Some names, like Drake or Sarah Palin, show up everywhere because there’s a publicist making $20,000 a week to make phone calls, all day long.  Some names show up everywhere because the artist behind the name is totally committed to their career.  TAIS is a perfect specimen of the DIY CEO: running every aspect of his career and embracing every challenge that comes his way.  I caught up with him while he was traveling to New York to sprint around the city for a week promoting his new single, Too Complex.  He’s a highly energetic and focused dude with a lot to say…

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The most interesting question from the Audible Hype Survey was the simplest: Do you think you can make a living off music in 2009?.  I’m going to pose it again here because I want to get the largest data set I can—we’re going for 4 figures this time. This is a question at the core of everything Audible Hype is about, and something that cuts across all genres. 

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Since Audible Hype had 333 RSS subscribers when I started the 2009 Survey, our benchmark was 33 responses, or a 10% rate.  We got twice what we expected, so thank you for that.  All praise due to Ganeshe. I promised I’d share the results, and this is that: for the curious and for the data nerds, let’s dig through the digits...for the casual reader, this is something you can skip.

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After writing The Template: Planning Your First Album, I’ve been re-thinking it ever since.  I’d like to introduce you to Oddisee, the DMV renaissance man, who’s got a system that’s proven to work and gives us some real numbers to work with.  Diamond District’s debut album, In the Ruff, is more than just one of the best hip hop albums that’s come out this year.  It’s also a perfect case study of how to make everything that’s “wrong” with the industry today work for you.

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It’s 2009, and people are still repeating this question like idiot lemmings.  “Is Hip Hop Dead?” Considering Nas dropped that album in 2006, I’d have to say this is the single greatest marketing campaign in hip hop history.  Not only did it “go viral,” it’s still causing bar fights three years later.  This article is a look behind the curtains at Def Jam, and into the marketing mastermind of Nasir Jones. 

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Doing an interview with The Aztext was doper than usual, because I got to see their operation from three different perspectives.  I’m talking in depth with all three members, covering promotion, product, performance, and songwriting.  If you’re just getting started, or trying to push your act to the next level, this interview is full of gems on all aspects of managing a hip hop group in 2009. 

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This is a short, simple survey about what you think is working, and what could be improved.  I want Audible Hype to be useful to you.  The results will be shared with everyone in an upcoming post about survey design and collection. 

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The only hard part about running Audible Hype is this: I’m trying to out-do myself every time.  After the first installation of our series on advice from hip hop production veterans, I wanted this to be like a textbook...that didn’t suck...about dealing with sample laws and the business side of making music.  From Large Professor to Cut Chemist to The RZA himself, this is a collection of the best quotes I’ve found from reading thousands of pages about hip hop history and business.  I eat books for reals...but the real winner is you.  Enjoy.

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I have awesome news: we’ve finally launched the World Around Records website. This is a quick rundown of the features and goals, plus three questions I’ve got about the site.  Your answers are hugely and greatly appreciated.

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I’m writing this because I have divergent opinions. Everyone is trying to hype up their websites, and for the most part, everyone is lying. (This is pretty much the same in every other industry, too.) Audible Hype is written for smart kids, nerds who have (or at least want) actual lives and abundant free time to be outside.

Social media can be fun. However, promoting music on social media is only “fun” if you are literally and legally retarded.  My list of tools reflects that opinion. 

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