Boyce Avenue sold over 1,200,000 tracks
Ron Pope sold over 250,000 tracks
Colt Ford sold over 300,000 tracks
Secondhand Serenade sold over 250,000 tracks
Tapes N Tapes sold over 200,000 tracks
Nevershoutnever sold over 1,000,000 tracks
Drake sold over 300,000 tracks
MGMT sold over 225,000 tracks
The Medic Droid sold over 150,00 tracks
Nickasaur sold over 150,000 tracks
Harry and the Potters sold over 200,000 tracks
This is just a very quick partial list that goes on and on and on
Under Tommy's model, none of these artist sales count as they are not "album" sales.
With all due respect, Tommy might discount selling over 1,000,000 songs by an "unsigned" artist as not "breaking", but I do.
On a macro level, in 2009 alone, the internet allowed the "long tail" unsigned artists that used TuneCore to generate over $32,000,000 in music sales by selling over 42,000,000 songs - this is more than one song a second selling by a TuneCore Artist on iTunes. This "long tail" catalog that TuneCore's Artists represent is now one of the most valuable music catalogs in the world. And this all happened due to the net, social networking and access to the media outlets (like YouTube).
"Breaking" is not just about selling albums or even just the music - it is about generating revenue off of fame. This is done via merch, gig, publishing, music sales, ad revenue and more. Nevershoutnever sold over 35,000 t-shirts in a number of months via a regional sales program with Hot Topic. Surely Tommy does not mean to discount these sales and revenue simply because the artist is selling merch? How about if the band sold no music but consistently sold out 1,000 venue clubs and made $15,000 a night? Why does Tommy discredit bands for their success if they are not selling "albums"?
Another distributing and incorrect point suggested by Tommy is that music sales are down due to the fact that there is more music available to buy, share and discover.
As a matter of fact, its quite the opposite
In the late 90's - also known as the "golden age" of market share and revenue for the music industry - more music was being released and bought than ever before (as an example, Warner was releasing one new release a day). Despite this increase of releases, sales (not just revenue) went up, not down.
Or from a pure logic perspective, if iTunes had 2,000,000 less songs, would an artist that is not selling now as no one likes their music magically start selling. Or to flip it around, I would suggest more music on the virtual shelf causes more music to sell as it allows the music buyer to discover music via the digital stores own recommendation association engines.
Tommy's goes on to state:
"Breaking music requires mass exposure which requires luck or money or both."
This statement is also dead wrong - and he knows it based on is own experiences at Tommy Boy.
Historically, in the music industry, 98% of what the record labels distributed, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on to market and promote and get played on commercial radio and MTV did not "break". If "breaking" simply "required mass exposure", there would have been a 98% success rate, not failure rate. But music is not a math equation, and therein lies the problem with Tommy's statement. Yes, to break you need exposure, but that by no means guarantees success. The music has to cause reaction. For example, if "Smells Like Teen Spirit' was not a song that people liked, it would not have mattered how much money was spent on getting you to hear it.
And that's the excitement and beauty of the internet. The masses now have direct access to the media and "music discovery" social networking outlets. - i.e. YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Jango and more. These new social networking and media vehicles allow mass communication in an instantaneous fashion at a click of button. Suddenly one person's opinion does matter and can can impact a bottom line. Even the digital stores themselves provide a vehicle to market and promote yourself off off (i.e. iTunes iMixes or recommendations of other music to buy). Through these vehicles the internet has delivered the ability for anyone to "break", and they actually are. The masses now have access to the media outlets to get heard. The problem is the old school view that "breaking" is simply defined by selling albums. This could not be farther from the truth.
Tommy also goes onto say:
"I can say with great authority that less new music is breaking now in America than any other time in history. Technology has not helped more great music rise to the top, it has inhibited it. I know this is a bold statement but it is true."
It might be a bold statement by Tommy to help get headlines, but it's also false (and kind of silly). The truth is more artists and bands are breaking now in America, and around the world, than at any other time in history. Technology has absolutely helped more great artists and bands rise to the top.
The distressing part for me about this is based on Tommy's statements, if an artists' release is not counted by Nielsen than it is not actually released. If music does not sell as an album then it has not sold. In effect, he is de-legitimizing artists.
With all due respect, I believe an artist's release should "count" even if not recognized by Nielsen as this de-recognition closes off possible opportunities based on the perception that a release is not "real"
I also find it distressing that the media, and other outlets, turn to Nielsen as the definitive source to determine what is occurring in this industry thereby decreasing the opportunities for musicians and artists that are not part of this old school system.
The reality is the majority of music is now being created, released and sold outside of the traditional system. Ad agencies, music supervisors, video game manufacturers, radio programmers etc turn to Nielsen for information to discover music in an attempt to use/license it. They need to understand that the Nielsen information is an incomplete and an inaccurate portrayal of reality. This inaccurate perception is holding back opportunity and validation for others. Tommy needs to stop propagating this false perception as it hurts artists.
It's important that an accurate picture of what is occurring be presented to fans and businesses to provide additional choice and opportunity for musicians. They work hard enough as it is, the last thing we need to do is propagate a false reality to hurt them. Tommy's heart is in the right place, we are here to help musicians, but let's start with a more accurate description as opposed to a "bold" but false statement that helps promote an agenda.
Posted by JeffCore at 08:28 PM in Jeff's Postings | Permalink
How people use Nielsen to hurt musicians.
Written by: Jeff Core
I read an article today at Digital Music News about comments by Tommy Silverman - founder of Tommy Boy and the New Music Seminar.
With all due respect, his information is wrong. But worse, the conclusions he reaches from this faulty information could be damaging to artists.
Some highlights include statements like:
Silverman counted 105,575 new album releases that year, and found that just 225 of those were new artists surpassing the 10,000 unit threshold for the first time. Of that, just 14 were do-it-yourself artists, unaffiliated with a major, indie, or other entity."
and
"What does this say about the Chris Anderson 'Long Tail' promise?" Silverman blogged in Musician Coaching. "Clearly the ease of making and distributing music does not benefit 'breaking' music. Breaking music requires mass exposure which requires luck or money or both. I can say with great authority that less new music is breaking now in America than any other time in history. Technology has not helped more great music rise to the top, it has inhibited it. I know this is a bold statement but it is true."
I wrote a response to the editor of the blog where the article appeared, I do not know if he will post it, but I feel so strongly about making certain word gets out, I am re-posting my response to Tommy's statements here
------------
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing you in response to Tommy's information and posting - the good news, he is dead wrong. The truth is more artists and bands are breaking now in America, and around the world, than at any other time in history. Technology has absolutly helped more great artists and bands rise to the top.
The Nielsen data cited is not only incomplete, but also provides a false analysis.
Let me provide you some hard stats to back this up:
According to Nielsen and Tommy there were:
"...106,000 new (music) releases in 2008"
In 2008, TuneCore released approximately 90,000 newly recorded releases
This means, according to Nielsen and Tommy, almost every single new music release in 2008 was distributed via TuneCore.
I know this simply not to be true - the base assumption that Tommy is making is as dead wrong as his other statistics.
Another example, Tommy states:
" just 225 of those (the new releases) were new artists surpassing the 10,000 unit threshold for the first time. "
This is an empirically false statement for a few reasons.
First, in order for Nielsen to accurately track sales, the UPCs for those albums must be pre-registered in their database. If the UPC is not registered in its database, Nielsen can not match the sales data to an album (or song). For example, if a digital store tells Nielsen it sold 100 copies of UPC # 123456789, and Nielsen has no idea what UPC # 123456789 is, it can not report the sales.
Next, the majority of the 90,000 releases via TuneCore in 2009 were not registered with Soundscan therefore making it impossible for them to track or report on the sales.
But these two points are actually kind of moot. Music is no longer bought by the album, it is bought by the song across an artist's catalog. Tracking album sales as the sole indicator to determine if something is "breaking" is analogous to tracking only vinyl album sales to determine if something is "breaking"
Some examples:
When they were unsigned, the following TuneCore artists sold the following quantities of songs across their releases:
Kelly sold over 2,000,000 million tracks
William Fitzsimmons sold over 150,000 tracks
Soulja Boy sold over 200,000 tracks
Boyce Avenue sold over 1,200,000 tracks
Ron Pope sold over 250,000 tracks
Colt Ford sold over 300,000 tracks
Secondhand Serenade sold over 250,000 tracks
Tapes N Tapes sold over 200,000 tracks
Nevershoutnever sold over 1,000,000 tracks
Drake sold over 300,000 tracks
MGMT sold over 225,000 tracks
The Medic Droid sold over 150,00 tracks
Nickasaur sold over 150,000 tracks
Harry and the Potters sold over 200,000 tracks
This is just a very quick partial list that goes on and on and on
Under Tommy's model, none of these artist sales count as they are not "album" sales.
With all due respect, Tommy might discount selling over 1,000,000 songs by an "unsigned" artist as not "breaking", but I do.
On a macro level, in 2009 alone, the internet allowed the "long tail" unsigned artists that used TuneCore to generate over $32,000,000 in music sales by selling over 42,000,000 songs - this is more than one song a second selling by a TuneCore Artist on iTunes. This "long tail" catalog that TuneCore's Artists represent is now one of the most valuable music catalogs in the world. And this all happened due to the net, social networking and access to the media outlets (like YouTube).
"Breaking" is not just about selling albums or even just the music - it is about generating revenue off of fame. This is done via merch, gig, publishing, music sales, ad revenue and more. Nevershoutnever sold over 35,000 t-shirts in a number of months via a regional sales program with Hot Topic. Surely Tommy does not mean to discount these sales and revenue simply because the artist is selling merch? How about if the band sold no music but consistently sold out 1,000 venue clubs and made $15,000 a night? Why does Tommy discredit bands for their success if they are not selling "albums"?
Another distributing and incorrect point suggested by Tommy is that music sales are down due to the fact that there is more music available to buy, share and discover.
As a matter of fact, its quite the opposite
In the late 90's - also known as the "golden age" of market share and revenue for the music industry - more music was being released and bought than ever before (as an example, Warner was releasing one new release a day). Despite this increase of releases, sales (not just revenue) went up, not down.
Or from a pure logic perspective, if iTunes had 2,000,000 less songs, would an artist that is not selling now as no one likes their music magically start selling. Or to flip it around, I would suggest more music on the virtual shelf causes more music to sell as it allows the music buyer to discover music via the digital stores own recommendation association engines.
Tommy's goes on to state:
"Breaking music requires mass exposure which requires luck or money or both."
This statement is also dead wrong - and he knows it based on is own experiences at Tommy Boy.
Historically, in the music industry, 98% of what the record labels distributed, spent hundreds of millions of dollars on to market and promote and get played on commercial radio and MTV did not "break". If "breaking" simply "required mass exposure", there would have been a 98% success rate, not failure rate. But music is not a math equation, and therein lies the problem with Tommy's statement. Yes, to break you need exposure, but that by no means guarantees success. The music has to cause reaction. For example, if "Smells Like Teen Spirit' was not a song that people liked, it would not have mattered how much money was spent on getting you to hear it.
And that's the excitement and beauty of the internet. The masses now have direct access to the media and "music discovery" social networking outlets. - i.e. YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Jango and more. These new social networking and media vehicles allow mass communication in an instantaneous fashion at a click of button. Suddenly one person's opinion does matter and can can impact a bottom line. Even the digital stores themselves provide a vehicle to market and promote yourself off off (i.e. iTunes iMixes or recommendations of other music to buy). Through these vehicles the internet has delivered the ability for anyone to "break", and they actually are. The masses now have access to the media outlets to get heard. The problem is the old school view that "breaking" is simply defined by selling albums. This could not be farther from the truth.
Tommy also goes onto say:
"I can say with great authority that less new music is breaking now in America than any other time in history. Technology has not helped more great music rise to the top, it has inhibited it. I know this is a bold statement but it is true."
It might be a bold statement by Tommy to help get headlines, but it's also false (and kind of silly). The truth is more artists and bands are breaking now in America, and around the world, than at any other time in history. Technology has absolutely helped more great artists and bands rise to the top.
The distressing part for me about this is based on Tommy's statements, if an artists' release is not counted by Nielsen than it is not actually released. If music does not sell as an album then it has not sold. In effect, he is de-legitimizing artists.
With all due respect, I believe an artist's release should "count" even if not recognized by Nielsen as this de-recognition closes off possible opportunities based on the perception that a release is not "real"
I also find it distressing that the media, and other outlets, turn to Nielsen as the definitive source to determine what is occurring in this industry thereby decreasing the opportunities for musicians and artists that are not part of this old school system.
The reality is the majority of music is now being created, released and sold outside of the traditional system. Ad agencies, music supervisors, video game manufacturers, radio programmers etc turn to Nielsen for information to discover music in an attempt to use/license it. They need to understand that the Nielsen information is an incomplete and an inaccurate portrayal of reality. This inaccurate perception is holding back opportunity and validation for others. Tommy needs to stop propagating this false perception as it hurts artists.
It's important that an accurate picture of what is occurring be presented to fans and businesses to provide additional choice and opportunity for musicians. They work hard enough as it is, the last thing we need to do is propagate a false reality to hurt them. Tommy's heart is in the right place, we are here to help musicians, but let's start with a more accurate description as opposed to a "bold" but false statement that helps promote an agenda.
Posted by JeffCore at 08:28 PM in Jeff's Postings | Permalink
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
In Support of Earthquake-Torn Haiti!!!
By: B. Brown
I would like to take my hat off to the people of the United States of America!!!
We have supported Haiti in record-breaking fashion and I am very proud of that fact.
We have Wyclef's "Yele'" Organization, The Red Cross, The Clinton-Bush Fund, etc. That is what has really tripped me out, Former Presidents Clinton & Bush have united for a cause. Unbelievable! President Obama has made it clear that his administration is going to help Haiti through its tragedy and help it rebuild. As one of the strongest countries in the world even during our recession, we are still committed to helping an ailing country that desparately needs help. I am very proud of that committment!
I have personally supported Haiti by donating to Wyclef's organization and you can too by texting YELE to 501501 to donate $5.00. Let's continue to show our compassionate side and do what we would want someone to do for us.
God Bless the people of New Orleans, LA & Mississippi that experienced Hurricane Katrina and God Bless the people of Haiti and all the workers who are there helping!!!
God is good!!!
One Love!
I would like to take my hat off to the people of the United States of America!!!
We have supported Haiti in record-breaking fashion and I am very proud of that fact.
We have Wyclef's "Yele'" Organization, The Red Cross, The Clinton-Bush Fund, etc. That is what has really tripped me out, Former Presidents Clinton & Bush have united for a cause. Unbelievable! President Obama has made it clear that his administration is going to help Haiti through its tragedy and help it rebuild. As one of the strongest countries in the world even during our recession, we are still committed to helping an ailing country that desparately needs help. I am very proud of that committment!
I have personally supported Haiti by donating to Wyclef's organization and you can too by texting YELE to 501501 to donate $5.00. Let's continue to show our compassionate side and do what we would want someone to do for us.
God Bless the people of New Orleans, LA & Mississippi that experienced Hurricane Katrina and God Bless the people of Haiti and all the workers who are there helping!!!
God is good!!!
One Love!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Power In Numbers?
--- David Banks, Professor of the Practice of Statistics, Duke University
(Vibe, Fall/Winter 2009 pg. 26; Vibe.com; *The New Vibe Maganzine)
"There's a negative relationship between the first week sales and the volume of tweets sent per day. So the more you tweet, the less you sell. My personal guess is that the relationship remains negative [as total sales increase]. But if we remove Maxwell, it looks like the line would have a positive trend. The reversals between Jordin Sparks apparently being the youngest, tweeting the most and selling the least, and Maxwell being the eldest, tweeting the least but selling the most, is an interesting aspect. They can possible be viewed as outliers since they're so far from the pattern of other artists. One explanation is that established artists sell a lot and they don't feel the need to tweet in order to boost their fan club. Even though sending a lot ot tweets is associated with lower sales, it may very well be a good strategy to build up visibility and gain more fans. If we look at the same people five years forward, we could perhaps find that Jordin Sparks is at the top of the heap."
Translation: Tweeting your morning routine to @randomfan doesn't send more consumers to the registers. - Tracy Garraud
(Vibe, Fall/Winter 2009 pg. 26; Vibe.com; *The New Vibe Maganzine)
"There's a negative relationship between the first week sales and the volume of tweets sent per day. So the more you tweet, the less you sell. My personal guess is that the relationship remains negative [as total sales increase]. But if we remove Maxwell, it looks like the line would have a positive trend. The reversals between Jordin Sparks apparently being the youngest, tweeting the most and selling the least, and Maxwell being the eldest, tweeting the least but selling the most, is an interesting aspect. They can possible be viewed as outliers since they're so far from the pattern of other artists. One explanation is that established artists sell a lot and they don't feel the need to tweet in order to boost their fan club. Even though sending a lot ot tweets is associated with lower sales, it may very well be a good strategy to build up visibility and gain more fans. If we look at the same people five years forward, we could perhaps find that Jordin Sparks is at the top of the heap."
Translation: Tweeting your morning routine to @randomfan doesn't send more consumers to the registers. - Tracy Garraud
Monday, November 30, 2009
World AIDS Day 2009 (Dec. 1st)
Tampa Hip-Hop Artists, Blac Soap, Support World AIDS Day ’09 With a Strong Message in Their New Music Video
ATLANTA, Georgia (November 30, 2009) – In support of World AIDS Day 2009 on December 1st, Richmond, Virginia-based X Records has released a music video from its newly-signed group, Blac Soap. “Lifestyles in the Hood” is the launching piece for the label’s forthcoming safe sex campaign in which its entire artist roster will participate. Tampa, Florida natives, Seif and Fly Beads [Blac Soap], worked with filmmaker, Arthur Muhammad of Sweet Chariot Productions on the project which was shot entirely in Dallas, Texas.
“The World AIDS Day campaign is bigger than a one-day event. We are supporting long-term healthy lifestyle choices for both the youth AND adults--and the best way we know how to do that, on a global level, is through our music”, says X Records President, Thomas “FAT Thomi” Hairston.
“Lifestyles in the Hood” Director, Arthur Muhammad, speaks about his work on the project: “Being able to bring to life a powerful message that can change people’s lives is my passion as a filmmaker”, he says, “Working with Blac Soap and seeing first-hand how serious they are about their art created an instant synergy between us”.
Watch the premiere of “Lifestyles in the Hood” right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fw5ovN2dHA
To learn more about Blac Soap, visit www.blacsoapworld.com or contact Thomas “FAT Thomi” Hairston for information on album releases and appearances at www.xrecords.biz or (804) 334-2262.
About World AIDS Day:
World AIDS Day was first conceived in August 1987 by San Francisco KPIX-TV reporter, James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter, two public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Bunn and Netter took their idea to Dr. Jonathan Mann, Director of the Global Programme on AIDS (now known as UNAIDS). Dr. Mann approved with the concept, then and agreed with the recommendation that the first observance of World AIDS Day should be 1 December, 1988. World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2009 is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'.
About X Records:
X Records was founded in 2001 and is manufactured and distributed by the Malaco Music Group. Founded by Thomas “FAT Thomi” Hairston after a ten-year career in the music industry with giants like Warner Brothers, American Records and Arista, X Records emerged as the creative outlet for his own roster of artists. After promoting major label projects for the Notorious B.I.G., TLC, Usher, Toni Braxton, OutKast, Tamia, Eric Benet, Diddy, Something for the People and the Wu-Tang Clan under FAT Thomi Promotions, Mr. Hairston has the knowledge and track record required to be an industry leader.
Contact:
Jennifer Colter, Media Relations
jcolter@sophisticatedpr.com
(404) 789-1570
ATLANTA, Georgia (November 30, 2009) – In support of World AIDS Day 2009 on December 1st, Richmond, Virginia-based X Records has released a music video from its newly-signed group, Blac Soap. “Lifestyles in the Hood” is the launching piece for the label’s forthcoming safe sex campaign in which its entire artist roster will participate. Tampa, Florida natives, Seif and Fly Beads [Blac Soap], worked with filmmaker, Arthur Muhammad of Sweet Chariot Productions on the project which was shot entirely in Dallas, Texas.
“The World AIDS Day campaign is bigger than a one-day event. We are supporting long-term healthy lifestyle choices for both the youth AND adults--and the best way we know how to do that, on a global level, is through our music”, says X Records President, Thomas “FAT Thomi” Hairston.
“Lifestyles in the Hood” Director, Arthur Muhammad, speaks about his work on the project: “Being able to bring to life a powerful message that can change people’s lives is my passion as a filmmaker”, he says, “Working with Blac Soap and seeing first-hand how serious they are about their art created an instant synergy between us”.
Watch the premiere of “Lifestyles in the Hood” right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fw5ovN2dHA
To learn more about Blac Soap, visit www.blacsoapworld.com or contact Thomas “FAT Thomi” Hairston for information on album releases and appearances at www.xrecords.biz or (804) 334-2262.
About World AIDS Day:
World AIDS Day was first conceived in August 1987 by San Francisco KPIX-TV reporter, James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter, two public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Bunn and Netter took their idea to Dr. Jonathan Mann, Director of the Global Programme on AIDS (now known as UNAIDS). Dr. Mann approved with the concept, then and agreed with the recommendation that the first observance of World AIDS Day should be 1 December, 1988. World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. The World AIDS Day theme for 2009 is 'Universal Access and Human Rights'.
About X Records:
X Records was founded in 2001 and is manufactured and distributed by the Malaco Music Group. Founded by Thomas “FAT Thomi” Hairston after a ten-year career in the music industry with giants like Warner Brothers, American Records and Arista, X Records emerged as the creative outlet for his own roster of artists. After promoting major label projects for the Notorious B.I.G., TLC, Usher, Toni Braxton, OutKast, Tamia, Eric Benet, Diddy, Something for the People and the Wu-Tang Clan under FAT Thomi Promotions, Mr. Hairston has the knowledge and track record required to be an industry leader.
Contact:
Jennifer Colter, Media Relations
jcolter@sophisticatedpr.com
(404) 789-1570
Thursday, November 5, 2009
What does Def Jam mean to you?
B. Brown's thoughts: After watching the 2009 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, I really looked back on what Def Jam Records meant to me and I must say that it was a great visit back in time!
Def Jam introduced me to my original favorite rapper of all-time, LL Cool J and my current favorite rapper of all-time Jay-Z! That is amazing!
When you look at hip-hop as a whole, Russell Simmons actually broke the mold by managing Run-DMC (actually signed to Profile Records) and taking them straight to the top of the charts and ushering hip-hop into the mainstream of the American Music landscape.
Check out what veterans in the game have to say about Def Jam:
Warren G - "By being at this event, I am certified as a vet in the game. People used to say I was a legend. And it was all good, but now to be honored with Def Jam ... Def Jam has been around for 25 years and I was with them for 15 of them. Ten Million albums sold and maybe more thanks to this show."
Nelson George - "I've known Russell Simmons, Chuck D, and Flavor Flav since before Def Jam, so it's amazing to see how large Def Jam has become. It's more than a label, it's a part of the culture. There are very few things in hip hop with real staying power and Def Jam is one of the few things still standing 25 years later."
--- Hip-Hop Weekly (HHW) Volume Four, Issue Twenty-Two pg. 21
B. Brown & the Bar-Red Entertainment Group Family salute Def Jam Records!
Long live Def Jam!!!
Def Jam introduced me to my original favorite rapper of all-time, LL Cool J and my current favorite rapper of all-time Jay-Z! That is amazing!
When you look at hip-hop as a whole, Russell Simmons actually broke the mold by managing Run-DMC (actually signed to Profile Records) and taking them straight to the top of the charts and ushering hip-hop into the mainstream of the American Music landscape.
Check out what veterans in the game have to say about Def Jam:
Warren G - "By being at this event, I am certified as a vet in the game. People used to say I was a legend. And it was all good, but now to be honored with Def Jam ... Def Jam has been around for 25 years and I was with them for 15 of them. Ten Million albums sold and maybe more thanks to this show."
Nelson George - "I've known Russell Simmons, Chuck D, and Flavor Flav since before Def Jam, so it's amazing to see how large Def Jam has become. It's more than a label, it's a part of the culture. There are very few things in hip hop with real staying power and Def Jam is one of the few things still standing 25 years later."
--- Hip-Hop Weekly (HHW) Volume Four, Issue Twenty-Two pg. 21
B. Brown & the Bar-Red Entertainment Group Family salute Def Jam Records!
Long live Def Jam!!!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Is Jay-Z bigger than Hip-Hop?
Interview by: Bonsu Thompson (XXL Mag.; Oct. 2009; pg. 72)
With a successful Blueprint 3, you could really make it cool to be a 40-year-old rapper. But, playing devil's advocate, success could also encourage 40-year-old rappers who should hang it up to continue rhyming professionally, because Jay did it. Ever consider that possibility?
No matter what I do, any person that gets to this stage of their life is going to do whatever is in their heart. I think people should make music as long as their heart is in it. As long as they're pushing past the deadline four times and they're still making more records. Like, there are thousands of boxers that could have retired before they had that fight, Muhammad Ali for one. But you never stop - because of one, your passion or greed, your financial situation, there may be a need, you know? The thing that I can do is stretch the subject matter. Whether Kingdom Come was your favorite album or not, "30 Something," you have to deal with that subject matter [in that song]. If [the target audience is] 15 to 25, that's too narrow. What am I going to listen to at 26 and beyond? That's a quarter of my life. That's such a small slice of the pie. We have to expand the genre. I would love to listen to hip-hop all day. Of course, now there are other things making their way into my CD changer or iPod, because of the lack of material. It doesn't speak to me. Everyone is speaking to the kids, thinking that's the key to success. The sad part of it is that all these [rappers] saying it are 30 years old, at least. Sometimes 35. It's misleading. It's that lack of growth that will keep us in a certain place.
With a successful Blueprint 3, you could really make it cool to be a 40-year-old rapper. But, playing devil's advocate, success could also encourage 40-year-old rappers who should hang it up to continue rhyming professionally, because Jay did it. Ever consider that possibility?
No matter what I do, any person that gets to this stage of their life is going to do whatever is in their heart. I think people should make music as long as their heart is in it. As long as they're pushing past the deadline four times and they're still making more records. Like, there are thousands of boxers that could have retired before they had that fight, Muhammad Ali for one. But you never stop - because of one, your passion or greed, your financial situation, there may be a need, you know? The thing that I can do is stretch the subject matter. Whether Kingdom Come was your favorite album or not, "30 Something," you have to deal with that subject matter [in that song]. If [the target audience is] 15 to 25, that's too narrow. What am I going to listen to at 26 and beyond? That's a quarter of my life. That's such a small slice of the pie. We have to expand the genre. I would love to listen to hip-hop all day. Of course, now there are other things making their way into my CD changer or iPod, because of the lack of material. It doesn't speak to me. Everyone is speaking to the kids, thinking that's the key to success. The sad part of it is that all these [rappers] saying it are 30 years old, at least. Sometimes 35. It's misleading. It's that lack of growth that will keep us in a certain place.
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