By BD Marie Hughes
June 15.2009
Originally posted with the Toronto Independent Music Awards (TIMAs)
Empire Isis, a hip hop, reggae Gangstress from Montreal and winner of the 2008 TIMAs “Best Out-of-Province”, and I met a few weeks back. She had just come from a photo shoot and interview with the magazine Urbanology. I asked her to give me all the shit Urbanology didn’t get.
What follows is a “5-Star General’s” take on how it really is in the music biz – what it is and what it isn’t, on being a woman in the music industry, the “new business model”, and the hard-core work ethic it takes to make it.
Her take:
The (music) industry has crumbled. Independent artists can’t really count on the things they used to. Right now, it’s not enough, at least as a female artist, any artist, it’s not enough just to be an artist. That’s really not gonna cut it. The major superstars are gonna cease to exist.. We are gonna have many stars. There’s nothing wrong with that, you know? So basically, right now, it’s all about the artists and the artists taking destiny in their own hands.
I’ve been working in this for many, many years. Miami, Bogota… all over the place. And I’ve returned from all these places basically with the same view.
And I keep working. And what has to happen is that major labels haven’t really understood me. They’ve wanted me. But I knew that they would want me to shelf me. Or to have me to knock off the competition. So that their Fergie or whatever could come out with no competition. Ok?
So my thing is like what are they gonna do with this female? You’re gonna try to be an artist for a few years and climb up the ladder. You’re gonna try to be an artist for a few years and sell through your sexuality and totally be something you’re not. Or are you gonna be an artist for a few years, sign a major deal and put out one single that’s not gonna do what the label thought it should and then you get shelved. So I don’t fit into any of those categories. I’m a 5-Star General. I promoted myself from a 4-Star General to a 5-Star General because I felt I deserved it! (we both laugh)
There’s really nowhere in the industry that I fit into, except maybe Queen Latifa who went into movies, products, Broadway. Madonna, who I also relate to in a different way, she’s got her line into H&M. She’s got modeling with Louis Vuitton. She had top hit records for many years. Missy Elliott – she writes for different artists, she creates personality for them. She profits off of that. It’s a wonderful thing – good girl! I mean, there’s a few women that I look up to in this biz. Maybe the last one, a shout-out to my girl Sarah McLaughlan, these are the women who are taking their destiny into their own hands. They’ve managed to diversify their interests.
It’s no longer the major that shoves the song down the consumers throat. People have many, many other venues discovering music these days. The “number one’s” are not real number one’s anymore. We all know it. And the reason for that is the fans are the “taste makers” now. The fan is the boss of the artist. Not the record label. Not the marketing department and so on and so forth.
So artists that are just all hype that actually don’t have a fan base are not artists that are worth putting money into anymore because the labels, marketing, this and that, you need a base of people to sell a product. If you don’t have the million dollar budget to brainwash people any more, you’re gonna have to do it the good ol’ fashion way. Which is getting out to the people, ok?
There’s very little mystery left in these internet days. So if you’re an artist that has shit to say, it’s gonna be found out really pretty fuckin’ soon! (laughs) You can’t practise 3 or 4 lines any more and make yourself sound intelligent. People are sophisticated. Why? Because there is an overload of information. So how do you come out from all that information? You’re gonna come with something really, really authentic. Really necessary. When you look at power you’re gonna be told: make sure that what you do is something that everyone needs and only you can do. Make yourself useful.
So basically the new business model is the artists and the manager are much more powerful than they ever have been. The record labels want 360 deals and feel they actually deserve 360 deals because they don’t even have branding or a technology department. They don’t actually deserve the 360 deals. Now, why would I want a 360 deal with a record label that calls “new media” new media? It’s not fucking “new media” it’s internet! It’s been out for 20 years! What are you talking about “new media”?? I don’t need you. I need to be working with a company that knows about rapper tshirts and headphones and integrating new technologies. Because people are consuming music more than ever. It’s the wrong thing to think the music industry is crashing. The music industry isn’t crashing.. The music biz is thriving. You’ve got your publishing company in California. I’ve had 12 placements in the past year. That’s kept my floater. You need a floater amount of money to keep your company going. To pay people. I don’t make money. No one’s making money on my project. Everything’s recycled. The basic necessities and the cost of running a business. So, all you girls out there who think you’re gonna find a deal and wear a pretty skirt and that’s the end of your job, you’re outta your mind. You know, that pretty skirt can be yanked away from you real friggin’ quick, ok? It comes down to your work ethic. What the hell do you represent? And, by the way, you could say to the world you represent this and that but if you don’t know who’s your core demographic, who you’re selling music to and who you’re performing it to that means you don’t actually have fans. Means you didn’t go on the road. And, I mean, why should I consume your music? You haven’t affected anyone I know.
And, if you’re a woman. Guess what? Your job is 10 times more.
So, what it comes down to is that, right now, the major labels are losing all their power. If they want to survive they probably have to turn into mega-management companies so that they can properly manage their artists’ careers. Because now why would I sign a 360 deal with you when you can’t guarantee me that I’m going to be in the next Ford commercial or that I’m gonna be the song of iTunes or that I’m gonna be in a movie, yadda yadda yadda yadda. Why should I be giving you a chunk of all my earnings?So, to all you independent artists, keep doing you and make sure you have a network around you. Make sure that you inspire the people around you to work with you not for you. When people work with you then you start seeing real dollars. Because no man is an island. No woman is an island. No artist does it on their own. You hear artists, “Oh, I did such and such” and “I did such and such”. You know what they’re really saying? It’s, “My team and I…” (laughs) “My marketer came up with…”, “My publicist came up with…” and so on.
And then, for all you independent artists that are reading this and think this is crazy Isis talking to you, let me tell you something. Do not ignore emerging markets, ok? You ignore emerging markets at your own risk. Emerging markets is where aaaall fans lay. As much as you can, tour Canada. You can only tour so often, so far. There’s only a certain amount of dollars available. You need to increase your geographical attack which requires long term planning and consistency. Stay connected to people. How about all the things that have to do with following up and all that. It’s really important. They are things, at the end of the day, really, really make a difference. Because the music biz, some of them will only get back to you when they feel like it. They ignore protocol. There’s no corporate protocol, let’s put it like that. They’ll call you back when they call you back. If they’ve heard your name 7 times in one week in a good, positive way, you might get that phone call back a lot faster.It’s the sum of all things. It’s not one thing.. It’s the sum of all things you do. Your routine by yourself, for yourself, for the world. They try to put it in a little box and make it so sanitized that you don’t feel any more. So what? You’re selling music. You’re selling a dream. You’re selling life. You’re selling a mood. You’re selling emotion. You’re communicating another way of living, another way of feeling, another way of talking. It’s about being fly, about being fresh, about being connected. Don’t lose that when you’re trying to make a perfect product to get out to the people who your market and campaigning to and such.
So, every step of the process is equally important. And, everyone on your team is equally important. Not one is more than the others. Even your street team. You’ve gotta be nice to your street team, you know? Just sometimes you gotta bitch them out when they’re slow. (laughs) Straight up, though, in this business, there’s no rules. You gotta make your own rules as you go. You gotta understand there’s big egos. And, it’s not something you get in one day. You know that pop star that they make in 6 months? That’s fading away now. It’s coming back to the artist who’s been busting their ass for 6, 7 years, who knows themselves well. They know when they get behind that mic, they know what they can offer. Who knows that their life experience is rich and be turned into a movie or a tv show or a book or a story they can tell 5th graders in a primary school because you want to be there.
So everything is changing now, man, right now. Really, the future of the biz right now is the eloquent artist that can speak. Even within hip hop. You have a bunch of dudes saying, “Nah, me, nah, me”. They’re not even gonna want you for Hennessy. Even Hennessy, they’re gonna say, “Why do I want a guy singing, ‘Nah, me, na, me’” when they can have this person saying, “Yes, Hennessy is my brand. Me and my boys, we drink Hennessy.” Whatever it is. That’s not “selling out”. You gotta lose that term outta your dictionary. It’s stupid, ok?
The majors do not have money to promote their artists, ok? They have money, in theory, to record products. Products, radio, tv, movies, ok? I’m giving it to you as real as you’re ever gonna hear any artist tell you. This is the future of the biz. In Canada, we’re a little bit behind. It’s gonna catch up. There’s so many companies now starting record labels ‘cuz why? Because why should you take this artist when you can actually get the artist to write for your product. You have TAG body spray, you have Axe, you have Rockstar (beverage), you have Red Bull – these are just some of the people that have record labels attached to their company. So there’s a long topic that can keep going forever.
But there’s a whole de-centralization of what’s been happening in the past 15 years. Every independent artist that’s gonna read this article, I highly recommend that you read 3 books.
1. “The Hit Man” – it’s about the history of gangsterism about radio and the biggest big shots and how the music business really started.
2. The second one is called, “Appetite for Destruction” by Steve Knopper. This will explain to you all the biggest mistakes that we’ve done in the past 20 years and what has made us not profit off everything that we should be profiting from in the music biz.
3. And the 3rd thing that I recommend, it’s not a book but a blog. Bob Lefetz called “Lefetz Letter”. It’s online. Please. Read. Very carefully what this bitchy old man is saying. He has very insightful things to say and, you know, as an artist, you should be reading about these industry talks.
1. “The Hit Man” – it’s about the history of gangsterism about radio and the biggest big shots and how the music business really started.
2. The second one is called, “Appetite for Destruction” by Steve Knopper. This will explain to you all the biggest mistakes that we’ve done in the past 20 years and what has made us not profit off everything that we should be profiting from in the music biz.
3. And the 3rd thing that I recommend, it’s not a book but a blog. Bob Lefetz called “Lefetz Letter”. It’s online. Please. Read. Very carefully what this bitchy old man is saying. He has very insightful things to say and, you know, as an artist, you should be reading about these industry talks.
As an artist, you should sit down and profoundly ask yourself what they’re saying about you. Is it really you? Everything can always be fine-tuned. In fact, I’m never happy with my biography! (laughs) I don’t think I’ll ever be happy with it. This is a business. Where, if you sleep, if you take vacation, you’re gonna lose. If you’re a woman and you spend too much time running after men and worrying about what men think about you and shopping and spending all your money, you’re gonna lose. If you forget what you really started for and you compromise too much, you’re gonna lose. If you’re an urban rapper and all you can talk about is your one-sided experience and think in a way not the general public, which are the people that buy records, you’re gonna lose.
Even the artists of Motown had to go to Motown’s School of Etiquette, ok. I do believe that everyone in Urban needs to refine themselves and grow up. Why? Because you look at our top rappers. They’re not even heard anymore, ok? Jay Z, all these people, you see them doing things with Louis Vuitton – they’ve crossed over.
All these guys in indie rock, they talk about not selling out. You need to stop with that shit. Cut that nonsense out. That’s bullshit, ok? That’s the 90’s.. Welcome to the Age of Aquarius. This is the year 2000, ok? Brand association – Be you. Improve upon yourself. Associate yourself with hard working people that make sense in your life that have something to do with your message. That’s the message. And work, work, work. More work. And when you think you could never work again, work a little more! That’s the message! Don’t fight it. Be it!
As far as my reggae people, they need to bust out of stereotypes of how they see us and do our business. We need to be more on point. More on time. Long term strategy. Because this is the music business and it’s fun. You need a business plan. It’s the way to fulfill obligations to do everything to earn money. Your investors. Your distributors. Don’t be a scared artist.. Don’t shy away from doing your real stuff. Then you can improve on it. If you fear the things that you are bad at, you’ll never get better. You look at the things you are shitty at, it’s what we call, “tough love”. I lived in New York for many years. I had my team shit on me every single day of my life. Ok? Doing hip hop. Doing reggae. In New York City, there’s no mercy. In Kingston, Jamaica, you’re a female, and light skinned, you’re a joke. You have to be a warrior. Be a warrior! This, too, is the message!
As far as my reggae people, they need to bust out of stereotypes of how they see us and do our business. We need to be more on point. More on time. Long term strategy. Because this is the music business and it’s fun. You need a business plan. It’s the way to fulfill obligations to do everything to earn money. Your investors. Your distributors. Don’t be a scared artist.. Don’t shy away from doing your real stuff. Then you can improve on it. If you fear the things that you are bad at, you’ll never get better. You look at the things you are shitty at, it’s what we call, “tough love”. I lived in New York for many years. I had my team shit on me every single day of my life. Ok? Doing hip hop. Doing reggae. In New York City, there’s no mercy. In Kingston, Jamaica, you’re a female, and light skinned, you’re a joke. You have to be a warrior. Be a warrior! This, too, is the message!
* * * * * * * * * *
Empire Isis has shows in Montreal in the month of June (House of Reggae with Trupaz June 13, Café Campus June 27).
She has a showcase and will appear as a panelist at The Drake Hotel on June 20 for the NXNE Festival (“Demo Derby” Presented by the Urban Music Association of Canada (UMAC)).
She is hitting California in early July, followed by a European tour this summer that includes Nottingham, UK, Festival Musique in France, and Club Pacha in Morocco, one of the biggest clubs in Africa.Visit her myspace for tour information and dates.
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