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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Krukid is dope. He’s a natural performer, and he writes powerful verses: check out his track Invisible Children, from AFRiCAN. I’m psyched to drop this interview because Krukid has been hustling hard for a long time and he’s got a lot of experience to share. This interview is the first of two parts: here, we’re talking about songwriting, staying organized and planning your next album.
Now that the audience for Audible Hype has grown, I’d like to spark a few conversations. I’ve been amazed by the folks who have dropped comments and gotten in contact with me, and I’ve got 5 Big Questions. I’m not asking you to answer them all, but if you can speak on any of them...please do. It’s going to be a long, cold winter and we’ve gotta figure out how to build art into income. Join the cipher.
In addition to Audible Hype, I’ve been running a hip hop production site for one of the World Around Records artists, DJ Multiple Sex Partners. My work there has been organizing sample collections (free downloads) and doing interviews with dope, professional-grade producers and beatsmiths. Lately the quality level has been through the roof, like recent talks with Man Mantis, HipGnosis, and Falside. Drummer / graphic designer / blogger / producer Objektiv One also made an impression...and then he whipped up a bunch of custom photos of his home studio. I figured this was so good it should be on Audible Hype.
I’m grateful for this interview—Objektiv One is a rigorously organized and ambitious dude with a lot to teach about hustle in 2009.
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My name is Justin Boland and I work for World Around Records. I rap, produce, promote and prosper under pressure. I'm broker than I look, smarter than I talk and closer than I appear.