The results are finally in. After four months of submissions, voting and reviews, we have the top 15 records for our 9th and final installment of the On The Grind Mixtape series. Watch the video below to find out which songs made the cut. Congratulations to everyone that made the mixtape and thank you to everyone that has participated in this project over the past two years!

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In the song You Aint Missin’ Nothin’ from the T.I.’s Paper Trail Album, Tip drops this jewel, “Cuz, the game go on. You only do two days in the joint. The day you get locked up and the day you go home.” In two bars the self proclaimed King of the south relays a profound truth so simply that many listeners may have missed it. I’ve watched as over the past year hip hop blogs and fans across the country have buzzed with news about some of their favorite artists dealing with cases, probation violations and impending sentences. Over the past few months we’ve seen the releases of T.I., Gucci Mane and even Mystikal along with the incarcerations of Boosie and Lil Wayne. And while much of the barbershop conversation was about which artists WERE and WERE NOT built for prison, I would have to say the true test of surviving prison for any artist is what is waiting for them when they get out. Of course that’s all relative to what they had going on before they went in.

Take T.I. for example. He comes out of prison and over the course of a few months has multiple records in rotation, a movie soon to hit theatres and an artist (B.O.B.) that has the #1 Song in the country (and several other continents). All of this was no mere coincidence because while T.I. may be the face, Grand Hustle is a machine composed of many parts.

I say this to illustrate a point. Over my years of working with independent artists I have seen many movements come and go, especially dealing with hip hop artists who are so often caught in-between doing music and running the streets. I’ve watched independent labels that seemed to have everything going collapse when a key individual catches a case, gets shot or worse. Unfortunately too many people in the urban entertainment industry subscribe to the tenant of “Faking it till you Make it!” Often artists will spend more money and time on looking successful than actually becoming successful. They will spend thousands of dollars to make a scene in a strip club rather than spending it to make a profit on their CD.

The difference between “Movement” and “A Movement” is direction. Movement is easy to create, all you have to do is spend some money and start doing things. “A Movement” on the other hand involves planning, gathering a team, motivating them toward a singular goal and executing. One of the biggest mistakes independents make is centralizing all of their resources and relying too heavily on one individual. Here are a couple of tips to help you organize your movement.

1) Structure your business. When it comes to paying for things too often I hear artists or managers say that they have to go talk to the “Money Man”. If one individual personally holds all the capital that will be going into the project you have a huge problem. Form an LLC or Corporation and Set up a business account, figure out the budget for the project and place money in that account.

2) Pick a leader and let them lead. A leader is needed to define the goal of the organization and to map a route to it. If everyone is moving toward different goals then there is no direction and if there is no direction, there is no “Movement”. Here’s a simple exercise you can use to gauge your company’s direction. Sit everyone down for a meeting. Ask them to write the goal of the company on a piece of paper. Gather the pieces of paper and read them. If everyone doesn’t come up with the same answer you have an issue.

3) Make sure everyone has a position to play. I often hear independent labels complain about people not playing their position but the biggest mistake I watch them make is not assigning people a position to play. If you bring someone on the team outline their role, what you need them to do and let them do it. Don’t micromanage them. If you feel the need to make them confer or get approval for every decision they make, you need to find someone else that you trust for that job or learn to play YOUR position.

These are just a few tips for establishing the foundation of a solid movement. The future holds many unforeseen circumstances. It is up to you to prepare for them all. Remember true leadership is not gauged by your presence but rather the level of success that can be obtained in your absence. Until next time every stay blessed and continue Makin’ It.

Makin’ It Magazine breaks down open mics, getting signed at open mics,
prizes, paying to perform and plenty of other good information.

Watch this video for the following information:

• 100% full proof system of getting corporate sponsors for your music.
• Find out what exactly a “Budget” is.
• Find out how to set a budget for your project.
• Understand why its important to determine a budget
• How to secure a budget.
• Whats the difference between an E.P. and an Album (Viewer Question)

Last week I received an email from Isaku Kageyama a taiko (Traditional Japanese Drummer) located in Tokyo who is a regular reader of Makin’ It Magazine. “I read your magazine to get insight and tips about how to promote my music.” He reached out to me because he had written an article entitled the What is the he Value of Music? and he wanted me to review it. After reading the article I thought it was important that I share it with you guys so here it is.

“What is the value of music?  It’s hard to put a price tag on music, and one of the reasons is because it’s so intangible and subjective.  Music might make you feel a certain way, provide a doorway into another world, bring back memories, or allow you to see something in a new light.  It’s really hard to put a price tag on something like that.

The value of music is often determined by the amount of commercial power it has.  For example, how much additional revenue can a company generate by using  certain musicians and their music in an advertising campaign?  Or, how many CDs and downloads does the music sell?

The value of a live performance is often determined by the number of people a musician brings through the door.  If 100 people are willing to pay $20 to see a performance, that means the promoters have a budget of $2000 out of which to pay the musician.

From the musicians’ perspective, it’s hard to demand a lot of money if you’re not a big-name artist who can generate large amounts of interest in a project.  In order to demand a lot of money, musicians need to provide a missing piece of the commercial puzzle.  Otherwise, they can just be replaced with cheaper musicians.

What can musicians do about this?  One of the things I’ve been doing is getting involved in the early stages of a project.  Sometimes I might even come up with the idea for a project myself.  By getting involved early on, I can provide more pieces of the puzzle, and therefore demand a larger share of the budget.

Peter Drucker talks about working with knowledge as opposed to skill.  Skills change very slowly, whereas knowledge makes itself obsolete very rapidly.  In the music world, this means musicians need to know what their clients want, and how to provide it.

A good place to start is by analyzing your audience.  When you find that your music is appealing to a certain market, you can talk to companies that sell products to the same market about doing an event.  If your event will help the company sell their products, you might get a deal.

It will help your case if you know which venues to use, how to design the event to make it more appealing, promotional channels such as the media, and how to negotiate a deal so that there is minimal risk for both you and the client.

For example, if you know a venue that will do an event for a percentage of ticket sales as opposed to a set rental fee, that reduces the amount of risk for both you and the client.

It’s important to gain knowledge so that you can use it to further your career.  Just don’t forget to practice!” – Isaku Kageyama

Hope you guys enjoyed the article. A big shout out to Isaku! Thanks for sharing.
If you would like to get more information or contact Isaku please visit http://isakukageyama.jugem.jp