The Marketing that Propelled VaShawn Mitchell to this Great Achievement

VaShawn Mitchell Tops Winners List at 27th Annual Stellar Awards…

               


By: Troika K. Hanna

2011 was the year the song Nobody Greater took force on Gospel airways and networks. Vashawn Mitchell’s 2010 album Triumphant earned a total of six (6) Stellar Awards. The EMI Gospel artist was highly promoted on the star search shows Untapped and BET’s Sunday’s Best. EMI’s marketing team ensured that the song Nobody Greater would catapult his career.


Their steps began in October 2011, showcasing Vashawn Mitchell on TV shows, where the marketing team was prepared to release the deluxe edition of the 2010 album Triumphant. The package consisted of a CD/DVD, in addition to two new songs, My Worship is For Real and My Source. There was also an attached in depth interview of Vashawn Mitchell that spoke of his many accomplishments of obtaining a record deal with EMI, Grammy Nomination, and the privilege of being mentored and working and ministering with Bishop Larry T. Trotter. 


Throughout his career, he has worked with Lonnie Hunter as an assistant music director and Minister of Music under Bishop Larry T. Trotter. As a songwriter, he has composed songs for Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Bishop Paul Morton, and Smokie Norful. He has been known to top Billboard Gospel chart where on April 5, 005, he peaked at number 26. But it was only until EMI Gospel released the Grammy-nominated Triumphant on August 2010 that his career and success would take rave notification. “Rising Gospel music superstar VaShawn Mitchell topped the list of winners during the 27th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards announced Saturday night during the show’s taping at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry House Theater. Mitchell took home six awards, including Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Contemporary Male of the Year and Praise and Worship CD of the Year for his 2011 album, “Triumphant.” (Retrieved from: http://www.eurweb.com/2012/01/vashawn-mitchell-tops-winners-list-at-27th-annual-stellar-awards/

“I am grateful to stand here,” a gracious Mitchell said, also acknowledging other artists in the category, his family, label and social media fans.  “I’ve been coming to the Stellar Awards a long time and I’m glad I waited my turn.” (Stated VaShawn Mitchell)

Work Cited:

EMI Gospel. (2012)

http://emigospel.com

You in Music Magazine

Illustrates Probability Ratio in the article:

Netflix gets more shows from CBS, Warner Bros

            In analyzing the tactics of Netflix, Inc. in their marketing strategy, we see that the company has made joint ventures to expanding the product. The article states that Netflix signed an agreement with CBS to expand their television network. This development will increase their number of active users and allow them to remain a competitive force in the market. Their aim is to convert their mail in clients to streaming clients and establish a working network between all Cable TV programming. Currently the company has a joint venture between Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., Warner Bros., CBS, AMC Networks, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. It is stated that the only challenge is with the exclusive rights. Netflix is limited or restricted to the launch date of allowing customers to utilize the products or titles within the joint venture. “The new deals with Netflix appear to have tighter restrictions such as when they can first be shown, for example. In The CW pact, older-season episodes of some shows, including "One Tree Hill" and "Nikita", will available Oct. 15 while others are set for January.” (Yinka Adegoke 2011). However, such restrictions are not deterring the company’s continuous growth in financial stability.

From analyzing the information given, we see how the company Netflix has used the Liquidity Ratio (examining its leverage over Cable TV), Quick Ratio (examining its liabilities – Example is the launch restrictions), and Probability Ratio. Most importantly it is through the Probability Ratio that the company Netflix is able to determine how well it is operating within the market; enable the company to keep track of product/service sales of the publication and being able to determine the ratio of people converting from DVD’s to online streaming. Netflix is truly becoming a company that all active customers in the entertainment industry are starting to consider. “Netflix shares rose 2.7 percent to $116.75 on Nasdaq at mid-afternoon.” (Yinka Adegoke 2011).

Work Cited

Yinka Adegoke (2011). Netflix gets more shows from CBS, Warner Bros

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/13/netflix-timewarner-cbs-idUSN1E79C0YP20111013?type=companyNews

RE: My blog post revolves around the achievements of Vijay Nair out of India.

By: Troika K. Hanna

As an independent artist and the CEO of a music publication for independent artist and Music Business professionals, I found this article to be very inspiring. Even though this company (Only Much Louder) and industry is in a different country, the growth and downfall in the Music Industry may be compared to the industry in the Unite States. The company is setup as a one-stop shop. Only Much Louder provides services for concerts and festivals; it is a booking agency for independent artist and record label. When one analyzes the company Only Much Louder, we look at what the company has done for the country of India and how it differentiates its brand from others.

For example: Only Much Louder hosted the first music festival in India. The company has established itself as being the only music organization to focus on independent artist and the non-Bollywood sector in India.

“What differentiates us is that we’ve always focused on the non-Bollywood sector in India and that’s a pretty hard thing to do. Plus we’ve never really been limited to any genre; it’s just been about anything that’s independent, good, live, very flexible.” (Vijay Nair, 2010)

The company focused its aim entirely on empowering independent artists, musicians, and agents from being trapped by major record labels. One of the most innovative tactics used by Only Much Louder was the ability to increase CD sales. During the year 1999-2000, the company had burned 200 CD’s for sale and had started to encourage consumers to burn the CD’s themselves. Subsequently, this being a new idea to consumers of India had actually enforced consumers in buying the album.

“We took a lot of pride in that. And the more we asked people to do that, the more people ended up buying the album, which was really strange. We did the first two hundred albums like that, but we were actually mass-printing albums after that. We did about eight to ten thousand copies by the end of the year.” (Vijay Nair, 2010)

Another factor is that India being a larger market, allowed for greater potential. When compared to other markets in foreign countries, we see that India uses music mainly for the Film Industry. Ninety percent of all music made was put into film. This very same idea is what Only Much Louder focused on. The company used the fact that the film industry was dominant, and decided to capitalize on two or three percent of which was the independent music industry.

As we analyze the company Only Much Louder we can see it used the Law of Contraction (focusing entirely on a particular market) and the Law of Singularity (staying geared towards the independent music industry).

I hope to see my company You in Music begin to grow in the very sme business structure here in the Bahamas and United States as Only Much Louder was able to capitalize on the market in India.  

Reference: Nair, Vijay. India’s Independent Music Industry, (2010). Retrieved from: http://blog.ted.com/2010/10/29/fellows-friday-with-vijay-nair/

The RIAA Involvement & Impact on The Music Industry

Article by: Troika Hanna

My association of choice is the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In analyzing the RIAA, we first have to examine the history of the association. This association is a trade organization that supports and promotes the creativity and financial validity of major music companies. The members of the association consist of record labels. There primary objective is to create, manufacture, and disseminate music globally. As stated by the RIAA, the association currently operates 85% of all legal/copyrighted work in the United States.

In addition, the RIAA aims to protect intellectual property. The company protects against piracy of any recorded material or music. As stated by the RIAA, “because of the substantial losses to the recording industry as the result of piracy, the RIAA worked closely with the FBI to develop a new government seal and warning for placement on copyrighted music products in order to increase anti-piracy awareness”. Through protecting the rights of recorded music, the RIAA also operates through the First Amendment of the constitution. As stated in the constitution, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." –                          (First Amendment, December 15, 1791).

There are numerous more areas of which the RIAA operates in education, manufacturing/distribution, anti-piracy, and protection of artistic rights in music. For instance everyone is familiar with the infamous logo created through the RIAA – Parental Advisory Explicit Content.  

The logo allows for consumers to better monitor legalized recorded material associated with minors or adolescents. In addition, it protects artists and record labels or companies associated with the Music Industry. The RIAA also provides vital information for those in the Music Industry about legal services such as: iTunes, Pandora, Rhapsody, YouTube, Napster, and many more. It is stated that there are more than 13 million legal tracks online. It is through the involvement & impact of the RIAA that record labels, artists, and music distributors are able to stay connected with their consumers and the Music Industry. In addition, the RIAA allows these vary same individuals access to searchable data of Gold & Platinum music. The RIAA has truly been aiding the Music Industry since 1952.        

Reference:

http://www.riaa.com/aboutus.php?content_selector=about-who-we-are-riaa 

An Evening of Music

Article by Troika Hanna

Stan Lassiter

“Mr. Stan Lassiter is an Adjunct Faculty Instructor of commercial guitar at Belmont. Mr. Lassiter received his Bachelor of Science (Music Performance and Pedagogy for Guitar) degree and his Master of Science (Music Performance and Pedagogy for Guitar) degree from George Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. His other studies include an Associates degree in Music from Volunteer State Community College and studies under the direction of John Johns, Blair School of Music.” Retrieved from http://www.belmont.edu/music/faculty/faculty_current/lassiter_stan.html

I recently attended a music forum, which included a showcase and lecture, at the Maxwell House Hotel, Nashville, TN on Friday, October 28^th, 2011 where professor and Jazz guitarist Stan Lassiter wowed the audience with his amazing technique and skill in music. He played a piece from one of his last performances Labyrinth from Roy’s Simplicity [http://wn.com/roysterbass7]. His style is one that is truly unique and defined. "Stan Lassiter is not only considered Nashville's premier jazz guitarist, his reputation now marks him as among the most accomplished young jazz pickers in the country." Guitar Magazine

He explained the different styles and how they related in the piece of music. It was quite interesting to have an explanation after watching the performance. He said that what also helps is that part of the psyche from passed experienced is accessed whiles playing which helps in performing fusion jazz. After watching such a performance I could tell that I was not the only listener who was truly satisfied and in awe. 

So I asked Mr. Lassiter, being classified as Nashville’s premiere Jazz guitarist how did he get started in music? He stated that t began from watching his uncle and brother’s play. His first musical instrument was the trumpet, where at a very young age he was able to play a set with the Allman Brothers, he was 17 at the time. His career is one that has allowed him to tour the world playing Jazz-fusion and classical Jazz. 

He stated that in order to be pleasing to someone, one must first recognize where their passion is derived from, the “Who am I.” He calls it the quest of finding, the invisible. “I use music as movement and feel…the mystery of it all keeps me moving, and when it stops being mysterious it then takes bravery to make the CHANGE.” Stan Lassiter

Review from Friday, October 28^th, 2011 showcase

 

NEW Updates on Nashville Urban Scene

Article by Troika Hanna

Mr. Eric Holt of Lovenoise uses some innovative execution to take hold of the Nashville Urban Scene.

Eric Holt, Co-founder of Lovenoise

I recently read an article in the Nashville Scene by Sean L. Maloney entitled Local urban-music promoters Lovenoise make hip-hop, soul and R&B accessible to Nashville's masses Feel the Noise. The article made some interesting points about an endeavor by co-founder of Lovenoise Mr. Eric Holt. Some may ask what is Lovenoise? Well for one, they are one of the main innovators of promoting urban music in Nashville, TN. In short it is a high quality entertainment that utilizes live bands, poetry, visual arts, and other forms of artistic expressions. Their goal is to cultivate urban artists and make a positive change in the Nashville entertainment scene. Throughout Nashville, TN, locals know of the name LOVENOISE. So what Mr. Eric Holt did was take eight years of operation and publicity and put it to use in a new venture of distribution for the company. “Founded eight years ago by Eric Holt, Chip Hockett, Antoine Nunn and Bryce Page, Lovenoise has carved a niche within the Nashville music community — a cornerstone of our burgeoning urban arts community.” 

Retrieved from: http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/local-urban-music-promoters-lovenoise-make-hip-hop-soul-and-randb-accessible-to-nashvilles-masses/Content?oid=2661308

Mr. Eric Holt stated that through analysis of the Nashville urban music market, he realized that there were not a lot of venues for “Hip-hop music”.  This gave birth to a new idea. The company had already created an evolution of promoting urban music in Nashville, TN and now it has geared to provide distribution in more forums. As the city became more aware of the company Lovenoise, they started to be accepted in different music venues. The networking of Lovenoise has grown tremendously over the social networks of Nashville, TN and will continue to grow as Lovenoise still is one of the few companies/organizations that focuses on urban music in Nashville, TN.

Reference:

http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/local-urban-music-promoters-lovenoise-make-hip-hop-soul-and-randb-accessible-to-nashvilles-masses/Content?oid=2661308

The Execution of Social Streaming & Digital Production in The Music Industry

Review on article: Music Industry Downfall, Part II: The Rise of Social Streaming – Update, by Troika K. Hanna

“Despite lawsuits against illegal download sites, the fastest growing category in online music last year was P2P downloads, which shot up 140%. Nearly ten years after Napster raged through college networks, online music piracy continues to grow.” Retrieved from (Alex Patriquin, Complete Pulse 2008.) 

Studies show that over time the music industry has taken a huge turn towards technology. From the birth of Napster, which created, the shift in control and accessibility of recorded music, to now the ability of being able to stream music. The Internet has truly become a bittersweet answer to the digital music distribution. Through great access and availability, the Internet has created a devastating problem of piracy. Through federal reports by the RIAA, it has been stated that for the past 15 years there has been a downslide or dwindle on Return On Investment. In addition, not only has the increase in piracy taken financial strain on the recording industry but as well as major search engines that utilize the streaming of music. Major search engines had to result in paying artists millions of dollars as a back payment of streaming copy written material.

Another major threat of social streaming is the major cooperation, Apple Inc. Through its innovative products, Apple has become one the most powerful players in the Music Industry. Through the use of the iPod & iTunes there sales in 2007 were stated to be 2 billion songs. With such power and control traditional retailers (giants of the trade) were finding it hard to compete with an online distribution.

Another factor is that online distribution eliminates overhead production. It is easier to execute and compete when you don’t have to worry about physical promotion, packaging, shipment, etc. In the past the average consumer would have to pay $10.00 - $20.00 for a single or album. But now a consumer is able purchase a single at the cost of $.99. Such changes empowers’ the artist and consumer, which causes the record label to be seen as inferior.     

However, through all factors piracy remains to be the major concern. Streaming is the most used source for the consumption of digital recorded music through online networks, search engines, and social networks.  

Reference:

Alex Patriquin, Complete Pulse 2008. Retrieved from

http://blog.compete.com/2008/05/12/music-streaming-download-imeem-yahoo/