XM5 Music Management: Right place, Right Time, Right People

 
            (Photo contributed)

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Renata Smith, CEO and Founder, of XM5 Music Management.  Smith currently manages XM5 Music Management, an independent artist management firm, out of her native state of North Carolina. XM5 MM strives to manage, inspire, and educate as well as develop independent artist within a struggling industry.

            As I spoke with Smith, I not only was given information about her company, but also received much needed insight on the dire state of the music industry, and how it motivates her daily.  Check out this snippet of our interview:

KB:  Why did you feel the need to start XM5 MM?

Smith:  Basically to groom the artist for the music industry which is struggling right now.

KB:  I’ve noticed.  Is that what drove you in your creation of XM5?

Smith:  Well…before the creation of XM5 I was an artist myself.

KB:  So you definitely have a first hand account of the in-and-outs factors within the music industry from a management side and an artist side.

Smith goes on to educate me as well as inform me that, “No one is buying music due to the piracy movement.”  Smith also speaks about the fact that the music industry started to take a downfall in 1999 and continuously drop 8%-9% every year there after.  She goes on to speak about the truths from a consumer standpoint to which we can all relate.  The fact that “people are tired, of buying junk (music) and/or want to invest their money into music/artist that is worthwhile.  Also that it is much more convenient to buy songs you want for 99 cents rather than purchase and entire album where you may end up feeling as if you wasted money after initially listening to it.

            When asked about the present state of artist management, Smith informed me that more artist (even those that are or have been well-known) are becoming independent as well as taking on other ventures such as acting, fashion, etc. to have longevity with the Entertainment Industry (to basically cut out the middle man i.e. Record Companies).  In addition to becoming independent, artists are “maximizing distribution deals” to keep majority control of their product and heavily touring to make additional monies outside of record sales within the music industry.

            Smith currently represents up-and-coming Hip Hop and R&B artist Lady Capone (known to the industry as "The Lady"), which by the sound of her product will become a household name among popular female artist and an addition to purely talented Lyricists within the music industry very soon! Believe that I checked out the talent thoroughly before stating this truth. With the motivating knowledge of Renata Smith plus the “sharp lyrical intelligence” that Lady Capone carries with her, both are surely set to be in your ears and in your minds…if they haven’t reached you already. They are also blazing a path of success for not only women but also for the Manager/Artist relationships and its product within the Entertainment (Music) Industry.

            In the immortal words of Ms. Renata Smith, the music industry is “lacking very heavy.”  I concur with her on this because we have lost the feeling of consciousness and awareness that music once had and traded if for party anthems given by one-hit wonders (most looking for a quick payday). Glad to see that there are people striving to pertain the pureness of music.

This is KB and this has been Real to Reel.


                                                     

 (Photo Contributed)                                                                                              (Photo Contributed)

Check out the following links to get additional insight on XM5 MM and what they have to offer:

Sources:

http://www.reverbnation.com/ladycapone

http://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-LADY-CAPONE/111777405523403

http://www.myspace.com/xm5musicmanagement5

https://twitter.com/#!/ms_xm5

*All photos were contributed and property of XM5 Music Management* 

Real to Reel: Interview with "Lucky" of Wet Dreamz PromotionsO...

Real to Reel: Interview with "Lucky" of Wet Dreamz Promotions

O...: Interview with "Lucky" of Wet Dreamz Promotions Ok ladies and gents…I had the pleasure of sitting down for an interview with Mr. Stuart By...

Interview with "Lucky" of Wet Dreamz Promotions

Ok ladies and gents…I had the pleasure of sitting down for an interview with Mr. Stuart Bynes of Wet Dreamz Promotionz, Inc. of Charlotte, NC. Mr. Bynes or better yet “Lucky” (which he asked me to call him) is the Founder and CEO of an primarily hip-hop, rap, and rhythm and blues genre parties and events and private entertainment promotion company that is primarily based out of Charlotte, NC with plans to branch out nationally by the end of this year. So with interviewing him on a professional manner, I was able to dive into his business realm and get the inside scoop on how he wheels and deals in the negotiation realm of his business.

KB: Mr. Bynes, I want to thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.

Lucky: It’s cool….I had time to do it but just call me “Lucky”.

KB: Well ok Lucky. First of all, I have to ask how did you come about a name like that?

Lucky: Well we’ll just say it definitely fits my persona and it came about while doing my time in the US Marines.

KB: Ok, I definitely hear you Lucky and I must say that I also did my time in the Armed Forces for the US Army.

Lucky: Cool! Well you definitely know that a lot of situations we dealt with resulted in so-called “Lucky” results and I had a LOT of them! (Laughs)

KB: I definitely feel you! (Laughs) Well let me get this interview underway so I don’t take up too much of your time.

Lucky: Cool! (I see he says that a lot)

KB: So Lucky, how did you come about getting into the promoting game?

Lucky: Well it came about in a way that I honestly didn’t even think it would happen.

KB: What do you mean?

Lucky: Well I love clubs and parties. Everything about them; from the crowds of people and the way that they are enjoying themselves and all the factors surrounding it.

KB: Ok. Definitely understand that. So you would say that your love of clubbing inspired your now promoting of parties?

Lucky: No. It wasn’t just that. It actually came one night when a friend asked me to help him with his birthday party. He wanted the club where he was having it packed, especially with females, and I did my thing. The rest is history I guess because it popped off with a major bang and people loved it. My boy spread my name throughout the “Queen City” (Charlotte, NC) and next thing I know I was promoting parties for everyone from local celebrities to athletes and everyone in between.

KB: Alright, so they definitely call you “Lucky” for a reason.

Lucky: Yea and I embrace it.

KB: Well let me get into reason of the interview and why I wanted to sit down and speak with you.

Lucky: Ok shoot.

KB: I want to know how you negotiate with your clients. How do you get the result that you want out of the deals that you have when you negotiate with your clients?

Lucky: Well first of all, you must remember that every deal is an opportunity to exceed your business. Not saying that they will always be easy. Promoting is a hard game just as any other aspect in entertainment.

KB: Can you explain?

Lucky: Ok, well I will say it like this. Every client is not an easy client to work with and some you can never work with or complete a project with due to difference of opinions.

KB: Okay. Well I definitely know you don’t want to approach a deal with negative emotions.

Lucky: Oh hell no! You want to stay professional and cordial at all times but definitely step up and speak your mind when you need to.

KB: I feel you. I appreciate that advice. Are there any other ways you negotiate your deals? I am trying to find out how do you get what you want out of agreements.

Lucky: Oh that’s simple. I am straight up and honest with all of my clients from the start. I ask them what they want and I tell them what I am able to perform. I let my name and work do the major talking for me. People know when they come to me for any type of promotion that they are getting quality work.

KB: So you use your status and role as a major player in the entertainment promotion game to help you to land more work and beneficial, mutual agreements with your clients?

Lucky: Exactly! It’s all about supply and demand.

KB: (Laughs) Ok. I definitely understand that.

Lucky: It’s all about giving the customer what they want and in return for me giving them that I get what I want.

KB: And that is?

Lucky: More business…more opportunity…and more money.

KB: Well I can honestly say that I have attended a few of your CIAA tournament parties and I see that time and energy was definitely put into them. Let me ask this though; why do you not promote yourself as much as your parties?

Lucky: Well because I learned that exclusive parties are where the big business is at and word of mouth is actually the best promotion tool and will always be.

KB: Enough said. I definitely learned a t lot from you and am grateful for your time this evening.

Lucky: Cool! No prob. It’s been a pleasure as well. Be easy.

KB: You do the same.

Well there you have it! I had and interesting and informative sit-down with Lucky of Wet Dreamz Entertainment. Also was able to get clear insight on his style of negotiating as well. Definitely check him out at this upcoming 2012 CIAA tournament week-long festivities and your next uptown Charlotte heavy-hitting party! I know I will be. Make sure to tune into these websites to check out any Wet Dreamz promoted parties:

www.wetdreamzpromo.com - coming soon 

www.ciaatournament.org

 www.ciaa.com

www.charlottesgotalot.com

This is KB and this has been Real to Reel.

Protecting our Children through Entertainment

I regularly check out out the Motion Picture Association of America website aka www.MPAA.org to get the latest info on the film industry. While skimming through the webpages of very useful and important information (especially to a film buff such as myself); I found a webpage titled "Parent Resources"(http://www.mpaa.org/parentsresources). Upon reviewing this webpage, it gave me a great sense that the MPAA is well aware of the dangers that lurk in our realms of entertainment. It is full of active links and up-to-date information that will assist parents in knowing what to look for themselves and their family. It is very refreshing to see that companies are taking to the time to provide information that will protect our children.

The listed resources such as Filmratings.com, which is the official site for MPAA film ratings, provides a full database of films and film ratings searchable by parents dating back from 1968 (birth year of the rating system) up until the current year. Parents are able to view information able the history and process of the film rating system for better understanding. It is very important that parents know and understand that every film and its advertisement submitted to MPAA must be approved by the Advertising Administration before being displayed to the public. There are also resources for parents in regards to Online Entertainment and Programming through the MPAA approved list (http://www.mpaa.org/contentprotection/get-movies-tv-shows) of providers and tips (http://www.mpaa.org/contentprotection/faq) for finding others as well.

Now I did find out some very useful information and resources such as WiredSafety.org, which is the world's largest online safety and help group. It solely gets its information from volunteers and the information that they provide. After taking a spin myself on the websites, it gave me insight on how to protect my children and enhance their safety while they are online. WiredSafety.org is comprised of five websites with unlimited amounts of forums that give an infinite amount of information and tips. Here are a few more websites and how they could assist parents with protecting their children from the wrong types of programming and entertainment:

1. www.pauseparentplay.org - dedicated to helping parents choose television, movies, video games, and songs. Endorsing members include the Girl Scouts of America, YMCA, and the Film/ Cable TV, music, and Video Game industries.
2. www.thetvboss.org/ www.tvguidleines.org - Provides information for all parents to be aware of what their children are watching and to be more actively involved. The MPAA is a proud sponsor od the AD Council's TV Boss Campaign.
3. Parent File Scan (Software) - this is a software program to assist parents in identifying peer-to-peer software on your computer and know what is going on with their computer.
4. www.ESRB.org - The Entertainment Ratings Board gives a rating for video game software and provides guidelines on video game advertising. The ESRB does the same thing for video games that the MPAA does for films.
5. www.playitcybersafe.com - Created by the Business Software Alliance with interactive resources to educate children, parents, and teachers about internet safety.

Well these are a few of the sites provided by the MPAA's resources for parents webpage. I highly believe that each and every parent should check out each website and save them to their favorites as references. With all of the dangers outside of the home that await our children, we sometimes forget about the dangers in our homes that are only a touch away.

Til next time....This is KB and this is Real to Reel!!!

Captain America...The First Avenger

Captain-America-movie-picture-2.jpg

So I finally am able to catch the long-awaited new member (or should I say "First" member) of the Avengers....the man himself...Captain America! We receive a visual insight of the origins of ole' Cappy. I must say that in this season of superheroes; that it was refreshing to see some ole' school superhero butt-kicking.

The story tells of Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans), a weakling from Brooklyn, NY that undergoes a super soldier transformation to become Captain America. Funny thing about the transformation is that Chris Evans plays both "before' and "after" parts of the transformation thanks to CG special effects. Captain America was brought forth by the America Forces out of the Lost Project Rebirth to battle Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving), Adolf Hitler's head of weaponry and leader of terrorist organization, HYDRA. Red Skull intends to use tesseract technology or "magic" to win the war and dominate the world. Sidenote: Look and listen very closely and it MAY be a link to the THOR and future Avengers movie plot!!! Anyway, after Steve Rogers is created into Captain America the project and Dr. Abraham Erskine are lost to sabotage by HYDRA agents.

Afterwards Captain America is paraded around the US as a logo and character for war bonds. When visiting troops in Italy, his good friend Buckey Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan) and his unit are captured by HYDRA. Captain America goes against the orders of Colonel Chester Phillips (played by Tommy Lee Jones) along with British agent Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell) and Howard Stark (played by Dominic Cooper) and fly behind enemy lines in attempt to rescue the captured soldiers. Sidenote: Being that Howard Stark (yes...Tony Stark's, Iron Man, father) is in this movie and plot...do we see another connection?!!! Well I definitely do not want to give up too much of the movie and familiar stars that we see within the film. This is definitely a must-see film and I recommend all super-hero (especially Avenger) fans to go out and see it ASAP!!!

I give this film 4 Reels and state that I am very much happy that this film DID NOT come out before the rest, which would have caused viewers to NOT LIKE the other AVENGER movies.

Sources:
www.marvel.com
http://captainamerica.marvel.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458339/  

MY RETURN....Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2

Well I know it's been a minute since I have let you guys with a post, but after my move from NC to MD and having to get everything together; I'm BACK!!! So I went to check out the latest and final Harry Potter installment (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 or HP7-2) to get back in to my moviegoing attitude back into gear. So why did I choose a 2.5 hour movie to get me  going??? Why not?

So here I am watching a movie that I am actually excited about viewing. Here we are after a full decade of J.K. Rawling's hit Harry Potter and the (Various Titles) and the amazement and wonderment that they have brought us. I know...I sound like a big kid right about now. Anyway, this franchise has gained so much during its tenure within the literal and film industries. It's latest achievement is that this HP7 hit $495 million globally. It surpassed the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film which was the previous crown holder.

So now to the movie description.....We enter where HP7-1 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows left off) where Harry just lost his little friend Dobby, whom just recently assisted Harry in escaping being captured and killed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemont's horcruxes (hidden enchanted items linked to his life and powers) to destroy the dark lord and save the world. They also discover secret about Harry's past and his presence at the school. This covers secrets and occurrences over the past 8 films that uncover Harry's origin. The film ends with the final battle between Harry and Voldemont and the future of the school of Wizardly and our heroes.

THis is definitely a film that is good for the entire family and adults (or kids) of all ages. I give this film a 4.5 Reels and has definitely ended on a good note.

Alexis Ohanian: How to make a splash in social media | Video on TED.com

Alexis Ohanian: How to make a splash in social media | Video on TED.com

Today's blog will discuss Alexis Ohanian's, co-founder of Reddit.com, speech on boosting exposure with the Social Media. He keeps the audience entertained with humor throughout his four and half minute speech while exposing very important information on "not being so serious" in advertising for a "serious" cause. He uses the example of Green Peace and their mission to stop whale hunting off the coast of Japan. During their advertisement to name their logo (mascot), Green Peace used social media to obtain help from the people in naming their mascot. After a week or so of voting, they officially used the name "Mr. Splashy Pants", which they weren't so fond of at first.

After a few months, "Mr. Splashy Pants"T-Shirts and other souvenirs were created, Internet sites posted pictures of the mascot, and even e-cards were created in commemoration of the logo. After the vast amounts of publicity of the name and the movement to stop whaling in which; Japan put a halt on the hunting of whales. All of this was great because it displays that a serious mission was completed by a "not so serious" action.

The speaker definitely related with the audience from the very beginning. His fast paced speak had the audience playing catch up but once they caught up and were drawn in....the audience was hooked. His humor and well-delivered information kept the audience well-informed and made the speech seems much longer than the given time. His presentation made we understand that by not taking things so serious that I am able to pass a serious topic off to people. He used the same information within his speech to deliver his speech. I really enjoyed the timing of the verbal parts and how it coincided with the slides that the speaker had prepared. More enjoyable was his tone and how he not only related to the audience but made them feel comfortable as he spoke to them.

Take a look for yourselves......