http://metalabel.com Beyond Labels en-us Copyright &#169; Metalabel Development, LLC 2008 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:52:48 GMT Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:52:48 GMT http://metalabel.com rss@metalabel.com (Amiri Barksdale) rss@metalabel.com (Amiri Barksdale) HTML::Mason / XML::RSS / Perl 5.8.8 http://metalabel.com/images/logo.jpg http://metalabel.com 50 50 Beyond Labels <p>I came across <a href="http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Top50Emcees.htm">this survey</a> today, and I thought it was pretty cool. I agree with it mostly. Any chart without KRS-One and Rakim in the top 2 spots is a joke, first of all, so this survey gets that right. </p> <p> I can bet a lot of people won’t like how Jay-Z isn’t closer to the top, but that’s just cause they don't know their history! And Nas doesn't really deserve to be so high up, considering his supreme lyricism was last on display…14 years ago. </p> <p> Oh well. <a href="http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Top50Emcees.htm">Check it out though</a>! </p> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Top_50_Rappers_Ever.html Fri, 1 Aug 2008 16:15:29 GMT <p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7459796.stm">Kid Rock has decided he would rather his fans “steal” his music on bittorrent than place it on iTunes and have Apple and his record label, Atlantic Records (a subsidiary of Warner Music Group), take the lion’s share of the revenue his music generates</a>.</p> <p> Kid Rock says, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7459796.stm">“The internet was an opportunity for everyone to be treated fairly, for the consumer to get a fair price, for the artist to be paid fairly, for the record companies to make some money. But they stuck to the old system.”</a> That system being the record companies taking most of the cash and not giving it to the artists. </p> <p> We here at Metalabel agree wholeheartedly with Kid’s sentiments and believe that Metalabel is the kind of Internet music distributor that artists and audiences want and need. </p> <p> Though he believes one day he will have to sell his music on iTunes, we think that’s only because he hasn’t heard of Metalabel yet!</p> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/Ryann.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/Ryann/Kid_Rock_is_Boycotting_iTunes..html Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:33:52 GMT I watch MTV every so often, but I usually don't pay attention—I just have it on while I'm doing something else. But when the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfe3EJ3Laho">video for "Run"</a> came on, I was transfixed. Cee-Lo delivers a psycho preacher Sunday morning sermon on acid, and the choir sounds corresponding freaked out. I have never seen or heard anything like it. I don't know if I like it, but I had to pay attention. ‘Nuff said. <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Gnarls_Barkley.html Mon, 12 May 2008 23:10:21 GMT <h3>Metalabel already has the highest artist payout rate on the planet at a full 80 percent. We're proud to announce that we're making it even better.</h3> <br /> <br /> <a href="/registration/index.html"><strong>Artists can now register to pay an annual fee of $200 for unlimited sales. No percentages—just pure upside</strong></a>. <br /> <br /> For current users, our new e-mail notification system is up. You will be notified of new messages, comments, replies, events, music recommendations, announcements, and blogs about you or your music. Of course, <a href="/users/editprofile.html">you can customize your notification settings</a>. <br /> <br /> Last but <em>definitely</em> not least, we are also very happy to announce our first advertising campaign through <a href="http://indieclick.com">IndieClick</a> and <a href="http://undergroundhiphop.com">Underground Hip Hop</a>, one of our most favoritest sites on the Internet. Keep a look out for our ads on your favorite music websites and blogs! <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Big_Changes.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:40:30 GMT Jeremy Steig is a lifelong jazz man, a real vet. (He’s also <a href="http://jeremysteig.info/download.html">a painter</a>, <a href="http://amiribarksdale.com">like me</a>. That’s his artwork on this blog. Wild palette, right?) I’m talking like 45 years in the music business. I reached out to him through a drummer friend of mine, and tried to talk to him about selling some of his music through <a href="http://metalabel.com">Metalabel</a>, but he has serious reservations about the digital music business, and the music business in general. I can’t say I blame him, after what he’s seen and experienced. <br /> <br /> But during that conversation, he was so personable and engaging that I couldn’t get off the phone with him! <a href="http://jeremysteig.info/bio.html">He plays jazz flute</a>, which is my favorite woodwind instrument (yes, even above the sax. I love the flute’s sound so much I sought to purchase one and take lessons, but <a href="http://wwbw.com/Pearl-Flutes-Flutes---Piccolos-c61+4294900173+4294940224.music">even the student flutes were so expensive</a> I had to try to learn <a href="http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/">clarinet instead</a>). I just think the instrument just has a beautiful voice, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Dolphy">Eric Dolphy</a> is my favorite classic jazz player. <br /> <br /> We ended up scheduling a dinner, and on Friday, April 4, <a href="http://metalabel.com/Ryann.html">Ryann</a> and I met him at <a href="http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/bar-6/">Bar 6</a>, <a href="http://metalabel.com/about.html#cafe">the same café where we first discussed Metalabel</a>. We all ordered crème brûlée, and Jeremy proceeded to drop knowledge for about 4 hours. <br /> <br /> We ended up walking back to his crib, cause I wanted to buy some CDs. So we got to meet his wife, and continue our discussion. <br /> <br /> I ended up buying four CDs, all full of good music. My favorite is <a href="http://www.jeremysteig.info/store.html?pid=2630"><em>Flute on the Edge</em></a>. He does a lovely rendition of “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” and <a href="http://www.jazzreview.com/guest/review-17546.html">I’m not the only one who thinks so</a>! <br /> <br /> It’s been almost two full weeks since that evening, and it took just about that long for me to wrap my mind around all we discussed. <br /> <br /> While I won’t go into specifics, I can tell you that meeting Jeremy reconfirmed us in our mission to supersede the record label system and construct another avenue for independent artistic success. <br /> <br /> I’m saying—when labels don’t even want to pay for studio time for their own artists, or when they have to <a href="http://metalabel.com/blogs/Ryann/Soap_Company_to_Make_Sucky_Sudsy_Music.html">partner with soap companies</a> to be able to “afford” marketing their own artists, we need something new. <br /> <br /> So, thanks, Jeremy, for the wisdom and knowledge. Keep playing! <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Wise_Words_From_a_Jazz_Vet.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:19:32 GMT <a href="http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/news/article/0,,4662033,00.html">Jermaine Dupri just launched TAG records</a> with the help of <a href="http://www.pg.com/en_US/index.jhtml">Proctor and Gamble</a>. Yes, the people who make your soap and deodorant have partnered with Def Jam Records to promote artists and their <a href="http://www.consideryourselfwarned.com/">Tag body spray</a>. <br /> <br /> I can see the new <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=M27Us5PRB8Q&amp;feature=related">Tag body spray commercials </a>now. A rapper enters a club and all the girls run to his entourage members instead of him, because they got their Tag on. <br /> <br /> This is just wrong on so many levels. <br /> <br /> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/Ryann.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/Ryann/Soap_Company_to_Make_Sucky_Sudsy_Music.html Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:40:20 GMT With this deal, MySpace shows once and for all that it doesn't give a damn about independent artists. <br /> <br /> MySpace has been around in its current incarnation since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myspace">2003</a>. I don't know how many of you remember, but before that it was a part of eUniverse/InterMix Media, a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermix_Media,_Inc.">gigantic adware/spyware shop</a> that <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/eliot_l_spitzer/index.html">Eliot Spitzer</a>, he of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/ninavenetta">the whore</a>, sued for illegally installing spyware on users' machines. <br /> <br /> We can talk later about exactly how much has changed, what with the general spamminess and sloppiness that continues to define the MySpace experience. <br /> <br /> For now, keep in mind that MySpace has been around for 5 years, claiming to be a friend of the independent artist. There are about 4 million artists on MySpace now. (You can see this if you browse by top genres and add up the columns.) Less than 1 percent of them have major label deals. <br /> <br /> What exactly has MySpace done for these 4 million artists in the past 5 years? Allow them to put up a page, post songs for listening or free download only, and post some band info. Great. <br /> <br /> Oh, and a little more than a year ago, in September 2006—around the time they banned outgoing links in all other Flash applications—they finally introduced a way for independent artists to sell their music on MySpace! Yippee!!! <br /> <br /> But what was it? It was a monopoly deal with Snocap, whereby independent artists can use the SnoCap Flash widget to sell their music on MySpace. <br /> <br /> And SnoCap is utter bullshit. <br /> <br /> If you're a total indie artist, you pay a yearly fee and 39 cents per song <strong>and</strong> a retail fee of 10 or 15 percent—whichever is larger. If you're on an indie label, you can negotiate some of those terms. If you're on a major label, of course, you can negotiate everything! <br /> <br /> Starting to get the picture? <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/19/myspace_royalty_snub/">MySpace has tried in the past to defend its utter negligence of independent artists</a>, but I'm not buying it. There's no way crappy deals with SnoCap and T-shirt sales are gonna cut it for independent artists in the twenty-first century. <br /> <br /> So, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/technology/03cnd-myspace.html">when MySpace announced its deal to sell music for the major labels</a>, with the majors still setting <a href="http://metalabel.com/info.html#80years">the same terms as they have for the past 80 years</a>, I just had to laugh. <br /> <br /> It's a slap in the face to the independent artists who, for better or worse, have made MySpace their home up to this point, and have given MySpace whatever little credibility it has. (Remember, this is a company that got its start installing spyware.) <br /> <br /> Not only have the independent artists gotten no love for the past 5 years, but now, the majors—having trouble selling their crappy overpriced product, and looking to colonize the user bases of online networks, come a'knockin' at MySpace's door. And MySpace opens up and says, "Sure, come right on in! We're not really doing anything to sell our independent artists' music to our user base. Have at it! More Akon, T-Pain, and 50 Cent for everybody! Bring your auto-tuners!" <br /> <br /> Get the picture? <br /> <br /> All the independent artists on MySpace are now <em>officially</em> second-class citizens. They were before, with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySpace_Records">MySpace Records</a> label, their <a href="http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9768308-7.html">"tour"</a>, and the crappy SnoCap deal, but now it's official. <br /> <br /> When we were starting <a href="http://metalabel.com">Metalabel</a>, we wondered for months and months why MySpace didn't just sell music for the independent artists on its site. We fought about it, thought about it, and wrote about it. <br /> <br /> But now it's clear that MySpace wants a guaranteed income from the major labels' established artists—<a href="http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071231-ho-ho-horrible-music-sales-plunge-20-percent-this-christmas.html">even if that is a declining figure</a>, and even if they have to split up the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent-seeking">"rent"</a>—and not even 5 years worth of user-generated content, artist uploads, and fan activity on the site, amassing a group of 4 million artists—not even this is enough for them to even consider doing anything for the independent artist. <br /> <br /> We used to <em>wonder</em> why they never did anything for the independent artist. Now we <em>know</em>. And now we know that they never will. <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/The_MySpace_Record_Label_Deal_Sucks.html Fri, 4 Apr 2008 12:24:32 GMT The Metalabel discussion forum is open! <a href="http://metalabel.com/static/">Start some static!</a> The <a href="/static/">STATIC forum</a> is open to the public—you do not have to be a registered user to join in the mayhem. <br /> <br /> <em>And</em> we are especially proud to announce that you can now <a href="http://metalabel.com/users/invite.html">invite your friends</a> from other networks or elsewhere to join you on Metalabel! <br /> <br /> If you're an artist, now's the time to break out the Rolodex and hit up your contacts, and tell your fans where to download your music! <br /> <br /> If you're a music lover, now's the time to invite your friends and start a discussion. <br /> <br /> We have something else up our sleeve for the very near future, too, so keep an eye out! By the way, what do you think of the new logo? <br /> <br /> <strong>Amiri and Ryann</strong> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/New_Stuff.html Tue, 1 Apr 2008 20:35:34 GMT It was a great show! Stephanie is one soul sister extraordinaire. <br /> <br /> Her whole set blew me away. She masterfully moved in and out of Soul, Funk, Folk, R&B, and a little bit of Rock. <br /> <br /> She even did a funky rendition of the Cold War Kids hit song, “Hang Me Up To Dry." <br /> <br /> Her very special guest,<a href="http://www.myspace.com/officialmeshellndegeocello"> Meshell NDegeocello </a>, played bass guitar towards the end of the show. <br /> <br /> I enjoyed every moment of the show at the <a href="http://www.bluenote.net">Blue Note</a> This was Stephanie's first performance at the iconic New York jazz venue. I am sure after this performance she will be asked back again and again. <br /> <br /> Check out what Stephanie McKay is doing next at: <a href="http://www.stephaniemckay.com/">www.stephaniemckay.com</a>. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://metalabel.com/photos/Ryann.html">Here is a picture of Stephanie and me after the show.</a> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/Ryann.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/Ryann/Stephanie_McKay_at_the_Blue_Note.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:58:29 GMT I love Keith Sweat, cause I'm just that kind of cat. When <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Last-Forever-Keith-Sweat/dp/B000002H5A"><em>Make It Last Forever</em></a> came out in 1987, I would play it all day long, all summer long, on my Fisherâ„¢ dual-auto-reverse smart-dubbing boom box (8 double-Ds, baby) at the swimming pool in our apartment complex in Houston, Texas, and try to talk to girls. I thought I was real cool. <br /> <br /> Now I feel like a fool. Cause I didn't know "In the Rain" was a remake! I was listening to Madlib and them's <a href="http://www.stonesthrow.com/funky16/wooten.html">Funky 16 Corners</a>, and I heard the original "In the Rain" by Billy Wooten. <br /> <br /> Now that I think about it, of course it was a remake. Duh. <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Billy_Wooten.html Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:17:39 GMT Just kidding about <em>demain le monde</em>. Not really. No, just kidding. <br /> <br /> Anyway, we did fix a problem last night with the user registration form, like Ryann said in her bulletin. But it's all good now. <br /> <br /> We wanna be as global in scope as music is universal in appeal, so we had to do it right! <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Demain,_le_Monde!!!.html Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:02:15 GMT <p> As I write this, it is February 4, 2008. We're just getting started! </p> <p> We started this business in an effort to change the landscape of our culture industry. Nothing less. </p> <p> We want you, <em>the artist</em>, to sell your music, connect with your fans, post your events, and become the artist that you always wanted to be, without compromise or being taken advantage of. </p> <p> We want you, <em>the user</em>, to discover artists, connect with other music lovers, and to take this social network outside the confines of cyberspace and into the world's live music venues, clubs, and parties. We want to make social networking <em>real</em>. We want you to be able to support the artists you like and have a more meaningful relationship to the artists and the music you love. </p> <p> Metalabel will not sell you out or sell your personal information. The only thing we want to sell is music at a fair price for music lovers and the artists that make the music. </p> <p> Metalabel was created by two people who want to end corporate domination of the world's culture. Join us today and help make a new world!</p> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Welcome_to_Metalabel!.html Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:58:11 GMT I posted some pictures from our April 2007 LA trip, when we were just beginning to build this business. Check 'em out on my photo page! <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> The Metalabel Blog http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/New_Pictures.html Tue, 5 Feb 2008 16:20:43 GMT JEREMY STEIG TRIO Jeremy Steig, flute, bass flute; Ron McClure, bass; Jeff Hershfield, drums. <br /> <br /> Legendary jazz flutist Jeremy Steig has played with Bill Evans, Art Blakey, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter and many others. <br /> <br /> Two Sets, 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.corneliastreetcafe.com/list.asp?from_cal=0&amp;sdate=5/5/2008">Cornelia Street Cafe</a> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.jeremysteig.info/index.html">Jeremy Steig's website</a> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/Ryann.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Public Events http://metalabel.com/events/Ryann/Jeremy_Steig_Trio_Performance.html Tue, 6 May 2008 03:12:11 GMT Stephanie McKay with very special guest Meshell N'Degeocello. <br /> <br /> Two sets, 8 pm and 10 pm. <br /> <br /> $10 at the bar, $20 for a table. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.bluenote.net/newyork/schedule/moreinfo.cgi?id=5901">www.bluenote.net/newyork/schedule/moreinfo.cgi?id=5901</a> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/Ryann.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Public Events http://metalabel.com/events/Ryann/Stephanie_McKay_and_Meshell_NDegeocello.html Sun, 2 Mar 2008 11:27:48 GMT I'm dissing myself, because this morning, April 8, I lost the past couple of days worth of comments in the database. It was totally my fault, mucking about with things I shouldn't have done while working on the backup system. Sorry folks. <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Public Bulletins http://metalabel.com/bulletins/Oops.html?id=186 Tue, 8 Apr 2008 09:22:29 GMT I just want to let folks know that we changed an aspect of the user interface. The accordions&mdash;the fly-out folder-thingies that used to open when you hovered your mouse over them&mdash;now open when you click them. It was getting a little clumsy. It's much better now. <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Public Bulletins http://metalabel.com/bulletins/Accordions.html?id=173 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:45:58 GMT We added a new feature to the site today! We added a counter to the number of times a song gets played. So whenever people listen to the samples, it goes up. Artists can see this play count in their private statistics pages. <br /> <br /> <em>There's a lot more coming</em>, so keep your grapes peeled and subscribe to the RSS feed! <br /> <br /> Amiri <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Public Bulletins http://metalabel.com/bulletins/PlayandListenCounts.html?id=155 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:38:09 GMT We have internationalized the user registration form. Now users from around the world can enter their correct geographical information. <br /> <br /> Sorry for any interruptions on the site, Wednesday, February 20th. The registration form was broken for part of the night, but everything is in working order now. <br /> <br /> Peace, Ryann <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/Ryann.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Public Bulletins http://metalabel.com/bulletins/WereInternational.html?id=150 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:56:36 GMT Hey folks! We posted an addition to our info page. It is a little section on how to use various aspects of the site. If you ever wondered, have a look-see. E-mail us with any suggestions! <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Public Bulletins http://metalabel.com/bulletins/HowToUsetheSite.html?id=142 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 11:03:26 GMT We have an RSS feed at <a href="http://metalabel.com/feeds/metalabel.xml">metalabel.com/feeds/metalabel.xml</a>. It shows our recent posts, all music reviews, public bulletins, and public events. <br /> <br /> The really cool part is that you have your own feed too! Click the little icon on your homepage. Your music reviews, public bulletins, and public events are syndicated, and you can link to it anywhere on the web. Others can too. <br /> <br /> It is in the form of <a href="http://metalabel.com/feeds/akbeats.xml">metalabel.com/feeds/akbeats.xml</a>, (with your name instead of mine). <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Public Bulletins http://metalabel.com/bulletins/RSSFeeds.html?id=141 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 19:30:14 GMT We have some fresh new features to share with you. <br /> <br /> Have you noticed the new links to events, bulletins and music reviews on the nav bar? Or the new "Bulletin your Peeps" feature on your home page? <br /> <br /> You can write a blog about some music, click the "music review" button, and it will be publicized. It's the same with bulletins and events. <br /> <br /> Click the proper checkbox, and your post or event will be visible to the Internet, not just logged-in Metalabel users. <br /> <br /> Do it to it! <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Public Bulletins http://metalabel.com/bulletins/FreshNewFeatures.html?id=138 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:27:05 GMT <p>I came across <a href="http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Top50Emcees.htm">this survey</a> today, and I thought it was pretty cool. I agree with it mostly. Any chart without KRS-One and Rakim in the top 2 spots is a joke, first of all, so this survey gets that right. </p> <p> I can bet a lot of people won’t like how Jay-Z isn’t closer to the top, but that’s just cause they don't know their history! And Nas doesn't really deserve to be so high up, considering his supreme lyricism was last on display…14 years ago. </p> <p> Oh well. <a href="http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Top50Emcees.htm">Check it out though</a>! </p> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Top_50_Rappers_Ever.html Fri, 1 Aug 2008 16:15:29 GMT I watch MTV every so often, but I usually don't pay attention—I just have it on while I'm doing something else. But when the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfe3EJ3Laho">video for "Run"</a> came on, I was transfixed. Cee-Lo delivers a psycho preacher Sunday morning sermon on acid, and the choir sounds corresponding freaked out. I have never seen or heard anything like it. I don't know if I like it, but I had to pay attention. ‘Nuff said. <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Gnarls_Barkley.html Mon, 12 May 2008 23:10:21 GMT <h3>Metalabel already has the highest artist payout rate on the planet at a full 80 percent. We're proud to announce that we're making it even better.</h3> <br /> <br /> <a href="/registration/index.html"><strong>Artists can now register to pay an annual fee of $200 for unlimited sales. No percentages—just pure upside</strong></a>. <br /> <br /> For current users, our new e-mail notification system is up. You will be notified of new messages, comments, replies, events, music recommendations, announcements, and blogs about you or your music. Of course, <a href="/users/editprofile.html">you can customize your notification settings</a>. <br /> <br /> Last but <em>definitely</em> not least, we are also very happy to announce our first advertising campaign through <a href="http://indieclick.com">IndieClick</a> and <a href="http://undergroundhiphop.com">Underground Hip Hop</a>, one of our most favoritest sites on the Internet. Keep a look out for our ads on your favorite music websites and blogs! <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Big_Changes.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:40:30 GMT Jeremy Steig is a lifelong jazz man, a real vet. (He’s also <a href="http://jeremysteig.info/download.html">a painter</a>, <a href="http://amiribarksdale.com">like me</a>. That’s his artwork on this blog. Wild palette, right?) I’m talking like 45 years in the music business. I reached out to him through a drummer friend of mine, and tried to talk to him about selling some of his music through <a href="http://metalabel.com">Metalabel</a>, but he has serious reservations about the digital music business, and the music business in general. I can’t say I blame him, after what he’s seen and experienced. <br /> <br /> But during that conversation, he was so personable and engaging that I couldn’t get off the phone with him! <a href="http://jeremysteig.info/bio.html">He plays jazz flute</a>, which is my favorite woodwind instrument (yes, even above the sax. I love the flute’s sound so much I sought to purchase one and take lessons, but <a href="http://wwbw.com/Pearl-Flutes-Flutes---Piccolos-c61+4294900173+4294940224.music">even the student flutes were so expensive</a> I had to try to learn <a href="http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/">clarinet instead</a>). I just think the instrument just has a beautiful voice, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Dolphy">Eric Dolphy</a> is my favorite classic jazz player. <br /> <br /> We ended up scheduling a dinner, and on Friday, April 4, <a href="http://metalabel.com/Ryann.html">Ryann</a> and I met him at <a href="http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/bar-6/">Bar 6</a>, <a href="http://metalabel.com/about.html#cafe">the same café where we first discussed Metalabel</a>. We all ordered crème brûlée, and Jeremy proceeded to drop knowledge for about 4 hours. <br /> <br /> We ended up walking back to his crib, cause I wanted to buy some CDs. So we got to meet his wife, and continue our discussion. <br /> <br /> I ended up buying four CDs, all full of good music. My favorite is <a href="http://www.jeremysteig.info/store.html?pid=2630"><em>Flute on the Edge</em></a>. He does a lovely rendition of “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” and <a href="http://www.jazzreview.com/guest/review-17546.html">I’m not the only one who thinks so</a>! <br /> <br /> It’s been almost two full weeks since that evening, and it took just about that long for me to wrap my mind around all we discussed. <br /> <br /> While I won’t go into specifics, I can tell you that meeting Jeremy reconfirmed us in our mission to supersede the record label system and construct another avenue for independent artistic success. <br /> <br /> I’m saying—when labels don’t even want to pay for studio time for their own artists, or when they have to <a href="http://metalabel.com/blogs/Ryann/Soap_Company_to_Make_Sucky_Sudsy_Music.html">partner with soap companies</a> to be able to “afford” marketing their own artists, we need something new. <br /> <br /> So, thanks, Jeremy, for the wisdom and knowledge. Keep playing! <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Wise_Words_From_a_Jazz_Vet.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:19:32 GMT <a href="http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/news/article/0,,4662033,00.html">Jermaine Dupri just launched TAG records</a> with the help of <a href="http://www.pg.com/en_US/index.jhtml">Proctor and Gamble</a>. Yes, the people who make your soap and deodorant have partnered with Def Jam Records to promote artists and their <a href="http://www.consideryourselfwarned.com/">Tag body spray</a>. <br /> <br /> I can see the new <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=M27Us5PRB8Q&amp;feature=related">Tag body spray commercials </a>now. A rapper enters a club and all the girls run to his entourage members instead of him, because they got their Tag on. <br /> <br /> This is just wrong on so many levels. <br /> <br /> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/Ryann.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/Ryann/Soap_Company_to_Make_Sucky_Sudsy_Music.html Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:40:20 GMT With this deal, MySpace shows once and for all that it doesn't give a damn about independent artists. <br /> <br /> MySpace has been around in its current incarnation since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myspace">2003</a>. I don't know how many of you remember, but before that it was a part of eUniverse/InterMix Media, a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermix_Media,_Inc.">gigantic adware/spyware shop</a> that <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/eliot_l_spitzer/index.html">Eliot Spitzer</a>, he of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/ninavenetta">the whore</a>, sued for illegally installing spyware on users' machines. <br /> <br /> We can talk later about exactly how much has changed, what with the general spamminess and sloppiness that continues to define the MySpace experience. <br /> <br /> For now, keep in mind that MySpace has been around for 5 years, claiming to be a friend of the independent artist. There are about 4 million artists on MySpace now. (You can see this if you browse by top genres and add up the columns.) Less than 1 percent of them have major label deals. <br /> <br /> What exactly has MySpace done for these 4 million artists in the past 5 years? Allow them to put up a page, post songs for listening or free download only, and post some band info. Great. <br /> <br /> Oh, and a little more than a year ago, in September 2006—around the time they banned outgoing links in all other Flash applications—they finally introduced a way for independent artists to sell their music on MySpace! Yippee!!! <br /> <br /> But what was it? It was a monopoly deal with Snocap, whereby independent artists can use the SnoCap Flash widget to sell their music on MySpace. <br /> <br /> And SnoCap is utter bullshit. <br /> <br /> If you're a total indie artist, you pay a yearly fee and 39 cents per song <strong>and</strong> a retail fee of 10 or 15 percent—whichever is larger. If you're on an indie label, you can negotiate some of those terms. If you're on a major label, of course, you can negotiate everything! <br /> <br /> Starting to get the picture? <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/19/myspace_royalty_snub/">MySpace has tried in the past to defend its utter negligence of independent artists</a>, but I'm not buying it. There's no way crappy deals with SnoCap and T-shirt sales are gonna cut it for independent artists in the twenty-first century. <br /> <br /> So, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/03/technology/03cnd-myspace.html">when MySpace announced its deal to sell music for the major labels</a>, with the majors still setting <a href="http://metalabel.com/info.html#80years">the same terms as they have for the past 80 years</a>, I just had to laugh. <br /> <br /> It's a slap in the face to the independent artists who, for better or worse, have made MySpace their home up to this point, and have given MySpace whatever little credibility it has. (Remember, this is a company that got its start installing spyware.) <br /> <br /> Not only have the independent artists gotten no love for the past 5 years, but now, the majors—having trouble selling their crappy overpriced product, and looking to colonize the user bases of online networks, come a'knockin' at MySpace's door. And MySpace opens up and says, "Sure, come right on in! We're not really doing anything to sell our independent artists' music to our user base. Have at it! More Akon, T-Pain, and 50 Cent for everybody! Bring your auto-tuners!" <br /> <br /> Get the picture? <br /> <br /> All the independent artists on MySpace are now <em>officially</em> second-class citizens. They were before, with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySpace_Records">MySpace Records</a> label, their <a href="http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9768308-7.html">"tour"</a>, and the crappy SnoCap deal, but now it's official. <br /> <br /> When we were starting <a href="http://metalabel.com">Metalabel</a>, we wondered for months and months why MySpace didn't just sell music for the independent artists on its site. We fought about it, thought about it, and wrote about it. <br /> <br /> But now it's clear that MySpace wants a guaranteed income from the major labels' established artists—<a href="http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071231-ho-ho-horrible-music-sales-plunge-20-percent-this-christmas.html">even if that is a declining figure</a>, and even if they have to split up the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent-seeking">"rent"</a>—and not even 5 years worth of user-generated content, artist uploads, and fan activity on the site, amassing a group of 4 million artists—not even this is enough for them to even consider doing anything for the independent artist. <br /> <br /> We used to <em>wonder</em> why they never did anything for the independent artist. Now we <em>know</em>. And now we know that they never will. <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/The_MySpace_Record_Label_Deal_Sucks.html Fri, 4 Apr 2008 12:24:32 GMT The Metalabel discussion forum is open! <a href="http://metalabel.com/static/">Start some static!</a> The <a href="/static/">STATIC forum</a> is open to the public—you do not have to be a registered user to join in the mayhem. <br /> <br /> <em>And</em> we are especially proud to announce that you can now <a href="http://metalabel.com/users/invite.html">invite your friends</a> from other networks or elsewhere to join you on Metalabel! <br /> <br /> If you're an artist, now's the time to break out the Rolodex and hit up your contacts, and tell your fans where to download your music! <br /> <br /> If you're a music lover, now's the time to invite your friends and start a discussion. <br /> <br /> We have something else up our sleeve for the very near future, too, so keep an eye out! By the way, what do you think of the new logo? <br /> <br /> <strong>Amiri and Ryann</strong> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/New_Stuff.html Tue, 1 Apr 2008 20:35:34 GMT It was a great show! Stephanie is one soul sister extraordinaire. <br /> <br /> Her whole set blew me away. She masterfully moved in and out of Soul, Funk, Folk, R&B, and a little bit of Rock. <br /> <br /> She even did a funky rendition of the Cold War Kids hit song, “Hang Me Up To Dry." <br /> <br /> Her very special guest,<a href="http://www.myspace.com/officialmeshellndegeocello"> Meshell NDegeocello </a>, played bass guitar towards the end of the show. <br /> <br /> I enjoyed every moment of the show at the <a href="http://www.bluenote.net">Blue Note</a> This was Stephanie's first performance at the iconic New York jazz venue. I am sure after this performance she will be asked back again and again. <br /> <br /> Check out what Stephanie McKay is doing next at: <a href="http://www.stephaniemckay.com/">www.stephaniemckay.com</a>. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://metalabel.com/photos/Ryann.html">Here is a picture of Stephanie and me after the show.</a> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/Ryann.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/Ryann/Stephanie_McKay_at_the_Blue_Note.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:58:29 GMT I love Keith Sweat, cause I'm just that kind of cat. When <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Last-Forever-Keith-Sweat/dp/B000002H5A"><em>Make It Last Forever</em></a> came out in 1987, I would play it all day long, all summer long, on my Fisherâ„¢ dual-auto-reverse smart-dubbing boom box (8 double-Ds, baby) at the swimming pool in our apartment complex in Houston, Texas, and try to talk to girls. I thought I was real cool. <br /> <br /> Now I feel like a fool. Cause I didn't know "In the Rain" was a remake! I was listening to Madlib and them's <a href="http://www.stonesthrow.com/funky16/wooten.html">Funky 16 Corners</a>, and I heard the original "In the Rain" by Billy Wooten. <br /> <br /> Now that I think about it, of course it was a remake. Duh. <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Billy_Wooten.html Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:17:39 GMT Just kidding about <em>demain le monde</em>. Not really. No, just kidding. <br /> <br /> Anyway, we did fix a problem last night with the user registration form, like Ryann said in her bulletin. But it's all good now. <br /> <br /> We wanna be as global in scope as music is universal in appeal, so we had to do it right! <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Demain,_le_Monde!!!.html Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:02:15 GMT <p> As I write this, it is February 4, 2008. We're just getting started! </p> <p> We started this business in an effort to change the landscape of our culture industry. Nothing less. </p> <p> We want you, <em>the artist</em>, to sell your music, connect with your fans, post your events, and become the artist that you always wanted to be, without compromise or being taken advantage of. </p> <p> We want you, <em>the user</em>, to discover artists, connect with other music lovers, and to take this social network outside the confines of cyberspace and into the world's live music venues, clubs, and parties. We want to make social networking <em>real</em>. We want you to be able to support the artists you like and have a more meaningful relationship to the artists and the music you love. </p> <p> Metalabel will not sell you out or sell your personal information. The only thing we want to sell is music at a fair price for music lovers and the artists that make the music. </p> <p> Metalabel was created by two people who want to end corporate domination of the world's culture. Join us today and help make a new world!</p> <img src="http://metalabel.com/users/pictures/thumbnails/akbeats.jpg" align="right" alt=""> Metalabel Music Reviews http://metalabel.com/blogs/akbeats/Welcome_to_Metalabel!.html Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:58:11 GMT