91.9 WFPK Radio Louisville » CPHR DVN Celebrating Release of New EP

91.9 WFPK Radio Louisville » CPHR DVN Celebrating Release of New EP

Alternative Funding Sources

While examining potential funding for startups, I came across a few alternative-funding opportunities and we will take a look into a few of them.  The Community Development Venture Capital Alliance or CDVCA provides equity capital to businesses in underinvested markets. According to its website www.cdvca.org, “CDVCA is working on many fronts to build and strengthen the CDVC field. It promotes the field by combining advocacy, education, communication and best-practice dissemination through conferences and workshops.” Some of the requirements other than becoming a member is to have businesses in underinvested markets and will provide good jobs to low-income individuals and communities. CDVCA also provides workshops, seminars and consulting services. For more information visit www.cdvca.org.

More funding opportunities can be found at the U.S. Economic Development Administration website, www.eda.gov/funding-opportunities/. Among the opportunities are the 2014 Regional Innovation Grants which according to the website,  “support commercialization and entrepreneurship as described in the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010.” The EDA also accepts applications from companies in rural and urban areas that support construction and technical assistance among other programs. The website also provides a resources directory by state or territory which gives visitors the opportunities to explore possible funding and support.

First Nations Oweesta Corporation provides funding and resources for economic growth within Native American communities. The website www.oweesta.org provides information on their Training and Technical Assistance programs along with research and Lending and Capitalization programs. According to the website, “First Nations Oweesta makes loans to various types of Native community development financial institutions such as small business loan funds and credit associations that make consumer, business and housing loans.”

Overall each of these companies offers excellent information and resource material for your start-up or existing businesses. There are plenty of funding opportunities as well. Due diligence and research are required to determine if you or your company qualifies for the funding opportunities available. There are plenty of advantages to alternative funding, such as an abundance of resources and support. One of the disadvantages would be that the criteria for these programs could be very particular and your company might not fall under the specifications required to receive funding from these organizations.

First Nations Oweesta makes loans to various types of Native community development financial institutions such as small business loan funds and credit associations that make consumer, business and housing loans. - See more at: http://www.oweesta.org/services#sthash.ioesjgX5.dpuf

New visuals from CPHR DVN - #BYE

Expert Views on Business Plans

The experts that I have chosen to research are Carl Schramm and Andrea Cockerton. Carl Schramm is an entrepreneur and PhD economist who many have referred to as the “evangelist of entrepreneurship.” He is also the former CEO of the Kauffman Foundation, a philanthropic foundation that happens to be one of the nations leading funders for entrepreneurship research. Andrea Cockerton is a pitch expert, helping entrepreneurs pitch for funding. She has held entrepreneurial workshops in the UK and helped more than 350 entrepreneurs. Cockerton is also an MIT Enterprise Forum board member.

According to the experts some key components that investors are looking for in a business plan are targeting a growing market, groundbreaking ideas, and that there is a plan to action. It is essential to target a growing market that has a need for your service or product. A growing market tends to not be overly saturated with products and services and allows for opportunities for growth and expansion. Groundbreaking ideas have the potential to grab investor attention and stand out amongst competitors business plan. If your idea, product, or idea grabs the investor’s attention, it has the potential to grab the publics’ attention. Carl Schramm shared his views in regards to characteristics of an entrepreneur, “They see things differently…” Having a unique point of view can assist in coming up with groundbreaking ideas, products, or services. An investor is more likely to consider business plans with a plan to action. The plan of action has to be specific to your industry. Knowing your industry has a lot to do with your plan of action. Research is key in this regard.

The suggestion that I am considering for my business plan involves having a more detailed plan to action. I plan to lay out my initial 12-month business and marketing strategies in regards to my industry. Having this plan will work as a guideline with room for change and flexibility. My involvement in the music industry means that my business must be flexible in order to survive the ever-changing climate of this industry.

Sources

Expert Views on Business Plans. (n.d.). : Andrea Cockerton & Angelo Meneguzzi. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/andrea-cockerton-angelo-meneguzzi.html

Expert Views on Business Plans. (n.d.). Expert Views on Business Plans. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://bpexpertviews.blogspot.com/

Gleeson, B. (2013, February 25). Searching for Angels: The 10 Best Ways to Attract Investors. Forbes. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2013/02/25/searching-for-angels-the-10-best-ways-to-attract-investors/

How formal choral scholar Andrea Cockerton turned the Dowsing Sound Collective from a hobby to a business. (n.d.). Cambridge News. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Business/Business-News/How-formal-choral-scholar-Andrea-Cockerton-turned-the-Dowsing-Sound-Collective-from-a-hobby-to-a-business-20140129145347.htm

Schramm, C. (2014, June 1). Why Immigration Is Crucial To The Revival Of America's Cities. Forbes. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/carlschramm/2014/06/01/why-immigration-is-crucial-to-the-revival-of-americas-cities/

An Awards Show for the Rest of Us!

 

www.pensadoawards.com

On June 28^th 2014 at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica the inaugural Pensado Awards took place honoring all of the talented individuals behind the scenes who make the music you love possible. With categories such as, Break Thru Mixer Award, Game Changer Producer of the Year Award, OMG! Mix of the Year, Master of Mastering, and AIR Award for best assistant, Intern, or Runner, the Pensado Awards set itself apart from other award shows as a celebration of the underdog and under appreciated.              

Dave Pensado and Herb Trawick are co-host of Pensado’sPlace, a weekly show that offers audio techniques and interviews with industry professionals such as mix and tracking engineers, producers, artist, and studio managers. Dave Pensado is a Grammy Award winning engineer who has mixed for some of the industry’s biggest talents.

The Pensado Awards was an all-inclusive event, open to everyone, including the after party. This awards ceremony gave up and coming artist and engineers an opportunity to network with heavy weights within the music industry. The tickets at only $50 per, including the after party, made this event even more accessible. According to Forbes, “The Pensado Awards leveled the playing field.”  While receiving the Live/Front of House Mixer Award, John McBride shared his excitement about the future of the audio industry, “I really believe that the bar is being raised again….great things are on the horizon and happening again.”

The amount of information and knowledge that is being spread online through shows such as Pensado’s Place, I can see John McBride’s vision and share in his excitement for the future of audio. Not only is their a strong community within the virtual world of audio, these communities are also starting to expand and create spaces for professionals and enthusiast to come together and celebrate their love and passion for music. I believe that

the Inaugural Pensado Awards just might be the catalyst for more to come.  

A.I. Mastering

 
 

There is a new online mastering service, which goes by the name of Landr and provides remote, (instant) mastering services free of charge. That’s right “free” but only for 192 kbps MP3s. If you want uncompressed wav files you will have to dish out $9-$19 per month, still not a bad deal if these services are what they say. It is true that mastering is critical to achieving that “polished” sound, but the reality is that it can be an expensive undertaking for independent artists. Just think about how much that an artist has already spent on production, recording and mixing. By the time a project reaches the mastering phase the budget has been depleted.

MixGenius claims that more than 8 years of research went into the algorithms utilized to master the audio. The website goes on to say, “Our team is composed of music industry veterans - award winning mixing engineers, top-level DSP programmers, musicians, producers and label owners - who know exactly what the mastering process needs to deliver.” With that amount of brainpower and resources, my expectations that this might actually work increased significantly.

I read mostly cynical and negative comments in audio forums with a few positive remarks sprinkled in. Most of the doubt was based on the A.I. and the fact that it was attempting to emulate human decision making on something as subjective as music.  I decided to try the service for myself. First I tried the free service and uploaded a song that I had mixed which was a blend of hip hop and reggae. The initial results of the 192 kbps MP3 was less than great. The loudness it provided does indeed compete with industry releases but the quality of the compression at 192 was not the very good. Even with the less than ideal quality of the mp3, it showed enough potential for me to dig further into their premium services. I tried the $9 per month “amateur” service, which allows 4 uncompressed wav masters. The result of receiving wav files verses the 192 kbps mp3 was night and day. The low end was tamed a bit and the premium services gave you the option to pick the level of compression. Low, Medium, and High. The low setting was the most musical and dynamic, but lacked the loudness to compete with mainstream releases. The High setting was very competitive with industry loudness standards but lacked musicality and dynamic range. My favorite setting was the medium, which gave you a little bit of both. 

In my opinion, Landr might not be the ideal mastering situation for the independent artists, but it can work with specific genres especially if you are trying to compete with industry “loudness.” I can see these types of A.I. mastering services getting relatively better in the coming years. Another application that producers and mix engineers may take advantage of is using Landr to expose potential problems in the mix.

"Sample" Drama

Sample clearance liability and the resulting court cases and controversies surrounding illegally used samples have been a major topic of conversation and debate in recent years. The music industry has seen its share of high profile lawsuits over sample clearance. I will discuss two cases that have been decided and one recent instance that has yet to be decided.

First we will take a look at the 2012 settlement of Kanye West, Jay Z and Sly Johnson. West and Jay Z’s collaborative album Watch the Throne featured a song entitled “The Joy” which utilized an unauthorized sample of Sly Johnsons song “Different Strokes.” Johnson claims that West attempted to gain authorization for use of the song in 2010 for his album Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. West never obtained the authorization and decided to use it on “Watch the Throne.” The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed publically.

The fact that Kanye West was unable to gain authorization for use of the sample may have been a deterrent for most artists, but this did not stop Mr. West.  Evidently he determined that the risk was worth the reward. I am sure he took into consideration the financial clout that he and Jay Z possessed and was confident that a settlement could be reached if a lawsuit was filed. Most record labels and artist do not possess the financial capital to risk moving forward with the use of an unauthorized sample.

The second case we will take a look at is the lawsuit filed against Madonna and producer Robert Pettibone by VMG Salsoul. VMG Salsoul, the copyright owner of the composition called “Love Break” claims that Madonna sampled a Horn Hit from the composition. VMG went as far as to claim that Madonna and Pettibone attempted to hide or disguise the sample. U.S. District Court Judge Beverly O'Connell saw it differently and ruled that “...any sampling of the Horn Hit was de minimis or trivial.”

Even though this case was ruled in favor of the recording artist and producer, it still serves a reminder to all artist, labels and producers that we must be aware of the potential of sample liability. Something like a single Horn Hit may seem trivial to most, but if used repetitively throughout a composition can cause some undue fuss and stress.

Lastly we will look at Drakes recent legal battle with jazz musician, Jimmy Smiths’ Estate. On Drake’s latest album, “Nothing Was The Same,” the rapper used a sample from Smith’s 1982 song “Jimmy Smith Rap.” On Drakes song, “Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2” he uses a 35 second monologue from “Jimmy Smith Rap.” Smith’s Estate claims that Drake never obtained permission to use the sample and is asking for more than $300,000 in damages. Apparently the credits in the album liner notes state otherwise. In this example we can clearly see that even if we attribute proper credit to the copyright holder or content creator we still need to make sure we have the appropriate licensing to utilize the sample.

In looking to start my own independent record label, I will look at using samples only at a bare minimum. If a sample must be used then we will do our best to ensure that we contact the content creators, publishers and record labels to gain the proper licensing to utilize the sample.

Cloud Rap?

Hip Hop in a little over 40 years after its inception has grown into a mammoth of a genre and just as rock and jazz have done over their lifespans, has spawned several sub-genres. Wikipedia has listed over 50 sub-genres, which could be a conservative figure when you start considering global hip hop scenes as well as fusions such as hick hop and rock hop. 

From alternative hip hop to crunk, from conscious hip hop to gangsta rap, hip hop can no longer be simply categorized by regional affiliation. It’s bigger than east and west coast hip hop or Midwest and dirty south hip hop, this genre we know as hip hop is a global phenomenon which is being expressed in a myriad of styles, languages, and ideals.  

One of the more recent sub-genres to develop is the sensation known as cloud rap. 2010, 2011 saw The BasedGod himself, Lil B make an impact on the hip hop world with his whimsical lyrics and ethereal production from New Jersey producer Clams Casino. This seems to be what many consider the beginnings of the cloud rap movement. What took traction and pushed the movement forward was Casino’s atmospheric soundscapes more so than Lil-B’s lyrical prowess. Clams Casino has also produced for A$AP Rocky and Mac Miller who both have a foot in the cloud rap genre.

Cloud rap can be described as atmospheric, new age, ethereal and airy.The use of 808 bases and snare rolls can be distinguishing traits along with EDM-esque transitional sweeps along with the reduction of sample rates in various parts of the arrangement. The vocal production makes use of big reverbs and delays. Filters and stutter effects can also be heard from time to time. Lyrically the subject matter has a wide range, from smoking loud and taking acid trips to altered states of consciousness (see Flatbush Zombies) and the questioning of ones reality. Spirituality and human evolution is expressed by New York duo The Underachievers. There are also some cloud rap emcees who express heartbreak and failed relationships. Superstar Drake has productions on several of his releases that have been heavily influenced by the cloud rap sound and production style of Clams Casino. Although cloud rap is a sub-genre, it is not necessarily a regional genre; you can hear its influence from artists on both coasts and anywhere in between. Whenever you find yourself in the mood for some introspection, cloud rap just might be your sub-genre of choice.

Negotiation Tactics

While taking a more in depth look at the negotiation process I came across some great informational videos presented by industry professionals. The first video I am discussing is a presentation given by Margaret Neale from the Stanford Graduate School of Business entitled “Getting What You Want.” Neale shared some great information on the concept of  “mutual benefits.” In the negotiation process both parties are not always left feeling as if the “won.” One party usually feels that they gained the upper hand. When looking at negotiating from the viewpoint of how can we reach benefits for both parties, we can approach the negotiation process with the idea of packaging the interests of both sides. The idea of “bundling alternative proposals” promotes the idea mutual benefit, which is discussed in the book Getting to Yes.

The author of the book Getting to Yes, William Ury conducted a Ted Talks presentation entitled, The walk from “no” to “yes." In this presentation Uri opened by sharing a story of his negotiation experience in Eastern Europe. He went on to explain how the negotiation started out on a rocky note. The opposing sides started out blaming the other party for past years of conflict, the accusations eventually turned toward him. Uri chose to respond by utilizing the concept of “separating people from the problem” by redirected attention to the actual problem at hand; he was able to move the negotiation forward in a positive direction.

John Kellog from Berklee College of Music shared insight on contract negotiation amongst other subject matters in a video presented by Artist House Music. In contract negotiation Kellog explained the use of using “Objective Criteria” to negotiate terms of recording contracts. The utilization of precedents and industry standards provides a firm foundation as you present your interest moving forward in the negotiation process.

A Quality Education

In this post I will like to discuss the growing number of educational outlets for today's producers and engineers. Sites such as therecordingrevolution.com, pensadosplace.tv and theproaudiofiles.com are great resources for aspiring and professional producers and engineers alike. The Recording Revolution and Pensado's Place also have YouTube channels that engage the audience with visual tutorials and interviews with industry professionals. The ever-evolving landscape of the professional audio industry can seem overwhelming to aspiring professionals. Staying up to date with the goings on in the audio world is crucial for success. The utilization of these educational online outlets gives amateurs and professionals alike, the opportunity to stay abreast in today's audio professions.

As opportunities for apprenticeships in big name studios and production houses continue to shrink, first hand education can suffer. Fortunately with change there also comes opportunity. Exploring online audio communities can allow producers/engineers to engage in different perspectives and techniques that one may apply as fits to his or her workflow and/or personality. Social Networking also offers its share of informative audio communities. You can check out the Mattrix Minute on Twitter and Spotify to get daily 60 second tips on how to succeed in the music business.
There are also numerous opportunities for emerging producers and engineers to practice their craft and submit their work for a chance for prizes and work within the industry. A site like indabamusic.com gives producers and engineers opportunities to remix and produce tracks for industry peers and professionals. For more informative content you can also check out indablog for great tips and suggestions. Indabamusic has recently launched a licensing leg, indabasync, which presents a great opportunity for emerging artist to license their music commercially to games, film, television and a variety of other media opportunities.

As you can see there are many educational opportunities for emerging audio professionals. The few I have listed above are simply sites and blogs that I personally use and resonate with. My suggestion to you is to explore the myriad of sites and networks, until you find the communities that resonate with you.

You Have to Be There!

When it comes to innovation, I believe that Ryan and Hays Holladay could be on to something. Their GPS based sound-scape application allows users to peruse popular tourist destinations such as Central Park and the National Mall to the beat of the Holladay's drum, violin or cello.

The Holladay brothers’ musical compositions are written for specific places and the music evolves and changes depending on how the user chooses to explore the environment it was written for. The musical passages are interchangeable and the order in which one hears each section does not matter, it actually gives the album a renewed perspective when the listener takes on new routes. The brothers have released three albums as iPhone applications, the first is from their home town of the nations capital, "The National Mall." The second album entitled, “Central Park (Listen to the Light)” was released as an iPhone app by Bluebrain. Organizers of SXSW Interactive commissioned the third and most recent installment of Location-Aware Music entitled “The Violet Crown”. Also released as an iPhone app, “The Violet Crown” gives festivalgoers an opportunity to engage in a sonic adventure as they explore the festival grounds.

To experience these site-specific-compositions, one actually must be there. This concept takes interactive content to a really unique place. The listener actually becomes the conductor and arranger of the musical piece by choosing which path to take first, deciding to take a right or left can engage the string section or lead to a percussive build.  Personally I always have a soundtrack going on in my head depending on which activity I am engaging in. This music-mapping app is actually giving you a soundtrack as you explore the world and in my opinion that is really innovative.

Ryan Holladay’s TED presentation entitled “To hear this music you have to be there. Literally” really inspired me to explore new territories when it comes to media and entertainment. Technology has opened the door to an endless array of possibilities for artist and visionaries to express and explore their wildest dreams and aspirations.