If You're An Artist With A Blog - Get Entrecard

Since 2008, I have used a service called Entrecard to bring traffic to my blog. The subject of my blog has changed from time to time but the traffic has remained consistent. Entrecard provides a network for bloggers to come together and use a point system (called EC's) to use as "money" to advertise of other blogs. The more popular your blog is, the more EC's it costs to have your ad show up on another blogger's blog site. It's really a clever idea and I urge anyone that has a blog and needs unique traffic to sign up for a free account and get started campaigning. You can also purchase EC's if you're not patient enough to work your way upward. Here are some of the pro's and con's about Entrecard.

Pro's:
1. EC's are free if you do the work. (Dropping cards, leaving comments and participating in contests. All is explained at www.entrecard.com)
2. You can start small and still get a little traffic boost to your blog.
3. You get to communicate with other bloggers and network with each other.
4. You blog will get spidered quickly by search engine's because of the traffic activity, in addition to adding posts regularly to your blog with relative content.
5. Your Entrecard widget can go on your blog or website.
6. Other people can pay you EC's to advertise on your blog or site and this is the fastest way to earn EC's so make sure that you have a great looking blog with a topic that people really want to know about.

Con's:
1. You can only make one account per blog. Your widget can only be posted on the blog that you specify in your account in order for the system to work as intended.
2. Your ad is restricted to 125x125 images that had better attract a potential reader to your blog in the first couple seconds of seeing it.
3. It does take awhile to accumulate points and you have to work at it with consistency to really see a huge influx of traffic to your blog. (However, it's worth it if you don't mind doing the work.)
4. The ability to buy EC's can make it a little unfair for those who may not be able to afford a great amount of EC's and are slowly working their way up. But as we all like to say now days... it is what it is.

Go to www.EntreCard.com and take a look at the system for yourself. Above all, it's fun to participate and see what other great blogs are out there. Many times, I've found myself inspired by what other people are doing. I'm sure that if you go and get involved, you'll be inspired as well.

A Bad Relationship Can Hold You Back

A lot of people don't want to admit this, but when your emotions are out of whack, it will definitely effect your performance. How can you finish an album, choreography a dance, produce a show or complete a music video if someone has your head all tied up? Get this book "Get Your Ex Back Or Get Over It" and learn how to take control of the situation. This book isn't just for people who are dealing with getting over a breakup, it's for people who are in the midst of a turbulent relationship. It is for people who want to get into a relationship. It's for people that want to make sure that they are in the right relationship. No matter what the journey entails, if you are being distracted by someone that you have feelings for, you have to get in under control in order to stay focussed. It's a must. You have to do it. Also, if you want to read more tips on how to deal with an ex girl friend or ex boyfriend, Click Here.

How To Start Your Own Record Company

There are thousands on record companies out there. They all start on paper. Having a brick and mortar building to operate out of doesn't make you a record company. A record company is all about the people on your team, the artists that you have ready to go and the distribution outlets that you have access to. I started my own record company called Pryme Meridian Entertainment (www.PrymeMeridian.com). I use it as my legal entity to promote myself as an artist. It's a partnership between my mother and I. She has no clue as to how the industry works in it's entirety but if we need to have a meeting, she's always present. LOL She's my emotional support and my objective analyzer, if you will. Moving on, the point is that I have all of my documentation in place. Documentation beats conversation, all day long. Here's what you need to start your own record company before you can give yourself a record deal.

1. Pick a good name.

2. Reserve your name with the secretary of State of which you reside.

3. Purchase your business license to operate in that state under the name that you've picked and reserved. Fees do apply. Google it to find out what it is.

4. I would recommend going over to Chase Bank and starting your business accounts after you have the articles of incorporation for your business.

5. DO A BUSINESS PLAN! You must. There's no exception. If you don't have a business plan then you are not serious about business. There's software out there that will help you build it or you can use a Microsoft Word template. If you're too lazy to do the research and do it yourself then pay somebody to do it. You can hire someone through oDesk.com to do it for you. Your business plan should contain your marketing plan, the demographic information of the audience that you'd like to reach and your financial analysis.

6. Do a partnership agreement with the executive of your record company so that you are covered and get it notarized. Notoriety is everything.

7. Get distribution outlets together. In the case of the N.E.O. Indsutry, you can use Tunecore or CD Baby to get your music on iTunes, Napster, AmazonMP3.com and many other only digital outlets around the word. I'll talk more about distribution and marketing later on.

8. Get your product together. The artist(s) and their album.

Those are the steps to getting your record company up and running. The rest will coming from reading and applying what you read. By all means, don't allow someone else to acquire knowledge and know everything for you. The money is in the writing and publishing. READ about what publishing is and know why it's such a big deal. READ about how to license your product for movies, commercials, etc. Ask questions. Get legal counsel if needed. Whatever the cost, know your stuff. The knowledge is the power. That's why so many artists have left the industry with nothing put a few CD's to show for what they've done, as seen on TV One's Unsung series. Watch the show sometimes. You'll learn so much about how unglamorous the industry really is. You gotta know your stuff to run a record company successfully.

Your Record Deal Is Within You

I've done the showcases. I've done the open mics and played the keys and drums and some of the hottest lounges in Atlanta. It worked for India Arie but why wasn't it working for me? I auditioned for Beyonce's all-girl band. I've gone to dance auditions, only to be told that I wasn't clean enough or that I didn't have the "look" that they were looking for even though I killed the choreography.What's worse? MY FRIENDS were on these panels. Yes, the same people that would call me to go out dancing or go to a movie were some of the same people that wouldn't put me on when it was time to make the cut. And then people say, "Oh it's just business. Don't take it personal. Keep it separate". Okay... well honestly, real friends should want to help you out and help you get ahead when they are in a position to ensure your success. Where are the people that look out for you like that? The reality is that very few exist. I've dated people that knew people who were doing great things in the industry and even though they expected me to come over everyday and spend my time with them... they would listen to my music or watch my videos and tell me how great and how hot it was but never ONCE called up their industry friends to have them take a look at what I was doing. It was almost as if they didn't want to really see me make it because I wouldn't be readily accessible to them anymore. Or maybe I'd meet someone better and not care about them anymore. I don't know what people think but it's lonelier at the top than it is at the bottom. That's why a pyramid gets smaller at the top. There are very few people that make it to the top of the chain. So that would lead me to believe that it would be best to hold tight to family and friends that you grew up with or that knew you prior to your success. Right? Well either way, I talked to my Creator about it and you  know what He told me? He told me that my record is within me. What? Well what He meant was this: Everything that you want in life, that supports your life's purpose, is already done and there for you to take advantage of. It's a little bit of an intangible concept but here's where it becomes tangible. What is a record deal? In the since of a major record deal, it's a contract for a 3rd party company to use you (the act) to record and release sound recordings and have them distributed for retail sales. You pretty much license your name and your image/ likeness to the company and you become a product for them to sale. Did you ever see the movie Boomerang? Remember Lady Elouise? (Who doesn't? Marrrrcus darling.) Well remember during the course of the movie when they explained that Lady Elouise had no power and she was just a figurehead used to sale the product line? AH HA! Same thing goes for records. From this point on, whenever you see a recording artist go broke or complain that they didn't get paid very much even though they went platinum, you don't have to wonder why. The industry wasn't setup for artists (or figureheads) to make any money. You could work a 9-5 job and make more money in the end. So how do get a good record deal? You give yourself a record. Yes, I said it. Give yourself one. Don't you ever take yourself to the movies or out to dinner? So why can't you take the time and a few dollars and give yourself a record deal? The problem is that people think that unless they sign the deal in a big office in front of some pinstriped suit, it's not anything to be excited about. Well that's where you are wrong. When you lay out the terms of your record deal, sign and date it and have it notarized, it's just as REAL as any other record deal. So what's the difference between a major record and a deal that you can give yourself? MARKETING. You have to be willing to advertise, but thanks to the internet, everyone has a chance to be major. You still have to invest in yourself if you want to see some results but you can cut out the middleman and all of the jive. Don't reach for being famous first. Reach for being successful. Reach for selling some albums and building your audience. Fame comes from your audience, not from the deal itself. Being on stage in front of any number of people is what makes people become attracted and drawn to you. It's the perception that you build for people that makes them fall in love with you. It's the messages in your songs and how good they sound that makes people press rewind. It isn't the deal that does it. The power is within you. It's no where else but within you. Later in this blog, I'm going to discuss some methods that you can use to help get your music out there and start building an audience as I've done. I have about 10,000 fans worldwide and it's still growing. I have a long way to go but I've come a long way as well. Keep following me.

The Beginning

First of all, let me say this. I'm not here to bash the industry or bash anyone in particular. Everyone artist has their own story. Whether you like any particular artist or not, we're all human beings and we all have someone that loves on us or hates on us. That's just how it is. What we've got to do is learn to balance all of that out. What I AM here to do though, is to open your minds up... those of you who seek the knowledge... to understand what it really is that we are dealing with when it comes to the music and entertainment industry out there. If "they" want you to be famous, you'll be famous. If "they" want you to be powerful, then you'll be powerful. That is, is "their" industry. But there's an industry that is "underground" but taking over ground. New Entertainment Organization or N.E.O.  industry, as I'd like to call it. N.E.O. isn't all about showing up to every showcase trying to get in front of managers or producers. It isn't about having to sell out, especially at the lower levels of the game, before you even get a record deal. It isn't about signing your life away, along with your publishing, masters and freedom to create (as you had done before your "major record deal"). The N.E.O. industry is about taking your career by the horns and riding it until you get where you want to be. Being commercially famous is the pie in the sky with the invisible glass ceiling that everybody thinks that they should reach for. But after all of this time, we've been reaching for the wrong thing. We are co-creators with the universe (God, Jehovah, YHWH). We were created to create! To be fruitful and multiply, is the command that we've heard so much about but don't necessarily do. Having a "Jackson" family isn't the only way to create. How so? Well, out of 9 Jacksons, there's only two that the world really cares about. Michael and Janet (but definitely Michael) embraced their abilities to create. And they did is irregardless of who told them that they could make something happen on not. Even with all of their popularity and money, their plight for success wasn't always successful. How many times did Michael have to write a big check to make something happen? Do your research. As a matter of fact, two of his greatest videos... the two that set all-time records, were the two that HE PAID FOR. No sponsorship. No record company budget. Mike did it. Which ones? Thriller ($1 Million dollar check) and Scream featuring Janet ($7 Million dollar check). This dude, the greatest that there ever was and one of the greatest that will ever exist spent over $8 millie to ensure his success. Needless to say, it worked. Janet's greatest tours were the ones that she directed. Imagine that. You're practicing for your performance but you gotta stop to tell the musical director that he didn't hit the right cue for a dance sequence. Well, that's what she did. We saw Michael do it in This Is It. He had a director but... what did he do really? Other than babysit the dancers? What I'm saying is this... the N.E.O. industry is all about investing in yourself to ensure your success. That goes for music, movies, books, consumer products, etc. If you want the laws of the Universe to work for you, you have to give the Universe something tangible to work with. But what's tangible in the material realm isn't the same as what's tangible is the spirit realm of the Universe. As a matter of fact, it's the total opposite. To grow a tree, you physically have to plant a seed in the ground. You have to dig a whole that's deep enough for the seed to root itself, drop the seed in, fill the whole and then water it periodically to make sure that it's nourished to grow. Then you have to watch it grow and protect it from weeds or other predators. To make an idea become reality, you have to conceive the idea as exactly as you want it to be, make a concise plan, fund the plan, follow the plan and keeping funding the plan until you achieve your desired results... which should be indicated in the plan. You have to BELIEVE in what your idea is. Your sub-conscience is your dirt. The idea is the seed. The faith and belief in your idea is the water that will make it grow. The manifestation starts to happen when you start to take action by making a plan and sticking to it. Will everything go perfectly according to plan? No. Somethings will go better than expected and some things be not workout as you had hoped, but that's why you have to be flexible enough to tweak your plan. In the N.E.O. industry, there is a wide open market for the fearless. These are the people who aren't afraid to declare "I AM", "I HERE" and  "I'M READY"! I thought about writing a book to explain all of this but what for? All of the 100% of people that read this blog, only 1% of you will do something with what I'm saying. So why go through all of the writing, editing, formatting and publishing for only 1%  of you to benefit from it? Might as well talk about it for free. What I might do is just offer a service to consult those that truly want to learn. I can always do it via skype or email. Maybe put a chat room on my site or do a live net meeting. Conference calls works too. I guess if you guys comment and let me know what you'd like to do then I can set it up from there. But overall, I think that some of you get the idea of what I'm saying. I have a lot more to say about this in detail and I'll be using my own success, triumphs and challenges as examples throughout this blog. I would suggest that those of you who are serious about your careers should subscribe to this blog so that you don't miss anything important. I won't be posting anything like those corny forwards or just little tidbits from my day on here. If you would to keep up with me like that, you can always follow me on Twitter or Facebook. This blog is for the realness! Love you all. Blessings.