All Articles Tagged "record labels"
Eve Blames Album Delay On The Record Label!
allhiphop.com
I know – hearing anything about Eve and music makes you both happy and tired. Happy because we need at least one other good, popular female rapper out (Nicki is still somewhat of a rapper). But tired because we are tired of hearing about the coulda, shoulda, wouldas of new music from her.
But as Eve told Time.com, we should blame Interscope Records, her former label, for all the delays:
“Oh my god. I need another word for frustration. I’ve completely gone past frustration 100 times. It’s like with anything that you create—you just want to put out. Because it’s been so long for me, music has changed so much. It’s beyond frustration. I just really can’t wait till this record is out.”
Her split from Interscope in 2010 not only signified a change in label, but also a change in lawyers, management and everything else. Eve says the delays were never on her end and that she’s been finished with the album , Lip Lock, since the beginning of the year. But now, Eve says the stars are aligned and she’s ready to go! She’s actually scheduled to perform at Essence Music Festival this weekend and is promising to give the crowd a taste of her new music.
That’s great to hear and see that Eve is ready to get back to work in the music industry but is it too little too late? Fans can be so fickle so even though the delays may not have been her fault, we all become “over” artists when they don’t seem to care as much about their craft anymore. When we heard Eve on the remix of Ludacris’ “My Chick Bad,” we just knew that she was back to stay – the voice even sounded like it did when she was actively part of Ruff Ryders. But then…nothing.
Eve is hopeful that Lip Lock will be released in the fall. Will you support it? Do you lose interest in an artist if you don’t hear music from them in a while or does it make you more excited for upcoming projects?
Are Big Music Labels Obsolete?
(Rolling Out) — Island Def Jam/Motown record labels appear to be suffering from the economic downturn. Hip-hop’s most legendary record label laid off 20 employees. The most shocking layoffs were of renowned executives Jonathan McHugh and Chris Hicks. Record labels are going through an adjustment after the industry failed to keep up with technological advances. File sharing and record leaks have put a dent in record sales for the past 10 years. In turn, the average new artist will not receive a multimillion dollar advance and the executives who help to guide the careers of musicians lack the job security of past decades.
The Collective-Powered Buzz of Odd Future
by R. Asmerom
Odd Future has been riding a publicity wave since the end of 2010 and there are no signs that the the 10 member crew is losing any momentum. I hadn’t heard about Odd Future until earlier this year, but once I did learn about the eclectic collective, it seemed that I was hearing something about Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator and the whole clan everyday. They’ve been described as a fresh, new, alternative version of Wu-Tang. The reference alone not only sparked a desire to learn more about how this group of individual artists came together but also led me to contemplate why few artists, or record labels for that matter, have thought to utilize this approach to marketing.
The Los Angeles based crew (full name: Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All) have embraced a rarely-utilized marketing strategy to strengthen their individual chance at music success. Unlike rap families like Cash Money or G-Unit, which grew from an established foundation of success, Odd Future is an affiliation of all new artists who both do their own thing (several have put out their own albums and mixtapes) and reap the benefits of being part of a larger brand.
Would two of its bigger stars, Tyler the Creator or Frank Ocean, have been able to as effectively market their talents if not for the backdrop of the collective dynamic? The same question could be asked of individual Wu Tang members – would Raekwon, GZA or Ghostface Killah been as popular without the mystique of being part of the Wu Tang Clan?
“There is definitely strength in numbers and it’s always been the standard in urban music,” said Joie Manda, head of Urban Music for Warner Bros. “If you look at everybody from the Wu Tang Clan to Young Money/Cash Money and as far back as the Juice Crew you can see it. I would say it’s easier because you are marketing a movement.”
6 Independent and Business Savvy Hip-Hop Labels
Once upon a time, it was all about the major music label deal. But today, as every type of business is taking a loss, some business-savvy artists are doing things their own way with independent labels. Here are some of rap’s richest who continue to thrive in a slow economy with their own label imprints.
The legendary rapper-producer is also one of hip-hop’s savviest–unlike many who sell away the rights to their songs, Dr. Dre hangs on to most of his. and still collects royalties on multiplatinum albums like the 1992 classic The Chronic, which sold nearly 10 million copies worldwide. He also rakes in cash from his headphones line Beats by Dre, a partnership with Interscope Records. He served as executive producer for Eminem’s “Recovery,” which sold over 1 million U.S. copies in its first two weeks; solo album Detox is slated for release this fall.
It’s been a good year for Aftermath Entertainment. The Dr. Dre founded label is enjoying the fruits of Eminem’s latest release with the Detroit rapper earning 10 Grammy Award nominations for Recovery, capping a comeback year for the once-troubled rap star.
Aftermath operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group’s Interscope Records. Upon his departure from Death Row Records in June 1996, Dr. Dre quickly launched Aftermath Entertainment through Interscope Records (which at the time was Death Row’s distributing label). It was founded as a “boutique label” that prides itself on “quality over quantity”, focusing on small numbers of high-profile releases.
Michael Jackson: The King of Pop, The King of Sales
The King of Pop passed away a year ago but his memory lives on in his music. The rate at which Jackson’s albums continue to sell post mortem shows that fans are even more interested in the music legend now more than ever. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Jackson was the best selling artist of 2009, having sold 8.2 million albums despite the fact that his last album was released in 2003 (Number Ones).
Although MJ is arguably one of the best selling artists of all time, behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley, Nielsen Soundscan has only been tracking albums since 1991 and, therefore, ranks him as the 18th best selling artist in the SoundScan era.
Nevertheless, Jackson’s estate will continue to generate hundreds of millions over the long term. Earlier this year, his estate inked a deal with Jackson’s label partner Sony’s Columbia Epic Label Group, worth up to $250 million and which The New York Times is stating that may be and perhaps the largest in history. While many record labels are avoiding mega deals with artists in this new music age, Jackson is one of the few artists in history that can earn and carry such a contract.
Michael Jackson: The King of Pop, The King of Sales
The King of Pop passed away a year ago but his memory lives on in his music. The rate at which Jackson’s albums continue to sell post mortem shows that fans are even more interested in the music legend now more than ever. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Jackson was the best selling artist of 2009, having sold 8.2 million albums despite the fact that his last album was released in 2003 (Number Ones).
Although MJ is arguably one of the best selling artists of all time, behind The Beatles and Elvis Presley, Nielsen Soundscan has only been tracking albums since 1991 and, therefore, ranks him as the 18th best selling artist in the SoundScan era.
Nevertheless, Jackson’s estate will continue to generate hundreds of millions over the long term. Earlier this year, his estate inked a deal with Jackson’s label partner Sony’s Columbia Epic Label Group, worth up to $250 million and which The New York Times is stating that may be and perhaps the largest in history. While many record labels are avoiding mega deals with artists in this new music age, Jackson is one of the few artists in history that can earn and carry such a contract.
Who Says the Music Industry Is Kaput?
(BusinessWeek) – It was the fall of 2001, and Jonathan Mayers was stuck. He had built Superfly Presents—the New Orleans-based concert promotion company he ran with three friends—into a local success, staging some 120 shows a year and earning around $1 million. However, Mayers and his partners—Rick Farman, Richard Goodstone, and Kerry Black—were tired of the nightly grind, the razor-thin profit margins, and the battle with industry colossus Clear Channel Communications. They realized there was only so much money to be made staging rock and jazz shows for a few hundred people a night. “We saw there was a ceiling to what we were doing,” Mayers says. “We had to take a risk.”
Who Says the Music Industry Is Kaput?
(BusinessWeek) – It was the fall of 2001, and Jonathan Mayers was stuck. He had built Superfly Presents—the New Orleans-based concert promotion company he ran with three friends—into a local success, staging some 120 shows a year and earning around $1 million. However, Mayers and his partners—Rick Farman, Richard Goodstone, and Kerry Black—were tired of the nightly grind, the razor-thin profit margins, and the battle with industry colossus Clear Channel Communications. They realized there was only so much money to be made staging rock and jazz shows for a few hundred people a night. “We saw there was a ceiling to what we were doing,” Mayers says. “We had to take a risk.”
