http://www.thebayisback.com/2010/12/28/is-the-bay-really-back/
Is The Bay Really Back?
This website/blog is called The Bay Is Back. Ever since the death of Tupac, the Bay Area hip hop scene has been craving national attention. A few years back, whenever a local artist made it on BET or XXL Magazine, fans would announce that TBIB!!! However in reality, we are not even close.
The closest we came was in 2006. E-40 released “Tell Me When To Go” and introduced the nation to the Hyphy Movement. People across the country paid attention. Some were confused, others amused. Some were feeling it, while others thought we were a joke. In the end, most outside the West Coast will remember it as a Bay Area version of Crunk, with ghost riding the whip mixed in. Hyphy did bring some of our top artists attention. Clyde Carson and Mistah F.A.B. signed deals with major labels. Still, the consequences of the Hyphy Movement may have been worse than the benefits. It quickly turned into a gimmick when rappers with little talent started making songs with a hyphy sounding beat and the same lyrics as every other hyphy sounding song. The media and most fans quickly lost interest. The Pack and Federation released albums on major labels, but moved the same amount of units they would have sold independently. It’s over 4 years later and neither Clyde Carson nor Mistah F.A.B. has released his major label debut. E-40′s “The Ball Street Journal” only sold about 1/4 of what “My Ghetto Report Card” sold, although he did get some momentum back with his latest double album.
The industry is changing, and artists need to keep up. Major labels are dying. CD sales are becoming a thing of the past with MP3 sales continuing to gain popularity. It is now easier than ever for an artist to sell MP3 tracks and albums directly to fans. The only way a major label will push your product is if you make a pop single. Quality albums do not matter to them. People no longer watch BET for the newest videos or listen to the radio for the newest songs. This has been replaced by websites and blogs.
What will it take for The Bay to be back? A quality product and using the internet as a tool for promotion. Here are some basic steps I suggest artists take to help their careers and help bring The Bay back:
1) Make a quality album. If your record a song and decide it sounds “good enough”, do not include it on your album. Be a perfectionist and only select songs that are great. Choose quality over quantity.
2) Create a blog to keep fans updated on what you’ve been doing and to share new music with the world. Provide links to purchase previous releases, merchandise, and show tickets. Don’t just create a blog, but make sure people know it exists. A necessary supplement is a Twitter account, but it is too limited in what it offers to be a replacement for a blog. Promotion on Myspace and Facebook is also necessary.
3) Contact blogs/websites that focus on local music. Get them to push your music and link to your blog. Provide music or videos they can post. If you’re unknown, provide some of your best songs to date. You’ll be surprised at how many people in the industry follow local blogs. Next, reach out to the larger nationwide websites and blogs.
4) Network and collaborate with as many artists as possible from different regions. Networking is a major key because meeting the right person with the right resources can help catapult your career.
5) When you, or your label, feel like it’s time to drop an album, make sure the fans known the release date. Have it on your blog along with links to purchase the album. If you manage to get the support of bloggers, get them to post the release date. Do not keep pushing the release date back because it causes fans to lose interest. Get fans excited and anxious to hear your music.
If our artists consistently put out quality music, fans will pay attention and The Bay will be back. Right now there’s a drought. How many great Bay Area albums have come out the past 5 years? That’s how many should be coming out every year. 2011 is just around the corner. Can this be the year that The Bay comes back?
Written by: Denis
thebayisback.com
Is The Bay Really Back?
This website/blog is called The Bay Is Back. Ever since the death of Tupac, the Bay Area hip hop scene has been craving national attention. A few years back, whenever a local artist made it on BET or XXL Magazine, fans would announce that TBIB!!! However in reality, we are not even close.
The closest we came was in 2006. E-40 released “Tell Me When To Go” and introduced the nation to the Hyphy Movement. People across the country paid attention. Some were confused, others amused. Some were feeling it, while others thought we were a joke. In the end, most outside the West Coast will remember it as a Bay Area version of Crunk, with ghost riding the whip mixed in. Hyphy did bring some of our top artists attention. Clyde Carson and Mistah F.A.B. signed deals with major labels. Still, the consequences of the Hyphy Movement may have been worse than the benefits. It quickly turned into a gimmick when rappers with little talent started making songs with a hyphy sounding beat and the same lyrics as every other hyphy sounding song. The media and most fans quickly lost interest. The Pack and Federation released albums on major labels, but moved the same amount of units they would have sold independently. It’s over 4 years later and neither Clyde Carson nor Mistah F.A.B. has released his major label debut. E-40′s “The Ball Street Journal” only sold about 1/4 of what “My Ghetto Report Card” sold, although he did get some momentum back with his latest double album.
The industry is changing, and artists need to keep up. Major labels are dying. CD sales are becoming a thing of the past with MP3 sales continuing to gain popularity. It is now easier than ever for an artist to sell MP3 tracks and albums directly to fans. The only way a major label will push your product is if you make a pop single. Quality albums do not matter to them. People no longer watch BET for the newest videos or listen to the radio for the newest songs. This has been replaced by websites and blogs.
What will it take for The Bay to be back? A quality product and using the internet as a tool for promotion. Here are some basic steps I suggest artists take to help their careers and help bring The Bay back:
1) Make a quality album. If your record a song and decide it sounds “good enough”, do not include it on your album. Be a perfectionist and only select songs that are great. Choose quality over quantity.
2) Create a blog to keep fans updated on what you’ve been doing and to share new music with the world. Provide links to purchase previous releases, merchandise, and show tickets. Don’t just create a blog, but make sure people know it exists. A necessary supplement is a Twitter account, but it is too limited in what it offers to be a replacement for a blog. Promotion on Myspace and Facebook is also necessary.
3) Contact blogs/websites that focus on local music. Get them to push your music and link to your blog. Provide music or videos they can post. If you’re unknown, provide some of your best songs to date. You’ll be surprised at how many people in the industry follow local blogs. Next, reach out to the larger nationwide websites and blogs.
4) Network and collaborate with as many artists as possible from different regions. Networking is a major key because meeting the right person with the right resources can help catapult your career.
5) When you, or your label, feel like it’s time to drop an album, make sure the fans known the release date. Have it on your blog along with links to purchase the album. If you manage to get the support of bloggers, get them to post the release date. Do not keep pushing the release date back because it causes fans to lose interest. Get fans excited and anxious to hear your music.
If our artists consistently put out quality music, fans will pay attention and The Bay will be back. Right now there’s a drought. How many great Bay Area albums have come out the past 5 years? That’s how many should be coming out every year. 2011 is just around the corner. Can this be the year that The Bay comes back?
Written by: Denis
thebayisback.com
