Happy New Year from Music Business Secrets!

Music Business Secrets XVII (12-30-10)

Tonight we had a pretty full house, with 14 people at our peak inside of the chatroom. We also had the Mike Prieto's visit, he enlightened us with his visions about A&Rs then and now. This is what we talked about:

- PRO's (BMI - SESAC - ASCAP): Why can't you be part of all of them?
- Ghost writing: What to expect from it
- Sample clearance

Top 5 of 2010:

-  Andrew Boss feat. Mark Wild - Movie Love (Website - MySpace -Twitter - Facebook)
- Suzie Rose - I Ain't No Mistery Girl (Reverbnation - Facebook - Twitter)
- Block-Key - Let's Dance (Facebook)
- Ray Pacheco - You Can't Play Me (Facebook)
- Jerome - Good Girls (MySpace)

Other songs:

- Missy Fiore - Me & My Girls (Facebook)
- Alissa Cavallaro - I Will (Facebook - Youtube)
- Paula Dominguez - Una Verdad Incomoda (MySpace - Facebook - Youtube)
- Kadie Kay - Money & Fame (MySpace)

In our segment with Mike Prieto (Facebook):

- What do A&Rs look for
- The difference between A&Rs back in the day & today
- How to deal with a teen star

Review:
- ADD Project - "Sky High" & "What You Want"

Music Business Secrets wishes you a Merry Christmas!!

Me (Frankie Biggz), my co-host Darren Darby & lovely Miss IreneB want to wish you a very Merry Christmas!! We hope to see you next Thursday, same time (8PM/ET), same place (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/frankie-s-place), at our live show!!

If you want to ask questions for our show, you can do it at the following places, make sure you specify it's for our show!

- Frankie Biggz (Formspring - Facebook - MySpace - Email)

- Darren Darby (Facebook) 

Music Business Secrets XVI (12/23/10)

Today we had a great show, with some of our regulars (Aboss, SoundStarRecords, etc.) and some surprising visits (Thanks to Mike McCready & Anthony Cavallaro!). Great talks about what season is the best to release an album, some talk about Major Music Events & young artists and lots of questions, here you have what we talked about:

- Releasing Music in the 1st/4th quarter: Pros & Cons
- How to set up a release:

• Reverbnation (Website)
• Podcast Alley(Website)
• AirplayDirect (Website)
• Radio tags
• Remixes

- Major Music Events in the US & Europe

• Billboard Conferences (Website)
• NAMM (Website)
• MIDEM (Website)
• Future Music Forum (Website)

- European Market for American Artists
- Dance Music in Europe

• Strictly Rhythm (Website)
• Motto Records

- Young Artists
- Hip Hop in Spain

• MAI (Facebook)
• Yaina (Website - Facebook - MySpace)
• Paula Dominguez
• Dituyi

- Metal in the US
- Genre to get in
- Producers in London
- Mixtapes
- A&R & why they don't risk anymore

Our peak in the chatroom was 8 people & we had people from Germany, New York & Detroit!

Music Business Secrets XV (12-16-2010)

Back to normal this week, we had time to receive a bunch of questions from people and answer them, so here it is what we talked about this week:

- 2010 Grammy Nominations (website)

- Hate Mail

- Difference between a producer & a programmer

- Frankie Biggz's Birthday Party (Jan. 15th)

- Export tracks from Protools to Fruity Loops

- The business behind music

We answered the following questions:

- Joan Pla (Los Angeles/Barcelona) - I am producing 4 different artists. All the music is getting very good feedback and interest and I am considering to stop looking for a record label for them and be the record label. What are your thoughts about it? What to you think is the most difficult part? I have not much information about how this could work.

- Sarah Price  - What’s the difference between mixing & mastering?

- Tony James (Miami, FL.) – I wrote a magazine to be featured on it and they asked me for a press release, what is it?

- Jamie (NJ) - I had an discussion with a friend of mine the other day, he’s a guitar player and I used him to do some riffs in one of my tunes, I payed him for the session, but now he says he wants to be credited as an author in the song and get publishing as well. Is this normal?

We watched/reviewed/enjoyed the following videos:

- Miley Cyrus Smoking

- Muddfut - Mutha Planet Live

- How female singers get famous!

- The A & R Guy

- Client vs. Music Producer

In our review segment (brought to you by MusicXray):

Songs/Tracks by:

- Romantic - New track (MySpace)

- Block-Key - Dance Again

- Tracy Woody - Your Love

- Brooke Snow - My Perspective

We had 9 people at our peak & they were from Los Angeles, Orlando, Detroit, Germany, New York & Italy!

If you want to ask questions for our show, you can do it at the following places, make sure you specify it's for our show!

- Frankie Biggz (Formspring - Facebook - MySpace - Email)
- Darren Darby (Facebook)

Music Business Secrets XIV (12-09-2010)

After a couple of weeks of absence due to different matters we are back from Detroit. Our conection wasn't too good tonight and our viewership was pretty low due to our absence these last 2 weeks. However, we did want to touch base with you guys and tell you that next week we'll be back in full force!

We wanted to send special regards to Suzie Rose & Alinamusic who were there no matter what!

This Thursday is Thanksgiving! There will be no show!

Because we will be stuffing ourselves like turkeys, the show will be canceled this week. We will see you next Thursday, Dec. 2nd, at 8PM/ET.

We want to thank everybody that's been following us since the beginning, also those who recently started coming!

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody!

Music Business Team
(Frankie Biggz, Darren Darby & IreneB)

Music Business Secrets XIII (11-18-2010)

After two weeks in Europe we come back to the US with new features in our show. From now on we're gonna have a phone line for us to interact with you LIVE. You can call during our show, every Thursday from 8-10PM/ET and get your questions answered live, and why not debate with us? This is much easier than doing it through the chat, where it gets difficult to interact without problems due to lag. Our phone for the live show is 321-283-2270.

Thanks to this new feature, we had the pleasure to talk to Suzie Rose, a singer/songwriter from L.A., that shared her ideas on different aspects of the music industry.

In this show we talked about:

- Paying to get in front of A&Rs, is it a good or a bad idea?
- Buy out for commercials. What to ask for before you accept.
- Sending rough ideas to record labels, artists, etc. Right or wrong?
- The best way to approach publishing companies in the US.
- Co-writing with someone who has a publishing deal.

In our review segment(brought to you by MusicXray):

Songs by:
- Suzie Rose - Forgiveness (Reverbnation)
- Suzie Rose - Envy (Reverbnation)
- Seamus - Kori Davies Chant
- Seamus - Stand For Lies
- Jerome - Prototype Master (MySpace)
- Suzie Rose - Vanished (Reverbnation)
- Suzie Rose - So Deep (Reverbnation)

Frankie Biggz Production Samples:
- IreneB - I Wanna Fly (Website - Facebook - Reverbnation)
- Nate Walka - Robot (Remix) (Website)
- Romantic - Lala Land (MySpace)

We had 12 people at our best and there were people from Michigan, Dublin, Montreal, New York, Los Angeles & Spain!

Music Business Secrets XII (11-11-2010)

In this show we talked about:

- MTV Week in Madrid (MTV Spain)
- Differences between record labels in Europe and the US
- ISRC Codes
- Music + TV
- The best way to become a touring musician
- Promotion gigs for free, when to do them?
- Pay To Play?
- Japanese Market
- Premios de la Musica (Open submissions for Spanish artists until November 30th)
- Best Drummers & Bass Players

In our review segment (brought to you by MusicXray):

Songs by:
- Unknown Artist - My favorite disguise
- Thunderfunk - People Get Ready (website)
- Thunderfunk - Diggin' On James Brown (website)
- Thunderfunk - Living For The City (website)
- Thunderfunk - Monster On A Leash (website)
- Romantic - Baby Don't Tell Me (MySpace)

We had 15 people at our best and there were people from Michigan, Singapore, Montreal, Spain & Germany!

No Music Business Secrets this week

Hey guys, I won't be able to do the show this week because I'm in Madrid, Spain doing some business. I will keep you posted with the day & time of our new show. I should be able to do it next Thursday from Barcelona, but I will tell you for sure when I know something concrete. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.

Music Business Secrets XI (10-28-10)

For technical reasons this show wasn't recorded, sorry for the inconvenience :( 

In this show we talked about:
- How to approach bigger musicians/songwriters/producers to work with them
- Samples on songs: Who would clear them? How do you clear a sample?
- Showcases: Do they work? - Collaborating and writing on expect
- Promotion & Scams
- Physical CDs: Is it still worth to press them?

In our review segment (brought to you by MusicXray):

Songs by:
-Kyle White - On Deck
- Da Twin Towers - Fly
- Masta Nate - We Golden
- Block Key - Let's Dance
- The Vicious Boys - I'm A Ridah
- Rosa - I'm Going To Run Away
- Love Stuck Robot - Love Stuck Robot (Facebook)
- Suzie Rose - Exposed (Reverbnation)

Videos by:
- Suzie Rose - Losing (Live) (Reverbnation)
- Diana Feria - A Song For You (MySpace)
- IreneB - Tender Soul (Live in Atlanta) (Myspace - Facebook - Amazon - iTunes)
- Jeff Lorber feat. IreneB - Sugar Free (Website - iTunes - Amazon)

We had a total of 18 people at its peak and we had visitors from Los Angeles, Orlando, New York, New Jersey & Montreal.

Music Business Secrets X (07-21-10)

In this show we talked about:

- MusicXray & our joint venture for the LIVE music reviews
- Scammers in the music industry
- Management: When are managers needed?
- Producers: How to get noticed as a producer
- Song Pluggers & Publishing Entities

• BOK Music (USA)
• Eastside Music Publishing Ltd (UK)

In our review segment (brought to you by MusicXray):

Videoclips by:
- Yaina feat. Brixx - Complex (Website)
- Paula Dominguez - Enciende Motores (Website)
- Jiggy - Nunca Más (Website)
- Romy Low - Little Miss Flapper (Website)

Songs by:
- Suzie Rose - Don't Rush
- Aykayaycity - Remix
- Meek Millz - In My Bag
- Block Key - Pop Smash
- Rosa - Libertad



We had a total of 20 people at its peak and we had people from New York, Los Angeles, Monroe, Montreal, Germany & Singapore.

Music Business Secrets IX (10-14-10)

This was our biggest show so far, with a total of 25 people at its peak. We had people from New York, Germany, Detroit, Los Angeles, Orlando, Montreal & New Orleans! Here's what we talked about:

- Connections
- How to make money off of downloads
- Traditional record labeling vs. Today's ideal record labeling
- Sound Pluggers
- Mobile Applications
- Singers
- How to get a publishing deal + is it worth it?
- Publishing deals vs. Administration deals
- The Harry Fox Agency (website)
- Podcasting  - Podcast Alley (website)
-  How to break in the European Market
- How to improve your singing

In our review section:
- Block-Key - Jumping In
- Block-Key - I Just Wanna Party
- Suzie Rose - I Ain't No Mistery Girl
- Jerome - Good Girl
- SoundStar Records - We Got Business
- Kadie Kay - Sampler
- Lemont - Mix
- Suzie Rose - Lullaby
- Phantom Soul - Ain't No Way Son
- Missy Fiore - Me & My Girls

This was our biggest show so far with a total of 25 people coming in! :)

Music Business Secrets VIII (10-07-10)

In this show we talked about:

- Hipnotik Festival
- Future Music Forum
- How to track sales/radio (Nielsen)
- How to track your social networks, fan base, territories, etc. (MusicMetric)
- How to share your work as a songwriter, producer, etc. (Soundcloud)
- EPKs
- Touring
- Mixtapes
- Radio Payola
- Mobile Applications

We had a total of 16 people at its peak and we had visitors from Pittsburgh, Spain & Grand Rapids.

Music Business Secrets VII (09-23-10)

Once again from Spain. These were our subjects in this show:

- Future Music Forum (Website)
- Digital Distribution
- Social Networking

• Artistdata (Website)

- Podcasts

• PodcastAlley (Website)
• Soundexchange (Website)
• Tags

- Bookings
- 360 Deals
- Manager/Artist Relationship
- Recording Studios & Record Labels
- Production in the 90s vs. Production today
- Difference of production costs
- Mixing different languages in rap

Music Business Secrets VI (09-16-10)

This week Frankie Biggz did his broadcast from Barcelona Spain! It was a full house, people from the US & Europe got together due to the temporary time change. We got to discuss the following subjects:

- Frankie's new catalan group: Cybee

- Differences between copyrights in the US &  Europe

- Managers/Lawyers: Good or bad?

- Audrianna Cole (MySpace)

- Promotion & Marketing in Europe

- Being found via mixtape: Does it work?

- R&B in Spanish & its poor promotion in Spain

- Collaborations between songwriters/artists

-Canadian Artists in the Music

- Distribution deals

- Mixing languages in songs

- The "N" word in Hip Hop

- Song Translations/adaptations

- Band/Track Shows

- The importance of merchandising in the European market

- Are American artists exotic for Europeans?

- American labels vs European labels

- ProTools vs. Logic

- Quality but affordable hardware

- Microphones & EQ settings

Music Business Secrets V (09-09-10)

In this show we talked about:

- Production costs
- ISRC Codes (Website)
- Copyrights (Website)
- Sites to pitch music (MusicXray - TAXI)
- Being an opening act: Pros & Cons
- Starting a record label: Register the company, accounting & splits
- Buying a demo from a producer
- Darren Darby as a DJ
- Europe vs. US strategies
- Production: Do you have to be totally current?
- Remixes: How to get in the game/White labels
- Leasing songs: Is it possible?
- Publishing companies (BOK Publishing - Eastside)
- A capellas for remixes (Franchise Record Pool)
- Indie vs. Major
- Europe: Conferences (Popkomm - Midem)
- Real Instruments vs. Machine Productions
- Is American Music more appreciated in Europe?
- Sananda Maitreya (Website)

In our review section:
- Gabriel Angel - Careless Whisper (Produced by Joan Pla)
- Andrew Boss - Movie Love (Website)
- Aaron Taylor - Start Over From Here (Facebook)
- AkaCity - Remix

Our peak was 17 people! :)

Music Business Secrets IV (09-02-10)

In this show we talked about:

- Production costs
- Tours & how to book a show
- Open microphones
- EP vs. LP
- Performance Rights Organizations
- Song Pluggers
- The Musicians Atlas

In our review segment:

Songs by:
- Ray Pacheco - You Can't Play Me
- Vivic - Rock The Beat
- Andrew Boss - Destiny



We had a total of 13 people at its peak and we had visitors from New York, Orlando & Spain.

Music Business Secrets III (08-26-10)

This is our first recorded show and our first with co-host Darren Darby. We talked about:

- Mixtapes
- The European market
- EP vs. Album
- Publishing
- Sponsorship for albums
- Rappers on pop tracks
- Production costs
- Sample clearance
- Copyrights
- Writer credits
- Tours
- Song adaptations & publishing



The show had a total of 19 viewers at its peak and we had people from the UK!

Music Business Secrets II (08-19-10)

Unfortunately we didn't get to record this second show. However, here is what we talked about:

- How to deal with artists' egos
- Expect deal
- Difference between a producer and a beat maker
- Distribution

We had visitors from Germany & Spain!

Music Business Secrets I (08-12-10)

Unfortunately we didn't get to record this first show, however, here you have what we talked about:

- "I want to be an artist": How to get started.
- What's the role of a producer
- Differences between a producer and a beat maker
- Myths about getting signed
- What makes a good artist
- Impatient artists