Formula 4 Success I Polish & Promote

7 Tips For Getting Featured On iTunes

Posted by mussbussproject — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 19:17 GMT

By Chris Mooney Looking at the iTunes store, most artists think, "I want my album to be featured there." Here's some good news: all TuneCore releases can be considered for this placement. Albums spotlighted on iTunes are there based on editorial decisions made by iTunes-these are not paid placements. For example, TuneCore artist Chris Wallace had a banner placement on iTunes' Pop page and his album Push Rewind was featured alongside major label acts No Doubt, One Direction, Owl City (TuneCore alumnus) and Alicia Keys on the 'New and Noteworthy' slider. How do you increase your chance of getting featured on iTunes? Here are seven tips that should help. (Friendly reminder: it's completely up to iTunes staff to decide what gets featured.) 1. Plan AheadLead-time is a key element in feature consideration. The iTunes store is a planned out effort, not put together last minute. In general, featured releases are picked with at least three weeks lead-time. It's a good idea, when possible, to select a release date three weeks from the time you hit 'distribute' in your TuneCore account, to give iTunes (and other stores) enough time to consider your music. 2. Albums good, Singles not as muchSingles are a great way to gain popularity and set up your album; they can also help you establish a sales history to include in feature submissions. The fact is, though, if you look through iTunes and other stores, you'll notice that there are a lot more placement opportunities for albums than singles. iTunes has specific sections for singles only on their R&B, Hip Hop, Reggae, Dance and Electronic genre pages. 3. Spell-check, please!Creative spelling is okay, BUT we often see releases with typos and misspellings. Editors will notice this, so make sure to proofread your release before distribution. 4. Who's on first?Unless you can get a bunch of really well known artists to guest on your songs, it doesn't look professional when you have a looooooong list of featured artists. 5. Prepare to be askedBeyond the music, there are some important facts and figures stores consider: How much have your other releases sold? Especially your most recent releases... How many potential fans can you reach and direct to purchase your new release on iTunes? In other words, how many people like you on Facebook, follow you on Twitter, are on your email list, etc. Do you have a press and/or marketing plan in place with commitments? For example: Do you have a major magazine feature commitment? Do you have ad dollars allotted to the release? Will there be TV or film sync placements of your music at the time of release? What are your realistic expectations of overall first week digital sales for your new release? 6. Expect CompetitionAll features are difficult to secure due to limited space. For example, the iTunes 'Single of the Week' is reserved for one song per week, so you can imagine how tight the competition is to land this slot. 7. How low will you go?Although sale pricing is not required for features, it is one additional factor that can increase your chance of securing a store placement. You can contact TuneCore's artist support team for price adjustments. Though I've focused on iTunes, these tips apply across all stores. Again, editors make the decisions on what is featured, but if you can follow our recommendations you'll have a better shot at getting some form of placement. Check out past digital store features of TuneCore Artists.

Three Reasons to Be Thankful You're a Songwriter

Posted by mussbussproject — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 18:32 GMT

1. You've got a way to express yourself In the course of living our day-to-day lives, we are subjected to an unpredictable mixture of elation and sadness. No matter what, this is a lot to handle, but having the ability to write about it is a huge advantage. Putting your thoughts in a song that will not only help you but also those who hear it, is a wonderful, constructive way of processing life. Without the ability to write songs, you might never have the luxury of this kind of perspective. 2. You've got something you're passionate about Many people go through their entire lives without finding something that truly moves them. You've got a passion. While your passion for songwriting may at times make you crazy, it will also bring you great joy and drive you to efforts that you never thought yourself capable of. Being passionate about your songwriting is its own reward. This is not to say that you shouldn't strive for any and all successes that are out there. However, it's important to remember every once in a while that you're lucky to have found something in this world that is so important to you. 3. You're on a journey Whether it's the first time you write a whole song or win a grammy, every step of your journey as a songwriter should be appreciated. You will only have one first time to see someone listen to something you've written. Don't forget to stop and enjoy each event no matter how small. The danger in putting too much significance on the end game of financial success is that you'll miss all the incredible moments along the way. Conclusion We all know how difficult, frustrating and even scary songwriting can be. Being thankful for all of the good it brings us can help keep things in perspective. Personally, I'm thankful for my high-school piano teacher who nonchalantly asked for the impossible at the end of one of our lessons, "For next week, I'd like you to write a song." Cliff Goldmacher is a songwriter, producer, session musician, engineer, author and owner of recording studios in Nashville, TN and Sonoma, CA. Cliff's site, http://www.EducatedSongwriter.com, is full of resources for the aspiring songwriter including a brand new HD video series available at the link below:http://www.EducatedSongwriter.com/video-podcast-series Cliff's company, http://www.NashvilleStudioLive.com, provides songwriters outside of Nashville with virtual access to Nashville's best session musicians and singers for their songwriting demos. You can download a FREE sample of Cliff's eBook "The Songwriter's Guide To Recording Professional Demos" by going to http://www.EducatedSongwriter.com/ebook. Facebook: www.facebook.com/EducatedSongwriter Twitter: @edusongwriter

6 Tips for Getting Radio Play

Posted by mussbussproject — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 18:00 GMT

I watched a great interview, with Bruce Warren-Program Director for Philadelphia's WXPN who has been responsible for numerous artistes breaking from unknowns to the national stage would be a massive understatement. Over the course of a twenty-plus year tenure at 'XPN, Bruce has discovered, championed, and successfully promoted a veritable whose-who of artistes. and I encourage you to watch it all, but here are some important points: 1. Do your homework. This has been a recurrent theme in the interviews I do, and it's true for radio as well. Doing some sort of mass mailing to every radio station under the sun is an exercise in futility. To this end, make sure that you're only contacting stations that play the type of music you make. This seems obvious, but you'd be shocked at how few people do their homework. Part of this homework means understanding which formats are out there. WXPN, for example, is a AAA station. Do you know the other formats? 2. Know the rules. In addition to knowing the different formats, and knowing which stations are likely to play the music you make, the next step is to know when/how to contact the relevant parties. Of course, this means knowing who the relevant parties are; you must know who determines which music is added to a station's playlist. This is typically the Program Director and/or the Music Director. As you can imagine, these people are swamped with more music than they can possibly play on their station. To this end, they limit the times when they will take calls from people who want to pitch their music. You must find out when these times are. Will it be easy? No. Is anything? 3. The battle is being waged online. As Bruce notes, they have weekly music meetings to discuss what might be added to the station. While, of course, the music is of paramount importance, given the lack of spaces available, there are other factors that differentiate the artists, and determine which get play. This means, you need to have a great social presence (active on Facebook and Twitter, for instance), and a web site that articulates who you are and what you're doing. 4. Touring. Speaking of what you're doing, you need to be touring. WXPN, and all the other stations in this format, are servicing a local community. Therefore, for them to champion you, they need to see that you're going to be in that community-at some point-playing a great show. 5. Label or no label? Do you need to be signed to a label to get on radio? I posed this question, and...well...here's what Bruce said (no way I can improve on it): "No. I don't care. It's got to produced really well. You're competing against the production quality of other artists-whether they're on a label or not. Ultimately your music is going to be put into battle against someone else's music. It has to sound good on the radio." 6. Promoters. Bruce was honest with us about the role of indie promoters, that is, people who artists (and stations) work with to build a bridge between artist and label. In essence, it's a cluttered landscape, and, as Bruce said, certain stations do rely on the advice of indie promoters. Do watch to the end, because Bruce gives some GREAT tactical points; for example: DON'T MANUFACTURE CALL IN CAMPAIGNS! Bruce ends the interview on a note of optimism, with a phrase I love, "The more music the better." The industry needs more people like Bruce Warren & Rashida Rose.

Y shouldnt I believe - رشيدة روز

Posted by mussbussproject — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 16:21 GMT

by Rashida Rose It is necessary, to cleanse one's ethnicity...so YES!! I believe in Ethnic CLEANSING. one should NOT!!! blame me for this position, I have found myself embracing, nor should I be penalized for taking this stand publicly. Hear this you say you have HELPED ME/MY PPL/BROTHERS/SISTERS/KIND, HELPING ME?, HOW HAVE YOU HELPED ME? by giving me a " proppa droppa" just enough for me to keep coming back, while closing the doors in my face, while I still breaking it down, that isn't helping, that is helping yourself..., MAYBE I am blind to this so-called help you publicly professed, or maybe it is to gain, favor/mileage on the account of something I GAVE, that I wasn't even aware I was giving, while I STILL try to help others, IF secretly ... I AM being prevented me from striving, SUCCEEDING, or achieving my truest potential... what other choices, do I have or should I be resort to....Twins OF Twins- Up Wid Di Money...Did you know: ( there is alot AVAILABLE 4 EVERYONE, I CANNOT & WILL NOT finish it in this life nor do I possess the POWER 2 in MY LIFETIME) if you wanna HELP ME (SECRETLY HELP ME TOO) BECAUSE I have NO PROBLEM putting in the work, 4 my action 2 be REWARDED..... our culture it has been said " yuh get Horse, yuh waan saddle " but one can ride without saddle, but it can be rather difficult to ride without saddle, but still better than not having a horse..... but who told YOU I wanted a Horse in the first place? how can you on the outside, determine what MY NEEDS ARE, ASK ME!!! evidently you don't WISH nor DO YOU WANT 2 HELP ME only speculation in observation, without having full knowledge of my situation. Your warped mind maybe saying, I don't OWE you anything, nor AM I OBLIGATED to help you... so if I choose to help, YOU, I should HAVE take what YOU GET, If so then it would be unfortunate, don't you think? it doesnt & should not work like that...to me it is a WASTE of time, effort & energy on both sides...no one GAINS from this scenario. NB: Being a very gracious person never become tiresome for me neither is giving, If the Universe operate in this manner & I am a universal being you shouldn't I any less, as I WILL NOT behave below who I AM truly. Listen: IF secretly I AM NOT being prevented me from striving/SUCCEEDING, or achieving my GREATEST potential possible I will CHANGE MY COURSE. I am speaking to this majority, that secretly OPPOSE ME.... YOU hypocrites.... I thought being good minded/spirited/physically in public & private, is virtuous, being kind, respectful, polite, accommodating, despising wrongful acts upon the innocent, thievery, I AM DRUNK ON WRATH... while other races seeks to rewrite whatever wrongs, there forefathers has done, you seek to carry on the tradition of deception, in a magnitude of disgrace to the very people, who wish ONLY to UPLIFT THIS current & in coming GENERATION the kind who wish to share knowledge, help other striving nubian, caucasian, asians, etc, talented goal oriented, success driven people, who stay away from corruption, cut corners disrespecting elders,not to mention the memories of our ancestors & our creator. I am NO LONGER sitting in silence......... Ethnic CLEANSING ....the mass expulsion or killing (getting rid of) of members of one ethnic or religious group in an area by those of another. www.twitter.com/TheRashidaRose Final thought: Anyone who have genuinely helped me, without ANY HIDDEN AGENDA... even just by encouraging me to follow my dreams, please know, this message does not apply nor is it towards you.... also let me use this opportunity 2 say ... Thank You.... :)

5 TIPS Every Performing Artiste Should Know

Posted by mussbussproject — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 16:16 GMT

Muss Buss Project � C.E.O/Founder - Rashida Rose give you tips & tricks on how to become successful in the business of music, from a Jamaican perspective, If one needs to succeed in the music industry & make money in the entertainment industry, while doing what you love to do, practicing these principles will definitely make or assist you to traverse towards becoming a power player in the business of music. Who will benefit from this info: - Singers - Songwriters - Music Producers - Deejays - Marketing professionals - Business Managers - Artiste Manager ♂5 TIPS Every Performing Artiste Should Know.⏎ [Video ] TIP #1: GET REPRESENTATION (put your best foot forward) Get a professional's perspective; get a professional to represent you Have & idea, Sing, Dance, Deejay, create sounds & play instrument, and you want the world, to know you exist, get council, research, try our tip videos mentorship is available, to whoever that needs it. Talent is important but preparation & presentation is ultra important. TIP #2: BE RESPECTFUL (first impression is lasting) When approaching potential investors, producers, radio disk jocks, sound system operators, check the mood of the environment/person, and first use empathy (Put yourself in his/her position) almost EVERYDAY they consistently be bombarded, plagued, stalked, bad up etc. for a chance to have there music featured/played or get put on the latest or happening producer. Make sure your approach isn't threatening, nor overly disturbing, make it so interesting as to get there attention, without disrespecting there company/people/person they are speaking to before you interrupted them, introduce yourself quickly, ask how you can send your music & if they're working on anything that could accommodate you...Example (Yuh have a riddim yah work pon or yah put out nuh new artiste?) or whatever or whoever you represent in that space & time, VERY IMPORTANT whenever you send your music make sure it is MP3 this will allow the receiver to hear you almost instantaneously, also attach your contact information along with any social media that'll show you off in the best light... FINAL NOTE on this tip DO NOT approach a Deejay if you're a Deejay DO NOT approach a Singer if you're a Singer DO NOT approach a Producer/ Riddim builder if you are providing the same services ALWAYS do the ALTER approaching same person talent may become problematic. TIP #3: PREPARE YOURSELF - (put more efforts into what you love doing) Spend time in your craft, properly construct your lyrics, metaphor & melodies so anyone who understand our culture or the type of music your presenting, can understand... test your presentation on friends & family, get there opinion, then ask what they liked or disliked about your presentation also ask how it can be done better or differently. FINAL NOTE on this tip DO NOT DRINK COLD beverages/drinks before singing/deejay in front of a prospective investor/producer TIP # 4: PROFESSIONAL PRESS KIT / EPK For whatever reason, record label, newspaper, A&R, stage show promoters, radio/media personnel, etc. make sure your have a professional (PAPK) Performing Artiste Press Kit or a (EPK) Electronic Press Kit, which contains Photographs, CD, DVD, Biography etc. FINAL NOTE on this tip If you cannot afford the professional services of a local P.R company, or you choose to solicit here are some Free & paid resources: Facebook Sonicbids Reggae Factor Managers Pro Ourstage Reverbnation TIP #5: KNOW YOUR GENRE (where to position your music & what music your represent) To be taken seriously & marketed properly, when & if you decide to sell your music, be sure to know what category Example: (Rising/New/Established) artiste you are, what genre music you represent Example: (Dancehall, Reggae, Merengue, Soca, Funk, Zouk etc.) Music distributors need this information to know, where to place your product. FINAL NOTE on this tip DO NOT GIVE/SEND your music to Diskjock who plays Gospel Music, when your music is clearly secular DO NOT FORCE your music unto ANYONE RESEARCH B4/SEND/CONNECT/SELL your music to always be professional, this is your business, you will be earning & will continue to earn Subscribe Youtube: Twitter : @MussBussProject Facebook: www.facebook.com/mussbussproject MBPro official like page: www.facebook.com/MussBussPro Instagram: www.instagram.com/mussbussproject Website: www.mussbuss.co 1.876.397.9802 | 1.876.796.9530 | mbp@reggaefan.com