WHAT WEST COAST ARTIS WOULD SELL OUT A SHOW IN THE NW AT LIKE A SHOWBOX OR ROSELAND?

[seagramrecords]

THE DECLINE IN ATTENDENCE AT MOST OF THE SHOWS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAS BEEN DRASTIC TO THE GLORY DAYS OF PACKED SHOWS IN THE NW ,WITH A MIXTURE OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL AND EVEN SOME JUST LOCAL USE TO BE GREAT,BUT IT SEEMS THE MAGIC IS GONE ,IS IT THE TALENT HAS NOT BEEN UP TO PAR?OR IS IT JUST TIME FOR NEW ARTISTS WITH A DIFFERENT SOUND OR NW SOUND?THE LAST BIG NAMES TO PUT THE NW ON THE MAP SEATTLE =SIR MIX A LOT ) PORTLAND=U-KREW,THOSE ARTIST WERE RECORDING IN THE LATE 80'S EARLY AND MID 90'S,THEN YOU HAD SOME TALENTED CATS COMING UP COOL NUTZ-PORTLAND-MR.DOG-TACOMA-EMPEROR P,KAZY D,WOJACK,G-ISZM,MANIAC LOK,HUNGRY MOB,FIVE FINGERS OF FUNK,KUTFATHER,HAVENOT,FUNK DADDY ,THERE'S MANY MORE BUT YOU GET THE PICTURE! WHY DOES A NELLY OR A JAY Z OR A NAS HAVE TO COME 3K MILES AWAY FOR THE NW TO SUPPORT A SHOW?IN MY OPINION I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE MORE RAPPERS THAN THIER ARE FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IN THE NW EVERBODY IS RAPPING SOME ARE GREAT SOME ARE GOOD MOST ARE WHACK,JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE MONEY DOESNT MAKE YOU A RAPPER OR IF YOU BUY FULL BLOWN PRO TOOLS OR GETTING FRUITY LOOP BEATS!THE GOOD THING IS GOOD RAPPERS IN THE NW CAN BECOME GREAT RAPPERS,WHACK RAPPERS CAN BECOME GOOD RAPPERS AND GREAT RAPPERS CAN BLOW UP AND BRING EVERYONE ELSE IN THE NW ALONG FOR THE RIDE ,BUT THAT STARTS AT HOME IN YOUR HOME TOWN REP YOUR HOOD !!!BUT SUPPORT THE HIP HOP NATION ESPECIALLY THE WEST THE EAST AND THE SOUTH STICK TOGETHER THATS WHY THERE ON TOP !!!!! THE NW TIME HAS COME TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND SUPPORT THE SCENE OTHERWISE I DONT SEE IT MAKING ANY PROGRESS ALL I SEE IS EAST COAST AND SOUTH CATS COMING TO YOUR TOWN FUCKIN YOUR WOMEN SMOKIN UP YOUR WEED AND YOU PAYING FOR VERSES,IT WOULD BE ALL GRAVY IF THEY RETURNED THE FAVOR! THE BAY AREA IS PROPABLY THE ONLY OTHER AREA THAT SUPPORTS NW,AND VICE VERSUS,I KNOW THIS IS A LONG ASS POST AND I DONT USUALLY POST ANYTHING UNLESS I FEEL ITS EFFECTING THE LOVE I HAVE FOR HIP HOP AND THE WEST COAST ARTIST PERIOD!IM TIRED OF SEEING RAP CLUBS GETTING SHUT DOWN,TOO MANY TO NAME,AND TIRED OF GOING TO SHOWS THAT ARE HALF FULL OR ONLY A HUNDRED CATS AND 99 OF THEM ARE RAPPERS?WHERE ARE THE FANS ?
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ?
HOW CAN WE BLOW THIS AREA UP?
HOW CAN WE SELL OUT SHOWS?
HOW CAN WE STOP THE HATING ON EACH OTHER?

SEAGRAM RECORDS CEO OCTAVIUS MILLER :devious:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

 

[DukeNaintEZ]

^^^Good thread...I think advertising and promotion plays a big part...I never see advertising (except for Cool Nutz) around this town..But the E-40 shows seem to sell alot of tickets...Too $hort does too

 

[tadou]

Fuck advertising, Fuck one sheets, fuck full page ads, fuck big names, fuck your compilations, fuck all that beurocratic, underhanded, behind-the-back, jockeying-for-positition political shit.


DVDS/VHS....UNDERGROUND PERFORMANCE TAPES....there is none that i know of. Why the fuck is it so hard ot have your man grab a video camera or two, and spread that shit around? Who gonna turn down a 2 hour bootleg video for $5 or less?

WEBSITES.....there flat out is none. Seaspot got some shit, but its a mainstream/underground hybrid, and the mainstream (and stupid fuckin local clubs full of chickenheads) gets about 85% of the coverage. Only real Underground coverage is a CD review here and there.

MIXTAPES....most of them are full of Jay-Z, Nelly and other shit, with a SPRINKLING of NW talent....the fuck is up with that??? ANd for $12? Does that come with a Blowjob or a bag of weed or what?


Its a whole lot of shit thats pissin me off right now, if you couldn't tell. I think DVDs is the first step though. You aint gotta be all Hollywood/$19.95/nationwide-distribution about the shit....just send it to someone with a basic knowledge (send it to me, for all i care), and let them (me) fuck with it.....have them shits in people's hands for $2-3 or less, in a week or less. Believe that.

 

[DukeNaintEZ]

Fuck advertising, Fuck one sheets, fuck full page ads, fuck big names, fuck your compilations, fuck all that beurocratic, underhanded, behind-the-back,

OK...advertising never helps huh...He was askin bout selling out concerts at the Roseland...How in the fuck am I or anyone else gonna know theres a show if its not advertised?????

 

[tadou]

"HOW CAN WE BLOW THIS AREA UP?" --- is what i went on, homie.....the magazine and flyer advertising, I dont fucks with that. I dont wanna look at your flyer or ad, that shows me you have money to throw away...it dont show me you have heart.

Show me some footage of you wildin out, sweatin like michael jordan or some shit, loosin your breath cus you workin the crowd so hard.....play me some shit, some grimey, underground mixtape shit, where you writin the verse in a 10 minutes and droppin that night, its on the streets the next day, and you dont give a fuck if it make the album............but thats just me.

 

[djbuttnaked]

#1 Advertisment = people at your show bottom line. period. (if they don't know they won't go)

This past weekend Sir Mix Alot was at the Capitol Hill Block Party. It was HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was there advertisment for this show??? Yep

#2 Clubs in Seattle will support local hip hop if catz actually took time to develop a fan base to be at a local club in Seattle. (don't say your playing with MC whoever and the only people that you bring to your show is your baby momma and your cousin)

#3 find your fanbase and market to them. It doesn't make sense to promote heavily to a Dave Matthew's band sort of crowd if your music doesn't warrant it.

#4 DVD's, Mix Tapes, Whatever.......... Shit just make a hot cd then market it to the fanbase that you develop. Promote to that audience then sell out a show. OH yeah make a hot website to.

I haven't brought any of the cats I am working with to the Showbox yet to perform but best believe they will be there. Soon.

I am however selling out shows on a regular 450 people+ each night with a 45 minute wait to get in. Don't believe me? Then the next show is July 31 for more information

www.phatbackrecords.com

Cd comes out September 1,2004

 

[Cool Nutz]

What people don't seem to understand is that attendance for most shows is down. The only major tour right now that is doing welll is Prince. People just don't come out like they used to. Alot of people just don't have the money to pay to come out to some of these shows.

Also, alot of the artists aren't really promoting themselves the proper way. You go to the record store and the album is there, but the consumer didn't even know that it was coming out. This is also a problem. The energy just isn't there. When E-40 "In A Major Way" came out the streets were buzzing. When was the last time people were REALLY REALLY excited about a release?

The game is hard right now, and the majors have the shit on lock. All you can do is really find your place in the market and hold on. There is no real formula for success, it just happens sometimes.

And there are to many rappers out there now. Everybody and their momma has a CD or a studio. It's hard enough to sell a CD, let alone when everyone you are trying to sell it to is doing the same thing that you are doing. Shit is crazy.

The game is still open, cats gotta just put in more work. It's harder then ever to make it, but there is plenty or money and opportunity out there for you. You gotta just be willing to put in the work. You also gotta get out here and actually move some units and get some fans behind what you are doing. Cats are to set on just pressing up a CD and throwing out there. You gotta market your product. Promotion is everything.

And in terms of West Coast artists that would sell out the Roseland: Snoop Dogg, E-40, Xzibit, Mac Dre(with the new albums being so hot), Westside Connection, and that's about it.

 

[Turf_Tycoon]

yeah niggaz in tha town would show for a mac dre concert....

 

[BIGGTRUB]

I grew up promoting shows and throwing shows in the North West, and if you don't promote it they won't show up...jus like Buttnaked said. We always had about 4-5 local acts open up for a bigger name. So we always broke even or made a profit. The problem for the local acts was they had no idea how to capitalize on the exposure. Too many of us are used to makin quik money instead of making a plan to produce, promote, and market a quality product. It's a hard game fa sho in the north west to make it when there is no one over seeing the success of some of these really talented artists.

Bigg Trub
Co-Ceo Ak-Entertainment
http://www.ak-entertainment.net
[email protected]

 

[seagramrecords]

i agree with coolnutz and bigg trub riden dirty ,turf tycoon and even some of tadou comments,this is what i propose to all the artist in the nw ,we put together a showcase !!! a real showcase for all the nw rappers! entry fee is $100 per act ! or group at avenue /showbox or /roseland/or tacoma dome 1 night WINNER TAKES ALL after expenses building backline security and avertisement budget this is an avenue for the nw to become the power house it has been waiting to become for years we have to crown the king of the nw and everybody support him or her or group just as nelly did in the midwest ,bringing murphy lee and chingy along for the ride,just as cash money did for new orleans,juvenile,lil wayne,baby,the south is boomin now ,atalnta with lil john eastside boy's,emenim with d 12 ,50 and so on,im not hating on none of those markets or artist but 90% of that shit is whack!!!!!! but they have what we dont have here in the nw "LOYALTY"and support,you must build from the ground up!its been way to many wasted beats and lyrics to never been heard outside of your hood,there is too much talent out here for us not to be getting reconized around the country!underground or mainstream,the winner will recieve the cash to purchase ,pressed professional cd's,tight ass graphics,posters,flyers,snippets,tv commecial,60 seconds,a wrapped van,and some travel cash to hit the road and promote that shit and grind off the cd's,the winner will recieve the support of the nw,sold out shows,the second place winner will be next in line for the same process,we can help everybody who earns the right to be supported,by the process of elimination,some artist wont make it but they can come back and prepare themselves for the next showcase,to show progress,we can start a nw rappers union or guild,trust fund for struggling artist,our own distribution companies,and pressing plant we have the knowlege to run our own destiny,the most complaint i get is that nobody has the money to press cd's,or to promote or no distribution the process of control must be held by you the artist,we would be the first in the country to make this reality and sucessful.it might be just my dream but i believe it could work!they propably said the pyramids coundnt be built either?but guess what they are still here,we have too much talent out here for it not to be on another level,strenght is in numbers i i know there are at least a million rap and hip hop listeners in the nw times that $8.oo a cd wholesale equals-8 million it can be done! are you ready ?
who is willing to step up to the plate and say fuck it lets do this shit?
i hope we can get the nw legends to contribute advice or information or just support for this and also come judge the showcases!!!!!!!!

sir mix a lot
coolnutz
funk daddy
mr.dog
kazy d
kid sensation
wojack
and everybody else who got love for westcoast hip hop one love holla
seagram records ceo
octavius miller
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
503-283-5300 office
503-283-7665 fax

 

[tadou]

You seem kinda fanatical to me, homie, but i see what you're getting at. I'm more laid back, i'm not tryin to go for the jugular just yet. A showcase would be cool, but then what? What website are we going to use to centralize the region, to get info out there about albums, to show all the release dates, to show where to buy all the albums, etc? Where will i be able to buy wholesale mixtapes/albums for $2-3, and re-sell them for $5 or less, instead of mothafuckas trying to charge 5 each, and me having to sell for 10?

The real answer isnt making 50 million dollars and buying rides and wearing chains, its getting your music out there. major artists dont usually recoup on their first and second albums, so why is underground peoples tryin to recoup and passing the buck to the fan? Make your shit for cheap, sell your shit for cheap, if a Tay verse gone cost you 2 G's, a A-Wax verse is runnin you 1200, then go with a Cool Nutz or a 151 for a few hundred less, ya dig....

Showbox/Tac dome/white river/gorge aint ready for us, and i dont think we aint ready for all that. U.A. might could sell out the Sho on his own, but he'd have to push LOTS of mixtapes/CD singles beforehand. As long as its not 15 fuckin artists for 10 minutes each, it sounds like a cool idea, i just dont see how

 

[seagramrecords]

not fanatical just a realist its common sense and i never said anything about rides and rims and chains and shit like that what im talking about is investment into the nw hip hop scene the cd buyer will be happy with product that is mastered and mixed down quality product,mix tapes are cool but i dont think they should be sold at all(my opinion)just promotions only,

what im talking about is the pay it foward process where each rapper contributes to the success of one another by the support factor, its been proven in other regions research and gather information the formula for success is there,some will get it others wont nobody will ever always be right,and some rappers will be scared of success,some dont even want it they just want to express themselves and want to be heard even if its just for the homies,most of the rappers i know do it because they love the art form and want to feed thier families,they wish they could rap for a living instead of throwing boxes at ups,not because some of some fad or hobby,or part time rappers,its bigger than $3 mix tapes or going platinum its about life! and doing what you love.......

 

[seagramrecords]

You seem kinda fanatical to me, homie, but i see what you're getting at. I'm more laid back, i'm not tryin to go for the jugular just yet. A showcase would be cool, but then what? What website are we going to use to centralize the region, to get info out there about albums, to show all the release dates, to show where to buy all the albums, etc? Where will i be able to buy wholesale mixtapes/albums for $2-3, and re-sell them for $5 or less, instead of mothafuckas trying to charge 5 each, and me having to sell for 10?

The real answer isnt making 50 million dollars and buying rides and wearing chains, its getting your music out there. major artists dont usually recoup on their first and second albums, so why is underground peoples tryin to recoup and passing the buck to the fan? Make your shit for cheap, sell your shit for cheap, if a Tay verse gone cost you 2 G's, a A-Wax verse is runnin you 1200, then go with a Cool Nutz or a 151 for a few hundred less, ya dig....

Showbox/Tac dome/white river/gorge aint ready for us, and i dont think we aint ready for all that. U.A. might could sell out the Sho on his own, but he'd have to push LOTS of mixtapes/CD singles beforehand. As long as its not 15 fuckin artists for 10 minutes each, it sounds like a cool idea, i just dont see how

but see thats the problem because coolnuts should be getting 2 gees a verse as well a 151 they put in as much work as my other homies from the bay,there is no recouping on releases because the artist has the support to pay for its own product,and i know its hard for rappers out here because they have heard so much bullshit over the years,but i really do belive the nw is ready ...
and yes it has to be centralized but also regulated by artists ran by artist but it can be done!

 

[BLAZE]

"process where each rapper contributes to the success of one another by the support factor". I tried that. What I got in return was most of everything I owned jacked. People feeding me bullshit to help them out. Every one just useing me.

Your dream/idea sounds good but now days everyone is just out to hustle you. There is to much hatin and jealousy out there, that I feal would make your plan not succeed.

I wish you good luck, Peace

 

[tadou]

I was just speakin for other people with that verse-buying shit, you wont find me spending NO money on verses, im a rapper already, and know other rappers, so fuck all that. Ill buy beats from your producer, pay for the studio time, let you use my leftover studio time, give you a bigger cut if you come perform at one of my shows, but i dont pay $$ for verses...trade and show me that respect, aint none of us shipping 20k so dont act like it

Anyway, i aint talking about cheap ass, low-quality mixtapes. I'm talkin about GOOD material....half original, half mainstream beats, mixed GOOD quality, with a "NO BULLSHIT" budget, where the ONLY things you pay for is artwork, mastering, studio time and pressing......or the east coast style ones, compilation-style ones, but not for 8 and 10$ and other rediculous prices, i'm talkin $5 and under, same budget as the other mixtapes,you wanna get paid, you buy bulk and sell to folks you know, straight up.....

I sort of understand your pay-it-forward idea, but i still cant see us all jumping behind a 1 or 2 people all at once, it just doesnt make sense to me. whoever moves units is gonna move units, and keep bringin it year after year, its got nothing to do with a one night event, ya know? I like that distribution/pressing thing most of all, which is why i think people need to keep their costs LOW. i mean who needs nationwide distro, when you can have people all over the region selling your shit right beside theirs? im down to sell peoples shit at a show on the table sittin right next to mine, we just need to get something like a CD swap set up ya dig

 

[seagramrecords]

i feel you cats man i understand the frustration and the bullshit about the industry and other things that happens or had happen in the past hopefully we are learn from our mistakes and keep it moving,i like the cd swap idea thats a start,remember this is opinions and solutions to the problems inthe nw scene i believe they are fixible and solid lets get the product first then take it to the public and let them decide who they want to bump,blaze dont lump everyone into one catagory,the music business is cutthroat ,but there are some good peeps out here,thanks for your support but i do think we need a rappers union out here and our own pressing plant and distribution company.......

lets talk about soloutions
we already know about the negativty what about some good things?
#1 who can set up a website?
#2 who can do web design
#3 who can do graphics
#4 where do we get a used cd press?
#5 where do we get 6 color tee shirt press
#6 where do we get a off set printer
#7 where do we get the pirate radio equiptment (lol)
#8where do we get 2k rap fans at every show!

i have a building and a record store and a recording studio and video suite.......let s do it!!!!!!!

 

[seagramrecords]

oh #9 we need our own magazine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BIGGTRUB]

I'm workin' on an independent online magazine for our website. We will be doin' interviews on indy artists from all over the world, but I'd be down to write for something like that too....

Bigg Trub
co-ceo Ak-Ent.

 

[BIGGTRUB]

Whoever sets up a website, we'll link em up to ours and spread this network a lil' thiccer...As far as North West web designers and graphic guys I have no idea cuzz all my shit was done outta state. I can find out about pirate radio equiptment from these cats in San Jose cuzz they got a station. As far as rap fans at shows thats just gonna rely on savage promotion. The person that steps up their game and really saturates the I-5 corridor is gonna have that. As long as they know how to run a good show and have top notch acts only grace the stage. I got Sound Techs and know of a promotional team that contracts out their vehicles for wraps and that would be the way to really get out and promote it big. People that don't have promotional merchandise and the marketing plans in place to bacc up the exposure from said shows don't get on. Its takes a team of people to make sure those people come bacc. Give them a themed event, door prizes, and shit they can be involved in and they'll come out. But 3-4 cats on a stage and a D.J. is the way its always been done. That shit is old and the people know it.

 

[tadou]

I believe I am capable of a few things. One would be writing CD reviews and things of that nature for a magazine. I have taken several English-like classes and am not shy about putting the pen to paper.

I also am trying to set up a web-site right now, but most of the work i would like to do is draining. Not the design and layout, but I would like to have a stockpile of song lyrics and BIOs for every artist, so that is taking a while. I think it is more important to know about all the artists out there, and be able to look up their album info....than to sit there and go "look at the pretty colors!"


As far as most of the investment-styled things--shirt press, cd printer, et al--I am not prepared for any of those at this time.


For 9, there is the "NW Rap Review" magazine, but i never got a chance to check it out, and it doesn't seem to be on a regular schedule. Used cd press runs anywhere from 300k to a million.

And there are graphic/web designers all over the place, high quality material, but nobody likes to work for free, so they would need to be assured that their work is not going to go down the drain.