V!RTU “The Shoe-In” CD Release Party

@ Mt. Tabor Theater w/Dirty Birdy

4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, Oregon 97215 – Cost: $6

V!rtu will officially be releasing his album and performing numerous songs from the new album. Line-Up is still developing, but there will be updates on that soon. Definite attendees include: “DIRTY BIRDY” (from the I.E.), Bad Habitat, MaddHadda (will be making a rare appearance), and DJ Laylow will be hosting the event. Virtu will be selling copies of his new album and T-shirts in a bunch of colors and sizes. He will also be raffling off a pair of custom painted shoes. The winner of the raffle will get a pair of shoes custom painted in any design they desire. Mark your calendar and come join the fun.

Performances By: V!rtu, Dirty Birdy, Bad Habitat, Tru Game, MaddHadda, Fontaine, Starchile, FelliDale, and DJ Laylow.

Fabulous Saturdays

“Fab Sats” Anthem

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However, I think it would be senseless just to debate on whether hip hop is dead or not. Our answers should be full of nuance instead of being blinded with a common artistic blur.

Since its creation in the Bronx, NYC, in the late 6O’s, hip hop has often been in a 911 emergency state. Real, authentic hip hop emerged from the street, mainly from the black commnunity and was aimed prior at street audiences. Although a common misconception that hip hop is about self expression only is widely accepted, this point is often totally misunderstood.

An emcee is supposed to express himself, but a lot of other artists do- without having any hip hop spirit in their way of expression. If hip hop was about expression of self only, then acts like Marilyn Manson and Emo boys would be hip hop too…

You are hip hop, not only by proving your emceeing skills, but by carrying the heritage of hip hop culture with you which means to me, that, regardless of your skin color, you can relate to hip hop culture in one way or another. That’s being hip hop to me.

But I digress…the question is to know whether what we call contemporary hip hop music is dead or not.

Many people who have grown up with masterminds such as Ice T, NWA, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash might be really disappointed with the turn hip hop is taking right now.

Even in the early 80’s hip hop wasn’t expected to become the commercial value it is right now. Emcees and DJs did their art much more for their own pleasure and for their wide street audience.

Emcees like Public Enemy and NWA played the role of social commentators and opposed some resistence to the US discriminatory policies against Black Folks. Their words had some weight and were largely supported by people living in the hood.

Nowadays, hip hop is totally different. Not only has it become commercial, but its audience has changed. I sometimes have the feeling that it has lost its original meaning. Many of you, commercial rappers rolling in your benzos with your hoes and jewels have buried hip hop alive. You made the whole world believe that hip hop was only about the grand hustle and making big dollars.

Many of you, weak underground rappers have stabbed the soul of hip hop. How can you, clowns in the game, make people believe that you can bless a mic? Regardless of your color, you HAVE to be skilled and to be convincing to rap!

More strikingly, a great majority of you, suburban youths, have spat on real hip hop like Nas raps while revering so called rappers who are closer to pop artists than anything else!

However, I do believe that hip hop in its essence is still alive. It will live on as long as the spirit of Maurice Malone’s hip hop shop will be carried on. It will survive, as long as real people will talk about real things. It will survive, if only unexperienced but nevertheless skilled emcees will accept to learn from their predecessors.

Real hip hop is the reality of the streets and cannot be summarized with the commercial crap we see on MTV.

Hip Hop will live on if rappers accept to think less about the money and more about their art.

Hip hop has a future, but not without you, emcees, breakdancers, sprayers, DJS, listeners and anybody else involved in the rap game. It is all up to you.

Copyright © 2006 by Isabelle Esling

All Rights Reserved

My name is Isabelle Esling. I am an Eminem biographer and a freelance music journalist. I teach English and German at public schools.

Kanye West Music: What’s the deal behind Late Registration?
by: Dinesh Rajakaruna

Ka-ha-hanye! The latest Kanye West music release, Late Registration, follow-up to the oppositely titled, The College Dropout, has Kanye going in exactly that, an opposite direction in everything, except credibility. That part’s intact.

It’s getting tougher and tougher, as opposed to the 90’s and even decades preceding, to place an artist strictly in a subgenre of a genre. Yes, Kanye West music is obviously in the hip-hop genre. But what type of subgenre does he really fall in? I mean, he does speak for “the people”, in particularly America’s African-American population, making the general population at large become aware of the crises that his brothers and sisters are going through. If not obvious from his music, it is obvious off the stage, regarding his recent opinion of U.S. President George Bush.

So what would that subgenre be? Political rap? “Folk-rap”? “Socioneconomic rap”? Can’t really think of many others…

But here’s some accurate thoughts on the subject. Kanye West music has socioenomical, and political influences. This aspect of his music is quite intact even through his latest release, Late Registration. Of the interesting approaches that he takes with this record is the anomosity that “brothers” may feel when one of their own “graduates” from their clan and “leaves” them.

Background tracks are gallore throughout both West’s releases. The latest turn on Late, however, regarding the overall look and feel music-wise, is more raw and vibrant than its predecessor.

Music patterns of the late 60’s and 70’s; for example, Major7 to “minor”7 shifts, horn orchestra sections; occupy much of the background of Kanye West music on his current release. The first several tracks are vibrant in even another more current way, with more spicing of techno in the bass.

The College Dropout was a big pleaser to both fans and critic alike. Late Registration, which keeps a great distance away from a traditional sophomore slump (interesting how we don’t see many of these anymore), should have no problem in similar pleasing, or even more, on most aspects.

While The college Dropout had several moments in it, for example strong stand-out tracks and singles, or even “what-the-****- was-that?!” moment of lyrics, there are less tracks on Late Registration that appear to stick out like a sore thumb. Don’t get me wrong, it is still an excellent record, although as a whole, not because of just several spiky moments of ingenius Kanye West music.

The whole album is ingenius, made by a genius.

On a final note, due to overwhelming publicity – on and off stage; planned and incidental – there will virtually be no shortage of this release offline or online. It will set you back between $10-15, however, depending on where you buy it. Although the maximum price to download Late will be about $12 note that if you acquire them online, and if their are other releases from Kanye (even other than The College Dropout that you still haven’t checked) you’ll save money downloading ALL music from Kanye West, possibly paying no more than what you would for just Late Registration.

To find out reputable reputable digital music downloads services where you can save money this way, then read further as to where Kanye West music is available.

All-in-all, Kanye West, is definitely moving forward in his carrier with Late Registration, even though it may appear that he is going backward with the album title.

About The Author

Dinesh Rajakaruna

Discover the most up-to-date strategies involved in downloading today’s music. Find out how you can download safely without thinning your wallet at download-latest-online-music.com.

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Underground Music: Rakim – The Seventh Seal

The rap artist releases his first solo album in 10 years. Genre: Rap Styles: Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap Songs 01 – How To Emcee 02 – Walk These Streets Feat. Maino & Tracey Horton 03 – Documentary Of A Gangsta Feat. I.Q. …

Metropolis – Arts & Entertainment | Rumi

I showed the cover of your CD to a guy in my office, and he didn’t believe that you were an underground rapper. What’s with the image? Most of the people making “underground” music don’t want to stand out, so they wear dark clothes and …

Rap Knowledge 101 – Bboy.org

Also, many seem to fail to realize that the Golden Age of rap most almost all commercial. You might say that Method Man, Redman, Wu-Tang Clan, Erick Sermon, Rakim, and KRS-One are all underground rap artists because they don’t comply …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

In the summer of mid 70’s the ABA and the NBA merger took place. According to the terms of the merger four of the total eleven teams of ABA were included in NBA. To date they have bagged two championship titles and one Division title. While a member of ABA and three Division titles while they were in NBA. In its history with ABA that spans nine years it has bagged two Conference titles that took place in 2002 and 2003. The team was led by Julius Erving at that time.

The early nineties team included several young talented players namely Derrick Coleman, Drazen Petrovic and Kenny Anderson. Their head coach was Chuck Daly. With collective efforts they managed to post a wining record of 43-39 in season 1992-93. But unfortunately they lost in the very first round of the playoffs. Post 2000-2001 season several players were traded in exchange for Jason Kidd. This acquisition proved favorable for the team as Kidd steered the team to an NBA Finals appearance where they were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The franchise was sold in 2004 owing to the inability of securing a deal the New York arena. It was bought for a whooping 300 million Dollars by a group that was led by Bruce Ratner. He beat Charles Kushner and Jon Corzine who were also interested in buying the franchise. After sale the team was expected to be relocated to New York. In 2005 an official announcement was made for relocating the team to Brooklyn. The star singer Jay-Z is also a member of the group that owns the team. It is being planned to either rename the team as Brooklyn Nets or some other name in context of its location.

Following two rather very disappointing seasons, Vince Carter’s acquisition was made in exchange for Alonzo Mourning in 2001. Together with Kidd, Carter steered the team to becoming the final seed in the Eastern Conference whereas previously they lagged ten games behind. The start to 2005-06 season was a slow one as they struggled at 9-12 in their first 21 games. But after power play by Carter, Kidd and Jefferson the team managed to win the last 10 games. Some of the players that are presently a member of the team are Collins, Jefferson, Carter, Kidd, Wright and Robinson.

For more information you can visit: New Jersey Nets Tickets

About The Author

Pamela is the lover of sports and all sports games. She loves to write about sports. She works for SportsTicketsGuide and OnlineTicketSpot (http://www.onlineticketspot.com).

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Want to hit up a rap forum but don’t know where to turn? Whether it’s an underground rap message board, old school hip hop discussions or where to find the hottest new releases and hip hop beats, here’s a list of the biggest rap forum boards out there today…

AllHipHop. If you’re interested in anything (and I mean anything) related to rap music, this is the the place to be. It’s practically NYC in the 1970’s! By far the largest forum on this list, AllHipHop offers message boards on rap music, underground discussions, up and coming rappers, album reviews and updates on release dates. Like most forums there’s the classic “Which Rapper Is Better” posts and sections for women and children. In addition to these, there are fresh message boards, such as a World Section, a business development area (for entrepreneurs to network), sports and video games.

What I really like about this forum is that it’s dedicated to improving its members. There are several sections for rappers and DJs to discuss their craft, post their work for reviews and learn from each other in a fairly constructive way (this is rap we’re talking about, so expect some trash talk!). There’s even a section for poets and spoken word which is growing in popularity.

Another rap forum worth checking out in UndergroundHipHop. While it may not goes as wide as AHH- there’s no section on sports, video games or business – UHH certainly goes deep into the underground rap scene. For those interested in learning more about rappers they might have missed (or to educate fools that missed them) this is a great place to discuss. There’s a large number of threads about rap artists you’d never hear on the radio, the best old and new school rappers, DJs and mixtapes.

Like AHH, this rap forum also includes sections for individuals to improve their skills as an MC or DJ. There’s a lot less trash talk in these message boards, and everyone seems genuine about helping others step up their game in the music industry. Asking questions in this forum could save you years of struggling to make it in the business. If you’re looking for a place outside of mainstream hip hop and connect with a crazy cast of characters, give UHH a chance.

Rap Forum Specialties

Here’s some additional forums and message boards with a more specific audience:

OzHipHop for Australians

D12World for Eminem and D12 fans

Rap Battles for aspiring freestyle rap battle MCs, or anyone who likes to laugh at the losers!

Hip-Hop.ru for Russians

RapGodfathers for DJs and music fans in general

Get Your Very Own Free 15 page learn to freestyle rap guide and start improving your raps today! “Yes! teach me how to rap!

hot underground rappers

Date / Time: 10/22/2009 4:21 AM. hot underground rappers. the hotest internet show. Tags: d-block/young hot /r · Rss · Permalink. Comments. There are no comments at this time. You are not logged in. Please log in to write a comment. …

Hip Hop Press: R-Skid: Representing Real Underground Hip Hop In …

November 19th, 2009 (Atlanta, Georgia) –Underground Hip Hop MC R-Skid is one of the hottest rappers coming from the state of West Virginia and is now going mainstream. Through his music and his rhymes the artist known as R-Skid is …

[84]Area For the Underground » Khaos Da Rapper & Young Lyxx – No …

Download: Khaos Da Rapper & Young Lyxx – No Place Like Home. This entry was posted on Thursday, November 26th, 2009 at 9:30 am and is filed under Mixtape. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. …

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

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Method Man, Rakim, Eminem and Melle Mel- respected both in the underground and the mainstream?

In my opinion, popularity has nothing to do with quality. Your album can go platinum, but if it’s produced by Dr. Dre or the Nepunes, there may be another reason

than your incredible rap skills. Likewise, rappers with incredible talent may never hit the mainstream for a variety of reasons- they lack sex appeal, don’t “look” the part, obscure song topics, beats that aren’t catchy, etc.- none of which can the MC be considered at fault. Artists such as Brother Ali, Aesop Rock, Talib Kweli and Ras Kass immediately come to mind as rappers who could have (even should have) been more popular but never were.

In order to remain in the underground, a rapper must remain true to themselves. However, if they stick to what they’re good at, shouldn’t this -at least in a perfect world- help them achieve levels of success enjoyed by more commercial acts? Frankly, I have no problem watching artists like Outkast, Method Man or Eminem top the charts… hopefully it will keep them in  the booth doing what they do best.

In conclusion, a dope rapper is a dope rapper. Whether they are number one on the charts are have never been signed, talent as an MC is a great thing, regardless of the number of fans.

Get Your Very Own Free 15 page learn to freestyle rap guide and start improving your raps today! “Yes! teach me how to rap!

Underground Hip-Hop is Dead | Benz and a Backpack

How the internet is either killing or maintaining the underground hip-hop movement.

Original Underground Hip Hop: DJ Bazooka Joe

DJ BAZOOKA JOE – BOOMBOX DIARIES VOLUME 1. Disc 1: 01. Spoonie G – Spoonie’s Rap 02. Cold Crush Brothers 03. Busy Bee – Wild Style Rap 04. Kurtis Blow – Only The Strong Survive 05. Whodini – Fugitive 06. 1241 feat. …

XXLmag.com – » XXL’s Official 100 Best Hip-Hop Web Sites, Pt. 1 (#-K)

News and exclusives from a New York industry insider formerly affiliated with Dipset. kevinnottingham.com. Underground rap shit. Log on tomorrow CLICK HERE for Pt. 2 (L-Z). XXL’s Dec/Jan double issue hits stands December 1!!!!!! Share: …

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Having sold more than 100 million albums, the forlorn king of pop will receive a Diamond Award at the industry ceremony.

WMA founder Melissa Corken said “We are thrilled to be bringing the World Music Awards to London, the music capital of the world,” quickly adding “the presence of Michael Jackson is very exciting for us.”

Jackson went into reclusion after his acquittal from child molestation charges in June of last year. He left the United States soon after and has spent time in Bahrain and Ireland.

The World Music Awards were held in Monaco for 15 years before moving to the United States in 2004 and 2005. This year’s event at London’s Earls Court Arena is to be hosted by Lindsay Lohan, with performances from Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Katie Melua and Andrea Bocelli.

Previous recipients of the Diamond Award include Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion.

The World Music Awards was founded in 1989 as an international awards show that annually honors recording artists based on their popularity, and worldwide sales figures, which are provided by the various organizations including record companies and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

The awards show is conducted under the patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert of Monaco, Monte Carlo. Until 2003 the show was conducted in Monte Carlo.

The 2004 show was held in Las Vegas (USA) on September 15. The 2005 show was held at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, California with simultaneous broadcasts to North and South America, Australia, Japan and South East Asia, all of mainland China, New Zealand, all of Africa and the Middle East, and all of Europe, reaching an estimated worldwide audience of one billion viewers, in over 160 countries.

John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show.

Proceeds from the show go to the Monaco Aide and Presence Foundation, which assist underdeveloped areas mainly in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Brazil.

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) televised the show in the US on September 13, 2005 with featured appearances by many American and Latino pp stars such as Destiny’s Child, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Carlos Santana, Rob Thomas, Michelle Branch, Stevie Wonder, Kid Rock, Eminem, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg.

Last year’s show also featured Patti LaBelle, Kid Rock, and Stevie Wonder performing songs dedicated to honoring the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Based on the WMA website, “The World’s best-selling recording-artists in the various categories are determined after a thorough research conducted by the organization on record certifications and record company sales figures”

The national member associations of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organization that provides the World music organization with the names of their overall best-selling artists and groups.

Each year, the WMS awards the best selling artist from each major country.

Legend Awards are given to artists “in recognition of their global success and outstanding contribution to the music industry”. Past winners include Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Modern Talking, Ace of Base, Diana Ross, Julio Iglesias, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Cher, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Whitney Houston, Prince, Janet Jackson, Carlos Santana and Rock Bond Scorpions.

The Chopard Diamond World Music Award is a new award, given to artists who have sold over 100 million albums over the course of their careers. Past winners are Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Bon Jovi.

Apart from the world’s best-selling artists in the various categories and the national best-selling artists, special millennium awards for the world’s best selling recording artist of all time were presented in 2000 to Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey in the male and female categories respectively.

To date, Mariah Carey has received 16 World Music Awards, the most WMAs for any recording artist, followed closely by Michael Jackson with 14 awards.

About The Author

Chris Nelson is a musician, song writer and a composer. His works are mostly related to modern rock, alternative, slow rock and contemporary music. For him music is his life.

View their website at: http://www.mylyricscentral.com

In today’s image over true talent music industry, it is not uncommon for many skillful artist to be left out when it comes to getting the recognition that may rightfully be deserved. In particular I am talking about the underground rap artists. It is a very known fact that some of the most lyrically talented emcee’s are underground rap artist, so if this is true, how come these artist aren’t in the spotlight more, not getting the big record deals or radio play. Shouldn’t a talented underground rapper get the same rewards if not more then the less talented so called main stream or commercial rap artist?

I know that when most people think of underground rap music they think of rough lyrics over sub par beats. They think that these artist are wannabe rap stars that are a few pegs down from the main stream rap star that you are probably used to seeing and hearing on a regular basis. The truth is that these assumptions couldn’t be further from the truth. There are plenty of underground rap artists that are out there producing high quality music with lyrical content covering a wide range of topics.

Many of these artists like and thrive off of the fact that they are not main stream. The reason that many feel this way because they feel more free as an artist. See, underground rap artists are known for being very independent in every aspect of their music careers. Most have absolute complete control over what kind of material they record an put out, while your average main stream artist has very limited control of what they can or can not record and put out. To many underground rappers having their creative freedom is much more important then the fancy videos and big contracts. Heck in many cases the underground rappers financially make actually make more money then the commercial artist, because the underground artist has less money going out then the big time artist.

I guess my thing is that as a true fan of underground rap music, I just wish that the artist that make it get more recognition because I believe that these are some of the most talented artist in the world. I am glad to see that more and more rap fans are listening to underground rap music, so I’m confident that the much deserved recognition is on it’s way.

Michael A Foster Is A Hip Hop Producer From Ohio. If You Are A Fan Of Underground Rap Music, You Should Checkout One Of Michael’s Underground Artict That He Works With By The Name Of LTB http://Bat81.com

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Aesop Rock music and lyrics redefined hip for many a listener, including myself.  When his classic album Float dropped, hip hop fans were exposed to a whole new style of lyrics never seen in the genre before. The single Daylight- perhaps Aesop’s best known song to date- on Labor Days brought him to the forefront of underground rap.

Born Ian Matthias Bavitz in Long Island, Aesop Rock grew up in New York and studied painting at Boston College. While working as a waiter he released his first two albums: Music For Earthworms (1997) and the Appleseed EP (1999).The albums caught the eyes of many in the music community and Float held their interest for years to come. Production was a compilation between Aesop Rock and his friend Blockhead, though the latter’s influence is much more recognizable on Float.

The next album was Labor Days and is considered by many to be Aesop’s best album, both lyrically and musically. It wasn’t until Bazooka Tooth that Aesop Rock music – not just lyrics- began to take form. Unfortunately, most of his fans found his music too heavily featured, making it difficult to discern his already complex rhymes. Still, tracks like “No Jumper Cables” caught on, and were released as a single.

Times changed, and the evolution of his music changed with it. In his early albums, there was a much heavier influence on jazz (as a result of working with Blockhead); Labor Days seemed to be more rock-infused than earlier albums, while Bazooka Tooth ushered in a whole new musical style for the Long Island rapper. The sounds were much more urban based with electronica overtones.

While those elements still remained important, in his album Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives Aesop took a back seat role in production, while still remaining at the forefront lyrically, both on the album and underground hip hop in general.

Aesop Rock music has always been important to hip hop, though he struggles to earn accolades for his production work- sort of a Kanye West in reverse. However, Ace did land a production commission for Nike, where he produced a 45 minute track for joggers. The music was conceptual and featured several landscapes for the listener to follow (reminiscent of Forest Crunk on the Daylight EP).

Aesop Rock music is unique in hip hop and should be given special attention by aficionados, both for the musical and lyrical concepts.

Wanna spit intrinsic lyrics like Ace Rock? Get Your Own freestyle rap guide and start improving your raps today! “Yes! teach me how to rap!

The 6 Rules Of Commercial Music Success
by: Gian Fiero

Over the years I have had many conversations with music artists about commercial music, which usually leads to them disclosing their disdain and hatred of it. Some refer to Pop music (Pop, as in what’s popular now) as commercial music.

Others think of anything that is receiving heavy rotation on radio as commercial music. Whatever their definition, one thing is often overlooked: commercial music is the heart of the music industry which pumps the blood that keeps it alive.

So why then are so many music artists resistant to making commercial music? The answer that I’m often given is because they don’t want to “sell-out” their creative integrity by conforming to some industry version of what’s popular (i.e. what’s selling at the moment). It becomes very obvious to me that the problem is not commercial music, but rather the perception and definition of it.

The misconception is that the music industry created this superficial definition of commercial music to strip away the artistry and true identity of artists for the purpose of making money; forcing artist to create songs that the “masses” will enjoy. That fallacy is often perpetuated by music artists who are usually incapable (not unwilling) of creating commercially viable songs.

The truth is the public, not the industry, dictates what is commercial, and for decades they have gravitated towards, embraced, and purchased songs that adhere to a commercial music format.

If commercial music is the rule for success and sales in the music industry, there are inevitably going to be some exceptions to it, but unfortunately, the tendency is for music artists to try and become the exception, instead of observing the rules and why they exist.

Simply put: the rules of commercial music success have not, and will not change. Not in your life time or your children’s lifetime. They exist because it’s human nature to reject the unfamiliar; in the music industry, similarity is the cornerstone of acceptance. This is why so many popular songs sound similar and contain familiar elements.

It’s a rule that is prevalent in every genre, and on every continent. There are those artists who do a masterful job of observing their own artistic values while delicately balancing the demands for commercial music by industry professionals. Artists such as Prince, Sting and Bjork, have pushed the envelope of creativity for years. But artists of their caliber who possess such sublime talent and vision are rare.

For the sake of clarification and argument, I will offer my explanation and industry definition of what commercial music is; based on 25 years of listening to recordings as a music lover, music industry professional, and music critic in what I will call, “The 6 Rules of Commercial Music Success.” They are songs that have the following:

1.) A STRONG HOOK/MEMORABLE CHORUS. If no one knows what your song is called, they can’t request it when they hear it on the radio. More importantly, they can’t buy it at retail…or track it down on the Internet to illegally download a copy of it.

2.) GOOD MELODY. Commercial music is characterized by good melodies (i.e. verses, choruses, and sometimes bridges that get stuck in your head and make you want to sing-along). What can the top selling hip-hop acts of the last 10 years (Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Eminem, and 50 Cent) attribute their success to? Good melodies (not cool beats) that increase the commercial value of their music.

3.) WELL-PRODUCED. Coming from an R&B background where producers are a pivotal part of commercial music success, I did not realizeuntil I became a consultant that many rock bands don’t utilize, nor value producers like R&B music acts. Perhaps they should since the record company often assigns top-notch producers to enhance the quality of songs (through their musical expertise) and enrich the records (through their experience and proficiency in the recording process), ultimately making them more enjoyable to listen to and, you guessed it…more commercial!

4.) APPEALING LYRICS. The lyrics don’t have to be profound; people just have to be able to emotionally connect with and mentally relate to them. If you have a way of saying common things in an uncommon way, your lyrics will have an edge over the songwriter whose song is about the same topic. Write about what’s closest to your heart for credibility and sincerity, and others will be able to relate to your songs – especially if it’s on a subject matter that they know or have experienced.

5.) KEEP IT SHORT. Keep the length of your songs down to a maximum of four minutes. Jazz and World Music are exceptions. A song that is well-written makes people want to hear it again, and again, and again. The longer the song is, the less likely that will happen. Don’t believe me? Check the length of your favorite songs.

6.) TALENT/WELL-PERFORMED. Most outstanding vocalists are often surprised by how low this rule is on the list. The fact is that there are more mediocre songs performed by outstanding vocalists, than there are mediocre vocalists performing outstanding songs. A good song that is well-performed gives it an edge, but if the song is lacking, all of the yelling and vocal acrobatics that singers tend to use to compensate for it will not make it a better song…though it may help the singer to attract better songwriters to work with. If you lack talent and it’s a really good song, someone more talented can (and will) sing the song and make it better.

Now that you know the 6 rules of commercial music success, hopefully you will be able to use this information to your advantage and create songs that will increase your chances of success in your professional music endeavors…or you can ignore them and continue to wonder why no one (other than your friends and family – all of which listen to commercial music) like your songs.

© Copyright 2006. All Rights Reserved.

About The Author

Gian Fiero is a passionate music lover, music business entrepreneur, and consultant who specializes in music licensing. He has represented countless music artists, songwriters, producers, record labels, and entertainment companies during his 17 years of experience in the music industry. He got his start as a personal manager and was actively involved in the creation, production, and selection of repertoire used by the music artists that he once managed, successfully guiding 5 of his 6 acts to record deals. Gian is also the creator of The Fiero Filter, an industry lead sheet for advertising agencies and tv/film music supervisors, in addition to being the Senior Music Reviewer for The Muse’s Muse (www.musesmuse.com/mrev-gian.html), where he recieves an average of 700 CDs a year from aspiring and established music artists from all over the country. His professional opinion is highly sought after by music artists in every country and his reviews have garnered the attention and respect of publicists and music business professionals throughout the world.

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