Is it realistic to make a living as a northwest rap artist?
- Thread starter Darxiide
- Start date
some niggas dont wanna be king george standin around tryna chase down CD sales like crack sales....lmao...what do u say to them kinda people old wise one? and have u been out these days....?? i cant walk past a function without 20 corny muhfuckas handin me terrible looking and soundin product...i mean.we ALL get shit like this....its a waste of money and time for the artist...but they dont see it that way tell somebody tells em KEEP YOUR DAY JOB!!!! music (hip hop in general) has been converted to the digital age period..even if u get out and do the out the trunk via 1990 shit....i GUARANTEE inside or somewhere its gonna have the artists twitter, myspace, & facebook page..a blogspot and a itunes link ....its just part of the game now....play or get left behind
THE WAY TO MAKE A LIVING OFF MUSIC IS TO BE MAKING A LIVING OFF SOMETHING ELSE FIRST.
I had a whole long paragraph describing the current status of the rap game from the politics, the investing, the outlets, the new age technology but I decided not to even go there. Because honestly we can go so many ways with the "if, and, but, or, maybes". But the bottom line is I recommend any artists from any region to get you a LIVING OFF SOMETHING ELSE FIRST and THEN PUT YOUR MONEY INTO THIS MUSIC.
The glory ghetto stories of selling 2k-3k your first album, second album selling 5k-10k, third album you land a distrubtion deal and sell 25k ARE OVER.
I had a whole long paragraph describing the current status of the rap game from the politics, the investing, the outlets, the new age technology but I decided not to even go there. Because honestly we can go so many ways with the "if, and, but, or, maybes". But the bottom line is I recommend any artists from any region to get you a LIVING OFF SOMETHING ELSE FIRST and THEN PUT YOUR MONEY INTO THIS MUSIC.
The glory ghetto stories of selling 2k-3k your first album, second album selling 5k-10k, third album you land a distrubtion deal and sell 25k ARE OVER.
Exactlly. Terrible looking and sounding. Those are the key words. You cannot expect a consumer to respect a sub par product and pay for it. That is why people need to invest in themselves by not trying to do everything themselves. They need to network or hire people to handle these functions.
I mean think about it, if you are the owner of killathug entertainment, would you as the owner knowingly hire someone who kinda knows how to do graphics, or sort of knows how to engineer, mix and master or someone who is going to press your CD up on a home computer with stick on lables? Fuck no, you are gonna hire a graphic artist, you are going to go to a professional studio with a professional engineer and you are going to go to a duplication house that knows what they are doing (www.blueroommusic.net selfish plug).
This is exaclty why you dont need to press 1000 CD's anymore. Its more feesible to press 100-200 high quality CDs because that saves you money and you can sell those and re-press. People think you press up 1000 multiply that by $5-$10 dollars and thats how you are gonna get rich. Thats not the way it works anymore and 1000 CDs is alot harder to sell then it sounds. You print up 1000 cds and a year later you will still be sitting on 800 copies of a record whose cycle is already been completed and you will not have any money to invest in your next project. It takes money to make money, thats the bottom line. You can only skate by so long without good quality control.
I mean think about it, if you are the owner of killathug entertainment, would you as the owner knowingly hire someone who kinda knows how to do graphics, or sort of knows how to engineer, mix and master or someone who is going to press your CD up on a home computer with stick on lables? Fuck no, you are gonna hire a graphic artist, you are going to go to a professional studio with a professional engineer and you are going to go to a duplication house that knows what they are doing (www.blueroommusic.net selfish plug).
This is exaclty why you dont need to press 1000 CD's anymore. Its more feesible to press 100-200 high quality CDs because that saves you money and you can sell those and re-press. People think you press up 1000 multiply that by $5-$10 dollars and thats how you are gonna get rich. Thats not the way it works anymore and 1000 CDs is alot harder to sell then it sounds. You print up 1000 cds and a year later you will still be sitting on 800 copies of a record whose cycle is already been completed and you will not have any money to invest in your next project. It takes money to make money, thats the bottom line. You can only skate by so long without good quality control.
I invite you all to join our NORTH WEST UP MOVEMENT. YOU DOWN let's stop talkin about it and be about it.You all have good opinions and ideas but enuff talking let's implement now.
www.felonyhits.com
Start by showing up and supporting the Movement at 54th st. Sports Bar in Tacoma Wa. on South Tacoma Way Sunday Nite May, 2nd 2010
www.felonyhits.com
Start by showing up and supporting the Movement at 54th st. Sports Bar in Tacoma Wa. on South Tacoma Way Sunday Nite May, 2nd 2010
A few (too many) thoughts.....there will be no cliff notes. But i enjoy forming paragraphs and whatnot, so hopefully this all won't be too hard on the eyes.
I'm gonna try to not be argumentative and what-not, but anyone coming out of the woodwork: not going to tolerate it. You've been warned. :chinese:
--
1st and foremost, that "don't listen to mainstream" stuff is really played. Imagine if you knew someone that was really into Baseball, but they swore to you that MLB was garbage and there were only a few "really good" players and "everyone else" was garbage.....and that they watched nothing but local Double A ball and Japanese games on DVD. How could you possibly look at that person seriously?
Well....if you boycott all mainstream music without even trying to like it for what it is...look in the mirror. Because you're That Guy. There's a reason those people are on top, and its a combination of politics and talent. If you are attributing it 90% to politics, you're sort of missing the point. Marginalizing yourself is about the stupidest thing you can do.
--
Duplication for anything other than what you cannot legally replicate is a waste of time, and proves you are broke as shit. If your choices are, 1) spend 3000 on studio time and beats, and $400 on pressing up CD-Rs.....or 2) spend 2000 on studio time and $1400 on replication.....that should be an easy and logical choice.
Most credit cards give you a 25 day grace period. This means if you keep your shit cleaned off, you could easily charge the 1000 CDs.....then once they come in in a couple weeks, hit the pavement HARD (working in the pre-orders and such), and have most of the money you need without paying a cent in finance charges.
Sounds simple enough....if only it were.
---
The NorthWest is owed nothing by anybody, and will not be the next or 3rd or 4th in line to do anything. We are an indoor, introverted population and as much as people swear they are extroverts and A personalities and all this other junk, they are not. And if they are, they are more annoying than anything because most people around here just aren't used to it.
We also suffer from "I can do anything" syndrome more than any other area of the country, bar none. College Students think they can be superstars just by taking XYZ major, and spending none of their free time doing extra work or making connections. Most Rappers think they can do it all, and start their own label, and build their own studio, and blah blah.....then everything falls apart because they never signed any actual legally-binding contracts and couldn't tell you if Accounts Receivable is an Asset or Liability without thinking really hard about it. Asking them to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows is like...well..you can write your own punchline.
The moral of the story: preparation (and not expectation) is the key to success, for the short term AND long term. If you a Rapper and know nothing about: Stocks, Revolving Credit Lines, Payroll Processing, Payment Processing, etc....you are miles and miles behind labels that hire actual Accountants and Financial Advisors.
Selling 20,000 CDs won't mean shit if you get shut down for not paying your taxes. Its gonna start at 8% (unless some of you are charging 10.80 and not 10 for a CD), and then throw in another 30% or so, plus penalties and interest. It's not pretty.
----
Buying CDs is still as important as it ever was, and anyone who disagrees isn't paying attention to HOW the landscape has changed. Back in the day, it was an incredible thing to have 1 million people listening to your album and, because of the lack of duplication machinery, 50% of those people actually bought the album. These days, its nothing to have 10 million people listening to your album...and if you convert on even 10% of those listeners, you're going to be a very rich man (well, if you know how to work a Statement of Cash Flows, that is.)
15 years ago, mobile phones couldn't do shit....now they do everything. More people, in general, are listening to music, watching TV, and surfing the web. It's one of the reasons our country is getting so overweight. We've replaced physical activities like Skateboarding or Basketball with the All-You-Can-Eat Media Buffet known as the Internet.
The reality? Itunes and Amazon will take over CD sales right around the time that the Kindle and e-books take over the real thing: not any time soon. If you're like me, you prefer to buy the real thing, keep it unopened...and then download a copy and burn it (or transfer to MP3 player/phone) to listen to. If you can't touch it...it's like you don't really own it.
---
This whole Ego talk is getting way overblown. In my experience its always been Game Recognize Game. With Rappers trying to sell CDs to other Rappers, of course it's going to get competitive. Go to the Gym and ask everyone "Do you mind if i work in?" on every single machine, and watch how pissed off people are going to eventually get at you.
Don't confuse Selling CDs On The Same Turf Ego, with Let's Get Money Together Ego. The reason people get charged outrageous prices for verses and beats is because...well...they suck. Doesn't matter what town they're from, or how hood they are, or whatever.....they just suck dick at life, in general. Nothing interesting about them. They are 0's that, for some reason, can't get it through their head that they don't belong. They're not just in Rap though, they're everywhere.....specifically, in places where you cant get fired (owning your own business, union jobs, wannabe models, etc.)
If you can demonstrate value, its on. Split fliers with someone. Exchange CDs. The appearance of being on equal footing is much more important than actually being on equal footing, and most NW artists realize that.
----
If the Streets are like Boxing, then the Internet is Jiu Jitsu and doing shows is Wrestling. Anyone who's watched some UFC/MMA recently knows that, these days, you gotta have all three. If all you can do is strike, someone is going to take your bitch ass down and pound you out. With rap, if you aren't hitting it from all angles, you're doing it all wrong.
As far as the people who "don't use the internet", you have to give them a reason to use it, to go over to a friend's house or their girl's house or whatever. The possibilities are endless, really, especially with these new TVs coming out that have the Ethernet Jack, YouTube and everything else built in. Soon they'll all be Wireless and major cities will be providing free Wi-Fi.
Again....gotta build the foundation. "Don't" doesn't have to mean "Can't". Someone using the internet once a week--to go check out the latest Video Download you put on your website every Thursday--is better than not at all.
-----
For anyone who doesn't know who I am--I'm what you call a Rapper on Sabbatical. I got into college, graduated, and found out really quickly that, after family and friends, making money and staying healthy trumps all. If everything pans out, I'll be back in the game in a year or two.....with a good-paying job + benefits on the side. We'll see what happens from there.
People with no incentive to lie have told me I was talented, and that's really all the motivation I need. The whole "Catch more bees with honey" analogy is particularly relevant...me sans the attitude, I'd probably be a likable guy.
I've got some loose ends to tie up, but by the time I'm back on the wagon, I'll have working experience in Payment Processing, Financial Reports, Inventory Management, Marketing....all that good stuff. It might take a some work to convince the rap world that it's worth it to subsidize the life of a should-be backpack rapper from Aberdeen, but its worth trying.
I don't really want to make a living as a rapper (I've been blessed with tons of opportunities to gain knowledge and build a career outside of rap), but if I could help build the infrastructure so other people can do it (and have money/time left over to go to College, do volunteer work, and all the rest), I'm all for it.
You ever wish you could tl;dr your own post? Just out of curiosity...
I'm gonna try to not be argumentative and what-not, but anyone coming out of the woodwork: not going to tolerate it. You've been warned. :chinese:
--
1st and foremost, that "don't listen to mainstream" stuff is really played. Imagine if you knew someone that was really into Baseball, but they swore to you that MLB was garbage and there were only a few "really good" players and "everyone else" was garbage.....and that they watched nothing but local Double A ball and Japanese games on DVD. How could you possibly look at that person seriously?
Well....if you boycott all mainstream music without even trying to like it for what it is...look in the mirror. Because you're That Guy. There's a reason those people are on top, and its a combination of politics and talent. If you are attributing it 90% to politics, you're sort of missing the point. Marginalizing yourself is about the stupidest thing you can do.
--
Duplication for anything other than what you cannot legally replicate is a waste of time, and proves you are broke as shit. If your choices are, 1) spend 3000 on studio time and beats, and $400 on pressing up CD-Rs.....or 2) spend 2000 on studio time and $1400 on replication.....that should be an easy and logical choice.
Most credit cards give you a 25 day grace period. This means if you keep your shit cleaned off, you could easily charge the 1000 CDs.....then once they come in in a couple weeks, hit the pavement HARD (working in the pre-orders and such), and have most of the money you need without paying a cent in finance charges.
Sounds simple enough....if only it were.
---
The NorthWest is owed nothing by anybody, and will not be the next or 3rd or 4th in line to do anything. We are an indoor, introverted population and as much as people swear they are extroverts and A personalities and all this other junk, they are not. And if they are, they are more annoying than anything because most people around here just aren't used to it.
We also suffer from "I can do anything" syndrome more than any other area of the country, bar none. College Students think they can be superstars just by taking XYZ major, and spending none of their free time doing extra work or making connections. Most Rappers think they can do it all, and start their own label, and build their own studio, and blah blah.....then everything falls apart because they never signed any actual legally-binding contracts and couldn't tell you if Accounts Receivable is an Asset or Liability without thinking really hard about it. Asking them to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows is like...well..you can write your own punchline.
The moral of the story: preparation (and not expectation) is the key to success, for the short term AND long term. If you a Rapper and know nothing about: Stocks, Revolving Credit Lines, Payroll Processing, Payment Processing, etc....you are miles and miles behind labels that hire actual Accountants and Financial Advisors.
Selling 20,000 CDs won't mean shit if you get shut down for not paying your taxes. Its gonna start at 8% (unless some of you are charging 10.80 and not 10 for a CD), and then throw in another 30% or so, plus penalties and interest. It's not pretty.
----
Buying CDs is still as important as it ever was, and anyone who disagrees isn't paying attention to HOW the landscape has changed. Back in the day, it was an incredible thing to have 1 million people listening to your album and, because of the lack of duplication machinery, 50% of those people actually bought the album. These days, its nothing to have 10 million people listening to your album...and if you convert on even 10% of those listeners, you're going to be a very rich man (well, if you know how to work a Statement of Cash Flows, that is.)
15 years ago, mobile phones couldn't do shit....now they do everything. More people, in general, are listening to music, watching TV, and surfing the web. It's one of the reasons our country is getting so overweight. We've replaced physical activities like Skateboarding or Basketball with the All-You-Can-Eat Media Buffet known as the Internet.
The reality? Itunes and Amazon will take over CD sales right around the time that the Kindle and e-books take over the real thing: not any time soon. If you're like me, you prefer to buy the real thing, keep it unopened...and then download a copy and burn it (or transfer to MP3 player/phone) to listen to. If you can't touch it...it's like you don't really own it.
---
This whole Ego talk is getting way overblown. In my experience its always been Game Recognize Game. With Rappers trying to sell CDs to other Rappers, of course it's going to get competitive. Go to the Gym and ask everyone "Do you mind if i work in?" on every single machine, and watch how pissed off people are going to eventually get at you.
Don't confuse Selling CDs On The Same Turf Ego, with Let's Get Money Together Ego. The reason people get charged outrageous prices for verses and beats is because...well...they suck. Doesn't matter what town they're from, or how hood they are, or whatever.....they just suck dick at life, in general. Nothing interesting about them. They are 0's that, for some reason, can't get it through their head that they don't belong. They're not just in Rap though, they're everywhere.....specifically, in places where you cant get fired (owning your own business, union jobs, wannabe models, etc.)
If you can demonstrate value, its on. Split fliers with someone. Exchange CDs. The appearance of being on equal footing is much more important than actually being on equal footing, and most NW artists realize that.
----
If the Streets are like Boxing, then the Internet is Jiu Jitsu and doing shows is Wrestling. Anyone who's watched some UFC/MMA recently knows that, these days, you gotta have all three. If all you can do is strike, someone is going to take your bitch ass down and pound you out. With rap, if you aren't hitting it from all angles, you're doing it all wrong.
As far as the people who "don't use the internet", you have to give them a reason to use it, to go over to a friend's house or their girl's house or whatever. The possibilities are endless, really, especially with these new TVs coming out that have the Ethernet Jack, YouTube and everything else built in. Soon they'll all be Wireless and major cities will be providing free Wi-Fi.
Again....gotta build the foundation. "Don't" doesn't have to mean "Can't". Someone using the internet once a week--to go check out the latest Video Download you put on your website every Thursday--is better than not at all.
-----
For anyone who doesn't know who I am--I'm what you call a Rapper on Sabbatical. I got into college, graduated, and found out really quickly that, after family and friends, making money and staying healthy trumps all. If everything pans out, I'll be back in the game in a year or two.....with a good-paying job + benefits on the side. We'll see what happens from there.
People with no incentive to lie have told me I was talented, and that's really all the motivation I need. The whole "Catch more bees with honey" analogy is particularly relevant...me sans the attitude, I'd probably be a likable guy.
I've got some loose ends to tie up, but by the time I'm back on the wagon, I'll have working experience in Payment Processing, Financial Reports, Inventory Management, Marketing....all that good stuff. It might take a some work to convince the rap world that it's worth it to subsidize the life of a should-be backpack rapper from Aberdeen, but its worth trying.
I don't really want to make a living as a rapper (I've been blessed with tons of opportunities to gain knowledge and build a career outside of rap), but if I could help build the infrastructure so other people can do it (and have money/time left over to go to College, do volunteer work, and all the rest), I'm all for it.
You ever wish you could tl;dr your own post? Just out of curiosity...
^^I AGREE WITH ABOUT 98% OF THIS.. ON A SIDE NOTE THE THREE BIGGEST ARTIST TO COME OUT THE NORTHWEST WAS COOL NUTZ,MIX-A-LOT,AND JOKER THE BAILBONDSMAN... A LOT WOULD PROBABLY DISAGREE BUT IM FROM ALASKA AND HAVE BEEN EVERY WHERE FROM SEATTLE TO CHARLOTTE AND I LIVE IN FRISCO RIGHT NOW. WHEN I TELL PEOPLE WHERE IM FROM THE FIRST THING THAT COMES OUT THERE MOUTH IS JOKER... WHY? CAUSE HE MADE HIS SELF VISIBLE FOR THE PEOPLE TO SEE. HE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF UNCUT WHEN IT WAS OUT PUTTING COUNTLESS VIDEOS ON IT AND GOT KNOWN LIKE THAT. DID HE MAKE A LOT OF MONEY OF RAP NO.. HE'S ACTUALLY DOING 15 IN THE FEDZ AND WE ARE ON BAD TERMS ON SOME STREETS SHIT TO BE HONEST. BUT MY POINT BEING MAKE YOUR SELF VISIBLE AND HOW? THEY HAVE A WORLDSTARHIPHOP THEY CHARGE 300 TO PUT YOUR VIDEO UP(THERE'S A FEW OTHER SITES LIKE IT ALSO) AND I KNOW THAT SOUNDS LIKE BULLSHIT BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHAT SOUNDS LIKE MORE BULLSHIT. SPENDING 200 ON THE NEW J'S AND BLOWING THREW A 40 SACK OF WEED A DAY WHEN YOU COULD OF TOOK THAT MONEY AND GOT YOUR VIDEOS OUT THERE TO THE PUBLIC. YOU DON'T NEED THE BEST VIDEO THESE DAYS AT ALL. JUST SOMETHING FOR THE PEOPLE TO SEE... GOOD OR BAD ATTENTION IS GOOD ATTENTION AND IF YOU READ 48 LAWS OF POWER YOU WOULD KNOW THIS. JUST HAVING YOUR FACE OUT THERE IS GOOD ENOUGH FROM THE INTERNET TO PUSHING MUSIC AT EVERY SHOW. A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT YOU LIKE A JOKE AND OTHERS WILL RESPECT YOUR GRIND. IT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME FROM PUSHING D,PUSSY,OR MUSIC CATS ARE GOING TO LOOK DOWN ON YOU AND OTHERS WILL RESPECT YOUR HUSTLE. BUT THE THING IS YOU HAVE TO PRESENT THE PUBLIC WITH A HUSTLE TO RESPECT.
http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp...79069&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID
Proof that people can make big moves from right here.
I am Young Krime aka Da Ghetto Baby (Dewitt Hawkins)Check our about us page at www.felonyhits.com if you don't believe me.
Proof that people can make big moves from right here.
I am Young Krime aka Da Ghetto Baby (Dewitt Hawkins)Check our about us page at www.felonyhits.com if you don't believe me.
heres a question to the artists on here in your carrer how many units have you sold i feel i did alright for a north west artist and really have not been in it that long my first cd did 1200 the repress is at 4500 and still moving should be at 6k this year my group cd did 5k and well i just presses up my new project so numbers are not up yet enough to even post so im around 11k cds out the trunk none less than 5 bucks and usually 7-10 bucks a cd and i also help other artists push aswell so i would put other artist records at about 8k and seeing 5 bucks profit off there music !plus the beat market and no i dont sell beats for less than 100 unless you buy more than 1 with that said music has fed me and my family for several years with no other job and no illegal shit to fund my music i finally got a job in 09 and i hate it but being away from my family 7 months out of 12 is not healthy and i have not figured out how to balance that
THIZZNW "DUNA"IS EATING AND JUSFAMILY"COOLNUTS" IS EATING.....YALL WANNA EAT? GOTTA FUCK WIT 1 OF US.....TREAL TALK NIGGAS BEEN RAPPIN 4 YEARS UP HERE ALL YALL NIGGAS AND I CAME UP HERE AND PASSED BY YALL LIKE A BOEIN 747....COOLNUTS BEEN DOIN IT UP HERE.WE THE NW KINGS....ANYBODY SAY WE AINT....LYING!!! WE THE ONLY NIGGAS WIT WORLD WIDE DISTRIBUTION AND ACTUALLY GETTIN ROYALTYS OFF CD SELLS ITUNES RING TONES....DROP BENZES MINI MANSIONS PORSCHE TRUCKS ESCALADE ESV JEWELRY MONEY.....LIVIN LIKE R.E.A.L. RAP NIGGAS...CHUUUCH!