The country idiom of hip-hop was there since the beginning and remained a minor note, perhaps a grace note, for a long while. You can see it if you search hip-hop lyrics websites for words like… “Dave brought his guitar to my studio to play some music. He really gave me a masterclass on rhythm playing”.
Once a deal gets to that point, you can take it up a notch, but it’s important to learn all the details first. The International Music Business And Recording Organization, Inc. The International Recording Organization halts work on proposed supersonic business is a multi-million dollar record company. It specializes in music business, music industry contacts, music production, technology. These producers are successful but don’t share your genre and/or aesthetic.
But do your due diligence and ask for references before writing a check. It’s also standard in the business to pay 50% on commencement and 50% on delivery, so negotiate to pay in installments, so you always have the leverage to get them to deliver. Once an essential ingredient of payola, DJs logged fake spins or played records at off-hours to juke the stats. Streams and followers can be faked, but there are two problems with this approach. First, if you get caught faking anything, the service will take down your music and reset your numbers.
Why are they suggesting that any genre will be considered? Why does the offer sound like a get-rich-quick scheme? A legit company knows exactly what music is needed and contacts their clients directly. Scammers use these opportunities to attract as many submissions as possible, pocketing those submission fees along the way. I’ve heard lots of stories about consultants who charge for their services up-front and then disappear into thin air without actually doing any work. They make great promises, and appear to have the credentials and contacts to back them up.
In the case that you see a lot of success stories and customer praise written on the site, you can probably disregard that completely. After all, who would put a quote on their site like, “This Guy Sucks! Paying $20 to be considered for a $10,000 synchronization license may sound like a worthwhile investment, but stop and think about it.
Payola was made illegal after a scandal in the late 1950s when DJs took bribes in return for radio airplay. It reared its ugly head again in the early 2000s and continues today, its cancer now spreading to services charging for placement on streaming service playlists. Many of these “consultants” try to dangle their former credits in hopes of luring in starry-eyed musicians.
While I wish that Thompson was wrong about the music business, I’ve seen my share of scams. There’s no shortage of low-lifes, frauds, self-promoters, liars, cheats, and thieves lurking in the dark corners of the industry. Each has their own con, and all are looking to take advantage of the artists they encounter, whether those marks dream of overnight success or want to game the system. You can find out a lot about a person or a business when you look at their official website.
Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Globee Awards recognize outstanding achievements and performances in businesses worldwide. A conflict of interest can occur when one party has relationships that make it difficult to choose fairly. A typical example is when an attorney represents both sides in a negotiation. Should this happen, the attorney is obligated to disclose and resolve the conflict or lose their license.
Second, fake followers don’t buy stuff, so your lie will get exposed when nobody shows up to your performance or purchases your records. It seems like everyone and their brother is claiming to be a producer nowadays. This is probably the largest category of fakers out there and you really have to do your research in order to find out who is for real. Before you sign anything with a producer or pay them a dime, you must make sure they are legit and compliment your style of music. Navigating a complicated, ever-changing industry such as the music business is difficult for everyone. But because a tiny percentage make it look easy, it’s no surprise others will stop at nothing to gain a competitive edge, or think shortcuts are the fastest route to fame.
They will offer to “get you to the next level” for a fee, but you have to ask yourself some very important questions before you enter into any agreements with these people. Are their contacts still relevant or are they dated? When was their last significant credit – five, ten, twenty years ago? Are they just telling you what you want to hear? These types of “consultants” are the most dangerous of the three in my opinion because of their impressive resumes and ability to make artists feel “special”. If you don’t believe me, read this great article from the Huffington post about a man who got scammed in exactly this way.