Whether working with Beenie Man on the club favourite, “Who Am I (Sim Simma)”, Tanto Metro & Devonte on “Give It To Her”, or helping dancehall music break into the mainstream with his own artist, Sean Paul – music producer & manager, Jeremy Harding has been influencing pop culture for years.
I had the incredible opportunity to speak with him about production, getting into management and the overall music business.
Read the interview below, where he offers a wealth of knowledge and insight:
I’m about to break one of the cardinal sins of blogging: I’m going to tell you why I haven’t updated recently.
I know I’m notorious for my gaps in posting, but that was usually due to time management issues, or writer’s block, or laziness. This time it was for a different reason.
I’m annoyed.
Jermaine Dupri recently spoke at BlogWorld Expo 09 about the effects of blogs and social networking sites like Twitter, on the music business.
Here are 2 videos of the panels he spoke on:
Con artist, Antoine Keane a.k.a Dominic Edmonds
One of the biggest problems with the music business (or any business, for that matter) is that you’re never quite sure who you can trust. People talk a lot; the difference is some can back up their talk, while others simply can’t.
And other times, not only can they not back it up – they go to the extreme to create an entire façade.
Fakes.
Frauds.
One of those frauds is Antoine Keane a.k.a “Dominic Edmonds”.
DJ AM (R.I.P) in DJ Hero video game
In this struggling state of the record industry, most artists, producers and labels are desperately looking for different streams to generate revenue.
Video games have long been a great alternative revenue stream, however in recent years games are becoming even more dependent on musical content (Guitar Hero, Rock Band, DJ Hero, etc), making this an even more attractive option to consider.
You guys are starting to get familiar with my TwitterRants, where I usually vent about an issue publicly on Twitter. I still have a few bottled up which I may express sooner or later, however, in the meantime, I’d like to share one with you from my homegirl, Fadia Kader.
During a recent TwitterRant, she offered some cautionary tales, while providing some incredibly useful advice, for those working their way up in the music business (and any business, really).
Steve Stoute is someone I’ve long admired and respected for his business savvy. Actually, one thing a lot of people don’t know, is that while I am influenced by many business leaders, it was actually his movements that motivated me to start my own business.
When Steve Stoute started Translation in 2004, I found any piece of news I could find about the company, its vision and its work. I was tired of seeing the limited creative input at label jobs and the limited growth potential up here in Canada. I wanted to do something different and something more.
Continuing yesterday’s conversation about the value of record deals, here’s a great article by Chris Lee on the L.A Times Music Blog about the mechanics of Drake‘s deal.
When it comes to the whole debate about the value of record deals and Indie vs Major – everybody has an opinion. I can rant and rave about where I stand on this topic, but I think AllHipHop.com founder, Chuck Creekmur has discussed it in more eloquent manner than what I would have ranted.
I may still discuss it in the future; because it’s a topic that has many sides to it, but also because it’s a topic that most aspiring artists need more insight on.
Briefly, let me just say, artists need to stop focusing so much on “getting a deal” and focus that energy on “achieving a goal”. One does not always equal the other.
Anyhow, here’s Chuck’s great writeup: