Product Stars

It is synonymous nowadays to see every celebrity imaginable endorsing either someone else’s product or a product of their own. I mean, who can blame them with the current state of the music industry selling albums just isn’t enough anymore. You have celebrities endorsing everything from water to nail polish to shoes. It’s a great way for celebrities to expand not only their brand but also their revenue. Celebrities are paid big bucks to endorse a company’s product. Nicki Minaj signed a seven-figure deal to become the face of a new Pepsi beverage called “Pop”. You can read more about that here and also watch the commercial via YouTube. You have to wear many hats within the industry today because just being an artist who just makes music just isn’t the trend anymore. It takes so much more to sustain credibility in this industry. Take for instance, Alicia Keys, she is coming out with a new album in November and she has inked a deal with Reebok. She designed several different pairs of shoes for them and starred in a commercial featuring her saying the lyrics to her new song, Girl On Fire. Peep the commercial here! That was a very strategic move by her and her team to get people interested in her upcoming project. When you turn on the television you see so many celebrities endorsing so many different products. There is serious money to be made in doing so. The companies that these celebrities endorse are so smart and really handles their product management well because they know with big time names attached to their brand people are going to buy it. It’s a win-win situation for all parties involved. Even if the product doesn’t do so well the celebrity still gets paid unless otherwise stated in their contract. Look at Jennifer Hudson; you can’t turn on the television without seeing one of her Weight Watchers commercials. I know you’re probably as sick of seeing them as I am but the girl is getting serious bread from that and Weight Watchers must be contributing from it very well because Jennifer stays on our TV screens. You can’t be mad at a sister for getting her money and looking good while doing it. Although, I believe she has undergone other procedures to get rid of the weight but that’s just between you and I. On the same note though, endorsements are a way for celebrities to make major money and the key is to strike while you’re hot. These three women I mentioned are making themselves into brands and diving into opportunities outside of music. But to be fair if it wasn’t for them being the huge music stars that they are the doors for endorsements to open probably never would have happened. So, to aspiring artists out there who want to become music superstars think outside the music and come up with a plan to turn yourself into a brand! It’s the best way to sustain longevity in this business!

Management Overhaul?

            

My all time favorite artist is Fantasia.  I would love to get the opportunity to manage her. Even though I may not know much about managing an artist right now I feel that her team isn’t on their job when it comes to her career. I have followed her career since she was a contestant on American Idol and I feel that she should be more of a household name than she is right now; and for her talent, not for her mistakes.  For instance, if I were her manager I would start with an image overhaul. I mean, Fantasia is a superstar and she should start looking like one. I don’t know whether or not she has a stylist but if she does he or she needs to be fired. Also, the music that she puts out is not up to par as to what I know she is capable of. It’s not bad music, but it’s not great either. It’s not current enough. With her voice, she is able to take on any genre of music. I know she is a soul singer, but there’s definitely a way to bring her sound up to date without compromising the integrity of the music. I just want to take her to the next level and I’m going to learn as much as I can about managing an artist and this business so I can one day make this dream a reality. So, another artist that I want to speak on is Brandy. I absolutely love Brandy. Her voice is incomparable and she never disappoints when she puts out new music. I must say though that her team has kind of dropped the ball with her new project. It has been four years since the release of her last album and she has a new project that should be dropping in stores on October 16. The reason I say, “should be” is because the album has been pushed back twice already. That’s the first mistake. The second mistake was to drop the first single in May and then wait three whole months to drop the visual for it. I mean the fans are really rooting for her to come hard this go round since her last album didn’t do so well. Also, she dropped a second single one week after the visual for the first single premiered. Her team should have dropped the second single and on that same day released it to Itunes and radio with the visual for it not too far behind. That would have been a smart move.  I mean her team needs to constantly keep her name out there so that people don’t forget that she has an album coming out. She has done zero TV performances. I mean, what’s up with that? I hope that her team gets it together because she can’t afford to lose this time around and all of her fans, including myself, are rooting for her to win! Follow my girls on twitter Fantasia and Brandy!

Negotiation Tactics

Scott Landstrom, Negotiation Skills For Job Seekers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUkCKqPXuiM

            This podcast identifies what to do when negotiating for a job. This type of negotiation involves a bilateral exchange. During this time you differentiate yourself from other candidates and go after the right opportunities. It also talks about how you should position yourself in a way that if you do get the opportunity you want it comes at the highest value to you. You should not pretend to know more than you do and make sure that you do your homework about the company. You have to convince yourself that you are the best person for the job and find a way to challenge the interviewer by asking the right questions. You should stay away from emotional outbursts and personal attacks and stick with factual data. You should never lead with neediness. Need is the enemy. It makes the interviewer lose respect for you and the price of compensation goes down when you show need. Lastly, you should be vague about compensation if possible. You do not want to cheat yourself when it comes to salary.

Dare to Ask: Negotiating When It Matters - Texas Enterprise Speaker Series,, UT Austin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgeiGpdVVBw

            Emily Amanatullah’s speaks about the role of gender and how it plays in the negotiation process, specifically distributive negotiations. She suggests that women are less competitive and negotiate monetarily worse solutions than men do. This happens because of social biases. However, if a woman is negotiation on behalf of someone else, the results tend to differ. Women tend to feel more at ease negotiating for someone else. They also feel more comfortable because they don’t have that fear of backlash they normally would receive if they were negotiation for themselves.

Podcast: Negotiation Tactics & Strategies Everyone Can Use

http://elkayadvisors.com/2010/04/podcast-negotiation-tactics/

            This podcast gave very useful tips on negotiation strategies and tactics. For instance, before entering a negotiation know exactly what you want, what the other party wants, what will occur if by chance you cannot get the outcome you seek and what to do if that happens. You should gather all the background information you can about the other party. That way you may be able to find out what you can get that the other party desperately needs or wants. You have to develop a plan of action and a way to execute that plan. By all means, do not put your emotions on display and never position yourself wrong. You should never appear desperate or needy. Pay close attention to detail and be aware of body language and mannerisms, yours as well as the other party’s. Do not stray from the topic at hand. Keep the other party engaged. If at all possible try to get the other party to negotiate against themselves, that way all possible solutions work in your favor.

Brandy - Two Eleven

Words cannot describe how excited I am for Brandy's new album Two Eleven due out on August 28. You can check out her latest single from the album Put It Down ft. Chris Brown here which is a certified banger! The accompanying visual has been shot for the song and it should be premiering soon. The album title is a representation of her birthdate and the day that her idol and very dear friend Whitney Houston died. It has been 4 long years since she has released an album and the wait is almost over. The album will feature production credits from Rico Love, Bangladesh, Danja, Jim Jonsin, Timbaland, and Noah "40" Shebib, and songwriting credits from Chris Brown, Frank Ocean, Sean Garret, and Drake. I am a huge fan of Brandy and feel that she has not reached the level of success that she is destined to have. Granted, she has been very successful throughout her career I just feel that she has so much more to give to this world beyond just GREAT music! If her past albums are any indication of what is to come from Two Eleven then I must say we are about to be knocked off our feet by Ms. Norwood! My favorite album of hers is Never Say Never! Brandy sung her heart and soul out on that album and it is still in heavy rotation to this day along with Full Moon and Human! Speaking of Human, that album was Brandy's most underrated album to date! Her Human album was flawless from beginning to end and my favorite performances from her comes from that album era. You can check them out here and here and be as wowed as I was! Also check out my girl doing her thing at this year's BET Awards where she performed during the tribute to Whitney Houston! She killed it and I was so proud of her for showing up and showing out! I know it was hard for her but she did Whitney very proud! I am so ready to be wowed during this new era! Brandy always delivers! She hasn't let me down yet! Don't forget to purchase your copy of Two Eleven when it hits shelves and online retailers on August 28! I can't wait to get mine!

Note: The above picture is not the actual album artwork for Two Eleven; it's fanmade but gorgeous nonetheless!

Frank Ocean Is Happy

So recording artist and songwriter Frank Ocean revealed on July 4, 2012 that he was gay through a beautifully written letter that he posted on his Tumblr page. I posted my very first blog entry on Frank Ocean and marveled about how great of an artist he is, which you can check out here! Me, personally I do not care who he wants to love because I am here for the music and the music only! But what a way to celebrate Independence Day by declaring his own independence! Now with him revealing that, one has to wonder how this will affect his fanbase and his music sales. His debut album, Channel Orange, will be released on July 17, 2012. Homosexuality is slowly becoming more of a norm in society but he is in one of the most homophobic music industry communities, which is the hip-hop community. I guess in the coming weeks we will see if his coming out will affect his record sales. This is huge! I mean he is like the first person ever in the hip-hop community to openly admit to being homosexual! Some may consider that to be career suicide; but I see it as being a career birth! I guess that’s the optimistic person that I am but I honestly believe that! The support from some of his industry peers has been awesome but will they really look past his sexual preference and see his talent instead. The picture that I used for this post was uploaded by Beyonce on her Tumblr page to show her support for the singer. I applaud him for opening that door for people like us. He really just started a movement. Yes, there are openly gay men in the industry but not the hip-hop industry…until now! I applaud him for having the courage to bare his soul like that in such a judgmental society. This is great for people in the gay community who didn’t have the courage to stand up and be who they are. He just gave all of those people hope! Thank you Frank Ocean! You’re kind of like a hero man!

The RIAA

The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) works to protect the intellectual property and First Amendment rights of artists and music labels; conduct consumer, industry and technical research; and monitor and review state and federal laws, regulations and policies. The association is also responsible for certifying Gold, Platinum, Multi-Platinum and Diamond sales awards. Its members consist of record labels and distributors as explained here. Since I want to start up my own artist management/music production company, the RIAA will play a major part as it has the 4 major music labels, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group, as members of its association. I ultimately will want my artists to be signed to one of those labels or a subsidiary of one of those labels. Although it is kind of disheartening that there is only 4 major labels that controls the music industry, I still want to pursue my dream. I know that I will have to come up with something new and fresh to compete with what is already out there. Listening to the radio today, I know that the kind of artists I would like to manage is not anything like what you hear on the radio. I want to break away from the repetitive sound of today’s music and put a spin on the music that I love, which is R&B/Soul! The RIAA will also keep me up-to-date on the economic status of the music industry and also the threats to the industry. I can access charts as to the genre of music that sells the most from year to year and also the demographics that are relevant to staying relevant in this industry. It also helps in regulating the piracy threat that has plagued the industry for many years now and how piracy is the major staple that has caused the major decline in the music industry over the years. So, with me trying to break into this industry I have to take in all of that and come up with a way to not let that factor affect my business in every way that I can! I am up for the challenge because music is my first love and passion and I will do what it takes to make this work and with the RIAA providing much needed information at my disposable I know I can do this! 

Embracing Me

Thandie Newton gave a riveting speech (here) on self and how it gets in the way of the essence of our being. She talked about how she felt she was a nobody being born to a white father and a black mother in the 70s and dealing with the abuse that came from that. She spoke on how she felt so free when she became a dancer and an actor because she was no longer her self but something else entirely that she breathed life into. She spoke about her bulimia and having to see a therapist because she was confused and she felt that her self was not any good. I can totally relate to that feeling of not belonging and being an anomaly because I’m gay-a social outcast! While growing up I endured so much verbal and sometimes physical abuse because of who I was. My getaway was through music. I used music as a way to transfer all of my emotional expression to it. I am a singer so I sang my pain and frustration away. I let it all out through my voice. Eventually I had to learn that I was so much more than what people labeled me as. I knew I had a lot to offer the world and I was not going to let anyone put out the light that is inside me. My essence means more than my self. I love my self but it gets in the way sometimes of what I know I can accomplish through the essence of me. I just wish that we could get rid of the boxes that society places upon us and just be ourselves. It does not matter what race we are, what religion we believe in, or status; we are all one! If we could get in touch with the oneness that Thandie spoke upon. Where we become one with each other and ourselves and get rid of that heavy burden of self. Let’s live up to the essence of who we are!