Show on July 2nd

Team Wiki

This is the only part of my blog that has nothing to do with Thoro-Bread Entertainment or the music industry. I did this for my class with my group and we did it on the stimulus package. There
is some useful information for anyone who is interested in the stimulus package. click here to check it out. Make sure you click back to return to the blog

Thoro-Bread Video

Hey wusup... This is a vodcast i created for Steady's new "single caked" up using still photographs, music, text, and transitions

Brochure

Below is a brochure i made using Adobe Indesign for Thoro-Bread Entertainment recording Artist Steady. I designed a 6 page brochure containing artist Bio, info, and contact information.

Website

This is a website i made using Dreamweaver for Spot Lyte Entertainment. You can take a look at their services, up coming events, and contact info by clicking here make sure click back to come back the blog

Photoshop

These are two different version of the same picture that i altered using photoshop.The first picture was resized so it could be placed on the web. The second photo was altered using a smudge stick effect to give it a unique look.

Steady's New Single "Make A Killin"

Check out Steady's new single "make a killin" produced by hardwork
let me know what ya think
www.myspace.com/fucentgo

Thoro-Bread logo

How to increase your i-tunes revenue

Here are some tips you can use to make more sales on i-tunes

Step 1 - Sign up to iTunes & Buy Some Music!
I am always surprised at how many artists I meet who have their music available for sale at iTunes but they themselves have never purchased anything from the site. The first thing you should do is sign up and buy some music (yours and your friends) so you are familiar with the buying process. This will come in handy when you ask your fans to buy later!

Step 2 - Create 5 Separate Profile Accounts
Did you know that with each credit card that you register with iTunes you get 5 separate accounts? iTunes designed it this way so families in one household can all use one card.

These profiles are totally separate and they are not interconnected so this gives you five individual profiles that you can register and you can use each one to help promote your music. One of the profiles you create can be you but the other 4 will be created to help you promote yourself.

TIP: While you are creating these profiles: Think about your target audience – who are they? Older dudes that like prog rock, or teenagers that like Britney Spears?

Create profiles that would fit the types of people who like your music. Choose a name for each profile so they each have an individual personality. Give them distinct personalities and even imagine where they might be from.

Step 3 - Review Other Artists
With each profile – individually begin to review other people’s music. You definitely want to review three or four other artists that have nothing to do with you or your genre so choose some of the artists that have influenced you or artists that you like and create some reviews.

Step 4 - Create iMixes
You will create 2 catagories of iMixes:
1. iMixes that have nothing to do with you and your music

Examples:

A jazz essentials list

Best of Madonna

Great local bands from your hometown

Best of Bob Marley

Best of the 1970’s

2. iMixes that INCLUDE YOUR OWN MUSIC ☺

Create mixes that include your own tracks with other complimentary tracks (artists you get compared to and who you are influenced by that sound good when played next to your songs). When you create iMixes think of yourself as a DJ or a curator and piece together thoughtful lists.

TIP: Add some of the top sellers from each week in your genre and style as buyers will already be looking for the top sellers when they come to iTunes.

TIP: You should create an iMix at least one time per week per account.

Step 5 – Vote for iMixes
Next you will use your accounts to vote for the iMixes you create and also vote for other iMixes that you like. Vote for your own iMixes using your other profiles.

COOL: iMixes that begin to pick up votes rise to the top where other buyers will begin to respond to them and purchase your iMixes.

A Note about iMix voting:
People who are key users who are also heavily promoting their own music sometimes can be competitive. They may try to vote your iMixes down so that the iMixes that they have created rise to the top.

What my friend says about this: Being malicious on iTunes is awful. Don’t give other people bad reviews. Stay away from this type of negative behavior. Just focus on your own voting and contributions.

Step 6 – Master iMix Sandwiching

When you create an iMix, you want to sandwich yourself between hot chart-toppers in your genre, and add artists that already have five-star reviews.

For each iMix, make it at least 20 songs, but you can go to 40 or 50 songs. To stay on top of the charts for your iMix, you must get the most votes and the most stars.

TIP: Don’t forget to vote for other people’s iMixes so it looks like you are well-rounded.

This is where registering different credit cards and different personalities so you can actually log in and vote for yourself comes in handy.

TIP: Ask Your Band Members & Street Team For Help
So, if you had four credit cards (or if you have one and 3 of your band members or essential street team members each help you out), you can have 20 profiles total, five per credit card, and you can have those profiles voting too.

Step 7 - Remove Unpopular iMixes & Update Them
If your iMix fals below three stars you should take your iMix down from iTunes, add some new tracks to it, and then add it again as an updated iMix.

It will take a few hours for your updated iMix to show back up into the iTunes profiles, but you don’t want to have a poorly rated iMix sitting in the iTunes system with your music in it.

How To Update an iMix
In order to update an I-Mix: Click on the arrow on iTunes. Then click on “update,” and add some new tracks,

TIP: Don’t rename your iMix

iMixes are good for a whole year, so you want to make sure that you start voting, when it goes back up. It takes between 6 to 12 hours for a newly edited or a new iMix to show up.

Here’s The Wrap Up:
For each profile you create: Their iMixes to match their personality:

1. Create then wait for your iMix to show up.

2. Log in as each of your different reviewers and users.

3. Vote five stars from each of the profiles you have created.

4. Start watching your music sell ☺

5. Go in two times per week and create new iMixes.

6. After a while to stay in the most recent, you must continue to make new iMixes. Vote, vote and vote.

7. Remember, you must log in and submit votes for each of the iMixes with each of your separate accounts and many sepearte times. This is the most time consuming part of the process, but if you do this, the rewards and the sales will pay off deeply

8. Log in and vote for: Was this review helpful? And click yes per account. This will help your iMix move up the charts.

9. When you make an iMix, don’t only include the chart toppers, but also include what appeals to you as a listener and what the fans of this iMix might actually like.

10. Remember, you are creating a useful contribution to the iTunes community. The key is make iMixes on Mondays because on Tuesdays the new release schedule will kick in and that’s when your iMixes will show up
Using iTunes as a promotional tool isn’t the only way to the top of the charts…

I recently launched series 2 of my Sound Advice vodcast featuring the band Making April. The series details how they Sell 1,000 tracks a week on iTunes. There are 14 segments in total: come watch them tell how they have become top independent sellers on iTunes using mostly MySpace.

by: Arriel Hyatt

www.digipendent.com

MYSPACE LOCAL BETA VERSION

Yelp for My Spacers

It's been said that all politics is local and perhaps the same could be said for music. Not only do many fans love to support local music, but they want to know the best places to see it. Bands too, want to know which are the best places to perform. But like a voter choosing between candidates, which one is for them? Which choice are other members of their tribe supporting?

MySpace is trying to provide the answers with MySpace Local, a new broader crowdsourcing initiative that focuses on local bars, nightclubs and restaurants. The new section marries Citysearch’s database of local businesses with MySpace’s social community and enables conversations around content. Think of it as Yelp for the MySpace generation.

If enough people get involved, MySpace Local could become a resource for musicians to find venues and...

for fans to learn where to see their favorite bands. “For example, an up-and-coming band from Ohio is on their MySpace page and notices that in Chicago they have a lot of fans leaving them, 'We love you, come to Chicago to play.' comments,” suggested a MySpace spokesperson. “Since they are receiving so much favorable support from Chicago, they decide to schedule a performance in Chicago,.but they don’t know anything about Chicago venues or clubs. They can now go to MyLocal and check for great venues, instant reviews and contact information to start reaching out to venues to book a show." Or a fan could go to MySpace Local to find the best places to see music as recommended by their peers.

MySpace may also choose to broaden the Citysearch partnership, as Facebook has, to include a broader range of businesses. Here is an online presentation outlining the new section using LA's famed Pink's as an example. (That's Pink's the famous hot dog stand; not Pink the musician.) Venues and bands can can promote on MySpace Local using the MySpace Ads self-service advertising platform which launched last Fall.

http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2009/04/myspace-goes-local.html

Check out "The business"

hey whats god ya? we back and keeping it in motion, check out steady new track "THE BUSINESS" featuring Rux, and Indecent. This is definitely for ladies so check it out.
www.myspace.com/fucentgo

JAY-Z's Tips For Music Industry Success

www.digipendent.com

New Song by C.A.S.P

Whats good? we just got done recording a new slap by C.A.S.P "u no what the biz iz" check it out let us know what you think. www.myspace.com/casp415

Thoro-Bread Ent performing live @ Octopus Lounge

This Saturday March 14th Thoro-Bread Entertainment artist Steady and C.A.S.P will be performing live at the Octopus Lounge in Pacifica, Ca. Come check us out doors open at 10 

180 Eureka sq Pacifica, CA 94044

New Beats

Check out Thoro-Bread Ent in house producer new beat "love me sexy" Ft Jackie moon. This is some fire right here, a must hear!!! If you have seen semi pro you will absolutely love this.
www.myspace.com/hardwork420

Steady to be featured on www.hyphyrockstar.com

Hey whats good ya. Me and hardwork just finished putting the final touches on steady's Bio which is going to be featured on www.hyphyrockstar.com some time soon. So be on the look out Thoro-Bread starting to makes and we ain't gon stop.

New Track "AY YO" By Steady

Hey whats good check out the homie Steady's new track "AY Yo" from the up coming "better than u" mixtape produced by in house producer Hardwork. Let me know what ya think were considering this as one the singles? www.myspace.com/fucentgo

Live Nation & Ticket Master Merger

It is OFFICIAL, we now have a monopoly going on in the Concert business. With the merger of Live Nation and Ticket Master it will be extremely difficult for independent artist to perform at large venues. Ticket Master and Live Nation with out a doubt will take advantage of having access to the largest stadiums and arenas in the country. So expect to see many of the same concerts and tours by the same bands and artist that have deals with them. YOU GOTA LOVE CORPORATE AMERICA RIGHT......

Live Nation, Ticketmaster agree to merge

The boards of Live Nation (LYV) and Ticketmaster Entertainment (TKTM) unanimously agreed on Monday to merge their companies — potentially creating a concert and live entertainment behemoth.

In announcing the deal Tuesday morning the companies said they plan an all-stock merger of equals. The combined company will be called Live Nation Entertainment.

Under terms of the deal, Ticketmaster shareholders will receive 1.384 shares of Live Nation stock for each share of Ticketmaster they hold. The companies estimated the value of the combined business at about $2.5 billion and said the deal will help them save about $40 million annually.

"Being able to put Live Nation and Ticketmaster into an equal partnership will allow the companies to get through this difficult period and be able to expand live entertainment options to audiences throughout the world," Ticketmaster Chairman Barry Diller said.

But regulatory experts have said the deal could be delayed by an antitrust review because of the companies' dominant role in the entertainment business.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Philadelphia Eagles | Madonna | Jay-Z | Christina Aguilera | Shakira | Nickelback | Pollstar | Irving Azoff | Live Nation Entertainment | Ticketmaster Entertainment

Ticketmaster sells tickets for more than 80% of the major arenas and stadiums in the U.S., according to concert tracking firm Pollstar. Live Nation is the world's No. 1 concert promoter and owns more than 140 venues. It has comprehensive deals to the tours of such artists as Madonna, Jay-Z, U2, Nickelback and Shakira — and recently developed its own ticketing service.

The ticketing-service move brought the companies closer to an all-out scramble for ticketing deals. A merger heads that off, but experts say snuffing out that competition could draw close scrutiny from regulators wary of the company building a concert industry monopoly.

On the other hand, the deal could end up benefiting concertgoers by giving the combined company more bargaining clout with artists, potentially reducing performers' stakes in ticket sales and thus lowering ticket prices.

The deal already has at least one prominent detractor, however.

Bruce Springsteen, already furious with Ticketmaster for directing fans to a subsidiary selling tickets for above-face value, recently posted a statement on his website saying a deal with Live Nation could end up "returning us to a near-monopoly situation in music ticketing."

The deal will put under one roof some of the USA's biggest concert venues, its dominant ticket sales company, and wide-ranging management and promotion deals with hitmakers including the Eagles, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, and Jay-Z.

The companies are poised to say that consumers will benefit. For example, it might be easier for ticket buyers to pick the seats that they want, and avoid the confusion and sticker shock that sometimes comes when people see ticket handling fees tacked on to the admission price.

By eliminating duplication, the companies expect to see $40 million in cost savings a year.

Live Nation, which sells more than 45 million concert tickets a year, launched its own ticket sales service in January after its deal with Ticketmaster expired. Ticketmaster, which handled more than 141 million tickets in 2007, countered by acquiring a controlling interest in Front Line Management — a firm run by long-time music executive Irving Azoff.

Contributing: USA TODAY reporter David Lieberman, wire reports

Climbing to the top

This is very useful information for any one who wants to be successful in the music industry. (A MUST READ)

The Pyramid Theory Part 2: Climbing to the top

Number 1 - Absolute, 100% dedication of your time and energy.

- You can’t half ass this shit for a second, so if you’re not about spending all your free time writing songs, workin in the lab, promoting, etc then it’s not gonna work. If you’d rather spend your time at the mall, at the movies, or playing madden then go find another line of work.

Number 2 - Be humble and respectful.

- This is very important: rappers, stay off your own dick! It’s important to have confidence but in order for anybody in this industry to wanna take a chance & fuck with you (managers, booking agents, graphic designers, etc) you’re gonna have to be cool as fuck. Nobody wants to work for free with a pre-modonna who thinks that everybody should automatically cater to them because their that dope. Fuck that. Nobody owes you shit in this world, and you’re gonna need help, so be cool and act right and you’ll get it.

Number 3 - A full time producer and a studio on deck.
- Basically you need a situation where you can make as much music as possible at the lowest input price (without having to pay a grip for beats and lab time) because chances are you’re going to have to make a LOT of music before you get a REAL hit. No matter how talented you are. Unless you have your own lab and make your own beats, this is also gonna take being cool and respectful, cuz some producer and some engineer is gonna have to give you free beats and lab time.

The most important thing is be humble and respectful… Real talk… I’ve produced/worked with at least 50 rappers in my career, and all of yall think you’re the best at what u do. True a lot of yall are talented, but what’s talent if everybody can string together punchlines and drop a hot 16? It takes more then that.

Also when it comes to paying dues, don’t ever get impatient. If you’ve got a situation where you’re comin up underneath somebody bigger than you, and you’re getting frustrated cuz you want to be the star, shut that shit up. Take whats being given and make the most of it. Either that or go out on your own and make it happen for yourself.

If you are gonna do it all yourself tho, do as much as you can on your own that way when checks start coming in you wont have to split them with a gang of folks. Try & make your own beats, your own graphics, heavy myspace promo, etc. It’s gonna take mad time on a computer…

Which brings me to my next point, to be successful in 09, U kinda have to be a computer nerd to an extent… The game is all digital now, all that sellin mixtapes and physical CDs is all but over with. The more you can promote your music online the better. if you don’t have an online presence its a wrap. Selling mixtapes at the mall is getting you no where. Gaining an online fan base and selling your music on iTunes is the truth.

Everything he is saying is true. Nothing comes easy, it all takes work, and only determination will equal success .

(I found this info on blog.g-eazy.com) Check out his music he got some slaps