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Love Thy Hater: How to Learn and Profit from "Bad" Feedback
Posted by Justin Boland on May 27, 2010 | 11 comments
This is about how to take criticism and profit from it. When I think about what separates successful music entrepreneurs from the rest of us, this is one of the most important differences. They don’t catch feelings, they just listen and learn. Pretty much once a week, I deal with artists who cannot take criticism without being insulted. It’s a widespread and common problem that’s way bigger than hip hop. This is about making the change to an open, successful mindset and turning your haters into a business asset. This is about becoming a better person and acting professional, and if you’re not into that then fuck you.
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The 3 Most Essential Internet Tools for New Artists
Posted by Justin Boland on Oct 07, 2009 | 23 comments
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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The Template: Planning Your First Album
Posted by Justin Boland on Oct 01, 2009 | 30 comments
Here’s a long overdue article: one of the most common questions I get is about how to prepare for releasing a hip hop album. Here, I’ve laid it out with picture and diagrams and the tools you’ll need. Since this is Audible Hype, that wasn’t enough, so I’ve also got contributions from Dru Ha and Godamus Rhyme. Enjoy.
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The Audible Hype $0 Music Promotion Plan
Posted by Justin Boland on Sep 06, 2008 | 33 comments
This has been a long time coming—I’m finally laying out, in great detail, how to set up a powerful online presence using nothing but completely free tools.
In the past week, I’ve had no less than 11 up-and-coming hip hop artists tell me almost the exact same thing: “I’ve got my album done, but I just don’t have the money to promote it.” While I won’t pretend you can get to the top of the Clear Channel playlist and get some MTV rotation for free (without guns)—I am saying you can get to work promoting your music effectively as soon as you finish reading this article.
Let’s get right down to it…
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The No Bullshit Guide Hip Hop Demographics, Part One
Posted by Justin Boland on Aug 04, 2008 | 21 comments
Back when I first started Audible Hype, I did an article about hip hop demographics. I had no idea how ambitious that topic really was, and did a half-assed job. Today I’m going to fix that mistake and do this up properly, because it’s a topic that shouldn’t be complicated.
Demographics shouldn’t be complicated. Accurate statistics should not be the exclusive property of corporate consultants. Artists should not be basing their career on second-hand bullshit ideas of “who really listens to rap.”
Basically, I made a pot of coffee, sat down in the kitchen, and banged out the most detailed, useful and honest report on the demographics of hip hop I could possibly give you. Enjoy.
