Ask and It Shall be Given Unto You

Amanda Palmer is not a motivational speaker, but her speech The Art of Asking is beyond inspiring, it was down right moving. Amanda is a member of a grunge/cabaret band and blogger who started out working on public streets as a human statue called The 8' Bride. She started this particular speech with a brief background story of her experience as a human statue; this introduction actually moved me to a tear or two. Palmer explains that after a person dropped some money into her hat or can she would hand them a flower and give a prolonged gaze that expressed gratitude and acknowledgment of truly seeing the person. As a former worker in the behavioral and mental health industry, I was touched because there are so so many people in this world who do not feel "seen" and just a little acknowledgment could make a world of difference in their lives. Amanda uses this story as a prelude and foundation of her main point to engage the audience. She clearly does not take herself too seriously and gets a few chuckles from the crowd throughout her speech.
The experiences that Amanda shares throughout her speech reveal her humanistic, trusting, giving and caring nature; she is an artist with a heart for people. She tells of stories of trusting her fans, even to the extent of literally exposing all of herself (naked body) to them to be written on as their human canvas. The trade off for making herself so vulnerable to her fans is a connection that allows her to ask of them for things she or her band needs, from something as small as a Nettie Pot to a place to sleep. The beautiful part of the connection she builds through her vulnerability to ask these kinds of things of her fans is, in turn, it allows her fans to feel, and in some cases, be a part of her life. Palmer's actions actually prove that if you give of yourself freely people will willingly give back instead of having to be made to, which is the entire point of her speech.
Amanda's acts of kindness and trust can be difficult for many to comprehend and/or do. She had to overcome her own doubts and fears as the human statue, which developed the courage and humility she implements when asking for help from fans.  Making yourself vulnerable in that manner can be risky, but taking such risks is what got her a crowd funding donation of over one million dollars when she only asked for one hundred thousand; and that million came from a total of fewer donors than her bands first record with a major label sold right after release. Amanda Palmer's speech encouraged me to continue to have a heart for people, even in the music business. She also inspired me to  be fearless enough take the risk of asking for help when I need it. Amanda Palmer would make an awesome motivational speaker.

Is Nikki Minaj a Hater?

If you caught this year’s BET Awards show you may also have some questions in regards to the motivation behind Nikki Minaj’s statement that suggested at least one of her fellow nominees does not write her own lyrics. If you didn’t happen to catch the show yet, Nikki ever so casually mentioned (dripping with sarcasm) in her Best Female Hip-Hop Artist Award acceptance speech, “when you hear Nikki Minaj spit, Nikki Minaj wrote it”. It was assumed by myself as well as other viewers I spoke with that Nikki was tossing that bit of “shade” at up and coming female hip-hop artist Iggy Azalea since Iggy was the only other artist in the category who has made a relevant impact in sales and on the charts. I also made that assumption because of Nikki’s posing as if for selfies when the camera panned her way during Iggy’s performance. It appears as though Iggy is taking the highroad to Nikki’s comment or maybe does not feel a retort is necessary since she is listed as a writer on all the songs on her debut album The New Classic. 

But if Iggy Azalea wrote on all her songs then who was Minaj’s jab being aimed at? Eve is listed as a writer on all the tracks on her most recent album Lip Lock and the same goes for Angel Haze on her album Dirty Gold.   Charlie Baltimore may have been added  as a nominee just to round out the category because she has not had an album to release since 1999, so it’s safe to say she was not the intended target of Minaj’s statement. Could it be that Nikki Minaj is just hating on Iggy’s success since her debut album is the highest charting female rap album since Nikki’s album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded? 

Whatever Minaj’s motive, my professional advice to Nikki is don’t hate, collaborate. Seeing as how the female presence in hip-hop is not strong because of there being so few female hip-hop artists, those few could strengthen that presence by working together the way the men do instead of being catty, jealous, and petty. Females demonstrating unity within the hip-hop arena would show the world that as individual artists the ladies are just as committed to and serious about the business of music as well as women’s position in hip-hop being a permanent. So to all the ladies of hip-hop I leave this thought: if you can collaborate with the men on songs then why can you not with your fellow comrades who are fighting the same battles as you in this male dominated industry? 

R&B Song Lyrics: Has the Envelope Been Pushed Off the Table Yet?

As anyone who knows me or has read any of my blogs can clearly tell, I am a fan and lover of music, especially good music, so it is disheartening to have to point out the downward direction a lot of today’s R&B song lyrics has taken. Of course music is a form of expression that allows us an avenue to exercise our first amendment right of free speech, but I fear that “shock value” is playing much more of a role in R&B song lyrics today than free expression. During the era of artists like Marvin Gaye and The Isley Brother, R&B music had soul and was at its best. There was no need to distinguish the type of R&B the song portrayed by issuing sub-categories such as neo-soul; it was just good music. During their prime, songs like Sexual Healing, Between the Sheets, and Tonight Is The Night were ballads that “pushed the envelope”, but still maintained some sense of romanticism. Though these song lyrics directly spoke of sex and/or were suggestive, they used no foul language or explicitness. Today, however, it is not uncommon to see R&B covers with the Parental Advisory label stamped on them. Artist like Tre Songz and Bruno Mars are pushing the envelope even further putting curses to melody in songs like Na Na and Gorilla. Personally, I would like to see music take a retrospective U-turn because I’m afraid of what the next generation of R&B song writers will do or say to incorporate shock value. If the envelop is indeed still on the table what will melodic vulgarities sound like when that envelop hits the floor?!

Album Releases: To Party or Not to Party, That is the Question

As an aspiring artist manager the matter of planning an album release party is a very real and relevant topic. Album release parties are always a celebration for the artists and those who aided in the overall production of the album, but they also serve as a useful marketing tool for promoting the album. For those artists who are already established and have the finances themselves or the financial backing of a major label that can provide promotional and marketing teams, album release parties may be viewed as just another party. Nikki Minaj was denied entry to her own album release party because the club had reached capacity by the time her and her entourage showed up at 3:30 a.m.3  Had the party been used for marketing I’m sure she would have tried to be there much earlier, at least I’d like to think so. For an up-and-coming artist, the album release party is definitely a source for marketing their music, therefore, the outcome of the party is vital. Unfortunately as parties go, there can always be factors not planned for such as tragic shooting of seven people at the album release party of Nino, Lil’ Mouse, and King Samson in Chicago.4 The most innovative marketing tactic in music history was pulled off by none other than Beyonce when she released her self titled fifth album on December 13, 2013; No album release party, no commercials, no promotions of any kind just the one word announcement “Surprise!” posted on Instagram. Through this new marketing technique of keeping the secret “in the bag”, once released the secret spread like wildfire and within hours sales of the album showed proof of such. Beyonce Knowles proved that party or no party, if you have acquired the fan base the music will sell itself.

3. International Business, T. (2012, November 23). Nicki Minaj Denied Entry To Own Album Release Party. International Business Times.

4. International Business, T. (2013, March 21). 7 Shot In Chicago Club After Fight Breaks Out During Album Release Party. International Business Times.

Music and Film: When Music Goes Big Screen

I love good music and I love good movies so when the two are combined I am elated, but how much love do musicals (or films with a basis of music) really receive from the rest of the world? I am a self-proclaimed music-movie addict. My attention is involuntarily drawn to the television whenever a movie like The Five Heartbeats, Cadillac Records, Ray, or Idlewild is showing. Music is used in most movies to, “affect how the audience interprets what they see”.2 Biographical films such as Ray or Lady Sings the Blues, unavoidably, include songs as crucial parts of the life stories of Ray Charles and Billie Holiday, but the gross of musicals or music related films suggest it is the content of the movie and not the music or musician starred in the film that people are paying to see. Despite the film Cadillac Records co-starring, arguably, “the” top R&B female artist in the world Beyonce Knowles playing the role of Etta James, the movie only grossed close to $9 million. Similarly Lady Sings the Blues and The Wiz, films that starred the incomparable and original diva Diana Ross, made little or no profit. Although the film Ray took over a decade to be made due to securing the $40 million for production, it grossed over $120 million at the box office. In the past two years, 2013 and 2014, it is the animated musical films that are leading in the box office; Rio 2 grossed nearly half of a billion dollars and Frozen has been rated the highest grossing animated film ever making over $1.2 billion.  From these findings one could conclude that people pay to watch films for their content more so than for the actors or soundtrack, but the children of the world and children at heart love the combination of music and film most in an animated format. 

2. Fisher, J. P. (2009). Soundtrack Success : A Digital Storyteller's Guide to Audio-post Production. Boston, Mass: Course.

Song Writing: The Soul Behind the Music

The foundation of my love for music and what drives my interest in the music industry is one of the fundamental elements of music—the lyrics. Though most know the protective riddle from childhood that states words can’t hurt us, but anyone who loves music as I do knows and has experienced the power of words through song. My favorite songs are the ones that have the ability to connect to people in the most emotional and intimate of ways, allowing listeners to explore and expose their own vulnerability. So how or what influences the lyrics of tearjerker songs such as John Legend’s Ordinary People or Chrisette Michelle’s A Couple of Forevers? I am sure most listeners, like myself, tend to believe (or like to believe) the lyrics of such songs are a result of a relationship the artist is currently in or had in the past, but despite how much we’d like to believe that it is not always the case. According to an American Song Writer Magazine article that hi-lites an excerpt from the book Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song, Ordinary People was not written as a result of Legend’s or co-writer Will.i.am’s own personal relationship experiences. John Legend admits to his parent’s up-and-down relationship being a point of reference, but the song itself was developed simply from the idea of how the dynamics of relationships can be; Chrisette Michelle’s A Couple of Forevers, on the other hand, evolved from a completely different source of inspiration. In an interview with American journalist of ABC News and National Public Radio Michel Martin, Chrisette reveals that her inspiration for the lyrics to her most recent album derived from an internal sense of wellness. Michelle declares that focusing on her physical health landed her in a better mental, emotional, and spiritual space which is where she wrote from. Author of The Art of the Story-teller, Marie Shedlock, suggests that in time, for positive work, writers will discover their own way to tell a story.1  So be it a personal experience, an idea, or just feeling healthy, we now know powerful and heartfelt lyrics can be birthed from a variety of sources. As long as these type of songs continue to be written, produced, and performed with heart, my love affair with music will be long-lived. 

1. Shedlock, M. L. (2008). The Art of the Story-teller. [S.l.]: The Floating Press.                        

Is Reality the Real Deal

In today's time and age it is virtually impossible to turn on your television and not see some sort of "reality" tv program; from relationships to the executive business realm to even catching the biggest of fish, there's a reality program for just about any and every aspect of our lives. Some of the most popular amongst the entertainment spectrum in reality tv are the singing competitions such as American Idol, X Factor, and The Voice. It seems that shows such as these, especially the 12 year running American Idol, are turning out and shining light on more music artists than the traditional channels of artist management agencies, but based on the contractual agreements, is being a reality tv contestant really the better deal?

Although the X Factor gives the most attractive payout for its winners at a whopping $5 million and a recording contract, the fine prints of the contract may not be so alluring. Just to appear on the show, a potential contestant must sign away rights to any performances during and after the show, be it in English or any other language. Furthermore, those rights are allowed to be used by X Factor, and any others, in all formats of media known or unknown to man beyond our world into the entire Universe. Wow! So in other words, as a contestant who does not win the show, you better have some memorable performances that impress the right people because your hard work will not be available for you to use to promote yourself on any planet or media format yet invented, ever. The X Factor's contracts seem to bind and prevent its contestants more than provide to them.

Similarly, The Voice's contract appears to be more geared toward protecting the allowances of the show and network than anything related to promotion or development of the contestants' music careers. The NBC show, contractually, seems to be able to create its own "reality" based on the fine prints that state they can change the rules of the show any time they want, disregard their own voting system, and eliminate a contestant even if he/she has the popular vote with the viewing public. Not only are The Voice's contestants signing away their right to a fair competition, but also to the secrecy of such. If a contestant were to divulge the details revealing the "non-reality" of the show, he/she could find himself in court being sued for $100K to $1 million. How's that for reality?!

Of the three popular singing competition "reality" shows, American Idol by comparison offers the better deal, at least for the top 13 contestants and if the label decides to sign any of them. The winner of the contest gets $175,000 both at winning and when he/she starts recording the first album. However, the winner is obligated to record six albums with the label behind American Idol, 19 Group, before he/she can make it to millionaire status. This may not sound so bad to most aspiring artist, but for an artist like Fantasia Barrino, who has sold almost three million albums and won several awards including a Grammy, still being obligated to record three more albums despite all of her accomplishments in hindsight may not have been the best deal after all.

With all the stipulations defined by the fine print of reality competition signing shows today, one has to wonder if it is better to work with an, all be it less known, manager or management agency.  A local manager or management agency may not be able to promise instantaneous fame, limelight, and rapidly growing bank account right away, but an artist should at least be able to take comfort in knowing exactly who he/she is working with and that their management is working on their behalf and not that of a network or people who are already rich. There is a trust and loyalty factor that is allowed to be built when working directly with your own manager. Even though competition singing shows are making a huge impact in the music industry, contracts with them are not necessarily made with the artist's best interests in mind. So for future potential contestants, do your homework or at least get a lawyer to review the contract before you just sign on the dotted line.