Archive for Uncategorized
{ July 4, 2008 @ 6:47 pm }
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{ Uncategorized }
{ Tags: BET Music Awards, Featuring Jamille Luney, Jamille Luney }
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The BET Music Awards were not bad, not good, just there. We’ve seen all the light shows, dance moves, smoke, etc… In essence it’s like an old relationship. The excitement is gone you know everything about the person and seen all their tricks and now you’re bored. We have seen all the BET tricks and we’re de-sensitized from over stimulation.
On a better note, we will be featuring blogs from Jamille Luney, the music analyst and former producer
we featured and interviewed a few months back. We will also continue to post, but it will be integrated with Luney’s publications. We think you’ll enjoy.
{ May 30, 2008 @ 4:17 pm }
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{ Uncategorized }
{ Tags: female artists, Female Music Producers, female recording artists, femalebeatmakers, review of female beatmakers.com }
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Female producers and artists everywhere unite! That is the power that femalebeatmakers.com brings to the table. The site is great and the layout gets two thumbs up. It’s user friendly, full of good content and talented female producers and artists. Great talent = great content and head knod for femalebeatmakers.com. Great job ladies!
Add this one to your favorites or blogroll. We did!!
{ May 14, 2008 @ 7:05 pm }
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{ Female Music, Female Music Producers, Female Music Production, Female Producers, Music Producers, Uncategorized }
{ Tags: Alicia Keys, Apple, Beyonce, Bill Gates, digital formats, distribution, Duke Hospsital, Duke Univeristy, FAMU Law School, female music analyst, Gwynn Swinson, Harvard Law, HBCU, indie artists, indie artists distribute music, indie artists market music, indie artists sell music, Information Technology, Jamille Luney, jamilleluney.com, Keyshia Cole, marketing music, Microsoft, music analyst, music formats, music technology, Nas, National Judicial College, NCCU Law School, North Carolina Governor, Rakim, record deal, record labels, Robyn Luney, Secretary of Administration, sell your music, selling music, silicon valley, State of North Carolina, Steve Jobs }
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Her website draws well over 10,000 visits per day. She tells indie artists the secrets of marketing and how sell their music. Big kicker, she does not charge a thing!
In a recent interview she said “I’m teaching indie artists how to sell their music and I’m helping record labels discover talent that is already selling. Everybody is winning!”
Jamille Luney has a prosperous new career, jamilleluney.com. She will continue to produce on the side, but her primary role is as a music analyst and owner of information technology companies specializing in digital formats and distribution. “Music formats determine how you distribute and sell your music. Nobody sells or distributes cassette tapes anymore. The same will be true of CDs” says Luney.
If you’ve never heard of Jamille Luney, she produced a few songs for artists such as Nas, Rakim, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, and we heard she has one more crazy remix scheduled for release of Keyshia Cole. Luney has foregone the standard role of music producer (she’ll still produce on the side she claims) to pursue music information technology. This still places Jamille at the heart and sole of the entertainment industry and with unlimited earning potential. “I’m not gonna lie money was a factor. I love Silicon Valley, Bill Gates (Microsoft), and Steve Jobs (Apple)” Jamille chuckles.
“Mp3’s we’re huge! We’re preparing for the next format” she explains. “As everyday Internet bandwith and demands increase, so will record sales and the need for a new format.” Luney’s does not want to be in videos or on T.V, although she can make one phone call and be up there. “That’s not me, I’m a computer nerd” she laughs “I used to want to be in music videos when I was in college. It’s weird I just outgrew it i guess.” she shrugs “I also discovered Bill Gates and realized I’m an attractive black female computer nerd who knows a lot about music. If I can put this together hmmm….” she laughs. “It also helps having two parents whom are lawyers.”
Her mother, Gwynn Swinson, a North Carolina attorney and Vice President of Community and Public Relations for Duke University Hospitals, acts as Jamille’s general counsel and legal advisor. Jamille’s father, Percy Luney, also an attorney and a graduate of Harvard Law and manages Jamille. Percy is the former Dean of NCCU Law School, FAMU Law School, First black president of National Judicial College, and is currently working for Space Florida.
Another inspiration for Jamille was her desire to help independent artists. “Some of the best talent and music is underground, without quesiton. When my sister and I both had our identities stolen, for some reason it set something off inside of me. Our credit still is not fixed to this day and Rob’s social security number is still frozen or something. It’s crazy! I know that event is random, but it did something to me. Don’t ask me why ” she explains. ” The other half is my parents. As lawyers, I watched my parents help a lot of people. My dad was adamant about African Americans, Latinos, and other minorities getting quality education and graduate degrees. That’s why he primarily worked at HBCUs. My mother’s motto has always been ‘To whom much is give much is required’. I love to help people it’s a great feeling and I really love helping indie artists.”
Jamille’s website is jamilleluney.com and if you’re and indie artists you need this site.
{ May 10, 2008 @ 1:06 am }
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{ Female Music, Female Music Producers, Female Music Production, Female Producers, Music Producers, Uncategorized }
{ Tags: Assembly Line, Barry Gordy, Beyonce, Downloading replacing producers, Ford, Givemebeats, ipod, Kanye West, Kelly Rowland, Microsoft, Motown, Mp3 player, Mp3 replaces CD, Music Producers, On Line Music Producers, Thebeattrader, Timbaland, Trackmasterz }
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Today if an young unknown artists wants to make a demo all he or she has to do is a Google or Yahoo search for ‘buy beats’. The search results provide an array of on line producers to choose from. They can purchase the beat on line and download it immediately. They know longer have to rent out a studio or buy studio equipment to make a track. All they have to do is look on line. Of course big names artists will continue to use big named producers. However, the young and aspiring artists are going on line to find their producers, as they should. They’ve been getting ripped of for years and now they have a larger budget to record their vocals. In the past the budget was sucked up from production costs. Now $100 for the track and your done!
Still the quality of on line producers is questionable. Sites such as Givemebeats and Thebeattrader allow anybody to register as a producer and upload their work. However, sites such as Trackmasterz are professional and consists of producers that have worked in the industry. More importantly they submit their tracks to A&R’s from major labels to review so check quality an commercial appeal. There are not many credible on line producers like Trackmasterz. However, history and technology assure us their will be more. Our prediction for the next three years in the music industry is this: CD’s will be dead, on line music production companies will replace producers, Trackmasterz will remain the industry standard and Microsoft of on line music production.
How many of you went to the store to buy a CD player within the past three months? How many of you went to the store to buy an Mp3 player or Ipod? Exactly!! Nobody is buying CD players any more. Why should they? Who wants to spend $50.00 to fill up your gas tank to drive to the store when you can just buy the album on line and download it on to your Mp3 player or Ipod? Secondly, why spend $10-$14 on a CD that can hold at best 16 songs when you can put thousands on your Mp3 player? Right! Just like cassette tapes and eight tracks, CD’s are on their way out.
Technology has definitely affected CD sales and Mp3 sales. However, it has also affected the music production process. Kanye West and Timbaland no longer have to fly to various studios to meet with their artists. Today they can email the tracks. Kelly Rowland and Beyonce no longer have to record their vocals in the same studio. Beyonce can record in Aspen while working on her latest movie and Kelly can record in New York while she works on her solo album. Their studio engineers can email their vocals back and forth to each other and sort out the mix among themselves. When the final album comes out it sounds like they were in the same room. Yes technology is amazing. It is also the death of the current music industry as we know it.
No the music industry is not going to die it will always be there. HOWEVER, the music industry that currently exists WILL NOT be here much longer. Is the Motown sound with Barry Gordy still around? No, we wish it was but it’s not. Change is the only constant and technology makes change rapid and frequent. Barry Gordy introduced the concept of assembly line production to the music industry, while Ford introduced it to the automotive industry. In fact Gordy worked in the automotive industry and this is where he adopted the practice. Interesting to note is what caused the invention of the assembly line, machinery. Up until industrialization labor was hands on. After Industrialization labor became more mechanized requiring less people. Factories began springing up every where across the U.S. However, as technology improved the need for workers decreased. This helped to increase profit. Barry Gordy brought this concept to Motown and now it is coming back to the music industry as a result of the Mp3 and downloading.
{ April 26, 2008 @ 3:14 am }
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{ Female Music, Female Music Producers, Female Music Production, Female Producers, Female Production, Music Producers, Uncategorized }
{ Tags: Digital Distribution, digital downloads taxed, digital music taxed, digital products taxed, Digital Sales, digital sales tax, Independent recording artists sell music digital, independnet recording artists digital sales }
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Many states are pushing for taxes on digital products. In a recent article written by Anne Broache published on April 15, 2008 on CNET News.com, Broache writes:
“Two years ago, a CNET News.com special report found that 15 states and the District of Columbia said that their laws and regulations meant that digital downloads should be taxed. A few months later, New Jersey joined that list.
Since then, more states have become tax-inclined. In 2008 alone, Indiana, Utah, and South Dakota have enacted laws reiterating their commitments to collect taxes on digital downloads, while Nebraska recently voted to send its governor a bill (PDF) that would tax downloads of books, movies, and music starting October 1. Others, including Wisconsin and Massachusetts, have formed groups to “study” new i Tunes taxes.” (Politicians push for new iTunes sales taxes).
Although this sounds tedious it, puts more pressure on the entertainment industry and opens doors for Independent artists. Don’t thank your state government officials just yet. They did not do it for their native aspiring artists, nevertheless they have opened a door.
Right about now some of you are saying isn’t this bad for me? I sell my music on my web page and MySpace. Doesn’t this take money out of my pocket? NO!! If you sell you music on MySpace , Snocap is the one paying the taxes. For those who are unaware, Snocap is the company MySpace uses to allow users to sell their music on their MySpace page. What about your web page? More than likely you are using a company or other service such as cdbaby, e-junkie, amazon, or itunes to sell your music on your web page. Companies such as these are responsible for charging the digital tax.
So does this mean I will be charged more by the company that sells my music? No, there will be a flat tax on your song. Think about when you go the the gas station and buy a $.99 cup of cofee what’s your grand total? Probably $1.07 depending on which state you’re in. Customers don’t think twice about it. The same will be true of a .99 cent song.
The greatest outcome of the proposed state tax is the financial hit to the major record labels. Many record labels are already in battles with itunes and other digital distribution companies over the pricing of their music catalogs. Universal threatened to cancel their catalog deal with itunes last year. How will labels be taxed? Rest assure those catalogs are going to cost a pretty penny. Major Record labels cannot afford to loose one dime ($.10) right now. They can barely afford to pay for their star recording artists. That precious $.07 tax is more than they give each artists per album sale!
{ February 15, 2008 @ 6:34 am }
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{ Female Music, Female Music Producers, Female Music Production, Female Producers, Uncategorized }
{ Tags: Beyonce, Beyonce Knowles, Beyonce's Listen, Dreamgirls, Dreamgirls Soundtrack, Listen, Where Does Beyonce Live }
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Artists live in their artwork, but the question is which piece of their artwork do they currently live in? Each artwork represents a different time period in their life, so its hard to pinpoint where they are. Also, they are very creative so they tend to be all over the place.
I believe Ms. Knowles lives in her song ‘Listen’ from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. Ironically, most people do not realize this because they don’t LISTEN! You’re so busy looking at her you’re not even hearing what she’s saying. That is exactly Beyonce’s point and that’s exactly what she is singing about. This is an extremely intelligent women that people do not take the time to know because they cannot see past her beauty.
On the flip side, unless Beyonce finds you trustworthy she will not ALLOW you to see past her beauty. Why? Beyonce has grown to be a good judge of character and she will only get better at this practice with time. Her intelligence is far greater than her beauty.
Many of you are wondering how do you know this? Have you met Beyonce? No I have not. However, I’ve done what Beyonce asked, something you all have not. I ‘Listen’!!
{ February 4, 2008 @ 7:18 am }
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{ Uncategorized }
{ Tags: Babyface, Beverly, Beverly Crawford, Dark Child, executive music producer, female music producer, female producer, filmography, movie producers, Norbit, Rodney Jerkins, Tracey Edmonds }
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His former wife, Tracey Edmonds, has a discography as an executive music producer. Remember the artists Beverly Crawford? You may not, she only had a couple of tunes that scored regular rotation on radio stations. The songs you might remember are ‘You Came Along’ or ‘I really Do Love You’. Rodney Jerkins aka ‘Dark Child’ produced a couple tracks on Crawford’s album but Tracey Edmonds was the executive producer.
Beverly was actually pretty good. She had/has a great voice and those songs are definitely worth purchasing off of itunes or Yahoo Music. On that note we give kudos to Tracey Edmonds as an executive producer. However, we would probably advise firing the marketing director for this project considering the fact it never really took off. Too harsh? I think not! Nobody knows Tracey Edmonds as a MUSIC producer and very few know Beverly Crawford as an artist. This is clear evidence of piss poor marketing. I don’t think Edmonds is too heartbroken over the situation because she has a very successful resume as a movie producer. Either way you look at it, Tracey Edmonds is a female producer.
{ January 25, 2008 @ 7:28 pm }
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{ Uncategorized }
{ Tags: Alicia, Alicia Keys, Female Music Producers, Female Producers, female recording studios, Jamille, Jamille Luney, Kerry Brothers, Kerry Krucial Brothers, Missy, Missy Elliot, recording studios, The Oven Studios }
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Unfortunately there are not that many. Alicia Keys opened a studio, we mentioned it earlier on this blog. Jamille Luney has her own recording studio. However, it’s in her house and not open to the public. Missy Elliot does not have a public studio either. The only female producer who owns a studio open to the public appears to be Ms. Keys. Her studio is called The Oven Studios and is located in New York. In addition Alicia Keys has a female engineer. HELL YES!! Her name is Ann Mincieli. Keys is part owner of the studio with partner Kerry “Krucial“ Brothers .
{ January 14, 2008 @ 4:52 pm }
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{ Female Music Producers, Female Music Production, Female Producers, Uncategorized }
{ Tags: Missy Elliot, Alicia Keys, Jamille Luney, Female Music Producers, Female Producers, Kanye West, Timbaland, Underground female producers, Nas, 50 cent, Scott Storch, Rock-A-Fella records, independent music producers }
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Both women and men are intelligent beings. Some are more intelligent than others. As you can tell by my name, Charlene, I am a woman. I’m a big advocate for female music producers. It breaks my heart there are not more in the commercial entertainment industry. However, I’m disappointed in a lot of my fellow female producers. Why? Many female producers have not capitalized on the befits of sexism and technology. I know, you’re thinking what could possibly be a benefit of sexism? Sexism causes lower wages for females, but spells CHEAPER PRODUCTION COSTS to labels! In this period of economic crisis and massive downloading, you will see a lot more underground and female producers emerge.
Right now Missy Elliot is the leading female music producer in the commercial entertainment industry and she is averaging some where around $30,000-$50,000 a track (give or take). Missy’s price is not bad. In fact she is much more affordable than Scott Storch or Timbaland who make around $80,000 – $100,000 per track. Missy is just as qualified and talented as any of these male producers. However, she’s getting paid half has much (the pitfall of sexism). It’s still a nice pay rate; I’d love to have it. More importantly as labels continue to downsize Missy becomes the more viable option when hiring a big name producer. We already discussed the unresolved continuing problem of downloading that is bankrupting the music industry as we speak. However, lets also discuss having to pay producers $80,000-$100,000 per track on top of other production costs to make an album. The economy is bad, price of gas is through the roof, cost of education is ridiculous, mom and dad are cutting little Tommy and Mary’s allowance because they need to save money, so what do little Tommy and Mary do to entertain themselves since they can’t go anywhere or leave the house? Watch MTV, BET, hop on MySpace, Face Book, You Tube, Instant Messenger, and DOWNLOAD!! Mom and dad are not going to take them to the store; the price of gas it too high and they do not want to spend money.
Missy Elliot’s pay rate will prove to be a blessing in her career during this time of economic crisis, but the female producers who will really benefit from this are independents such as Jamille Luney. Jamille’s going rate is between $5,000-$10,000 per track and she already has a following (without major marketing). Labels save loads of money using a producer like Jamille and they are not sacrificing production (go listen to the track she did for the Nas and Alicia Keys remix http://myspace.com/jamilleluney). Many record labels are turning to the streets for inexpensive well produced beats.
Before Kanye West was a household name, he produced tracks for Rock- A -Fella records for Jamille’s current pay rate. The bottom line is a lot of talented female producers are going to get a shot and I think Jamille Luney is leading the pack in 2008. Missy will still reign as the queen. It would be nice to see Missy take Jamille under her wing. I think Elliot and Luney should team up before the industry tries to turn them against each other to create a girl cat fight for promotion. The Kanye 50 cent dog fight was not that exciting, but two females is a male centered society’s dream!
{ January 9, 2008 @ 5:29 am }
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She was a hell of a producer. Many people may not know or remember that. However, towards the end of Left Eye’s career, she was getting more into producing. Remember the hit song ‘Heart Break Hotel’ featuring Kelly Price, Faith Evans, and Whitney Houston (before you know)? Yeah, that was your girl Left Eye. In fact she claimed she originally pitched the idea to her group members of TLC, but Chili and T-Boz were not feeling it.
Left Eye’s Producer resume also includes the girl group Blaque. If you can’t remember them, they were the three young girls who sang ’808′ and ’Bring It All To Me’ featuring N’Sync. The group also made their first on screen appearance in the movie Bring It On and had a couple tracks on the soundtrack. Left Eye’s production company was named Left Eye Productions. Blaque was one of the acts she discovered under her production company.
We often remember Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes as the rapper in TLC, but she was a hell of a producer. Rest in Peace.
