Let's Start Working Together! Calling ALL Independent Artists!

CaseClosed Dec. 2011 Calling ALL Independent Artists Are you On The Come UP? Main Idea: We should organize as many independent artists in Central Florida to start working together because it will benefit us all. We would all have more people at our shows, more people promoting our music, we would be reaching a bigger audience, and we would have a team of artists that we can rely upon for constructive criticism and support. Being organized will also allow us to benefit our musicians and artists by releasing albums or promoting events at certain times/days that do not conflict with other artist's release dates or show times. We would have a formalized system (one we could always tweak and make better as we learn new things), and a larger audience for marketing whatever products or services that artists in Central Florida come out with... whether that be albums, web shows, advertising their skills as a photographer, videographer, artist, jeweler, etc... Example: - CaseClosed Album Release 10/15/2011... Joey B. 11/15/2011... Laura Leale 12/15/2011 ... Joey B. Show at The West End 10/18/2011... Case Show at The Haven 10/25/2011... etc... Side Note #1- How many times have you not been able to help someone out or go support someone because you were too wrapped up in your own project of whatever... But, then when you needed help or support, those same people were not there? Let's change that. Idea #2: When one of our albums drop, all of us promote the hell out of that album. We would make sure we analyze a certain criteria of data so that we could continue getting better at promoting all the different artists. Example: I wonder if all of us promoting the same day works better than one of us posting it on our pages in consecutive days? After a few experiments, we should be able to hone into the best way to promote ourselves. Side Note #2: We would want things to be as consistent as possible so that whoever is following us knows what to expect, and never has to wait too long for new material. We all know how easy it is to lose someone's attention in our fast-paced cyber-world, and the easiest way is to be disorganized because it frustrates the consumer and turns them off immediately. 　 Idea #2 We should have a goal. Something that bonds all our ideas together. Nothing too political. Example: "On The Come UP Entertainment promotes and encourages all independent artists, in every genre and medium, to get involved and take ownership of their Communities while working together to secure a future where every artist has the opportunity to realistically pursue their dreams." (Needs Work... help me out! :P ) Side Note #3: We will always be doing 'our own thing' on the side. It's hard to turn off an artist's creative mind. But, we should be disciplined enough to use all of our sources, connections, and a little bit of our time to really help promote, record, photograph the person who's album, event, web show, or w/e is dropping next. Idea # 3: What Are Your Talents? We all have different talents, let's take advantage of what we are good at! Once we get all the profiles back, we can start organizing a web page where we can view, contact, and promote different members in our Group depending on what services or talents they can provide. Here is a list of some different talents we may want as an Entertainment Group. Have any others? Add them to the list! :) - Magician - Comedian - Rapper - Singer - Videographer - Photographer - Choreographer - Lyricist - DJ - Beat Producer - Marketer/Street Team - Graphic Design - Web Designer - Talent Agent - Manager - Booking Agent Idea #4: We create routines for releasing albums, hosting events, doing shows, etc... What should every album that we release contain? If we plan the releases of our albums, we should have much better results. What do you think about making all these things below a requirement before we decide on a release date? That way, we can plan an effective release schedule that will show off the artists full potential. - 2 photo shoots - 2 videos - 1 Interview - 4 'singles' ready - Web page - Trailer for the album release (Check out this Trailer for an album release from another independent artist. It is so simple, but makes the album seem way more professional. http://www.youtube.com/user/bebeboohgz#p/u/30/iJ6zB8Fh8sA - Lyrics for all the songs (Have any other ideas that would make our album releases more profitable, or enjoyable? Add them here!) Idea #5 I think, 'Once a Month' meetings are key to keeping us focused and organized. I vote for the first Saturday of every month, switching up locations to be fair. Idea #6 - I believe we should have $5 a month Membership fees (we could even have it automatically taken out of our accounts once a month and put into a community account that we all have access to, but which we all have to have permission from the group to use. It's not about the money, it's about having something invested.) We'll need other ways to raise revenue if we'd like to accomplish all our projects professionally.) The money would go into a community pot that is used for promoting albums, photo shoots, videos, promo posters, features, etc...What do YOU think? Side Note #4 - We will have to figure out a budget for each album. Anybody good with organizing finances? - We will need to find as many contests, open mics, and places that we can perform at while making money. Soo who has connections and who is good with sweet talking club/bar owners? lol Idea #7: Create Revenue. 1. Sell Cd's and Songs Online 2. Play Paid Gigs and Win Contests with Cash Prizes 3. Merchandise - T-Shirts are always good, but a little over-done. Any ideas for cooler items? The cheaper you can make them the better. 4. I have 1,000 CD's ready to be pressed professionally, already paid for... What if we promoted a MixTape for Central Florida and charged people to have their song on it and a couple copies? That could help us get jump-started on our own projects, and we could always sell the CD's at our shows to recoup even more money. Side Note #5 We should also get into the 'fundraiser' game, for us and for charity. What if once a month, say on the Saturday we meet, we all rotate going to different people's cities and sell discount cards... each month, we can all pitch in a certain amount to get the cards and then the profits will go into the band fund after everyone receives their down payment back. This is what I need to get us organized from anybody wishing to be part of 'On The Come Up Entertainment.' Any questions, just hit me up! :) (Fill Out Form Below) ( I personally like the name On The Come Up Entertainment, but I'm open to change it if somebody has something better that incorporates our ideas and goals.) On The Come Up Artist Profile Form Name: Stage Name: Talents: Genre: Goals for 2012: Life Goals: Issues you would like to have an impact on: Venue Connections: Work Schedule: Contact: Email- Phone- Website- Facebook URL-

Lost in Semi-Finals of second 2Racks Rap Contest in Orlando

Just a quick update: Last night Mikey T and I made our way down to Orlando to defend our title as O-town's 2Racks Rap Champion, and the ride down was beautiful. But after that, things just seemed to be 'off' the rest of the night. We forgot the blank CD's and we needed to make changes to our set, which proved to be disasterous for us later on. The first round was a "warm-up", but a complete confidence spoiler for us. We did a song that Mikey hadn't learned yet, and that was much longer than a minute and thirty seconds. So, Mikey's voice was on point but he wasn't as confidence as usual. And, then I got cut off mid-way through my verse which is never a good look. We got a bye for being the former champion and after that, our next song skipped lol But, we got lucky and made it to the semi-finals where we were paired against Paper Cut Gang (a group of five rapper/singers, similar to Treal out of Orlando.) They killed their song with a sick catchy dance song, and I did FukThaSistem (a fast rap with political references.) Unfortunately, for some reason, the crowd was having a tough time hearing the lyrics of what I was saying... I wasn't annunciating enough, or loud enough, or whatever. At least thats the feedback I heard. Either way, PCG took the round, fair in square. However, next time we'll be able to go toe to toe with any dance or 'crowd' song. I'm more motivated than ever. I won't ever be caught off guard like that again. Appreciate the love from Selassie, Phil4Real, Dj Slique, and the bouncer and bartender from Club 57 West... You guys made the night worth it, for sure. Nothing you can do except learn, and keep moving. That's the plan. -CaseClosed Follow @IAMCASECLOSED

Ron Paul for President

SOJA

This band was introduced to me by one of my best friends, Catlin Jacobs up in WV. He went to a few of their shows and noticed that they give away their music for FREE because they believe that if you like their music, you'll support them even more for being 'real.' I love that idea... people shouldn't charge for art. Art is for everyone. ha, sorry to go all hippy on you. Check these dudes out and let me know what you think!

George Carlin!!

George Carlin is one of the greatest minds the 20th century ever saw. In this clip, he goes off on issues in America (fairly normal for Carlin lol) that nobody ever brings up because it may not be 'politically correct.' Who needs political correctness? We need truth. Carlin brings that, with some well-prepared humor. I Love It.

Christopher Hitchens at his best.

Emiliano Salinas: A civil response to violence | Video on TED.com

I've been speaking about the insane war going on in Mexico forquite some time now. This speech, literally, drove me to tears. This man is the MLK of his generation, and his people. I sincerely, hope he gets the credit he deserves, and that his words are taken seriously.

Emiliano Salinas: A civil response to violence | Video on TED.com

Best Marijuana Documentary In Years

I Love this documentary. It lays out all the reasons why the prohibition of marijuana is insane. We need to change this as soon as possible, so that we can focus on more pressing issues, like building homes and feeding everyone in the world.

CaseClosed and Mikey T won 2Racks Rap Contest in Orlando!

I had a blast at the 2Racks Rap competition! We went home with the grand prize on 2k, but even more importantly, we met a whole plethora of talented musicians, rappers, dj's, photographers, and videographers that we were able to build some great connections with. It was all love from the beginning to end, and a BIG Shout Out to Born, who I faced in the championship round... it could have went either way. Check him out at www.ThisIsBorn.com , sick artist! Here's one of the videos shot of me and Mikey T at the 2racks rap show... ENJOY!!!

Too Much Fake News

I never get my news from the conventional cable stations. I get my news from NPR (national public radio) on the morning ride to work, or by browsing through Google for the important headlines. I, then, follow those with searches on Youtube for videos pertaining to the content of the news story. These stories are usually about the new, exciting feats our medical community is pulling off with 21st century technology, or about the poverty and war stricken countries around the world that desperately need our help so that their populations can enjoy the quality of living that we have come to expect in much of the developing world. However, none of the stories I look up have Anything to do with a politician's 'sexting', or a former Governor's bus trip. Jon Stewart of 'The Daily Show' sums it up perfectly when he jokes about the three major news corporations (CNN, FOX, and MSNBC) and their obsession with 'gossipy' news coverage that wastes their, and more importantly, our time.