Wednesday, September 29, 2010

3 Tips To Have Great Shows Every Time You Step On The Stage

If you want to move your music career forward in fast motion then you must master the art of the live performance. The most successful music artists have a great live show. If you want proof, just check out the Grammy Awards. The best performances are memorable and keep you excited long after the artist has left the stage.

So how to you master the art of the live show? I have put together 3 tips most successful live performers have in common. I have also personally used these 3 methods in my career to become a better performer.

Here are the 3 tips:

1. Visualize the performance from start to finish
2. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse
3. Expect the unexpected.

1. Visualize the performance from start to finish

This tip requires you to use your imagination. Yes, I said it…your imagination. You can visualize your way to success. Before each show, take some time to see how YOU want your show to go from beginning to end. Actually the beginning and the end are the most important parts of your show.

You want to make these two parts of your show memorable. How do you want the crowd to react to your performance? Visualize this and you will be surprised at the results when you really hit the stage.

2. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse

Even the most inexperience fan of live shows can tell when a performance has been poorly put together. Once you have taken your show from your mental realm through visualization, the absolute best thing you can do is rehearse your performance.

Rehearsing helps you get the kinks out of your show. Rehearsing also helps you to plan your show the way you want it to go. Anything can happen while you are on the stage. A fan could get on the stage. Your microphone could have problems. You may be ill during a performance. When I say anything, I mean anything!

Rehearsing keeps all those little gremlins for messing up your show. If you are a vocalist it also helps you get your breathing together BEFORE you actually hit the stage.

3. Expect the unexpected.

I was taught long ago to expect the unexpected. Another way of saying this is “always be prepared”. As I mentioned the above tip, anything can happen when you are on the stage. Be prepared for some ‘freakiness’ at some point in your career.

Here is the real tip in this though: 90% of what happens next after a live performance incident is in direct relation to your attitude. Will you see the incident and become positive or negative? The choice is totally up to you.

After all, the show must go on!

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

Friday, September 17, 2010

What Kind of Musical Legacy Will You Leave Behind? Lessons from 2Pac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur (2Pac) left the world a body of work that is unmatched today. In this article we discuss his legacy, the effect he still has on the world today, and how you can leave a legacy of your own.
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Monday, September 6, 2010

The Rap Beat Creator Podcast Episode 11: How To Sell Beats Online Using a Flash Player

Whassup Peeps? Here is the latest Rap Beat Creator Podcast Episode 11.

It's called "How To Sell Beats Online Using a Flash Player".

You don't have to just sell beats. You can all sell finished tracks too.

Here is the link to the podcast below:

http://rapbeatcreator.com/rapbeatcreator11.mp3

Enjoy!!!

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com
www.Beats4ADub.com
www.MusicMarketingPromotions.com

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Saturday, September 4, 2010

The Pros and Cons of Being a Music Recording Artist Versus a Music Producer

How many people have gotten in to the music business game as an emcee (or rapper) and had their hopes crushed because they were “not what the industry was looking for at that moment”? The truth is, not everyone can be a successful emcee. Emceeing requires a certain skills set that most people are not willing to work at to be successful. What about being a music producer?

Music producers are the backbone of the music business. Without a producer, there is no music. Simple enough right? Many people want to live in the limelight like their favorite emcee or rock artist but there can only be so many at the top. With music production, the chances of success are much greater and the pay is greater as well.

As a producer you do not have to just work with one artist. You can have your music in front of many different artists, songwriters, publishers, movie directors, television programmers, etc. In the traditional scheme of the music business, the music producer usually gets paid upfront and if the deal is negotiated correctly, the producer is also paid royalties in the future. A recording artist is typically paid last after everyone else has been paid.

I never really liked this concept as an artist but that is the way the traditional music business game is played. Being a recording artist requires a large degree of patience and then when you do finally get paid, it is usually not what you are expecting.

A music producer can make money in other ways such as writing a jingle for radio or scoring a soundtrack. A well established producer can collect upwards of $200,000 in upfront fees for a song before the song is even released to the public. The song may not even make half as much money as the producer was paid so who really wins: the recording artist or the music producer?

Here is some homework for you to do:

Take a look at the Billboard Rap Singles Chart on any given week. Then go research which producer actually produced each song. While the recording artist and/or the producer may or may not be new, if the producer was smart, he got paid upfront for the use of the music and will continue to get paid as long as he negotiated the terms in his favor.

Let's Make It Happen!!!


Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com
www.Beats4ADub.com
www.MusicMarketingPromotions.com

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