Most aspiring artists don’t fully understand the dynamics of commercial radio, so I decided to compile a list of some general insights, below.
The primary mission of commercial radio is to sell “commercials”, not to break new artists.
The goal of commercial radio is to build an audience and draw attention to those 30-second advertising slots.
The DJs on the commercial radio level have no say at all as to what songs go into rotation.
For the most part, DJs on commercial radio spin songs according to a given playlist set by the station’s Music/Program Director.
Commercial radio stations derive their primary income from advertising and they need to show sponsors that they have a large listener-ship.
The commercial radio station will play music that it feels will both draw and hold the largest audience.
Pairing your indie career with commercial radio:
If you have the budget, then you can duplicate the marketing practices of larger labels to get your songs in rotation. You will need to enlist the services of a well-connected and competent radio promoter who has relationships with key Program Directors. Before enlisting a Radio Promoter, it’s very important that you check his/her references.
It is wise to do market research on your song first before investing thousands of dollars in to a national radio campaign.
Commercial Radio spins should be the second phase for an artist to implement. Develop the song virally and create a word of mouth buzz first. Work your song on the street level (grass roots marketing) and make sure a campaign is under way to get the song spun in the clubs as well. Focus your efforts on the college or specialty/mix-show radio format first and then expand to a commercial radio campaign.
Make sure your song is registered with Mediabase or BDS before implementing a radio campaign.
Make sure that you are registered with ASCAP, BMI or SESAC to collect royalties from airplay and performances.
Once your song is on the radio then a second campaign must be implemented to get your fans to call the radio hotlines to request the song.
The desired end result of your radio and club campaign should be digital sales of the single, paid performances, etc. Monetize your movement.
If you’re going to spend thousands of dollars for a national commercial radio campaign, then DON’T do it to try to impress a major label. Implement a radio campaign to expand awareness for you song, your indie label and your brand.
Don’t get the above content twisted/confused with indie and online radio, though. This is where I’d recommend all independent artists to start. Indie/online radio supports most anyone from local acts to underground legends. They rely on the fan base of the indie artist’s they play for listener-ship and don’t pivot solely around monetary gain. Get to work, and get on the airwaves somewhere…regardless of what people say, there are still millions of radio listeners today.
I am an enormous cheap skate. I would rather tour in a PT Cruiser with no cruise control than a roomy minivan because it saves gas. I would much rather burn CD’s and print labels out of my house rather than send it out to be done. I would even rather sleep on someone’s floor over paying for a hotel; however I am not an emcee. The biggest mis-step that most artists make in their cheapdom is not understanding the value of a great publicist.
A publicist is as general of a profession as being a teacher. Some are kindergarten educators, while others are fifth grade. Some teach high school history while others teach eighth grade biology. Their specialties vary based on their specific accomplishments; however, they all have the same basic training and work under the same purpose…to teach. The same goes for publicists. Some specialize in event planning while others focus on sponsorships. Some work with nonprofits, and some work with music. Their one purpose, though, is to get their clients as much exposure as possible.
Now don’t get me wrong, that exposure comes with a price. Most publicists who deal in the independent markets charge between $1,500 and $2,000 a month and want a 3 month contract. So really, you’re talking $4,500-$6,000 and, most times, the money’s due up front. For the average Hip Hop artist that’s scraping together everything that they have in order to survive and slowly trudge ahead, this is almost an insult and usually amounts to more than their entire recording budget.
As I said a few paragraphs ago, publicity is a general profession, so it is imperative that you know exactly what you need from a publicist. Do you need press to support touring? A project? Are you looking for sponsorships? These are things that you should know before sitting at the table with someone to discuss being represented. This is your money…your hard earned money that takes food out of your mouth and away from your dream if it doesn’t work out…so make sure it does.
Here are some things that you need to be wary of:
Stay away from cats that charge way less than the average. If they are invoicing you for $500, that’s what you’ll probably get…a third of the effort and expertise that you should be getting.
Stay away from quantity based contracts. If someone tells you that you hired them to send out X amount of press kits, run away very quickly. Credible publicists charge you for a time period, whether they send out 20 press kits or 2000 press kits (you do have to cover postage though).
Make sure they have references of some sort that you can verify. Anyone can make claims to have been Jay-Z’s publicist. Make them prove it.
Make sure that your needs are being met. Hire someone whose expertise fits exactly what you need in order to advance. Don’t ask someone that deals with coconuts to grow you apples.
Don’t hire someone to get you press that you can get yourself with a phone call or email. They should be getting you coverage in publications that you have never been in before with distribution that justifies you being in it. The newest up-and-coming Atlanta magazine about unsigned artists is cool to be in unless your publicist is the one focusing on that. Their time is your money, so don’t waste it.
Don’t pay someone to get you press that you have to pay more for. There are more than enough publications that or more than willing to feature artists for free. If they want you to be in one that you have to pay for so bad, have them take it out of their pay.
Don’t give anyone any money without a contract and invoice of the charges that reflect exactly what they did. Read the fine print because, if you don’t it may cost you. Also, they must be able to articulate what they did for you in person.
The average independent is a one man show. They record, executive produce, book, manage, fund and find a way to be an artist in between all of that. They either do a little bit of everything and really get nothing accomplished, or excel in one or two areas and let everything else go to the wayside until they can figure out how to properly deal with it. The things that artists concentrate most on is the musical content, booking and things related directly to them. The thing that usually suffers the most is presence/exposure. With presence, comes value, with value comes money. In other words, the more you’re talked about, the more you make.
The Bronx is the birthplace of Hip Hop and native DJ Ready Cee is one of the last real Hip Hop DJs who hasn’t abandoned the original ways of getting’ down. As the culture has evolved, so has the art of its 4 elements, including DJ’ing. Though it hasn’t died out completely, the DJ and the art of turntablism has been on the decline for years. Ready Cee, on the other hand, has used this time to evolve. For over 8 years, he has been the host of the infamous “Ready Cee Show” in the Bronx, bringing true-school Hip Hop and preaching its meaning whilst doubling as 1/3 of the newly formed group, Kamala.
For over 20 years, two turntables have been the center point of DJ Ready Cee’s life. He was raised on Hip Hop during a time when skills outlined a DJs acceptance rather than his ability to follow another’s formula. Ready Cee started DJ’ing in Texas during the early 80′s, but the early 90′s began his transition from a serious hobby to certain profession. DropTheR was fortunate enough to catch him for an interview, and dayum was it awesome. P.S., if you’re a true Hip Hop head who has never had the pleasure of speaking to Ready, you will LOVE this interview and his outspoken personality.
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Q: The DJ is the backbone of Hip Hop. Fans of 2013 love to criticize the rappers out now, but rarely discuss the so-called “bastardization” of DJ’ing. How do you feel about the role of DJs in today’s rap game?
A: Today’s DJs are playing a role alright…that role is ACTING like a DJ. These corny, fraud-ball, fake ass overnight, no turntable havin’, rhythm-less, no needle droppin’, can’t blend for shit-ass PHONIES can all go to hell with that wack shit. People have no idea what a DJ is today. That’s evident in these fake-ass DJ shows on TV, all the way down to these fake-ass sissies droppin’ mixtapes with no mixing. Fuck outta here.
Q: What’s the first vinyl you ever purchased and how did you obtain it?
A: The first record I ever purchased was the “Rock The House” LP, by Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince. Before that, it was all records clipped from my dad’s collection. My brother would buy Soul Sonic Force and Planet Patrol wax so I used to cut those up, too. Ahead of that, we started out mixing non-rap records and never bought anything until down the line. I jacked a whole lot of records before I ever purchased one.
Q: Why is there so much feuding in the world of Hip Hop? Do you think anything can be done to slow it down, or even stop it?
A: The ones feuding are just frustrated because they’re wack at what they do. Wack rappers and wack DJs are like children who haven’t learned how to talk properly yet and can’t get the words out right so instead they cry and yell at everyone. But feuding in the vein of competition, I’m all for. Dissin’ another DJ or emcee before meant skills were about to come out flying like Chinese stars in every direction. But now that no one has real skills anymore, dissing just brings out the whiny little 14 year-old girl in most of these dudes.
Q: You’ve worked with EVERYONE from the legendary Kool Herc to the street’s own Shabaam Sahdeeq, and others alike. Do you have any crazy memories/stories from inside the lab with an emcee/fellow DJ?
A: I remember one time I had a couple members of a very well-known Bronx crew live on the show and we had a complication with the authorities during the broadcast. The station we were on was the biggest pirate radio station in the tri-state area and, of course, we had the Feds on our backs constantly for years, lol. We got used to it but one night we had some FCC nerds sniffin’ around the building where we broadcast from and we had to abruptly shut down the power… and the lights …and the noise, and lay low for a few minutes. But as soon as we went into lockdown mode, these dudes got rattled and ran up outta the studio like Michael Myers was comin’ through as a guest or some shit! It was just hilarious to see them so frightened all of a sudden, especially after hearing such tough talk on the air only moments before.
Q: I’ve been inside your crib and nearly shed a tear at the massive record collection you get to call your own. From your perspective as a DJ, what is the vinyl industry like today compared to when you were just coming up?
A: The vinyl industry is pretty much back in the audiophiles lap nowadays. It’s not the practical medium of spinning for an active DJ anymore. I grew up using my vinyl like Chinese stars and flying guillotines, putting them to real use regularly. Some of my wax has battle scars from the years of REAL DJ’ing. I didn’t go back in the crates and find a bunch of old rap records years later, I acquired them at the time they came out. I packed them into rolling suitcases and dragged them all over the country for years & years until Serato finally came around and all that slaving became a thing of the past. Record stores are finished, let’s be real here, no one’s trying to wait around for a song to get pressed up on vinyl when it’s already making the rounds online. You’ll be mixin’ songs weeks after everybody else has already broken them in. I can’t even remember the last time I held a new record in my hand. I miss the whole culture that came with vinyl but that’s something that will never be felt by DJs of today. You don’t have to physically be around another person in order to acquire music now. You just sit in ya drawers in your bedroom and download. Back in the day we had to wake up early, scrape up cash and old trade-ins, hit the store early and hope to beat the other crate diggers to the punch. DJs used to gather at the record store and trade secrets, compare tastes and generally just get each other hype. There was no better time for creating than those first few hours in the lab right after getting’ back from diggin’! I know my dude Top-Cat knows what I’m talkin’ about right there, we used to get FADED early and raid every store in a 5-mile radius on Saturday mornings, then go back to the lab and fire up the EPS-16+ all day.
Q: Your supergroup, Kamala (consisting of yourself, EL Gant and Parakhan) has put out a few tracks and videos to date. How did the group come about and what’s your overall mission?
A: Parakhan was staying in NYC for an extended period of time last year and we did some recordings with El Gant at P’s lab since they ended up living so close. Parakhan pulled out a beat he’d been working on one night and El Gant just jumped on and tore it down. Parakhan hopped on it with a fire verse a few days later and I dropped some cuts at the end. El Gant had a part in his verse that went, “…comin at ya like Kamala in the Congo” so we said “Hey, let’s do a whole shit and name it Kamala.” So we’re doin’ it. We’re trying to wipe all wack emcees and DJs off the face of the Earth with every song we do. That pretty much sums up what we’re about. But, one thing I want to point out about Kamala in advance of any future song we drop is that every well-known artist you EVER hear us collaborate with was done on the strength of making dope music. We don’t pay for verses or team-ups from anyone. All the artists you hear us rock with are our people and we’re coming together to bang out well made music. A lot of these acts out here today dig way deeper into their pockets than they do any crate. They save up all this cash and go out and BUY verses from well-known emcees. Then they put out a project and think that certifies them as a respected artist? …Fuck outta here. That’s why you rarely see the support from that paid artist in any video or performances, because they don’t want to have anything to do with that person after getting’ paid. The funny thing to me is seeing these cats drop songs with these well-known artists and they won’t even as much as retweet the song once it comes out, lmao! You see the posts ALL the time, Producer So-And-So or DJ Whoever featuring legendary WHOEVER and they won’t publicly support the song whatsoever; FAKE ASS COLLABO WITH AN EMCEE WHO DOESN’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU OR YOUR MUSIC. Kill yourself.
Q: What is one of your favorite lines in Hip Hop history, one that never gets old…?
A: “I never ever ran from the Ku Klux Klan and I shouldn’t have to run from a black man.” – Kool Moe Dee
Q: As you may know, Boston is a city thriving with independent artists trying to make it. Who, if any, has caught your attention from here?
A: Boston’s always been a huge and unique source of Hip Hop. A big part of my close Hip Hop family is from Boston and I’ve worked with everyone from the budding new artists in the Amalgam Digital camp all the way to the legendary Edo G and Jaysaun, back up to new homies like Phil The Pain or Notoriety. My brother-in-arms, Top-Cat, is a Boston native who I’ve worked closely with for decades on everything from murdering live parties in Houston to banging out raw beats in Brockton and beyond. I always look forward to making my way out there whenever the opportunity arises.
Q: What advice would you give to an indie Hip Hop artist in 2013?
A: Stop recording music TODAY because you probably SUCK. Sell all your computers, go buy a few gallons of gasoline, head out to the back yard, pour that shit all over yourself and FLAME ON! I crossed the line of optimism with respects to new artists years ago. I have no reason to believe any new artist in 2013 has what it takes to impress me. It’s been way too long and I don’t depend on anyone but me to make shit I like now. I’m old. These kids sound stupid to me. It’s just weak. Being a young man was different when I was that age. I don’t wear colorful skin tight jeggings, I don’t shop in the girl’s section for belt buckles, I don’t chill with my homies shirtless with my boxers on. I am BLIND to all that shit and don’t want any association with it. I don’t have anyone to impress or convince so I don’t care what anyone thinks about it. Nobody really cares anyway. I’m just thankful that I was around for the real shit back in the day instead of just having to watch some half-assed documentary about it on Netflix.
A beat is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Producers can set a price for a track but the market will determine what it is worth. You may feel like your tracks are worth a million dollars, but until they’ve put a million dollars in your pocket they’re only worth what someone is willing to pay for them.
Stop working against the artist. I’ve seen many producers kill a song because they’re trying to get a ridiculous advance. The industry, today more than ever is about publishing. I’ve never seen an instrumental on the top of the billboard charts or in any radio stations playlist. You need the artist just as much as they need you. Act like it.
Sample! Sample! Sample! Too many producers swear off sampling because they don’t want to lose money getting a sample cleared. It’s better to have 1% of the publishing on a hit record than 100% for one that didn’t get placed. Even if the sample doesn’t get cleared, you’ll be the producer of a hot ass record.
Promote yourself. Honestly, nobody knows who you are… and even fewer know you produce. You need to be visible. Get business cards, flyers, magazines ads, websites, etc. You are your own brand, invest in yourself.
Learn the music. Study all music, not just your genre. Draw inspiration from across the board. A producer does more than make beats. Learn engineering, vocal arrangement, etc. A producer’s job is to see the end product and bring that vision to life.
Learn the business. Nobody can look out for your best interest better than you. Learn as much about the business as possible. The more you know, the better off you will be.
Stop biting. Scrolling through SoundClick, you’ll see thousands of beats that say “Dre, Swizz or Kanye type joint”. There’s nothing wrong with mimicking the production styles that you like because it helps you learn, but you’ll never find your OWN sound if you are too busy trying to perfect someone else’s.
Talent trumps technology. I’ve heard some of the WORSE records come out of huge impressive studios. If they can produce bullshit on MPCs, Phantoms, Motifs and Icon consoles don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t make hits using Fruityloops or Garage Band.
Work with artists. Closing yourself off to the world and just making beats is not a good move. Get a team of artists to produce for, with varying styles and tastes. Working with them will improve your versatility and people skills. It will also help you find your own style in the process.
Keep production samplers on hand. Place a few beat CDs & a USB drive with tracks in your glove box. You never know when opportunity will present itself. Be ready.
Independent Southern Hip Hop group (and long-time Full Sail University Black Student Union collaborators) Nappy Roots visited the Full Sail University campus to share the story of their careers and give advice to students about finding success within the music industry.
Best known for their hit singles “Po’ Folks,” “Awnaw,” “Roun’ The Globe,” and “Good Day,” Nappy Roots were the best-selling Hip Hop group of 2002. They have received nominations at numerous award shows, including the MTV Video Music Awards, American Music Awards, the Grammys and the Soul Train Awards. In more recent years, the group severed ties with their label Atlantic Records and formed their own independent Nappy Roots Entertainment Group.
