DIY--Common ground for the small to larger band and artists.
Life on the road is quite entertaining. I, myself, as a hardcore DIY artist in self-booking and person-to-person interaction, am always trying to find a way... before I run away, that is. I have been paying close attention some cool things bands have been doing that has absolutely nothing to do with their music, that will still earn them fans, no matter how big or small.
So yes, it's all about the music, but it is all about the connection between artist and fan.
Because this tactic is so honest yet untacky, I shall plug their tour dates, pages and music links.
Check these guys out. The "Alive and Well Tour" are simply some rappers from Utah that have entered Las Vegas. MC Pig Pen and Pat Maine just got off tour with Masta Ace and Ed OG, but seems like they do better off the stage with friends then actually rapping. What happens when you get a bunch of people from the alcohol law-happy state with Mormon civilization taking over the world?
THIS
Sure it's stickers of bad luck and good fortune on the backs of bums, but it's almost like spring break too, without the girls I guess, all to an MC Pig Pen song in the background. Clever.
Another guy who travels all over the world, named Cymarshall Law, can gladly use footage of all his performances to impress, but also shows character being one of the underground guys headed out to LA for a video shoot with ET from Vimby.
He goes from talking about music to jewels to sneakers. Now although it's behind the scenes, anyone who likes sneakers can all of a sudden like these guys. I mean, regardless of the music, I'd say these guys have nice sneakers. Since the behind-the-scenes footage is for four wives, a search of polygamy comes up next to it (how fitting for the Utah rappers).
Ok now check out this guy who just got a major deal. Yelawolf. He's been buzzing and got stuff with Juelz Santana and Slim Thug, and I've seen him with my own eyes... he's fresh, funky, and looks like he'll blow up. He's an Alabama hustler. I expect to see the hardcore from this guy. I expect him to blow up... but check this.
If you have never heard of him till this video, and for some reason find it on YouTube, you already know he blows up the clubs he plays at.
The people who were so pissed it happened figured out they make it to even push him more.
What do all these videos have in common? There is no actual performing in any of them. Pig Pen and Pat Maine are rapping with fools and Cymarshall Law is checking out sneakers, while some club owners are paying for new sound because Yelawolf destroyed their club. Ok that's not too much. You should get more. If I didn't watch this next video, I would never know how to grip a skateboard (truth).
These are all awesome examples of ways to keep your fans' attention and earn new ones.
1. You might like drunk fools or run rampant in Vegas or recall some your Vegas expeditions.
2. You might enjoy sneakers and Mormon experiences.
3. You might not like rap but enjoy white boys who break everything when they hit the club.
4. You might like listening to music watching people skateboard.
These are all more reasons to check out music. Job well done, fellas. Keep drinking, buying sneakers and breaking sound systems and skateboarding, and you will all blow up.
check Cymarshall Law dates here, follow him on Twitter here.
check Yelawolf tour dates here, follow him on Twitter here.
check MC Pig Pen and Pat Maine dates here, follow them on here and here.
Don't try to fight movement out there, internet artistry world. Everything you do has a reason for press. Everything.
In the times of success, you can only think (at least I have, in my rap perspective) that hording all of it will keep you on top. This is absolutely wrong, and I only learned this from the feelings it gave me by giving away contacts to people who really desired to excel in their work.
My current tour with Matisyahu is like a dream come true. In this time, of grind, I always look to other people who have helped me in the past. For instance, even those who I hire to assist me in PR and email blasts, etc., will benefit from my hard work because with me, even giving them material to work with, it builds trust and branches out far more than a "service-only relationship."
I am currently collecting hundreds of emails of people who have serious interest in staying in touch and purchasing product in the future, because they saw me rock a show of over 1000 people. Now, it would only hurt me if I didn’t give these contacts to other people I trust. (1) They work with me. (2) A team in a unified group of players coming together for a reason (victory).
We get confused that, on occasion, DIY means “every man for himself!” (remember those games you played?). Once I realized that I couldn’t keep up with my blogs, or get computer access all the time, or get things on the road to everyone, I stopped and decided to formulate a plan. Lets change DIY to DIT (Do It Together).
Everything is branding and team work. Currently, like I said, I am on the MATISYAHU tour. I am part of the MATISYAHU show. This is not the KOSHA DILLZ show.
If it was, I would be doing my own music. I perform with the main intention of making his set better... livening it up. Once I roll up my selfish sleeves and begin to think for the betterment of my TEAM, I realize we all benefit and do better in the long run, for results are always positive.
With that being said, I want to show you some awesome video footage of a stage dive last night that probably hasn’t been done since Method Man and Redman came to town on their first album.
And hey, if you like… watch this live freestyle in Omaha, NE.
Enjoy!
- Kosha Dillz
PS: my new album, Beverly Dillz, is on iTunes.
Do you think you have what it takes to be the best? Do you have what it takes to be on the big screen, rock a stadium?
In the words of Montell Jordan "THIS IS HOW WE DO IT!"
With the tide against me (a usual day in my music career)--various racial slurs being emailed to me, put downs, and hate-filled statements balanced with the occasional support of my family, I decided to continue this grind of independent music. I want to let you know that the better you do, the more people hate on you (this includes your family sometimes). The more successful you become, the more people try to bring you down.
But then once, that one time, it suddenly happens, and you begin to feel people are supporting you. I have found this out in the past few months. When you begin to let people support you and just treat everyone nice in return, it can happen. People are supportive. If you're circle is not supportive and conducive you might be in the wrong circle.
Ironically (or not), I found myself, all by myself as usual, on a plane trip to Hip-Hop Kemp, a festival that features hip-hop from all over the world at some old air base in Hradec Kralove, 1 1/2 hours out of Prague, with hopes I might be on that "summer jam screen" as Jay-Z says. After $1000 in expenses, 3 pairs of socks, shorts and underwear, and a carry-on bag filled with tee shirts and CDs, I decided to do a PR campaign in a city who’s name I can not even pronounce! Mind you, I landed on stage, with everyone who is anyone in underground rap.
I approached every video camera back stage and demanded an interview and offered a custom freestyle just for their audience. I gave out CDs and sold them as well. I needed to build the adrenaline. Not for my sake, but for my careers sake. I realized the impact I was making was not as a tourist, but as a hard working musician overseas in Europe with the opportunity to make tons of friends.
I rapped on every bus. I rapped in every cab. I performed for every soul I met there with the intention of making it bigger than I was before I got on that plane to Paris or to Prague.
Whether you are holding an iPod letting people listen to your indie rock band at the last Bamboozle Fest or rapping in a cypher or playing your music on a sidewalk in Austin, Texas, there is not other thing you need to do except "believe."
In face to face conversation statistics say that 7% of the things you say will be remembered, 36% of your tone of voice is remembered, and 54% of your body language will help you be remembered in how convincing you are. That's crazy, right? Only 7% of what you say is remembered. By the end of the festival, I did interviews with media from Croatia, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Austria. I speak English, Hebrew and Spanish. Go figure.
So whether you are a band, comedian, rock-star on a acoustic, emcee, or the average fire juggler, you better BRING IT...because if you don't believe it, it can’t be done.
* November 10 is the release date of Kosha Dillz' highly anticipated solo debut, Beverly Dillz produced by Belief. It is awesome because you can drink a lot of coffee while listening to it without eating pastries, which leads to less weight gain than the normal album listening session.*
I had allot of great experiences on this tour.
I realized that keeping in touch and keeping people posted on all your "happenings" from rapping, coffee spots, to beds you sleep in and weird places you go are things that you can "achieve" just like your peers, even the ones who are more well known than you, and your band.
I rocked shows with 10 people and also with 10,000..please read on if you are interested in how you can do something like this.
Perhaps you are in touch with a band who is huge. They sell 200,000 + records and you knew them before they were big. Maybe they sell 10,000. Whatever the case is, you are trying to emulate their success.
I have found out through experience that the best way to build relationships is through common ground.
Finding common ground through personal communication via social networking sites is great for a band/singer.
Common ground can include a variety of things, freestyle sessions or eating at the same Tom's diner In Denver Colorado to liking the same type of authentic sneakers or even heritage.
You can be dang sure that Jewish artists have a common bond in that area. But let's get more specific. You had noticed a twitter message saying _______ artist/band is in Milwaukee having eggs Benedict at ________ diner but you had a bad experience there with a waitress named April.
Now you retweet back that you should order blueberry pancakes because of ______ reason.
In the end, this artist is playing 700 person shows and yours are between 7 to 70.
However, you were in the same city, at the same diner, and ate almost the same food. Perhaps that waitress April is a bastard or maybe she's not, bottom line is you guys can all have some weird trifecta going on.
Anyway, if people who follow you or them see this they know you, the superstar act ___, and April are all experiencing something special that they are not.
That is the experience of common ground, which all starts on the road.
Be cool... be nice... and be respectful
