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May 01, 2020 by strat - Comments Off

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For Lovers of Beats, Rhymes and Classic Hip Hop!

Jul 09, 2015 by strat - Comments Off

The A3C Festival is here and the lineup reads like the Justice League of Hip Hop especially if you’re like me and have been down with the culture basically since inception. I unfortunately won’t be there first hand to witness the plethora of mind-blowing beats and rhymes but I can surely dream! The lineup reportedly includes: De La Soul, Rakim, Pharoahe Monch, Jean Grae, Cam’rom and many more. For more check this article on OkayPlayer by ZO.

Peace

Food for Ears: Beats, Sounds, Lyrics

Jul 08, 2015 by strat - Comments Off

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Food for Ears

So one of my favourite all time emcees, Talib Kweli just dropped a surprise album of B-sides and previously unreleased content featuring the likes of Common, Yasiin Bey Kanye West and Killer Mike……wait, what?!!?!

Read the article by Scott Heins on OkayPlayer here

Latest Beats and Sounds Online

Jul 08, 2015 by strat - Comments Off

Ok so yes I’m a producer and I specialize in Hip Hop (I make other genres too btw!). However at heart I am and always will be a Hip Hop fan. Lately one of the most impressive things about Hip Hop as a genre has been the quality of the beats and instrumentals. One of my favourite young producers is Metro Boomin. Check out this new one from Young Scooter produced by Metro. The vibe is, as they say, ‘on fleek’!

Here’s A Quick Way to Get Cheap Promo!

Sep 07, 2014 by strat - Comments Off

Building Your Brand is now Easier than Ever!

Are you an independent music artist? Do you rap or sing and record your own music from a home/project studio? Or are you able to afford to pay a pro studio but still operate on a slim budget? These are typical symptoms of the indie artist life no matter what genre of music you call home. In today’s music industry, being independent no longer has to be a handicap. However, this does NOT mean it isn’t challenging. Fortunately, there are resources available to make the road a little easier and I’m about to show you one of them

Amazing What You Can Get for $5 These Days

For a few months I’ve been a seller on a gem of a website/online marketplace called Fiverr.com. As the name suggests, this is a marketplace filled with freelance service providers who will perform tasks for you starting at $5. Perfect for the indie artist’s budget right?

Here are some of the incredibly high quality and professional services you can get for $5 to help with your promotion and brand building as an indie artist:

Logo Design
Website Design
Banners and Headers
SEO
Targeted Traffic
Social Marketing
Blog Mentions
Jingles
Original Music Production
Mastering

This is no joke. As an indie artist Fiverr could very well be a one stop shop for many of your needs. Here are a few examples:

You can hire a graphic designer to make your logo, website and other aspects of your marketing and online presence all in line with whatever theme you want
You can hire specialists in SEO to boost the visibility of your website in the search engines
You can hire traffic gurus to help you drive traffic to your website from a number of sources
You can get your songs mastered professionally for cheap!
You can have your latest release featured on various music blogs

All of these lead to one basic result: A higher profile/increased presence for you as an artist in the industry. It’s almost too easy these days. This stuff has turned the entire industry on its head.

Don’t just take my word for it though, head over to Fiverr.com and try it out for yourself. Now you can no longer claim it’s too expensive to get professional graphic design and social media promotion. Get up and jumpstart your music career!

Rap Beats Cooked Up from Scratch

Feb 08, 2014 by strat - Comments Off

From the Mind of the Hip Hop Producer: Inside The Beat Cave

Greetings. It’s 2014 and social media is where it’s at. People gravitate to what they can relate to and get familiar with and this is clearly seen when we think of the popularity of things like viral video, twitpics, memes and the mighty Instagram. Music and entertainment in general is now INSANELY about the visual. Not one to be left behind, allow me to introduce the first episode of my new web series ‘Inside The Beat Cave”. Despite the name it will NOT be simply a series of beat-making videos. It will feature artists in recording sessions, writing sessions and even fun chill sessions. Basically the idea is the let viewers in on what goes on behind the scenes in the studio. We want you guys to feel like part of the family! Gone are the days when producers were able to send out an email blast and say “buy beats online at affordable prices” or “check my website for hot rap beats” Just like with every other industry in this new global economy, one must build and maintain a brand. Artists you need to understand this too. This is the age of information and enlightenment. No time to get lost.

Why Artists Should Focus on Hot Singles rather than Just Mixtapes

Jan 21, 2014 by strat - Comments Off

rap beats, buy beats online, hip hop, mixtapes, hot singles

The Mixtape is King…Or is it? There may be a More Efficient Use of Your Budget for Rap Beats and Promotion.

The culture of hip hop for many years now has glorified the mixtape as the standard medium for artists to get their name out on the streets. Basically the trend is, if you don’t release a mixtape you’re a nobody. This has been further reinforced in recent times by the high number of successful mixtapes released by top artists such as Meek Mill, Ace Hood and Lil Wayne. For those of you old enough to remember, the mixtape has evolved and has seen many different forms. At one point the mixtape was primarily a DJ platform where the DJ would put together a number of top releases on one project and showcase his mixing skills. Then artists began to use the mixtape to release more informal tracks where they mostly rapped or sang over popular rap beats as opposed to hiring a producer to create original instrumentals. Nowadays a mixtape can be seen as basically an informal street album with artists doing songs over original rap beats as they would on an album. While this is a great part of hip hop (as well as r&b and pop), rising artists must also understand that time, money and focus can be better spent at certain times on singles instead of a large body of work. I’m about to explain why.

Why Focusing on Singles can be Better in the Short Term.

Focusing on one song at a time gives you better focus content wise and it prevents the feeling over being overwhelmed by the thought of getting an entire body of work done right and released by a certain time. With a single you can view the project as finite and pay more attention to every detail of it from the lyrics and flows to the beat and the mix.
Potential for sales and licensing. A single is easier to market by virtue of the low price on iTunes for example, and it can also be licensed to film or TV which can potentially bring in significant royalties for a long time.
Easy collaboration. If you are a member of a good artist forum or you have a plenty followers on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram who are also artists, you can easily find like minded artists to do collaborative singles with. This is beneficial because you can each introduce each other to new sets of fans and followers.
Easier on your budget. Producing a 10 song mixtape can be expensive in terms finding the right beats, studio time, artwork and promotion. However when you focus on one single at a time, you can earmark smaller amounts of money and give yourself time to earn more income. There are plenty of sites which allow you to buy beats online inexpensively, as well as many online sources for graphics, promotion and distribution.
A single is a vehicle for a great music video and an opportunity to earn money via Youtube.
The right single can be an engine for great success. If a single creates enough buzz it can lead to amazing things such as: a position on Billboard, performances on highly rated shows, a huge following on social media and opportunities to work with top artists and producers. All these things will in turn create an environment where it begins to make sense to drop a mixtape or even an album because by this point, you would have enough fans and a big enough budget to truly give the mixtape the mileage it deserves.

Unfold Your Strategy in Stages.

I am in no way bashing or saying that a mixtape should be avoided. On the contrary I’m suggesting that artists look at their process in stages. The single and all of its merits can easily open the door for a more successful mixtape release instead of trying to rush and do the mixtape first. If you need to buy beats, go online and buy a few that you really feel and create from there. Over time as your exposure grows, fans will begin to demand a larger body of work. After all, no one can sell to an audience that does not yet exist. Take your time and think things through. Put energy and attention to detail into making a great record and do this each time you set out to make a record and eventually your body of work will take shape. Remain focused and watch your success as an artist unfold.

INDUSTRY TALK: Artist Development

Jan 08, 2014 by strat - Comments Off

Developing As a Brand

It’s 2014. The music industry is no longer the same as 10 or 15 years ago. Artists now have to understand that relying on being discovered and signed to a dream of a deal should no longer be their ultimate goal. One must see oneself as a brand, just like Coca Cola or Microsoft. The idea is to get the masses emotionally invested in you. Not just your singing, rapping and beats, but you. Your brand must become important to them so that they care about whatever the next thing is you tell them you’re doing.

I came across a very interesting article by Mattew Myers at Music Think Tank, which outlines the process of artist development from the label/indie artist perspective. It is an excellent article which gives the risks and potential return of various strategies of music marketing. In my opinion, much of the things the writer earmarks as responsibilities of the publisher/investor/label can be handled by the savvy artist who understands the value of building a sizeable and loyal movement behind him/her. This involves getting music videos done, using social media as a promotional tool, booking and funding studio time and sourcing and funding music production among other things. This latter area happens to be a specialty of mine and I can tell you for a fact that artists who buy beats online have a head start because that can seriously cut the costs of getting a mixtape, EP or album completed.

Take some time and check this article out here. It is very informative and can help you focus your energies in the right direction

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION: It’s Great to Be Indie Right Now!

Oct 08, 2013 by strat - Comments Off

Seize The Day

We currently exist, live, play, work, operate (insert relevant verb here) in an era where information and opportunities are more accessible than ever before. One needs only to have the desire, focus, vision and drive to get up and get things going. Let’s focus here on the music industry (as I usually do). Gone are the days of that wonderful major label deal where the label gives you a shitload of money to produce and market your album and recoup said money from your album sales, leaving you to enjoy the fruits of stardom, i.e. tour money & merchandising! The internet basically killed all of that and now the remaining majors are throwing around 360 deals i.e. say goodbye to a chunk of that tour money and merchandising. However, as we said before, options abound. Remaining independent is easier than it used to be due to a plethora of online marketing and distribution tools available. Let’s think about this for a sec.

Buy Some Beats, Find a Studio and Get Started!

Let’s say you’re a rapper and a good one. You either have a good in house producer, make beats yourself or you buy beats online, since that is a viable, prudent and affordable option for upcoming and independent artists. You also may hire a good but affordable graphic designer (and perhaps a photographer) to handle any artwork you may need. So you’ve got your material, good promotional graphics and pics, some of the hottest and freshest rap beats and (hopefully) you found an affordable studio or even put together your own home studio (we are assuming here that you have an alternate source of income and have been using your money wisely towards your passion). You’ve finished your first mixtape/EP and you want to get it out to your growing list of fans. Here are some steps you should take next:

If you haven’t by this point, which means you’ve got some catching up to do, set up a simple website to showcase your music and other wares if applicable, capture fan emails and post show dates.
Be active on Youtube. It doesn’t have to always be some hot HD music video like you’re single handedly trying to shut down Vevo. Simple viral vids showing your vibe, chronicling your journey as an artist or just silly shit, will engage and grow your audience and keep them interested in YOU not just what you say on your songs. In doing this you are building a brand. You are becoming a figure that your fans are feeling like they are getting to know. Someone they can relate to and this is GOLDEN.
Be active on social media. Tweet about shit you’re into, post on your Facebook page, flood your Instagram with performance pics or even update your WordPress blog. This all ties in with building your brand and keeping your audience locked in to your world.
Create an account with a reputable digital distribution medium. It is now easier than ever to upload your music and promotional material, confirm your settings and have your provider send your songs out to be sold on iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify and a wide range of other services.

Don’t Wait! Sell You Music Online Now!

The key is to combine your branding and promotion with the use of these digital distribution services. Make the people love you and then point them to where they can buy your music. This is what’s so great about being independent in today’s market. The mechanisms which used to be the sole realm of the major labels can now be used by pretty much anyone. One distribution service I highly recommend is SongCast. SongCast will send your music to iTunes, AmazonMP3, Google Play, Spotify, Rhapsody, Emusic, and MediaNet, give you access to access to iTunes Daily Trending Reports, free UPC and ISRC codes, a free Music Page for Facebook and the best things is you get to keep 100% of your royalties. What you pay for the service is USD$19.99 per album plus USD$5.99 monthly. Check them out for yourself here:
http://www.songcastmusic.com/affiliate/sc.php?id=7251
Go ahead and decide what type of artist you want to be. You can sit around and hope someone discovers you and signs you, controls you and exploits you or you can get your own movement moving and start making your own money. Selling out clubs every weekend and making a comfy living doing what you truly love is way better than sitting there wishing you were the next Jay-Z or Kendrick Lamar.

INDUSTRY TALK: Nikki ‘Nix’ McKnight is Blazing a Trail

Sep 30, 2013 by strat - Comments Off

Nikki ‘Nix’ McKnight: Tearing up Beats and Shining Online & Onstage

Straight out of Columbus, Georgia, Nix Mcknight (@706Nix) is a force to be reckoned with. Spitting pure, uncut hip hop on every track Nix is sure to make a fan out of you and yours. Don’t try to put her in a box because of where she’s from though. Her sound is versatile and her lyrics are mature and thoughtful. Nix shows that female emcees can go back to that hardcore spittin’ and real life subject matter without having to rely on image alone. On top of that, being perhaps the first openly gay female emcee in the game makes no difference to her passion. All she’s about is making good music. Checkout the video above. The song is called ‘Special’, produced by yours truly Strat Carter and featuring Duce Revolver & Ty Ty. Lookout for her upcoming Mixtape ‘The McKnight Files’ which is set to drop in a couple of weeks. The tape features Nix’ s smoking hot bars over beats from amazing producers, including 3 joints by yours truly.

For more info on this artist checkout www.706nix.com

For more about rap beats, r&b beats or buying beats online hit me up here at stratcarter.com

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