Makin' It Magazine

Every month I find myself in a barbershop, record store, or club parking lot listening to artists claiming that record labels will sign just about anybody these days. I hear them complain about radio stations not playing their songs. I hear them talk about the lack of opportunities for artists with real talent to get heard. I’ve listened to many different versions of these same complaints for over five years as an artist, a manager, a studio owner, and a consultant. These complaints were the exact reason that I put together “The Beat Game: $5000 Rap Contest.” My whole purpose was to provide a level playing field where artists could showcase their talent and get some much needed exposure regardless of where they came from. The funny thing is, when I mention the contest to those same artists, half of them turn their nose up because they feel they are too good to be participating in such a contest while the other half will ask for more information. I’ll talk to them and explain the details but once I tell them there is a $35 entry fee all but a few will loose complete interest. I’ve had artists tell me everything from “I don’t pay to rap…” to “You should be paying us to participate…” I laugh it off because these are the same artists that sit around complaining about their situation, which brings me to the title of this article, “Why wack artist get deals!”

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So we’re back for another round of Myspace marketing techniques and advice. I’m sure if you’re a loyal MySpace junkie that you’ve logged into your account at least once in the past month only to find a post from one of your friends telling you, “All girls are str8 up lying when they say size doesn’t matter…” If you don’t know what I’m talking bout then let me elaborate on a little thing called Phishing. This is what they call it when someone uses a phony webpage (usually resembling a Myspace login screen) to steals your account email and password. They then use this information to log into your account and spam everybody on your friend’s list by posting comments for everything from penis enlargement pills to ring tone websites.

Unlike most of the spam you may receive on Myspace these are messages from people’s accounts that you know and have added to your friend’s list. The worst part about it you may even be a victim of it and not even know until someone tells you. This can easily lead to a bit of confusion and embarrassment seeing as how they are posting comments using your identity. For instance a couple of months ago I was negotiating an agreement with an artist who contacted me through Myspace when a couple days latter I get a comment from him about penis enlargement pills (LOL). Now if I hadn’t read an article about account phishing the week before, I probably wouldn’t have known what to make of it. Simply put if you receive a message from someone who you think may be a victim of phishing let them know by sending them a message. If you think that you yourself may be a victim we advise that you change your account password and remember to never give out your account information

This is the second installment of our series about myspace promotions. Last month we filled you in on some of the most common mistakes made by people new to the whole Myspace scene. This month we are back at it with a list of additional tips to help you create a powerful buzz both online and offline utilizing the power of Myspace. Just remember Myspace is only what you make it.

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For independent artists and people in the entertainment industry Myspace has become a great tool to connect with fans, other artists and even industry professionals. Unfortunately a lot of people are not maximizing Myspace to its full potential. Over the next few issues we are going to give you some great tips to make the most of you Myspace experience. Now for the 5 most common mistakes people make when it comes to Myspace

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