In all business situations, knowing about the laws surrounding the industry you’re involved in, is essential to the longevity of how successful the business becomes.  Contracts, agreements, and all other transactions, whether monetary or not, should be legally documented.  Why? Because, these are the rules, regulations, and expectations, of what the deal is… Once both parties agree on the terms, it leaves little room for someone to not follow through with their end of the deal.  Those who fail to come through, will have a weak argument to battle in, or outside of the courtroom.

The higher the stakes, the more you realize how important it is to invest time and money in the legal aspects of your business.  This is something entrepreneurs should do first, to protect your assets is a top priority.  So when I got an email about a music business seminar happening in the Bay from Kofi Acquaah-Arhin (Papa Lo Down’s attorney/legal advisor), I thought I should let you know as well.

The Volume 2009 – Music Business Seminar, an all-day educational event for the Bay Area music community, is the perfect place for independent artists to learn more about this element of their career.  I highly suggest attending, especially since the fees are WAY less than many music industry events.

Check below or go the website www.calawyersforthearts.org for more info:

Many of the artists I have partnered with have a background in working with their respective communities.  Whether it’s through mentoring, educating, performing, organizing, etc., it’s safe to say they would not be where they are now, or have such a bright future if it were not for the community.

Many of you aspiring artists just getting into the game may not know where to start, who to go to for support, advice, opportunities, etc.  I encourage you to look within your city’s organizations, your community outreach programs, find a place you feel comfortable with and go from there.  Be genuine if you are going to be part of a program or organization, this is not advice to capitalize any selfish, egotistical needs you may have.

Tip – Community/Culture specific festival’s are a great place to gain experience performing in front of large crowds, negotiating booking contracts, and promoting yourself to an audience. Most festival’s take place in the summer, so you want to reach out to organizations mid spring for a performance slot, which means you should start researching which ones you’ll hit up for next year, NOW!  (ps. you probably won’t get paid, and you need to stay on top of communication, since many times these events are produced on a volunteer basis.)

One of the organizations in Southern California that has provided a space for Filipino American artists and communitites to gather and celebrate is goin down this weekend at Pt. Fermin Park in San Pedro, CA.  The 17th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture (FPAC) has become a yearly highlight for the Filipino community in the Los Angeles area, a place for family and friends, and yes… great networking aka community building!

Hella folks from the Bay will be there this weekend, including Kiwi, Nomi (Power Struggle), and Ruby Veridiano-Ching blessing the stage with their energy.  Bambu and DJ Phatrick will also be performing, along with many other prominent artists with special honors like DJ Rhettmatic, DJ Babu, and DJ Kuttin Kandi.  It’s gonna be a good one!

www.filamarts.org

Perhaps it’s just the community (aka network) of artists that i’m around, but I’ve come to find that many artists are talented in a variety of art forms.  Whether they are emcees, Dj’s, producers, graphic designers, actors, etc., these talents intersect allowing them to move fluidly through different forms of expression.

In today’s economy, and the current unstable music business, I think it’s neccessary for artists to utilize their assets in as many ways as they can. One reason being – more ways to get paid! Another reason being – this allows opportunities for you to be creative and capture new audiences.  The third reason – More platforms and networks to educate and build with.

For example – DJ Phatrick is a fresh DJ, but he also works with Zion I as their road manager and label assistant.  Adriel Luis is an amazing spoken word poet, but he is also the creative genius to many Bay Area artists graphic design and branding (too many to mention, but check the iLL-homies section on www.ill-literacy.com, and guess who Adriel has worked with).  Dahlak Brathwaite is also a spoken word poet, but he is an iLL emcee, and actor as well.  I can keep going, you get the picture… (they’re also business savvy, and are self-managed – which is a “talent” that should also get honorable mention).

My point being – Don’t limit yourself to one art form.  “Express yourself…”, it can only benefit our communities.

Bambu has his successfull acting debut in director (and my cousin!), Patricio Ginelsa’s (Kid Heroes Productions) LA Film Festival “Canon 72 Hour Bring IT Film Competition” !!

Check the flick below… ( I think we should expect more from Bambu on the silver screen in the future… i’m just sayin.)

Being Reel – Patricio Ginelsa from fatfreefilm on Vimeo.

Congratulations to everyone who was part of the film!! and for WINNING THE COMPETITION!!

(this is why I do what I do… love you guys!)

My posting frequency sucks right now…i know.

I’m in the middle of gearing up towards my full blown return into the biz, after a much needed “hiatus”. (The Papa Lo-Down Blog has been my outlet to not completely disappear from “the scene”.)

I’ve been researching blogs, media outlets, tastemakers, making my wish list of artists i’d like to work with… and with that comes MEETINGS!!

Some tips, that may seem like common sense, are neccessary for a successfull meeting to take place. The meetings I have usually start with dinner and end with a swisher, but in between there’s lots to be done. The type of meeting also has a lot to do with how you prepare yourself.

- If you’re meeting for the first time, keep it informal so everyone involved can gain a sense of comfort to proceed with developing a solid business relationship. Ask questions about the person or company’s background.

- If you’re meeting to get down to business be prepared with an outline and questions. Take Notes! Make a to do list to execute what was discussed.

- If distance and/or time is an issue, pick up the phone! phone meetings will save you time and money. You should still have an outline ready, and take notes, etc.

- FOLLOW UP! I can’t tell you how important a follow up email, text, etc. is… this is where you can summarize the meeting and also to thank the person for taking the time to meet with you. (people don’t say thank you enough these days).

some other things to keep in mind (also common sense):
- be on time
- notify the other party if you’re running late
- don’t overbook yourself! (Meetings take a lot of time and energy out of you, so don’t schedule yourself for more than you can handle.)

Don’t let this happen to you at your next meeting:

Bambu laid out after a four hour meeting.

Shameless Plug: Namu Bar in SF is a dope spot to meet up – the food is high quality and tasty! (at affordable prices)
**2nd and 4th Thursday’s DJ Phatrick hosts Devil’s Pie – “soul by the slice”, perfect way to end a meeting!

Last year I was blessed with the opportunity to attend MIDEM in Cannes, France. Midem is a yearly conference where folks from the recording, publishing, live, digital, mobile and branding areas of the music industry gather to do deals, network, learn and check out new talent.

Right now major deals are being made, tons of networking is happening, and artists are getting their big break. BOO!!! I’m not there!

But it’s alllll good… we can still find out what’s happening, as it happens on their site http://www.midem.com/

So besides finding a reason to brag about the fact that I’ve been to Cannes (yeah, that’s the same place the Film Festival happens every year), I also wanted to share another great resource to keep up with the biz.

some photos from my trip last year

at the NRJ Music Awards

red carpet snitches!

inside the Midem conference center

Cannes, France

roaming the streets of Cannes

yummmm!

my last day exploring the city

Preface- I’m in the process of organizing my contacts into groups, (ie. booking, media, friends, family, etc.). This has turned into a very time consuming and tedious task… When I’m done, i swear I’m poppin the champagne, and toasting *CHEERS!* to what has been on my to do list for a really long time! So here I am, spending hours going through each name in my contacts, grouping and labeling, adding info, etc., so that I can be more efficient when I need to reach out to someone in my network.

The title of this post is “your network is your net worth“. When I heard this phrase, it really stuck out in my mind… it’s meaning is simple and can reveal so much about who you surround yourself with.

Who are the people you consider part of your network?

For me, my network consists of people that I can count on when I need help or advice, and can trust to have ethical business practices, (the screening process can be lengthy, but if you listen to your instincts you’ll know when someone is trustworthy.)

The entertainment industry is known for being shady and cutthroat, and it can be… but, at the same time I think you have control over what your experience is, and a lot of that has to do with your network… the people you choose to surround yourself with.

Whatever your definition of success may be, achieving it most likely cannot be done alone, and it really does come down to “who you know”. Regardless of how many people you do know, it’s about how many of those relationships are genuine and hold respect.

How much are you worth…??

I met Adriel Luis (iLL-Literacy founder, manager, poet, and creative director) last October (06) at the first “Natoma St. Open Mic” that Baysick Ent. organized. We were introduced to each other and shortly after, we had a meeting. The conversation eventually led to me becoming iLL-Literacy’s Public Relations Manager… (and the saga continues!)

Prior to that fateful evening, I danced the night away at the last 33 degree party in Oakland, CA (August 06?), which happened to be where Adriel lives. I had one of the best times in the Bay that night, it almost felt like I was back in Brooklyn with all the good music, and beautiful people around. That same night I “fell in love” twice… watching Los Rakas perform for the first time, and hearing DJ Phatrick spin (also for the first time). He kept me dancing till my feet hurt, but I kept going until the sun almost came up, the selection was that good!

At one point throughout the evening I ended up in Adriel’s room (not like that, jeez!), and dropped my business card on the coffee table since there were several already there. I didn’t know it was Adriel’s room ( I didn’t even realize that i was in someone’s room!), nor did I know who Adriel was at the time. The act of leaving my business card on that coffee table led to Adriel going to the open mic, which led to my business relationship with iLL-Literacy (and me gaining four loving, positive forces in my life.)

My point being, you never know who you’re going to meet and what that person can bring into your life (and vice versa). Each time you are in a social setting there is potential for an opportunity to present itself. I always have business cards on me when I go out, I even keep them in several bags and wallets so I know I’m never unprepared.

Being prepared for an opportunity when it presents itself is what you can do to meet potential half way… ya digg??