Record Mogul Boot Camp
UCLA Extension student-run label, Beet Music has undertaken a daunting task – release a full - length CD compilation featuring rising & established Los Angeles Hip-Hop & Electro-Hop acts. As if that’s not extreme enough, the class, consisting of music biz vets and newbies have just 12 weeks to sign the acts, record the disc & create a live event at LA’s Troubador on July 17.
We asked label CEO, Jeremy Nasta, publicist Garin Demarjian and Director of Corporate Sponsors/ Business Operations, Keonda Gaspard how they did it and what they’ve learned.
AP: What is the significance of naming your label, "Beet Music"?
JN: Beet Music was a play on words--namely, a word that provided the essence of the style of music we were going for--Music with a big old BEAT---So, hey--Beat is fun word to play with. You dance to the beat, get beat up, get beat down and have your Mama forcin' beats down your throat so you can stay strong for it all. Honestly, it was a light hearted thing that we all liked.
KG: {We are} 20 students from all around the globe & the one common factor in which we all agreed was that the beat makes the songs. Its unique spelling was incorporated because like the vegetable - beet - we are a label that is working to the top from the ground up. Additionally we chose "Music" instead of the traditional term "Records."
AP: Of all the challenges you faced - starting the label, signing artists, staging an event within the time frame of a school semester – which were the most daunting?
JN: The biggest challenge we’re facing is the sheer lack of time that we have as far as fitting all the "to do's" in with our regular life. I mean, LA is an expensive and huge city so everyone is already hustling. Fitting an extra 5-10 things to do every week really adds up. Also, when it comes to the songs and the artists, there is a lot of concern over different owner rights as far as samples, outside writers, etc. We had to turn down a couple of submissions because of that and we are currently in discussion w/one groups’ manager over owner rights as well.
GD: We only have 12 weeks to pull this off. Not everyone in our class was in the music business or worked in the industry at all. We all worked from the talents that we all possessed and went from there. We are a student run label therefore another challenge was the lack of resources in order for us to either pay for an event, bands, ads, etc... but by pulling together we got sponsors, which expands our resources and enables us to expand on our label.
KG: Establishing a label in 12 weeks certainly is no easy task. Challenges are posed from day one - our first was placing individual talents into specific jobs titles. Students nominated themselves for a position, each gave a spill on their qualifications, and the class voted for the best candidate. Next, the class had picked a theme of the album. Now this seemingly was the hardest part - as everyone has their own distinct taste in music. We eventually sided with an Electro Hip-Hop sound that incorporates a vast list of artists. Finding sponsors to support our project with both monetary and product donation was our next test. After some footwork, we eventually began to see the sponsorships roll in with was really motivating. Lastly, blending the diverse demographics of the class to make one album that everyone is proud of is the toughest challenge. However, as a class we all agree that we want BEET MUSIC, its compilation, and its licensed artists to be a success and that's what keeps us driven.
AP: With sales continually plummeting, many industry experts regard the CD as a dying format. Why did yourlabel decide that a physical CD was critical to the projects overall success?
JN: Bottom line is that you need a physical product. What kills CD's is that that product can be duplicated in one shot. So if we were going for a long-term sales goal, we would rely less heavily on the CD. But since our activities are peaking at one large and beautiful event--at the Troubador on June 17--we figured it makes sense. I mean, we don't want to set up a bunch of computers for people to buy on line--or pass out memory sticks. Where's the art in that? And CD's do still sell. Just less.
KG: Not everyone is ready to make purchases through the Internet and we do not want to count those fans out. In order to make this CD a success BEET MUSIC realized all channels of distribution must be exploited.
GD: We wanted to give to our sponsors & our bands something tangible to remember this project by. We also believe in the art of CDs.... an artist works hard to get their music and/or art out there and we feel by just downloading a song here and there or even an album the artists entire vision might be lost and we didn't want to do that.
AP: Why did you decide to go the "press on demand" route rather than other new technologies like down load cards, memory sticks/cards, etc.?
JN: I think that if we had more time, we would like to experiment with all of these technologies. But "Press on demand" also has a mysterious and powerful image attached to it. You click a button on your computer and somewhere, a giant machine goes into action creating the CD you just paid for.
KG: We are going with "press on demand" as our main distribution channel so eliminate some of the upfront cost and to move away from the current trend of decreasing CD sales. However, we plan to use additionally channels of distribution such as digital downloads through i-stores such as iTunes and Amazon. Physical distribution will be set up through Super D Distribution to support the mom and pop stores. And also we will have the CD for sale at all live events.
AP: Who is your target audience for this release?
JN: Well, with the UCLA spring quarter ending, we are focusing on attracting those who are ready to de-stress and party it up on a Tues night. And of course the acts that we are featuring have fan bases. So, it would be great to have fan bases going wild with all kinds of people new to the music being drawn in to complete a fantastic live chemistry.
KG: Our target audience for this release is in the age range 17-35 and of ALL ethnicities. They love new, trendy, and eclectic sounds that reflect California culture. The majority of our acts are Southern California locals and their fans, our target audience; require their music to high energy with a mellow vibe with a twist of diversity.
AP: How are you getting the word out about the event?
KG: {We’re} spreading the word about our event at the Troubadour through various mediums. We have printed flyers that we will pass to students at the UCLA campus, at individual events that are being hosted by BEET MUSIC, print ads in local trades, a radio campaign with several local mainstream and college radio and good old fashioned word of mouth to friends, family, and co-workers. However, our main form of publicity will be on social networks such as Myspace and Facebook.
JN: Well, we have some web marketing--a website, MySpace page and facebook--we also have some cool flyers getting ready to hit the streets--posters donated by "High Volume Merch" and 3 promo events at BrewCo--a brew pub on UCLA campus--1097 Glendon Ave at Kinross--from 7-10 on May 29, June 5 and 12. We have a street raffle team, and of course . . . . YOU!
AP: What resources and tools have you found to be most effective to contact press, industry reps, sponsors, etc?
GD: Besides having an excellent prof {C Michael Brae} to guides us, the Internet is one of our major tools. We have also spoken to different press, sponsors and so on by calling and speaking to them, and having our street team go to stores and speaking to potential supporters in person. We believe that making the first initial contact in person is crucial to making and establishing the great relationship we need for our label.
KG: {At first} we used search engines, personal referrals, and our acts to help us build our preliminary resource list. Then, Professor C. Michael Brae introduced us to the Musicians AtlasOnline, so we could make contacts with individual radio personalities and more.
AP: What were some of the pitfalls/obstacles you encountered & how did you overcome them?
JN: It was tough to lock down a venue w/out agreeing to pay them up front. Besides that, it's a jungle out here and you've just got to be relentless and positive!
GD: It may be discouraging to know that people may slam the door when all you want to do is make this the best possible project you can.... but we all have positive outlooks and have learned that when a door closes another one opens and we have overcome these obstacles by working as hard as we can to get the job done.
KG: The task of successfully releasing a sound scanned album in 12 weeks is an obstacle in itself. What has gotten BEET MUSIC over the hump everyone's strong desire to make the CD a hit. Also, establishing a trusting relationship with students you just met is definitely a challenge. Luckily, we all had one thing in common and that is the love for good music so that was our focus. Lastly, raising money for actual business development initially posed a problem but once we got the ball rolling we were clear and free. True not every class was enjoyable but we all learned how to speak up for what we thought was fair, how to collective make decisions, how to delegate task, and how to cooperate in a real-time group project.
Show Your Support
Beet Music Showcase Featuring:
*Hyper Crush *Van Cans *Pink Tie Mafia *Midnite Theory *Ultra Violet Sounds *DNEZ *We Major Ent *Canada Roiale *Sathyre *Sunspot Jonz
Is June 17, 2008 at the Troubadour - Los Angeles, California.
