I'm a star! Why should I need a blog or website?

My music should be enough

I'm not going to beat this topic up!  Here's the deal.  Get a website, start blogging and you might succeed.  Don't and you are guaranteed to fail!  You can trust this approach or not.  If you decide not to; let me know how that works for you.  The only person you have to believe about this topic is everyone who is or has been successful in the last ten or so years.  Here are some basic tips to help you get started.  So roll up your sleeves and get to work!!!!!!

Search marketing is key to creating awareness for your website, business and/or product. 

Two major types of search marketing exist: natural (or organic) and paid search.  Natural 

search refers to search engine results that are unbiased and chosen solely based on how 

relevant those results are to the original query.  Paid search can refer to a number of ways in 

which you pay every time your site or page is included in the search engines, listed or clicked on.

Natural Search 

Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo!, send out automated “crawlers”  

to scour the Internet, link by link, and gather information about the pages 

and sites they visit.  Next, the crawler indexes the site, recording all kinds of 

information: content, images, inbound and outbound links, page title, description, 

keywords, language, and more. 

Crawlers are completely automated and run 24/7, reporting back to the search engine what they find online.  All the collected information is written into a database.  When you search, search engines are really searching their own databases, which they update continuously.  Search engines will visit your site anywhere from daily to monthly, but they all check back with your site on a regular basis to see if you’ve added new pages or content.  Learn more about all of the major search engines and directories at www.SearchEngineWatch.com. 

Paid Search 

Pay per click and paid inclusion are two different types of paid search options. 

Consider the following: 

■ How much is each visitor worth to you? Knowing this cost is crucial to your spending. 

■ How are your ads performing? Test different copy and see which ads users click the most and which ones lead to the most sales. 

■ Which search engines perform best for you? Depending on your business and audience, one engine might be better than another. 

■ Which keywords are most profitable for you? The phrase “baby toys” may be too expensive and “baby development” might cost far less, leading to higher profitability. 

■ Are you geo-targeting your ads? You don’t want to show up for a nationwide search of “landscaping” if you only provide that service in Houston. 

Keeping track of your return on investment is vital to the success of your paid search campaign. Paid inclusion products are offered by most major search engines. Search engines are unable to crawl your entire site.

SETTING UP YOUR WEBSITE TO BE FRIENDLY TO CRAWLERS IS VITALLY IMPORTANT TO YOUR SEARCH EFFORTS.

Music -- Brown -- Rihanna -- Message ?

What are we saying ?

We all remember it well. Three years ago, right before the Grammy awards, Rihanna was brutally and viciously attacked by her former boyfriend, Chris Brown.  Horrifying images leaked onto the web of the bloodied and bruised pop star that sent a shock-wave through the music industry.  Now, this past Monday the two released two songs featuring each others voices, and have ultimately sent a very strong message out to impressionable young fans.  Which brings up a question many celebrities battle on a daily basis - does living in the spotlight mean having to make decisions based on public perception?  Do stars have to be role models?  Personally, I think the answer is simple: yes.
To start off I just want to say that I’m all about forgiveness.  When I was a kid growing up in church some of my favorite stories were the ones where people who were terribly victimized found their abuser and forgave them.  At the end of the day, no matter how awful someone has hurt you, I truly believe that until you forgive that person, you’re only doing yourself more harm. That being said, do I think it was a good idea for Rihanna to start being seen publicly with Chris Brown, to tweet him candidly, and to now release two songs with him? I think the only thing that could be more devastating would be her stepping back into a relationship with him, and I honestly don’t think that’s an unlikely scenario.
In response to criticism being thrown their way this week on Twitter, Brown tweeted, “Let them be mad!!!! We make music. Don't like it, don't listen!”  He has a point.  He does make music, and if his private life offends people, then they shouldn’t buy his music.  But this is also coming from the man who threw a tantrum in a Walmart in 2009 (the same year he attacked Rihanna) for not carrying his newest album.  Soon after he blew up in a local store he tweeted, “im tired of this s--t. major stores r blackballing my cd. not stockin the shelves and lying to costumers. what the f--- do i gotta do...WTF... yeah i said it and i aint retracting s***. im not biting my tongue about s else... the industry can kiss my a--.”  
I’m sorry whaaaaat?  A humble and apologetic attitude goes a long way in the public eye when you have a “slip up” like sending your girlfriend to the hospital.  For me, Brown’s weak apology given after the event is completely negated with statements like this.  Someone who truly understands the consequences of such actions would understand that their music career is surely going to be affected.  
But in 2012, the Grammy’s extended a shockingly lenient hand to Brown, not only allowing him to perform, but awarding him his first Grammy award in the same night.  It seems all is forgotten as Rihanna herself has taken the next step and recorded with Brown.  The interesting part about this story is that Brown has a girlfriend currently and they are reportedly very happy together.  So what does this all mean?  I’ll tell you what it means.
Rihanna’s decision to publicly make amends with Brown has sent one HUGE message to fans and impressionable young girls: its acceptable to let a man hit you.  She can deny it all she wants, but ultimately she is playing the role of the typical woman caught up in the cycle of an abusive relationship, constantly returning to the source of her own pain.  We’ve all seen it before, whether it be first hand, or through people we know.  This message she’s sending is probably not intentional, but its still there.  It's still reverberating through the sound-waves as fans race to purchase these two songs.  Its a faint whisper in the mind of the young girl from Barbados who idolizes Rihanna for representing her country on a worldwide scale.  It's numbing the pain of the woman debating whether or not she should leave her abusive husband.  It's repeating the message to the teenage boy who sees his father beat his mother that all women forgive, all women return, all behavior is acceptable in relationships.  In 2009 Rhianna was the victim of a terrible attack that included Brown punching her multiple times in the face and even biting her.  After being hospitalized and recovering, she was provided a unique opportunity to use her global platform to tell women that this was unacceptable, that once is enough, that physical abuse is a 100% deal-breaker.  But she didn’t.  She never said a bad thing about Brown, she never really made an attempt to speak to women who have been through similar trauma, and now she is happily stepping back into a friendship with the man who sent her to the hospital three years ago.  
When Rihanna signed on the dotted lines to become an international pop star, she also signed up for the paparazzi to follow her every move.  She signed up for critics openly bashing her live performance vocals.  She signed up for fans analyzing her life under a microscope.  And whether she likes it or not, she signed up to be a role model to young women.  Like I said before, I’m all about forgiveness.  I love that Rihanna has clearly forgiven Brown for what he did. But rekindling their relationship is far too dangerous- not only for herself, but for the countless women who will likely do the same.  Being a role model doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, but it does mean you have to be responsible.  Only time can reveal how this story further unfolds, but lets hope and pray that it doesn’t end up the way it did back in 2009.
-J. Burton

TO DIGITAL OR NOT?

   It is amazing how many people ask me, How do I sell my CD’s?  Well there are as many ways to sell your product, as there is product.  However, there is more to it than just uploading your product to one of the many digital stores.  As an Artist, do you have a fan base?  Is your product packaged professionally?  Do you have the support in place, meaning people to work your product on a regular basis?  Do- do - do. There are a lot of do’s and a lot of don'ts.  So how do I know what they are?  You have to do your due diligence. In other words, unless you have the funds to pay someone to provide the marketing services you will need, you will have to do the work yourself.  You may find friends or family that believe in you and want to help you get started, or someone willing to work and get paid on the back end.  That’s all good.  Remember you still have to do the work.

YOU MUST JOIN THE DIGITAL AGE

  The digital age is the biggest gift ever given to the unsigned Artist!  We don’t need the record labels any longer.  Why? I’m glad you asked!  Let me give you a lesson in basic music economics.  If you were signed to a record label and sold a Gold Record, that would be $500,000.  How much money do you think you would get?  Your return would be 1 million dollars!  I’m just joking...  Believe it or not, you would get approximately thirty five thousand dollars.  That’s it!  If you sold 7,500 at ten dollars each your ROI would be the about the same, $35,000.  So imagine selling a gold record on your own through the digital stores.  Not too bad a deal, you think?

  Let me encourage you.  Do your due diligence!  Work hard!  Join a professional organization!  Hone your craft!  And don’t lose your passion!

The Grammys Make a Statement: Authentic Talent is Still a Priority.

I don’t know about you, but for me, the 2012 Grammy Awards made a huge statement concerning the music industry.  The already platinum selling Nicki Minaj was trumped for Best New Artist by the very alternative Bon Iver, The Civil Wars beat out Kelly Clarkson, and Jason Aldean for Best Country Duo, and Adele dominated all the leading Pop categories even though, as she admitted - she’s not really “Pop.”    What does it all mean?  I think we’re seeing a shift in the priorities of the public, not just the academy.  With songs like “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye becoming radio hits, and topping tigers on iTunes like LMFAO, Drake, and Madonna, one thing seems to be very clear: popular music is getting a big makeover.  

Entering into the night, although critics favored Adele to walk away with the most awards, I think many were still surprised by her six-for-six sweep.  She trumped Katy Perry’s “Firework” for Record of the Year, Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” for Song of the Year, and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” for Album of the Year.  Not too shabby.  The soulful British singer seems to embody a very bygone era of music and performance that music fans are desperate to hear.  In the midst of the bubble-gum pop that is stretched and molded by money-minded industry hot-shots, Adele represents a time when having a perfect body was not one’s ticket to selling records, when having impressive vocals was not uncommon for female performers, and when writing your own music was assumed, not exceptional. Her six awards represent a new value in the quality of music that hits our airwaves.  How often have you turned on your radio to hear the same monotonous chorus being repeated over and over... and over?  Relevant lyrics have been sacrificed in place of catchy music that can be easily remembered and played in clubs.  That’s where the Adele factor comes in and shakes the foundations of the industry.  She’s not half naked in her videos, she actually can sing, and her music is actually unique and meaningful.  The reality is, it's sad that we have to make such an honor of someone because of these characteristics - all music should be backed by the same artistic fervor.  But that’s what makes her so special and that’s why she made musical history on Sunday.  

While Adele proved that talent still speaks louder than imagery, The Civil Wars showed that simplicity still has its place in a mainstream setting with their two awards for Best Country Duo/ Group Performance and Best Folk Album.  They don’t tour with a big band or lots of instruments, just a guitar and a lovely ability to produce complicated harmonies.  Their brief performance before introducing Taylor Swift was powerful and folksy as always.  

One of the most surprising wins was Bon Iver for Best New Artist.  Up against The Band Perry and Nicki Minaj, many were expecting money to talk and for Minaj and her many hits to steal the prize. Against all odds, the indie folk band trumped the newest pop/ hip-hop princess and claimed the coveted title that has foreshadowed so many successful careers (including that of Adele).  They also won for Best Alternative Music Album.

So an indie folk group wins two Grammy's, a Country/ Folk group wins two Grammy's, and a soulful singer/ songwriter takes the cake with six Grammy's.  I think the big statement here is a shift not only in the academy, but in the public.  People are over the exhaustive synthetic pop that screeches over top 40’s stations.  The public is itching for music, and meaningful performances by artists who truly connect with the message behind their songs.  The shock that came from Arcade Fire’s Album of the Year win in 2011 humbled the likes of Eminem, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry.  It's refreshing to see the underdog succeed and even more refreshing to see true creativity recognized.  Overall, I think the 2012 Grammy Awards sent a message out to the music industry and the public that true, heartfelt music has not lost its place, and that talent is still a priority.  This is going to be a great year!

The Battle of Blankets !!!!!!!

The Battle of Blankets

   One of the hardest things I have to do everyday is get out of bed.  I'm sure some of you struggle with that also.  I call it the battle of blankets!  This business we're in can be emotionally draining.  It can kick the mud out of you, if you let it.  The key is, don't let it!  Easier said than done.  I believe the harder you work the luckier you get.



I NEVER TELL ANYONE TO GIVE UP, UNLESS THEY'RE LAZY AND HAVE NO PASSION!
Really, if you don't have those two ingredients, and talent, get a job!  You may be thinking I'm sounding tough.  Wait until you get into the music business, then you'll see tough!  Most of the great industrialists of the world will tell you, there are 3 ingredients to success.

1. The number one ingredient to be successful is PASSION!
2. The number two ingredient to be successful is HARD WORK!
3. Last but not least, PERSEVERANCE!!!!!

If you mix these three ingredients in the music pot, you are almost guaranteed success.  If you don't, you are certainly doomed for failure!



To quote one of my favorite industrialists and motivators, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
"The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."

Once again, we all need each other on this journey.  We need encouragement just as much as we need a helping hand!  Lift your brothers up!  Help them realize their dream, and you will surely find yours along the way!!!!!!!!!!