How To Produce Hip Hop Beats: Avoid These Costly Mistakes

 You won't get many second chances to make a first impression in life and I can tell you from experience that this statement is a very harsh reality for people trying to break into the hip hop business. Avoid these common mistakes when learning how to produce hip hop beats.

The first costly mistake: Renting time at a studio while how to make beats. Big studios love it when people do this. They'll get you on all the expensive equipment that they have and which big named artists have used that location to record. You'll probably believe that your tracks will come out as hot if you use the same studio as them and you will be charged by the hour to learn how to produce your beats. While they can probably give you some much needed advice on what could make something sound better, the majority of engineers do not make a hip hop beats (or good ones anyway). They aren't big named producers. Their skilled in actual recording and mixing music to sound crisp and clear. Now you understand why big time rappers and singers hire big time producers and beat makers to make the tracks for them to use. It takes a lot of practice to perfect a unique style of creating beats and I'll bet that your budget isn't enough to pay for each one of those hours.

The second costly mistake: Buying expensive equipment to use when you are learning how to produce hip hop beats.

Most analog production equipment is no longer needed or used to achieve that sound that you are looking for. There are countless rappers and producers who have used inexpensive software to create platinum hit records. The Multi-platinum selling rapper Soldier Boy is one of them. His first hit was something he wrote and produced the beat himself using his laptop and an inexpensive beat making program, called fruityloops, that has now been made a lot better by even less expensive beat making programs that come with the sounds that are used by today's platinum producers.

I go into step by step details on my page! Robbie Harrell is a producer and engineering consultant that has had input on projects with the Universal/Motown and Asylum record labels. Discover how to make money selling your beats at:http://www.musicmuscles.co.cc Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robbie_Harrell

The Truth About Hip Hop Music

 Hip hop music has not always been a mainstream favorite for listeners but, in recent years, it has become one of the most prominent genres around. It is almost impossible to turn on a radio or television without seeing one of the many hip hop stars who has made their way to the front of popular culture. The truth is that this style of music has many different qualities that set it apart from the other sounds out there.

When an aspiring rap star is trying to make an impact, they go about it in a way that is quite different than other musicians. Mixtapes have been a popular way of spreading new music ever since the genre evolved. These tapes includes songs by up and coming artists and are circulated on the street and through underground promoters to get the people who buy albums excited about new artists.

Once a musical star has made it on to the scene, their personality becomes as much a part of the package as their music. Many rap/hip hop stars are as well known for who they are dating or what kind of car they are driving as they are for their latest hits. Keeping the stars in the public eye has helped fans of the music feel more connected to their idols.

Another important part of the hip hop scene is creating new and exciting music videos. This is where stars really get to let their personalities shine, and most of them take full advantage of the opportunity. Many hip hop videos feel less like music videos and more like small movies, with special guest appearances and intricate storylines.

In this day and age, it is unlikely that anyone is not familiar with at least some hip hop music. The big personalities of the stars and the exciting videos keep fans waiting to see what the genre will produce next. If they keep it up, hip hop is certainly going to be making an impact on popular culture for many years to come.

Are you a DJ or an aspiring artist? If so you will want to check out the DJM 800, the best mixer in the world. You can read reviews and get all of the latest information on the authority site; http://djm800site.com. Now start mixing! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wes_Hagan

The Great Depression of the Music Industry - A Business in Decline and the Reasons For It

 Do you remember the days when you couldn't wait to go to the music store to buy your favorite or most anticipated albums? When I was in my early teens, the majority of my allowance went to buying CDs on a weekly basis. This was the late 80's and early 90's. Music was such a driving force of culture back then. Fast forward to the present and you'd be hard pressed to find a dedicated music store you can physically go to. The level of commitment these days towards music ownership is not what it used to be. Here is why:

1. The way people purchase music has changed (downloading) 
2. The quality of music has dropped 
3. There is a much greater abundance of media distraction today

Along with these examples, what your average music lover is probably not aware of is this: record companies no longer care about artist development. Artist development is a process where in the past, record labels spent lots of money and time (possibly several years) developing the talent until it was ready to be brought to the market. We've always known that the record companies don't really care about talent, but it has never been more true than it is today. They have completely sold out for the almighty dollar to the point where they are no longer willing to take on any financial risk greater than a few thousand dollars, in almost all cases. What does this mean? It means that the artist has to not only take on that risk, but prove to the big bosses at these labels that they have a successful business model (meaning that they are generating significant revenue). Only then does an act have a chance of acquiring a recording contract.

Now if you are a band or solo artist that has worked tirelessly to build a fan base and have a nice income flow, the record company may want to sign you so long as you are willing to give away a lion's share of your future profits in all areas such as publishing, merchandising, concert ticket revenue. These modern deals are known as "360 deals." So tell me, who in their right mind would want to do that if they are already generating a nice income doing hat they love? The only ones who do are the people who still want to say, "I am signed to Atlantic Records," etc.

I have been involved with artist development for many years, and it's the only way we will ever have great music again. Most talent out there is in some sort of raw form, and needs the right people to come along with proper guidance and direction. My suggestion to all of you aspiring artists is to perfect your craft, record some great songs, and start building that fan base so you can sell your music and other offerings.

The days of a massive wave of great acts are gone, and I don't see any way that they will return. With so many ways for people to distract themselves, music just doesn't have the influence it used to. Ask yourself this question, "do you think if Bob Dylan were to come on the scene today, that he would really make it?" What we've lost in today's culture are the legends. Where have the legends gone? Where are the new Pink Floyds, Bruce Sprigsteens, Billy Joels, Michael Jacksons? Only time will tell if they are gone for good. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Robertson

Do it Yourself Hip Hop Music Business

 At one point, artists really needed to rely on getting a recording contract or having a top management firm such as Violator Management to work their contacts and make a deal happen for the artist. This is a first hand account of how to build your own career in order to get a deal offered to you similar to Drake's $2.5 Million deal from Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Records.

If you do NOT have a home studio to produce and at least reference tracks, I would start by doing this first. This will stop you from being at the mercy of any producers when you want to jump in a studio because you are creative. Creativity can hit at any moment to an artist. To be dependent upon a producer to get into their studio will hinder you and stop the creativity because you can't just jump in and create music at will.

I recommend working and saving every dime of your money and buying an iMac computer that I am on right now first and foremost. The iMac comes with a software package called Garageband that will allow you to create music at least on your own. You MUST learn the software and the software instruments in order to become proficient with your tools. Making music is really about being technically proficient. It is a requirement to know how to use the computer, how to use the iMac, and how to really use Garageband effectively to create your own sounds.

Knowing how to use Garageband will allow you to reference your own tracks and not have to wait until you get enough money to pay the producer for studio time. The other alternative is to have great relationships with studio bosses and producers and sound engineers who can get you into the studio for free and reference tracks. Once you're able to do this and create songs, start creating and getting your best tracks and songs together. Do NOT shop them to a record label! You will become very disgruntled and very discouraged and will go on a 10 year trek to find a recording company to get signed. This will NEVER happen in your lifetime.

Compile your best songs and attempt to put together your own album. Try to be different and make unique music. Once this is done, it is critical to move on to the next phase of the DIY Music Guide and that is to build an audience and build a fan base. This is NOT done the way artists thought it to be done on Myspace. Do NOT go putting your music on other people's myspace as a comment. Do NOT go sending your music to DJ's on Twitter via zshare links. Do NOT get an email of all the DJ's that your boy has and send them emails promoting you as the next Drake and new coming of Hip Hop. This does NOT work and only makes everyone pissed off.

What do you do then if that seemed like the sure fire way to get noticed and the cheap way and every one tells you to utilize social media and facebook to promote yourself? You must find someone around you that has some money or work yourself to do this next part. You must find a sponsor who will help you pay for advertisements on Facebook and Myspace. If you're utilizing Facebook primarily, you can create a Fan Page on there and upload your tracks to Facebook. You can also easily put your music up on iTunes via a digital distributor such as The Orchard.

The Orchard will create an account for you and allow you to upload your tracks. As a distributor, they will then get your tracks on all major online music retailers including iTunes, Walmart, Napster, etc. Your tracks will be in the online retailers. But being in the retailers and being found in iTunes is still like being on an island. No one knows you're actually stranded on the island. You must promote yourself. Experiencing sell through of your music is the toughest part of the music industry. Having people buy your music is NOT easy even if you're music is great. In order to get 1,000 people to click on your music you must have at least 1,000,000 people see your advertisement. This is NOT a joke and no exaggeration. The only way to truly move any type of record and get people's interest is to literally pay in advertising or pay the DJ to spin your record.

Music is a very crowded market as seen and evidenced by the proliferation of artists on Myspace. Myspace pretty much went to crap from all the artists on their promoting their music via comments and posting bulletins. The truth of the matter is that to really get a deal like Drake you must be able to show a record company that you have sales in some form or another. You either have sales from shows or you have sales from a reputable digital distributor such as The Orchard. You will get a recording contract if you walk into a label and show them the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet report showing that you have had 2,000 ringtone downloads from iTunes in the last 3 months, and 5,000 album sales from online retailers in the last 3 months. If you cannot prove this, you will NOT be entertaining a recording contract or top flight management from Chris Lighty and Violator Management.

You must have provable sales numbers that you can show to people when you go to a pitch meeting. Do NOT focus on a recording contract. Focus on marketing and selling your music. Focus on raising money to run your advertisements on these social networks such as Myspace, Facebook, and others. And again, you must REACH millions of people and get thousands of clicks on your website or song. This is the business side of music. Music is NOT about entertaining people because you have a passion for the craft. Music is about reaching the masses and proving to labels that you can reach this audience. You are forced to generate big numbers that start by reaching smaller numbers and building up a musical tsunami for yourself.

About the Author: Gerard Spinks is a writer, publisher, and author of several books and is the CEO of The Spinks Music Group. Gerard Spinks has been personally responsible for growing an audience for several music artists and has worked with artists in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York. He has worked with and secured a deal with Essence Founder Clarence O. Smith in New York and has overseen the careers of several artists. You can reach him directly at [http://www.spinksindustries.com] Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerard_Spinks

Music Marketing Secrets From Lord Alan Sugar

This article is for all aspiring beat makers! Are you a Hip Hop fanatic that knows that you can make hot beats? I'm sure you just need to be pointed in the right direction and you will be making better beats than Kanye West in no time! Right?

I will show you how to make a hip hop beat that will also compare to the beats that you hear on major label CD's, on the radio, in the clubs, and on iTunes! This will be a short cut on make a hip hop beat that the professional producers pray you won't find out for fear of a lot more competition from guys like you: the artists and producers who do it strictly for the love of the music. It is a well known fact that a majority of professional and well paid producers are no longer renting studio time for hundreds of dollars an hour to produce the high quality sound you are hearing out there today. The massive influx of beat making computer programs has made it so much easier to produce pro sounding music from the comfort of your home. But don't be fooled!

You can't just get any old' beat making software and expect to come up with a great sound. Many of the programs out there now are crap. Most of the cheap programs do not have the sounds mixed properly so they can sound like the same sounds as the ones rappers on major labels may use but when u mix them or play them in a professional format (the clubs, the radio, CD, performances), the frequency quality is poor.

 

You are going to need something that uses the exact same sounds and samples that are already mixed the way that the ones the big named producers are using. There are a few good programs that cost around thirty to forty dollars if you know which ones to get. If you would like to find a few good ones that have been used in music that is currently on the radio, please see the authors resources below.

Take advantage of your free report on beat making software, music production tips, tricks, and inside Industry secrets Here: http://www.squidoo.com/make-a-hip-hop-beat-how-to-make-a-hip-hop-beat-that-sounds-major-label-quality Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_T_Johnson

 

 

 

 

 

Lil' Wayne watches a game between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Arena on January 4, 2011 in Miami, Florida.