February 2008

• MidemNet The Future of Digital Music

• Jimmy Castor - A Total Entertainer

• John Tillery - The John Tillery Project - The Next Level

• Suga T - The "Sprinkle Me Girl" is back

• The Last Word!!!

I must get a little "personal" at this time...BITD (back in the day) I saw the effort in getting Blacks to vote in any and all elections...it worked. Urban radio at that time BITD, I am proud to say, had a real sense of responsibility, not like today!!. There has never been an outpouring such as in this election. My daughter Denise has worked for Los Angeles Parks & Recreations for the last 20+ years. At the City's park, there are polling booths, usually compied of 2 or more precincts. The park she works for has the highest number of gang violence and drive-by shootings in an area known to some as "the jungle"...She has earthquake, fire and drive- by drills since there are a large number of children who do go to that park. Point...She has never seen the kind of turn out to vote since she has been working for the City!! As she stated..."Mama, It was unbelievable!"... Even though there was basically a split delegate vote for Obama/Clinton...just imagine those who did not or felt they could not vote because they had a felony.

When our black men are released from a correctional facility...they are told they CANNOT vote! I have worked on many campaigns and I target these individuals and correct them by saying "this only goes for those who are on "paper" (ghetto term)...meaning on Probation or on Parole...YOU CAN VOTE...let me be clear on this...YOU CAN VOTE!!!! PASS THE WORD AROUND!!

I have heard all the rhetoric pertaining to WHY some people don't vote...and it is just that, rhetoric or just plain crap! (had to go there!) and I am being really nice! ..

I may have mentioned it before, if so, I am going to do it again...I HAVE PHYSICALLY "SEEN" the BLACK/WHITE WATER FOUNTAINS. (BITD)...I remember when you could not eat at a Howard Johnson.(BITD) So when I hear things like..."It don't do no good", "I ain't got no time for politics"...it saddens me, especially my generation, to know the trials and tribulations that our forefathers went through seemingly are null!!!

The best part of this scenario regarding OBAMA...maybe...just maybe we can have a generation of children to grow up and want to be something other than a Rapper or a Baller!!! Win, Lose or Draw...I'll take it!!!

All I can really say now is...WOW!!! IN MY LIFETIME!!!

Paulette De Suzia

For those of you who really do not UNDERSTAND the digital music marketplace, PLEASE take heed to The Music Specialist recent visit to MIDEM...Alan Johnson has been attending this international event for over 17 years and that is why he well ahead of the game - Peepin'

The music business's future is being rebuilt and the originators of the most popular music on the planet are not even aware of what is happening. In the past year several new business models have been created that will totally change the direction of how music is served and received worldwide. Labels have become retailers and TV channels, mobile phone companies have been turned into multi-media companies while expanding on to the PC platform, live music promoters have signed recording artists and are selling music, merchandizing and licensing their artist's works while still selling massive amounts of tickets. We have seen the iPod go from music to movies and now become a mobile phone and above everything else all of this new social networking connection has caused advertising to become KING.

Web 2.0 Unknowingly to millions of people Web 2.0 has taken over the way people communicate online. Just in case you don't know, Web 2.0 is the proliferation of social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube. This growth has occurred so fast that individual artists now have Web 2.0 sites, and Internet leaders such as MySpace have created spin-offs of their own site to capture more users. These sites allow users to communicate between one another at unprecedented levels while sharing personal tastes, ideas and generating massive opportunities for advertising.

Social networking has also afforded great opportunities to many bands and individual artists. Radiohead showed the world what the consumer wanted was the ability to make up their individual mind about music pricing. Amy Street, an online retailer using the Amazon backbone, offers buyers free music until the downloads become popular then their pricing structure starts increasing with the popularity of the download to a maximum .98 cents (US) with the artist retaining 70% of the revenues and their copyright.

From the Netherlands SellaBand allows unsigned acts to upload their music to its website and offers listeners the opportunity to financially invest in the artist they like. As soon as the act raises $50,000 from its investors, SellaBand provides the professional resources to record the album. Since its launch in August 2006, 11 different acts have raised the required funds and all 11 have placed either major label deals, licensing deals or enormous digital distribution deals.

What is becoming a beast of a concern among labels, retailers and subscription services is the new concept of music for free. There is a growing swell of advertiser funded digital music services around the world and during this MIDEMNET this became the hotbed of controversy. On one side of the aisle are the traditionalists that believe music must ALWAYS be paid for, irregardless of the format it is in. On the other side are the people that see the web creating a 61 BILLION dollar advertising industry by 2010. These people point to the current figures of 35 Billion for 2007 and only see upward growth. The largest unauthorized music download site today on the web is LimeWire and estimates place this software on one out of every six pc's in the world, thus proving that consumers still want to receive music FREE.

Advertising supported sites now include Spiral Frog, MySpace, InGrooves, Qtrax, the college targeted Ruckus Network and the French site Deezer. Advertising is also being considered for mobile-distributed music MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) a new concept is the basis for Blyk a new service that offers free airtime for voice and text as long as it users are prepared to receive advertising messages. Participating musical artists will use their websites to invite fans to register with Blyk, which will setup an account and a free mobile communication line to enable artists to reach their fans directly..

Major labels, major publishers, retailers and more argue that advertising based free services will give music fans the impression that they should never pay for music, what I see is that this is a "front" to disguise the fact that the music industry has failed to react to the consumers demand for more digital music free. The fact that the music industry failed to deliver economic models that matched the consumers needs digitally is not the consumers fault. So why should consumers be held liable?

With the proliferation of mobile phone handset makers worldwide Nokia leads the globe with an unprecedented 40% market share. They have manufactured handsets that allow new forms of digital media delivery. Social networking, broadband internet, mobile TV, handsets that can hold up to 6000 songs have made downloading a viable business. Last year when the iPhone hit the market Nokia released the Nokia Music Store, a dual delivery service for mobile and PC downloads, unlike iTunes and other services Nokia Music Store allows users the capability to transfer music to other devices and if you lose your phone you can still have your music on your PC or any other digital device capable of housing mp3's. NOKIA and UNIVERSAL struck a deal last year that calls for NOKIA to offer music fans access to unlimited digital music for a period of time with the cost built into the price of the portable mobile phone sometime this year.

This has changed the way the world listens to and treats music. Worldwide mobile phone delivery of music and now video is ever increasing and the only thing stopping a wider penetration of delivery is content. This is where you, my reader, can join the new world order. You are the ORIGINATORS of the most widely popular and listened to music in the world and you have a responsibility to uphold. Content is needed for every style of music / video imaginable, content is the deciding factor when people from other countries want to know more about YOUR country. Content is a superior form of education for the masses and a revenue builder for the content creator.

MidemNet made one thing extremely clear. There will be multiple new delivery systems and business models, however without the creative creation of content there can be NO FUTURE.

Alan Johnston - The Music Specialist

Now I must say, when I first "personally" met Jimmy Castor upon newly arriving in Las Vegas, he spoke of his past history....embarrassed to say...I did not remember. He told of the numerous "hits" that he had under his belt....I did not remember. Because, and I presumed, he recognized the approaching stage of Alzheimers he gave me a copulation CD of some of his songs.

I commenced to go home...put the CD on and when I heard the first line of "Hey LeRoy, your Mama's Callin' You...I immediately went into the gyrations that are only known behind closed doors...That was one of my fav-o-rite diddys back in the day!...The rest is history, by the time I reached "The Bertha Butt Boggie" and "King Kong", not only was I tired but I was ever so thankful to the Lord for giving me a shot of anti-dementia medicine...Jimmy Castor & The Castor Bunch is HISTORY...Black History ...maybe I should have saved this article for Black Music Month...Naw...this kind of information is really historical and Jimmy keeps moving on! It was like being re-born!!! and I thank him for the opportunity of reliving a musical moment!

Jimmy Castor & The Castor Bunch

From the Nation's Capital, comes a new artist with a fresh contemporary gospel sound. The John Tillery Project, fronted by psalmist, producer and musician John Tillery, presents a brand new release from Danbla Records entitled "The Next Level". Flaunting modern grooves melded with strong elements of tradition church, the 13 track CD showcases Tillery as a gifted artist introducing his unique brand of praise and worship.

Dubbed as "The Warrior of Worship" this musical endeavor caught my attention when I heard the first track "Sing, Oh" (harmony to die for) making the rest of this project a musical journey!!!

Co-produced by Tillery and 2007 Stellar Award winner Isaiah D. Thomas...songwriter Byron Cage and guest artist including Vanessa Williams, Charrisse Nelson-McIntosh, Earnest Pugh and Lois Tillery-Moore makes for a religious experience that embraces the heart of that TOTAL Gospel feeling.

Additional cuts including "Look At Me"...from the spine tingling rendition of.."To God Be The Glory" (feat. Vanessa Williams), "I Love You Jesus" and a Latin contemporary sound on "Glory Medley"..

For any additional information relative to radio servicing or interviews contact:

EDMONDSON COMMUNICATION - 610-459-1216...or...ME!

REVIEW - *****

John Tillery

It is a typical 20 hour day for Suga T, Northern California's hip-hop diva and former member of the Click. Suga arrived in LA the previous night to meet with executives of her soon to be launched Hip Hop Mamas reality TV show. On the same day she takes meetings with music producer Mil, aka Smooth to discuss a recording project. Suga then gets driven across town to check out a new discovery, hip hop artist Stephanie Compton. Several hours later she is in the studio laying down tracks for her own CD.

As they say in LA, "keep the party movin" and that's exactly what Suga does. But if you want to hang in her camp and be in her party, you better be about business. Make sure you have a full tank of gas in your car and a good pair of running shoes if you roll with this lady" said her publicist, Deborah Hayter. "Suga works from 8 to faint and she will definitely keep you busy". She is currently involved in several major projects; her successful fragrance line called Suga Wata, her Be About It Foundation, her reality TV Show and the release of her new CD.

Although Suga juggles a lot on her plate, she is still holding court as the reigning Queen of Oakland's hip hop/hyfee movement. She and her brother E-40, former members of Northern California's Click, hold the record as the most successful hip-hop brother and sister team in history. They went from the street hustle of record sales to a major label, selling millions of CD's individually and as a team. After years of a grueling touring schedule with some of the biggest names in the industry, most notably, Snoop Dogg, Suga fell into a deep funk and began to spiral downwards, using drugs and alcohol to mask her stress. Through the help of her family and her strong faith in God, Suga turned her life around.

In spite of having to overcome personal challenges, Sugar T is a survivor of the best kind. Like the infamous Michael Jordan, she has rebounded full circle from an industry that can take a woman's soul if you let it. "Music was all around me. I came from a strong church background and a family of creative artists" said Suga, "But I fell into the dark side of the industry because I wasn't prepared for the notoriety and the phony people who attached themselves to me. Today I am a drug free entrepreneur."

Last year Suga began working with youth in Oakland, California and has used her fragrance business to give others an opportunity to make money and feel productive. Her passion is still music and her upcoming CD will have a few surprises. "I'm working with some pretty hot producers right now, and I'm looking at major labels to represent my new, hip, positive sound," said Suga. Her latest CD conveys messages of strength and deals with the small epiphanies of life. The passion in her music is so immediate and genuine, which will make you stop, listen and become another one of her fans all over again.

Suga T