International Music Marketing: How Hip Hop Artists Can Leap Ahead Of The Competition By Promoting Rap Music Overseas

I was inspired to write this article after a message I received in my inbox from my friend and fellow Hip Hop music artist John Robinson (also known as Lil Sci). He sent me a video of him being interviewed by South African reporter. In the interview he mention he gets more support and love from overseas markets than he does at home in the United States. He was not saying the States do not show him any love but what he was saying is the people overseas embrace his music more. At the time of this writing, he was in South Africa performing live shows and promoting his music.

In my own experience, most of my rap group Prophetix support came from outside of the United States. One of our songs was number one on a radio station in Tokyo, Japan for several weeks. We had other songs that received airplay and sales in Europe and Canada. About half of our fans came from overseas.

If you want to stay local and be a hometown favorite that is fine. However you must have a global outlook if you want to have success in the international markets. People overseas do listen to the commercial artists on the radio but you would be surprised by the amount of people who listen to underground Hip Hop.

The 3 main places to market Hip Hop music are Europe, Asia, and Africa.

I like Europe and especially England for on obvious reason: they speak English! This makes communication a lot easier when we both speak the same language. Actually fans all over the world speak English. Its really the music and the culture itself that do the communicating. Your job as a marketer is to find those people who like what you have to offer and give it to them

How do you do find these fans? We are in the Information Age so there are no excuses to why we can not have access to information. The Internet has leveled the playing field between the independent artists and major label artists. The friend I spoke about in the beginning of the article is independent and he has been that way since I have known him.

What is the difference between him and most other independent artist? He has done his market research and he understands he needs to cultivate the international relationships he has built over time. They are the relationships which keep him traveling overseas several times per year.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist

For more music business tips check out www.RapBeatCreator.com!

Marketing Your Act With Your Own Music Videos

When it comes to marketing your music, television is the granddaddy of all marketing mediums. Some people, including your target market, watch countless hours of TV every week. Music videos are a great way to market your band. Look at the impact music videos had on Micheal Jackson's (R.I.P.) career. One video, Thriller, literally changed his life and the way music videos were made forever.

But making a music video for television isn't cheap. You may get lucky like my group did and get a TV quality music video for a few hundred bucks but generally that's not the case. How do you record and market a music video to help you get the buzz that you're looking for?

Advancements in technology have made it feasible for an artist to make and market a music video with a digital camera, a computer, some inexpensive software, and the Internet. A few years ago my DJ, Jon Doe produced a video with my partner-in-rhyme Eddie Meeks. He used a digital camera from his job and recorded a music video right in our studio which happened to be in his basement.

Here's the video below. Click the play button to check it out!




With the power of the Internet you can upload your music video on to sites like YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, etc. for the world to see. Even though I've had a music video on BET, this was more economical, simpler, and quicker to produce.

Will this make you a millionaire overnight? Probably not but it will get you some exposure on the Internet and it will definitely get you some more fans. You never know whose watching your music video. It may just be the break you're looking for.

Another great way to market you video is to record a live performance. This is also a great way to connect with your fan base as well as showcase your work to music executives.

If you use this music video marketing method correctly, you can set it up as an big event where your have you fan base tune in for the live performance right at the comfort of their computer.

Like I stated in the beginning, television is the granddaddy of marketing. If that's the case, then the Internet must the direct offspring. Putting your music video on the Internet is the next best thing the getting exposure on TV because you get all the same benefits with more reach and less hassle.

If you don't have a music video yet, then you should start planning on making one as soon as possible if you're serious about your music career.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

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The Rap Beat Creator Podcast Episode #2

Here is my second episode of the The Rap Beat Creator Podcast. Episode 2 deals with developing your songwriting creativity and 6 tips for fighting writer's block.

Here is the link to the podcast below. You can download it to your mp3 player or burn it on a cd and listen to it when ever you want.

Podcast: "Developing Your Songwriting Creativity & 6 Tips To Fight Writer's Block"

Don't forget to leave me some comments. I need at least 10.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

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

P.S. I now have under 50 free audio books left on "How to Get Thousands of Dollars Worth of Free Hiphop Advertising". If you haven't claimed your free copy yet, click here to get it now before the price goes back up to $19.99!!!

In A Perfect World

You know, I'm really a big supporter of do-it-yourself marketing and promotions. I started using Guerilla Music Marketing Tactics back in 1996. I had no idea of what I was doing and what kind of impact it would have on my business and career. Those were the early days of Asylum Entertainment and we knew we need exposure...we just didn't have any money. We would chip in and pay for a set of flyers and post them around Atlanta hoping for someone to recognize us and give us our dream record deal.

Well, we did get an EP deal that gave us some exposure but being so young we didn't really capitalize on it like we should've. I really didn't know what real marketing was until I tried and failed at a home inspection business I'd started.

I thought I could get by doing "one shot" marketing where I just simply put some flyers out one time and waited for the calls to rolling in by the hundreds. Well...I was WRONG. What I didn't understand fully was "repeat" marketing. "Repeat" marketing is all about frequency. I had been promoting parties and events for a few years before I tried the "one shot" marketing approach.

After I fell flat on my face, I began to learn marketing from a real estate guru named Ron Legrand. He taught me the psychology of marketing and how to use it effectively to capture leads and eventually make a profit. I learned that it takes at least 7 times for people to really notice your marketing message...and even after those 7 there is no guarantee they will buy.

But the frequency of your marketing message is very important. When I was doing street promotions, we would market to the same spots every week for as long as the funding allowed. Over time people would recognize the flyer or the event itself and then word-of-mouth advertising would take over.

For example, we were a key part of The Kings of Comedy Tour featuring Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac, Cedric The Entertainer, and D.L. Hughley. Using repeat marketing, we hit the most popular clubs that our target market patronized, beauty salons, record stores, etc. We did this for almost a month before the actual tour arrived to generate awareness for the event.

The overall result: The Kings of Comedy Tour was the highest grossing comedy tour ever and the highest grossing concert tour for that year. That's not too shabby at all...

For a FREE CD on how you can get thousands of dollars worth of FREE advertising, go to my new website:

www.MusicMarketingPromotions.com

Let's Make It Happen!!!

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

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The Power of Prioritizing In The Music Business

How do you absolutely 100% guarantee that you will waste your own time? You can be absolutely sure that you'll waste your time if you make detailed prioritized plans and you do the least important tasks on your plan first.

What does this mean to you? It simply means "do first things, first". No more. No less.

When you do first things first, you have done the most important and vital tasks first and you save the optional tasks for last. You might not even get to something thats optional but your most important and vital tasks should take precedent over everything else.

How do I know this and how does this relate to the music industry?

This is how I set up planning my tasks: I list everything that I need to do for the day. I then go down the list and mark each daily task either (A) Urgent, (B) Important, (C) Optional. The priority of these tasks may change from day-to-day.

I try to focus on doing 'A' tasks first. This includes most of family obligations, blogging, sending out email to my opt-in list, writing articles, budgeting, etc.

'B' tasks include things like making beats, finishing my new ebook, recording a new podcast, and creating a Facebook page.

'C' tasks include reinstalling Windows XP on my desktop computer, putting a video on my About Me page, changing where I put Google Ads on my website, www.RapBeatCreator.com, etc.

The problems comes (as I've learned the HARD way) when you spend time and energy on completing 'C' level tasks instead of 'A' & 'B' level tasks.

For example, a couple of weeks ago, I went to reinstall Windows XP which is a 'C' level task as I've indicated above and not only did I forget to back up my computer (consequence #1) but my hard drive had some corrupt sectors on it and I ended up having almost a WEEK of downtime.

My computer started freezing up and I had to format my hard drive at least twice. I got nothing done for a week and I'm the type of person who likes to stay busy with meaningful work. To add insult to injury the Windows XP CD-ROM exploded in my disc drive in to a thousand little pieces!!! At this point, all this installation business was way beyond frustrating.

To make a long story short, I had to reinstall Windows 98 as my operating system and it is not half as functional as Windows XP. There are alot of features that I've come to rely on to help me run my household as well as my business. Now I have to buy a new Windows XP disc & another hard drive when my computer was working perfectly fine before I did all this upgrading.

The lesson to be learned is do the most urgent & important things first and don't get bogged down by doing tasks that are at best optional.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

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New Year's Resolutions...Make Better Beats That Pay More Money!!!

Whaddup!!!

This year's almost over. Have you been thinking about how you want to spend 2009?

I know I have!

I would like to encourage you to spend some time reflecting on 2008. Was it everything you expected? Did you want to get more things done? Do less of something else?

Why not make 2009 your best year yet? Let's make it a year where we don't make any excuses. We take responsibility for our actions. We can even take more responsibility and control of our lives by planning our actions.

We might not get everything done that's on our list of plans BUT at least we know we're headed in the right direction.

So take some time out before the end of the year is out and just reflect on 2008. Then look ahead to 2009 with high expectations.

Remember, you don't get what you want. You get what you expect.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

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Be On The Lookout For The Rap Beat Creator Podcast

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls,

The Rap Beat Creator Podcast is coming soon. It'll have mostly current events in music and some music business tips but it will be entertaining!

I'll send out the first podcast by the end of this week.

Also, coming early 2009, I'll be revamping my best selling audiobook "How To Get Thousands of Dollars Worth of Free Hiphop Advertising" as well as releasing my new book, "Teach Me How To Rap."

You'll be the first to know...

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

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The Importance Of Having A Winning Team

Have you ever played any organized team sports like football or basketball? I played both in school and what you learn in practice is way more valuable that just how to play a sport.

You learn things like "there's no "I" in Team", "together we stand, divided we fall" and all sorts of lessons to help you build a "team spirit".

How does this relate to the music business?

Well for starters, if you look at the music industry and the biggest power players, you'll notice there are teams. Even a solo artist like Jay-Z has a team. The Wu Tang Clan is a team that can be a football team all by itself! More currently you have crews like The Diplomats, T.I.'s Pimp Squad Clique, and Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace.

When I was touring with KRS-ONE in California, he had a team. There was his personal manager, Simone, his road manager, and several other people who were there to make sure everything went on schedule as much as possible. Everybody knew what they had to do and sometimes they even did another persons job if it was necessary.


A good book to read about building your music business team is Donald Passman's 'All You Need To Know About The Music Business.' In it, he outlines the basic team members for people wanting to be in the music industry.

Here's a loose sketch of your team members:

1. You (The Artist/Producer)
2. Personal Manager
   
3. Entertainment Lawyer
   
4. Booking Agent
   
5. Business Manager

Let's look at each of these in more detail:

You is self explanatory. Without You, none of this is possible and there is no need for the rest of the team. You are the center of the team.

Your Personal Manager is what Passman calls the CEO/General Manager of your team. This person is responsible for helping you direct your career and basically going to bat for you in whatever way to boost your career. They can also be responsible for helping you pick your other team members.

The Entertainment Attorney is, according to Passman, the most important member of the team. They take care of the legal details for the artist, help negotiate contracts and make sure the artist can get what they want with the least amount of legal hassle. They also help shop your music to get a record deal. Their job is generally to protect the artist.

The Booking Agent is the person who is responsible for getting you gigs. They help you get concert dates and public appearances.

Last but not least is the Business Manager. This person handles all of your finances and they are responsible for making sure all of your money dealings are in order. They help you budget, pay bills, make investments, check your royalty statements, etc. In a nutshell they are the ones responsible for helping you make your net worth grow.

Do you now understand the importance of having a team? You can try to do it all alone but you'll make much more money if you have a team of players to help you succeed.

One more thing on the quality of the members of your team. This has more to do with your team members' mindset. Make sure your Personal Manager, who is the CEO/General Manager of your team, is a go-getter. That is worth repeating.

Make sure your Personal Manager is a go-getter.

Your Personal Manager can make or break your career so choose wisely. And don't be afraid to replace your team members if you need to. If you have a weak link, then you need to get rid of the dead weight. In the end, it will be a blessing to your career especially if you plan to be in the music business on a long term basis.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

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The Importance of Follow Up

I just got through checking my web stats and I'm glad I did. I recently sent out an email blast to my list with a new beat I made. I wanted to test the response to the beat so I sent it out to my email list and WOW!

I had more people open that email than any other email that I've sent out about the music business.

I was really shocked. I had scanned over these figures a few days ago but I didn't really think about the significance until today.

What I found out is people are still interested in custom beats. After all, I do give away 7 beats just for signing up to The Hot Instrumentalist Newsletter.

My results lead me to try another test using the email and I will soon put another "Beats For Sale" page up at The Rap Beat Creator.

You'll be the first to know...

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

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Finding The Right People to Buy Your Beats

Now for my continuing rant about marketing. Like I said in a previous post, marketing is the lifeblood of your business. If you don't have customers, you don't have a business.

So how do you find the right people to sell your beats to?

You have to identify your target market.

How do you do that?

You identify your target market by doing research such as demographics and psychographics.

What are demographics & psychographics?

Here are the definitions according to AllBusiness.com:

"Demographics are the average or typical characteristics of the people who buy your products or services. Such characteristics include age, income, education, status, type of occupation, region of country, or household size.

"Demographics can also include the age of children, the status of home ownership, one's home value, and whether one's home is located in an urban or a rural location.

"Psychographics take this idea a step further: These include people's lifestyles and behaviors — where they like to vacation, the kinds of interests they have, the values they hold, and how they behave.

"To hone this information to fit your marketing needs, you will need to conduct research — survey people who have bought your products or those who use similar ones.

"You need to know both demographics and psychographics in order to advertise and sell your product effectively. You'll need to match the audience's characteristics of the media you choose with the characteristics of your desired purchasers.

"In that way, you won't loose precious dollars on wasted advertising and marketing."

I couldn't have said it better!

There is really no shortcut to finding out who your customer is. You can try but you'll "loose precious dollars on wasted advertising and marketing"....

....and why would you want to do that?????

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

P.S. If your primary goal is to make a living by making your own beats, then I would like to suggest you to LiveOffBeats.com. Live Off Beats can help you get sales for your beats so that you can make beats on a full-time basis.

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Are You On The Guest List? I Am!

Here is yet another marketing idea that worked for me back in the day when I was doing street promotions. It worked so well, my homeboy Eddie Meeks adopted it and later, Prophetix made it into a song!

I'm not sure what we were promoting at the time but Dialated Peoples was in town performing and their fans are our target market.

Whatever it was we were promoting, I made sure we always promoted our stuff as well. Since we were getting paid to put out flyers and posters for someone else, it was like we were getting paid to put our material as well...

...but that's another story!!! LOL!!!

Anyway, Eddie and I went there for one purpose: to get in. I told Eddie, "watch this, I bet we get in the show".

What I did next goes down in history...

I walked up and told the person at the ticket booth, "I should be on the guest list. My name is Mello Melanin." I was a guy and a girl and the guy said, "We don't see it. Are you sure?"

I was like, "Yeah, I'm with such and such records and these are our promotional materials. Why else would I be here."

He thought about it for a second then he said, "Oh okay, go ahead on in the club."

Eddie & I went in the club and celebrated where they couldn't see us. From then on the approach was named, "The Guestlist Tactic".

We did our work by passing out flyers and putting up posters then we chilled out and enjoyed the show.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

P.S. To use this tactic you must use absolute confidence. You can't go to anybody unsure of yourself but if you are confident this usually works well.

P.S.S. Used properly, you probably won't have to pay to get into another club. In fact, you'll find that you will often be put on the guest list simply by asking.

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How To Get Your Video Played On BET

Here is the video for Gotcha that we did a few years ago. The story of how we got it featured on BET is pretty cool.

We had a friend at a local magazine called Creative Loafing who had done a full spread feature article on Prophetix. That friend, "Hutch" was also an instructor at Georgia State University in media arts.

He provided the facility and storyboard and we provided the camera. The rest is history!

Once Hutch finished editing the video, we begin to send out press kits to different video outlets. BET was on that list.

It took about a month of mailing out these kits but one day we got a return phone call back from a BET representative.

They informed us they wanted to air the video on a show called "The Next". We had a party just to watch it!

Imagine seeing yourself not only on the TV but on BET!!!

Now believe it can happen to you because it happened to me.

Was it luck? Nope. It was down to earth, street smart marketing. See even if BET never played the video, it was still getting plenty of airplay in other markets.

Once again its a numbers game.

But you've got to play the game to win it. It takes hard work, determination, and vision but if you follow the steps it takes to be successful you will be successful.

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

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More About Marketing Your Beats

Here is a follow up to my blog last week about marketing. Let's blow the lid off of what you think you know about business right now.

How important is marketing?

First, lets define what marketing is. A quick definition is matching buyers to sellers or in our case matching rappers to beats.

A more technical definition by the American Marketing Association is:

"Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."

Damn, that's too much to remember! BUT...

...it's the key to having a successful business.

Marketing is the lifeblood of your business. If you're not communicating with your target market then your business will suffer.

You can be slack in every other aspect but if you slack in marketing, your business will sink!

Why? Because marketing brings in the MONEY. A good marketing plan helps you identify your customer, helps you find out what they like, and creates the situation where you can get the sale.

And a really good marketing plan helps you get the sale over and over again. And ultimately that is what you want in your business: repeat customers and referral customers.

Now you really need to listen to this point. This is what separates the person who makes beats online and makes a fortune and the guy who make beats online and gets few if any sales.

The secret is this:

Your business is really TWO businesses in one. Your primary business is to make your own beats and your secondary business is to market your business.

Once you get this firmly in your mind, you'll change the way you look at the game and...

...you'll begin to make more sales.

Once again, if you're really serious and not just looking for a get rich quick scheme there is help out there for you to learn how to market your beats successfully.

Click on LiveOffBeats.com to get started marketing your beats now because if you don't market, no one will know you exist!!!

Let's Make It Happen!!!

Mello Melanin, The Hot Instrumentalist
www.RapBeatCreator.com

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