New Generation Marketing

New entrepreneurs tend to think they know their target market automatically because they think they are the perfect example. If you were the perfect example of your target audience then your target audience must be business owners. If not here are some tips for reaching your real target audience.

Fund Your Business

A wise man in the investing world once told me “there’s more money out there than good ideas.” He was referring to the biggest headache of investors; they have so much money that their money could make money if placed in the proper business ideas. Banks only give investors 5% on the money they have sitting in their accounts. The opportunity to potentially double their money with entrepreneurs is as good as it gets, but the risk is high.

As an entrepreneur I sure you’re wondering, “Where are these investors?” There are a lot of different websites for angel investors and other crowd funding. Each site has its own niche, only certain types of projects successfully receive funding on each site but most types of projects can be submitted. For example, technology has the most success on KickStarter.com, with music coming in a close second. GoFundMe.com is ranked number 1 by crowdfunding.com because of its large amount of independent traffic. This site has a lot of different types of projects from medical bill help to book publishing. There are also websites that focus on certain demographics like FirstNations.org and oweesta.org who requires you  

to be of Indian decent or First Nation for political correctness.

The majority of the small investment sites cater to microenterprises. Microenterprises are businesses with five or less employees including the founder. Microenterpriseworks.org is an example of a microenterprise focused funding resource. This site works directly with the government to fund small businesses with up to $250,000.

The Community Development Financial Institute has many partner companies that use their same federal connections to attain funds for businesses in underserved markets. CDFI even has a program that awards banks for investing in businesses to encourage the banks to fund businesses. On their site CDFI.org there is no way to directly apply for funding but you can become a member of the CDFI coalition, which has its own perks.

There are lots of sources for funding you business ideas; crowd sourcing, grants, and individual investors. The sky is still the limit and financial freedom is possible.

Mac DidIt

Secrets to Business Plans from Investors

I'm currently updating the business plan for The Tyesha Talks Show. My goal is to make sure it is answering the questions most important to investors. This is my third business plan for an entertainment based company. It is difficult finding accurate and up to date information, even when you know people in your industry they can only provide an educated guess based on their personal experiences. The CEO's of private companies like record labels and publishing companies keep their figures between the IRS, their investors, and themselves. Investors know this, so will that get you any slack on providing information from accredited resources? 

Avoid These 4 Things, and You'll Fall Flat

The simplest things separate the products with a growing buzz from products that go nowhere. The buzzworthy product comes first -- one so good it can sell itself -- but a good businessperson still will not leave it to fate. It takes teamwork, research, organization, and the ability to make educated decisions quickly.

Teamwork, as explained in an earlier blog post, is essential to getting and staying on task. The right team will motivate and inspire creativity. The team is bigger than your inner circle; networking with others and understanding their experiences helps avoid wasting money on unnecessary marketing tactics.

Music Writers: Point, Blank, Period

Sources say Safaree "SB" Samuels writes the
majority of Nikki Minaj's raps.

There are many different ways to earn a living making music. One route that is rarely explored in independent hip-hop is that of a writer. When it comes to music in general, fans know songwriters write most of the songs, not the artists. Songwriting usually gets a pass in all genres once you’ve reached a certain level of success. But in hip-hop, once it is exposed a certain level of credit is taken from the artists. This mentality, plus the fact that just about every hip-hop songwriter wants to be the artist, makes it a less desirable route for that industry. But here are some facts that just might change your mind.

DreamWorks Press, Timing is Everything (Publishing)

There is nothing more memorable about being a child than the stories in Dr. Seuss books and Disney Movies. The Internet is quickly dissolving books, but they may have a new chance at life. DreamWorks Animations, SKG has launched DreamWorks Press, a division that will take the DreamWorks and Disney experiences back to the basics. Of course they will more than likely distribute digital copies as well as hard copies but nothing is for certain just yet. They have stated in a press release that their mission is “To give fans a meaningful way to interact with us (DreamWorks) on a year-round basis.”

What is an Artist Manager?

YMCMB's Drake and Manager Cortez Bryant.

Every artist knows that they need a manager, but most don’t know to the extent that a manager is needed or the services a manager offers. A manager becomes the artist’s best friend, which is why a lot of the times it ends up being a parent or the smartest friend. But a manager has to have experience, connections to gatekeepers, and a proactive attitude. There are also certain responsibilities that self-proclaimed managers don’t know about and their young artists don’t know to have them handle.

The number one thing artists should know about their relationship with their manager is that the artist is the employer and the manager is the employee. Putting your future in the hands of your employee is both a gift and a curse. With this knowledge you know that the final decision is yours. The problem is you have to trust the decisions of your manager because they’re supposed to be the expert in getting your career from point A to point B. This is why it’s important to have a manager with experience.

SHOFLO: The Future Of TV

I’ve discovered a great and innovative creation for live broadcast events. The self-proclaimed new standard in industry cue sheets is called SHOFLO. It truly is an amazing way to keep business flowing even when the key personnel are spread across the world. It has so many features to ensure full connectivity between everyone you need that it will make your head spin. It is full compatible across almost any of today’s standard platforms, it is web based, and it lets you keep everything you need for your event in the cloud.

Protect Your Brand

As a manager one of the most important things to do for your talent is to protect their image. Making sure your talents content is properly placed in places that reflect positively on their brand is a key part of this. Protecting their content is the only way to have any control over placement. A TV show is no different. Sometimes clips of TV shows are used in music and other forms of media. There are ways to

The Tyesha Talks Show (L) Host: Tyesha Spells,
Marcellus, Yung Juve, and Adj B

protect the media, and there are fair ways for others to use the media.

When someone uses your content without permission there is a four-part test to determine if the user infringed. First and foremost you must own the copyrights or trademark. Secondly, the purpose of the use of the materials has to be either Educational, for reference in commentary like the news, or as a parody. Third they will see how much was used and how recognizable is the portion that was used.

Never Take A Loss, Get It In Writing

Drake has Future removed from his tour.

Mary J. Blige got $145,000 deposit for a show she didn’t do and is going to keep the money, Future wants $1.5 million for a tour he’s no longer a part of, and Kim & Kanye can sue the paparazzi for pictures.

Mind On Your Money

Snow On The Bluff (Promo)

Humans are understood to be creatures of habit. I’ve grown up seeing the same people doing the same things all of my life. It has been rare for me to even meet a successful person. My mentality on fame and success used to be, that’s a fantasy world. I once thought that in order to chase those big dreams you'd have to be crazy. So few people make it to that level of success, what are the odds of me being one of them? But now I ask myself, isn’t this the mindset that keeps the gap so big?

Keep Your Eyes On The Prize

A brands success is tethered to how much influence it has over a market. In music an artists isn’t wealthy just for how many people are listening, it’s also how many people are watching. When certain artists make an appearance on a television or radio show or a movie, the price for there appearance is determined by the amount of “eyes” they bring with them.

Do Your Homework!!!

My newest project in life is launching a television show called The Tyesha Talk’s Show. I master any business I become a part of so I’ve looked into the many organizations that protect, govern, and

represent the film and television industry. The first organization in my search was the Motion Picture Association of America or MPAA. I also found a lot of other association like, the FCC, Women in Film & Television Florida, National Cable Television Association, Independent Film & Television Alliance, and so on.

The MPAA made a historically monumental impact not just for television and film, but for society as a whole. The MPAA represents the six major Hollywood studios; Walt Disney Studios, Sony Picture Studios, Paramount Pictures, 20thCentury Fox, Universal Studios, and Warner Brothers. They are the driving force behind Anti-Piracy and the film rating system.

Piracy is a huge issue in the entertainment industry. The illegal downloading and selling of movies, television shows, and music hurts the ability of the artist to create more great works of art. The MPAA began fighting piracy in 1975 when recording VHS tapes took a toll on royalties. They also came up with clever ads for their “Who Makes Movies” campaign, which showed the effects of piracy on the entertainment industry.

In the late 60’s society saw it fit to protect the hearts and minds of the children of America. The MPAA led the way with the “Motion Picture Rating System” (MPRS). The system labels movies from G to NC-17, but only a few people know it’s a voluntary system. Theatres enforce the ratings after one has been established and some refuse to play unrated movies.

The MPAA understands the importance of protecting the hearts and minds of children. They've ensured parents are given the opportunity to protect children from movies that are inappropriate. Their fight against piracy has helped the economy of the entertainment industry keeping it healthy in order to fund the Movies, Television Shows and Films we love. I have gained respect for the MPAA and I appreciate the service they are providing protecting the future of the industry I love.

Facebook: MacDidIt

The Heart Of A Presentation

Recently I watch a TED Talk staring Chris Anderson called How Web Video Power Global Innovation. The subject seemed obvious at first but Chris managed to Inform me of the little thing that really made the difference in this phenomenon, Inspired me by capturing my heart showing the talents of the young, and proving to me that I’m empowered by web video to change the world.

Chris Anderson

It would seem obvious to say the web is a powerful way to spread a message. With so much negativity, gimmicks, advertisements, and gossip, we tend to forget the positive affects of the web. Chris Anderson uncovers the small pieces of the puzzle that make up web video powered global innovation.  He explains how the 3 main ingredients are a crowd of people that share a common interest, light to be shed on what the subject matter experts are doing, and a desire to be dedicated to this interest. As I watched I thought of all the foreign Hip-Hoppers and how according to Audiblehype.com 37.1% of 15-25 year olds in China love Hip-Hop, that's 296 million people.

This talk touched the hearts and minds of the audience because it showed people participating in actions not normal for theirs ages or cultures. Women, children, and people below the social standards of living easily trigger the sensitive emotions of most American people. Chris’s videos were of a child dancing like a well rehearsed adult professional and a young African man in a shanty town inspiring people to do positive things not immediately thought to happen in a shanty town. These videos were picked to evoke an emotional response from the audience while proving that anything can happen anywhere thanks to web video.

By the end of the video Chris tells the audience how great it is to see the world embracing each other’s cultures. Research shows that humans are social creatures by nature; the acceptance of a culture or group is always the objective of most human activities. Even the History Channels: MountainMen claim to be a part of a great heritage of people who could live completely off the grind. Complete loners even want to belong to a group.

This social belonging, coupled with the inspiration of everyone doing it, topped off by the information proving that this is more than meets the eye; makes this a well put together presentation. It proved that web videos power global innovation and should make you rethink about the fingerprint you are placing on the Internet of yourself. Everyone has a fingerprint, all of them are different, you should make sure yours is one that inspires others to want to be just like you. 

MacDidIt

Professionally Branding Yourself

Anyone in any profession should understand that in the 21st century you're a brand. In an era where our online presence shares important life moments with people we barely know, we have to realize we

http://about.me/mmccreary

are painting them a picture of who we are. With this understanding why not brand you in a way that better progresses our future goals? With my goal of becoming a top level executive in a record label, my online presence always includes proper grammar, positive life quotes, educational information, business advice, and of course music. When branding yourself you should make sure to always represent your end goal, only use high quality photos, and follow your industry gatekeepers.

Build A Team

@Smoke1Hunit & @MacDidIt
of 1Hunit Entertainment, LLC

The most important thing an artist can have is a good team. The people that surround the artist usually influence the artist’s style, mood, outlook on life, and even health. In the beginning the team is usually the people that understand the artist’s dream. The team should motivate the artist, play an active role in the artist’s career, and understand their roll in the organization.

Know Your Audience

Hip Hop is a business like no other music genre. The 1^st step to being successful in selling hip hop music is to understand the trends within your industry. Unlike Rock, Country, Pop, and even R&B; Hip Hop is not focused on selling albums. The sale of albums in Hip Hop has fallen faster than all other genres. This is because the target market for hip hop is not spending money on luxury items. Understanding your market is key in developing a sensible campaign to properly promote your music.

My Introduction

Welcome, my name is Marcus (MacDidIt) McCreary. I would like you to join me on my journey through the business of music.

Who Am I?

When I first started my journey into the realm of hip hop, in 2003, I was a producer. I started with FL Studio in the deserts of Iraq. Many nights, in my Combat Housing Unit or CHU, were spent learning the ins and outs of the program by trial and error. My business partner and I decided to call our clique Hustle City Entertainment, this was later changed to our current company 1Hunit Entertainment, LLC. I became a decent producer but later found myself more interested in the art of writing. The part of my soul that yearned for creativity was even more active and closer to satisfaction. With a constant stream of soul satisfying music being recorded, the thirst for the next level in music naturally grew. Constant encouragement from those around us saying that the music coming from our team was great pushed us to look at music from a different angle, as a business. Thus my journey began.

Since the beginning of the Internet I have been online. I have seen it blossom from a novelty item that only the cool people had, to a nearly mandatory product to survive in todays world. The Internet is so significant in today’s music that music absolutely cannot find traction without some type of digital presence. Seems common sense right? Well I have seen artists in 2013 record music place it on a CD and try to go perform it. No copies to sell, nowhere to be found if a fan liked it, and no other promotion. This is the purpose of this blog. This is what the business of music has taught me over the last 10 years.

Many have asked for my advice on breaking through the barriers between starving artist and living off the music. So many artist have a product that could entertain fans, and provide an income if properly managed. If you think you’re that artist, let the journey begin.