INDIE NEWS BEAT
Week of October 8, 2003
* Dynamic-Duo Reinvents The Latin-Jazz Front
* KJ-52 - It's Pronounced Five-Two
* Focus Marketing Opens Debate On Music Marketing
* Recording Artists Union & Record Companies Reach Historic
Health Care Agreement
* Inside The Music Business Radio Announces Guests
* BPI And Partners To Showcase Underground Talent Stateside
* GoGirls Last Band Standing Finalists Announced
* Bringing Singer/Songwriters Into The Spotlight
Dynamic-Duo
Reinvents The Latin-Jazz Front
 What
happens when you mix one-part Wall Street guru and one-part
Latin Music luminary? You have Latin
Cool Records, one of the hottest emerging labels led
by David Wasserman, a veteran of a highly successful career
in finance, and respected producer and arranger Bobby Marin.
This "Dynamic-Duo" has assembled one of the most exciting
line-ups of top talent on the Latin-Jazz front.
Latin
Cool Records' reputation has steadily grown as they've
signed up the legendary Larry Harlow to a long term contract,
offering his first Latin-Jazz production "Larry Harlow
and The Latin Jazz Encounter - Live at Birdland," featuring
Larry and an All-Star ensemble of top Latin Jazz performers.
Other top talent since includes "The Latin-Jazz Coalition," featuring
Demetrios Kastaris, one of New York City's hottest orchestras,
and "Cintron," one of the most versatile groups on the
East Coast. Also on board is the renowned flautist Andrea
Brachfeld, whose virtuoso stylings have been internationally
acclaimed.
The label's latest addition, the sultry songstress
Deborah Resto, has already begun to receive rave reviews
in the media. "I should have put it on the minute it came
in the mail. What a polished effort. Ms. Resto is one of
the most sensual and emotive singers I've heard this year.
Great production and arrangements, too. I'm partial to
the two Renee Leyva arranged tunes, but the sounds are
solid throughout." - Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Latin
Cool Records has combined great talent with an understanding
of the changing industry to become one of the premier
Latin-Jazz labels. Realizing that retail pricing of CD's
would inevitably drop to a more consumer-friendly price,
founder David Wasserman experimented with lower prices,
slashing CD prices from $15.98 to $10.99, well before
Universal Records' own CD price cuts. Through its association
with the prominent, national distributor Synergy Distribution, Latin
Cool's products are readily available in all outlets
in the United States and Puerto Rico, assuring continued
growth and success for the exciting new label.
KJ-52
- It's Pronounced Five-Two
 KJ-52 is
a rare find in today's Christian hip hop world. A white
MC who has risen to prominence in a largely black arena,
he is at once a respectful student of the art form and
a genuine hip hop innovator, stretching the boundaries
of both its sound and shape.
KJ-52's
new release It's Pronounced Five-Two is a cutting-edge
16-song set that perfectly captures the range that this
extraordinary MC brings to his music. From wildly self-effacing
humor and celebrations of forgiveness to deadly serious
reflections on subjects like divorce and suicide, It's
Pronounced Five-Two has become among the most important-and
biggest selling-hip hop releases of the year.
"Hip hop is a black house," he explains, "and
I'm a guest in it. It's more than just an art form, it's
a culture, and I'm humbled to get to be a part of it."
It's Pronounced Five-Two is reflective not
only of KJ's
respect for the form, but also his significant maturation
as a practitioner of it. The song structures on this new
disc suggest a growing respect for the melodic and musical,
wrapping KJ's sharp rhymes around eminently memorable (and
frequently humble) hooks and over an infectious collection
of beats.
Co-produced with former Gotee Brother Todd
Collins, some of the disc's tracks, like the smoothly memorable
and affably nostalgic "Back In The Day," slide into a slow
simmering groove that smack of late summer afternoons by
the grill, while others-like the effervescent and playful "Check
Yourself" and riotous "Rock On" (with Rob Beckley, Pillar
frontman) - approach a more manic flow, drawing on the
sharp, staccato rhythms of both the cutting edges of hip
hop and rock culture and the playful good humor of some
of rap's early radio breakthroughs (which calls to mind
early Beastie Boys work, as well as more recent work by
bands like Linkin Park and, yes, Eminem).
"Pick Yourself Up," (with Donnie Lewis) meanwhile,
is a real world song of encouragement to listeners who
in one way or another have fallen off the straight and
narrow, reminding KJ's audience of the ancient biblical
truth that "his mercies endureth forever"-but in a far
more modern cadence akin to the sonic smoothness of the
Nelly/Kelly Rowlands duet.
In a world that is largely ego-driven, KJ-52 is
a rapper consumed by compassion for his audience. It is
this commitment to being an agent of grace in the midst
of a decidedly decadent and unyielding culture-that marks
It's Pronounced Five-Two as a work of extraordinary import.
Focus
Marketing Opens Debate On Music Marketing
Jean Marc Rejaud, founder of Focus
Marketing, a company bridging data analysis and marketing
strategy development for the music industry, issued a call-for-articles to
independent artists and labels on their experiences in
promoting and selling their music.
The most significant barrier to independent
artists and labels reaching a broader audience has traditionally
been the lack of avenues to expose and sell their music.
Radio won't play it, MTV won't show it and let's not even
speak of getting shelf space beyond your local music shop.
The Internet, however, turned the tables, providing a near
infinite number of marketing outlets, distribution channels
and points of sales options. And ever since, they've been
following a "maximum exposure" strategy, exploiting every
marketing opportunity possible. But have independents achieved
real gains for all their efforts?
Not necessarily notes Jean-Marc Rejaud, founder
of Focus Marketing, a company bridging data analysis, marketing
strategy development and implementation for the entertainment
sector. Jean-Marc proposes that independents rely more
heavily on the 80/20 Rule of business: that a limited number
of consumers/prospects (20%) account for a disproportionate
(80%) of a business' sales & profits. "The unfortunate
fact is that we only have 24 hours in a day and a limited
set of resources. It is therefore critical to know where
and how to focus your time & resources to generate the
maximum return."
Focus Marketing is launching a call-for-articles to
contrast the various ways independent artists and labels
are using the Internet and offline resources to market
their music, and their respective tangible benefits, such
in CD sales, performances. Do you use the 80/20 rule in
your marketing strategy? Has maximum exposure or focused
marketing generate the most bang-for-your-buck? Do you
profile your fans & customers, and if so, how? How do you
measure a resource or campaign's success and how does this
affect your marketing plan? We're especially interested
in examples of why/how you've targeted your marketing and
the ensuing results.
- The deadline for submitting articles is
October 20.
- All submissions must be submitted at online or
send to network@musicdish.com with "Focus
Marketing CFA" in the Subject line.
- Do Not Send Attachments - simply paste your submission in the body of the
email.
- At the top of the article, make sure to include the title, byline (if any),
author name, title, company/affiliation and link for more info.
- All submissions will be peer-reviewed by MusicDish editors.
Recording
Artists Union & Record Companies Reach Historic Health
Care Agreement
Representatives of the American Federation
of Television and Radio Artists, AFL-CIO (AFTRA) and BMG,
EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group
(UMG) and Warner Music Group have reached a tentative agreement
on an industry-wide successor collective bargaining agreement
covering recording artists. The new agreement was unanimously
approved by the AFTRA National Board of Directors last
night, and is being forwarded to the AFTRA Health & Retirement
Funds Board of Trustees for approval and to the AFTRA membership
for final ratification.
The agreement, known as the AFTRA Sound Recordings
Code, covers both royalty artists and session vocalists
performing on sound recordings. The centerpiece of the
tentative agreement is an innovative structure that guarantees
access to health insurance under the AFTRA Health Plan
to all AFTRA covered royalty artists under exclusive contract
to a label.
"This agreement represents a quantum leap
forward for recording artists," said AFTRA National President
John Connolly. "For the first time, every covered artist
under contract to a major record label or other AFTRA signatory
label is guaranteed access to basic health care for as
long as the artist remains on the label's roster as an
exclusive recording artist.
Inside
The Music Business Radio Announces Guests
Inside the Music Business: The Weekly Radio
Program with Eric Kline will broadcast live from 2 to 4pm,
Sundays, beginning October 5, 2003 on Radio One - Miami
WVCG (1080 AM). It will reach the entire south Florida
tri-county area and will stream and be archived on www.InsideTheMusicBusiness.com
courtesy of myrealtalent.
The program will have weekly specialized
segments including: 'Ask the Attorney' featuring Steve
Gordon, Esq. (formerly of Sony Music), 'Music Industry
Weekly News' featuring Eric De Fontenay (Editor of Mi2n.com)
along with a live local artist showcase.
Topics for the first four weeks include 'the
Music Industry in South Florida,' 'Hip Hop', 'File-sharing'
and 'Video'. Guests include Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Lou Pearlman
(creator of Backstreet Boys, NSync, Natural), Tony Bongiovi
(Producer, executive), Justin Prager (Director of Programming,
MTV), Evan Harrison (AOL Music) and Jason Klein (President
of Miami Music Authority). Local artist showcases will
feature Brian Franklin, P. Dirty, and Jo Potter.
BPI
And Partners To Showcase Underground Talent Stateside
BPI has teamed up with British Underground,
PPL and Trade Partners UK to stage a showcase of up-and-coming
British bands at CMJ in New York on Saturday October 25.
Clearlake, Kinesis and The Koreans will be performing as
part of the College Music Journal (CMJ) Music Marathon
(October 22-26), an annual festival attracting thousands
of delegates from the US college radio circuit and international
music industry.
In addition to the showcase, BPI and British
Underground have compiled a sampler CD of UK acts performing
during the CMJ festival. Endorsed by NME, 7,000 samplers
- tagged 'sUK on this' - will be produced for the CMJ delegate
bags to profile the UK presence at the event.
GoGirls
Last Band Standing Finalists Announced
On October 18th, GoGirlsMusic.com and Z102.3FM
will present the hottest female bands in the country as
they battle it out for the title of "Last Band Standing" and
over $1500 in cash and prizes. The showdown will take place
at Texas Mist, an Austin landmark. Other sponsors include
Women Who Rock magazine, T.G.I. Fridays, Radisson, Sonicbids,
Discmakers, Flying Coaster PR, Austin Music Network, Daisy
Rock Guitars, GIGPAGE.com, Orbit Web Design and others.
Chosen from female-led bands across the nation,
GoGirlsMusic.com has narrowed it down to six finalists.
They are Bon Terra (Austin, TX), Eden Automatic (Dallas,
TX), Pieces of East (Austin, TX), The Googe (Houston, TX),
The Pinkslips (Chapel Hill, NC), and Ultrafix (Tulsa, OK.)
Bringing
Singer/Songwriters Into The Spotlight
The American Society of Composers, Authors,
and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Philadelphia Songwriters
Project (PSP) are joining together to produce a series
of singer/songwriter showcases in Philadelphia. The merger
will serve to open up the Philadelphia songwriting community
by bringing more exposure to the artists and forging relationships
that could lead to future projects.
The American Society of Composers, Authors,
and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Philadelphia Songwriters
Project (PSP) are joining together to produce a series
of singer/songwriter showcases in Philadelphia. The merger
will serve to open up the Philadelphia songwriting community
by bringing more exposure to the artists and forging relationships
that could lead to future projects.
"ASCAP is delighted to build upon its relationship
with the Philadelphia songwriting community by joining
forces with the Philadelphia Songwriters Project," says
Tom DeSavia, VP of Membership at ASCAP. "It will not only
provide singer/songwriters with an outlet to perform, but
will help bring their songs to the attention of the music
industry."
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