Beat-Play Press Machine

Whenever I go to a music store or website, I always see Hip hop and Rap in the same section, and many times the terms are used interchangeably.

When you bring up this subject to people, there are many different responses. Most of the time people equate Hip hop to being the older of the two, as the real foundation for the genre. People also say that Hip hop has more of a Jazzy, upbeat feel. Rap, according to most people, is anything made after 1994. Most of what came before is considered Old school hip hop.

Some people say Hip hop is Dead. "Rapper" Nas claimed this a while back. I disagree..and I also don't consider Nas a "Rapper," though he is commonly referred to a one.

You may or may not know but I'm an independent artist myself. I actually happen to be a lyricist that mostly writes hip hop lyrics, but I also do some Rock and R&B. I would never classify myself as a rapper though, simply because of the bad connotations that the word is associated with. When I say connotations, I mean the subject matter that is in the songs.

The REAL difference between the two categories is lyrical content. Rap, I classify, as being a genre that focuses on particular concepts over and over again. The subject matter never really changes very much. It is almost like Rap is a mass produced form of music, and the artistic dynamic to the music is often lost.

However Hip hop on the other hand, which is still very much alive (overshadowed, but alive), has a greater value to the listener. It offers poetic and often insightful lyrics that give you a second reason to want to listen. Take a look at one of my favorite Hip hop lyricists, Emmanuel Jackson in the video below. He's unknown right now, but look out for him in the next couple years. Hip hop will be making a huge comeback. His style is also the closest to my own that I have ever seen and I have tremendous respect for his art.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA8jnNts4ms]

I hope this post cleared this issue up for a lot of people. Rap is a mainstream pop genre that goes through fads faster than an elementary school, and Hip hop is a fundamentally pure art form who's roots are so deep that it will never really die. In fact, I think Rap may be in danger pretty soon, especially with people like Emmanuel Jackson emerging, who happens to feel the exact same way as me on the subject. The REAL difference is all about the REAL.

P.S. I should have a EP out by the end of the year ;)

Written by: Dante Cullari (aka ilL principe) Found and President Beat-Play, LLC

Give us some background. Where are you from originally, where are you now, how did you get there?

I am originally from Long Island, NY.  I am now living in Georgetown, MA.  After high school, I received a Vocal Scholarship to Rollins College in Winter Park, FL.  After graduating from Rollins, I then continued my life in Mansfield, Texas. Texas and I didn't mix, so I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my dream of getting discovered as an artist.  I lived in L.A. for 8 years performing, writing / co-writing and teaching.  I made countless connections and played a great amount of shows.  I had my own funk band that made everyone dance all night when we played!  The changing of times and goals moved me out of L.A. into Massachusetts this past October.  I thought that being a big fish in a smaller pond would help things, and it has. 

What Genre would you classify yourself as?

I would classify my music as Funky Pop.

What is it that drove you to pursue a career in music, along with what drives you individually as a musician?

I have always been in front of crowds singing and performing, and I am extremely comfortable in that setting, and love it.  When I started writing music, I realized that it was what I was "supposed to be doing"!

What struggles have you faced with having your music heard and getting your name recognized by outside markets? 

I think that I have gotten more positive feedback rather than bad but it seems that the higher ups, that could make my music heard WORLD WIDE, don't want to take a chance on something new and different even though it's good.  

What kinds of things do you do to promote yourself? 

Performing live shows as much as possible while promoting online via Myspace, Facebook, Bebo, Imeam and email Blast lists.  I’ve also recently joined the New England Songwriters guild.  

Is there a predominant message you hope to get across in your songs?  

I preach the law of attraction, visualizing what you want and bringing it to your self through this law.  I also write about LOVE a lot because I am very fortunate to have found it.  Six out of the eleven tracks on my album VISUALIZE ('09) are about the love of my life.

What are your thoughts on the future of the music industry and where it’s going?

I know it will be harder for us musicians to get noticed, but I think that if you want it bad enough, and are good enough, YOU WILL SHINE THROUGH.  Music is needed in this crazy world and I can't think of anything I would rather do than write music to make people feel better, or DANCE!

Are you currently unsigned, and do you plan on staying independent?

I had been signed by GoDigital Media Group, based out of Santa Monica, CA.  They put my album online ONLY, on about 8 online music stores. (iTUNES, Napster, Amazon mp3, Aimey Street, Rhapsody... etc.)  This group has done very little else besides putting my songs online.  Virtually NO promotion.  The songs are online but won't sell because I don't know how to promote!  I am not really with them anymore since I moved, but my songs are still online represented by them.

What are your reasons for being an independent artist?

Mainly because there was no label interest.  

Who are some of your favorite artists?

Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson.

Do you ever feel that people will be missing out on your music because you are not signed to a major record label?

ABSOLUTELY.  All I want to do is be heard, and do it for a living.  I don't need "Bling"!

Your art can be very experimental. Do you ever wish there was an easier way to access the music you sample from, or wish that you had access to a huge library of undiscovered music, which is updated everyday by itself?

I don't sample music but a huge library of music would be nice.

What would you say if I told you that there’s a new force in Independent Music that will give you all of the power of the Major Labels and more, while at the same time giving you complete control over all aspects of your musical career, and you will never have to sign a thing? 

Sounds too good to be true!

And you would have access to the worlds first ever audio component auction, where pieces of songs are sold off at auction prices to be repurposed in other songs.  What kind of impact do you think that would have on your music?

It could be very interesting.

The only catch is you have to choose to use it to your benefit, or not.

It’s called Beat-Play.

There has recently been talk of iTunes’ potential purchase of the music streaming website, lala.com. Currently iTunes is using the old model of paying for songs individually rather than buying entire albums. From this initial model, which iTunes had perfected, LaLa came along with a similar idea, with lower prices for the individual songs. Along with the purchasing of music, LaLa offers a streaming system in which you can listen to a song at anytime for the cost of 10 cents a song.

Currently this is all iTunes has to go for right now, being as their model has become outdated. They need something to keep them at the top of the music industry, so it’s understandable to see this being a potential investment.

The main issue lies within the model itself. There is not enough change being brought the table here. Beat-Play will dominate this model, offering more to the artists and fans through free promotion, social network media player, free online auction, and virtual estore. This will be the change that everyone had been searching for, where you will then be able to purchase your music for an extremely low price because the artists will also be receiving a piece of the ad-revenue based on the traffic to their page on Beat-Play. Upon the release of the site we will gladly welcome all of you to THE FUTURE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.

Founder and President of Music Without Labels, Dante Cullari, has been blessed with the pleasure to speak at this year’s Independent Music Conference in Northampton this Saturday at the Clarion Hotel in Northampton, MA, in which, he will be one of a select expert group of panelists, mentors, and workshop presenters, gathered to discuss empowering ideas for indie musicians to achieve success. The four day long IMC, offers many influential opportunities for independent artists, thanks to the educational and internetworking platform provided by the event’s coordinator, InterMixx.

            Featured panelist, Dante Cullari, has been invited to discuss the underlying issues within the current music industry, while providing clear and insightful solutions to its impending transformation. Along with the ideas, Mr. Cullari has founded Music Without Labels to provide an effective, yet free, promotional outlet to the musicians experiencing the repercussion exerted by the current industry. Mr. Cullari states, “Artists should take advantage of the real promotional opportunities the Internet provides, in an effective way,” and suggests several tools to do so – INDEPENDENTLY.

            The Independent Music Conference is known for offering a resourcefully valuable learning experience for producers, musicians, industry professionals, students, and a dedicated online fan base of over 7000 supporters. Music Without Labels serves as an educational platform to discuss the issues, share, the solutions, and promote the organic evolution of the music industry.

COME OUT AND SEE FOR YOURSELF!!!

            For additional information and/or tickets to the IMC, please contact them at 203.606.4649, or visit www.imc09.com. For further information on MWL, catch them at www.musicwithoutlabels.com, or call 717.412.0341.

Has anyone ever heard of mini days? It's a productivity system that streamlines your physical movements for optimum production with no burn out. It is similar to Henry Ford's assembly line where instead of having one person put the tires on, and then they go and work on the engine, and then go and tighten the bolts, and so on, each person is specified a specific task where each person only performs one physical movement at a time. They might put only tires on many different cars for a period of 4 hours, and then might move to tightening bolts for a couple of hours, but they are not wasting time walking around, getting the tools they need for one job, and then going and doing the same thing with other jobs that need to be done, and wasting more time. Each action is streamlined. This is how Henry Ford turned the process of producing cars from a hundreds-a-day process to a thousands-a-day process, which we now call mass-production. It can be the same for your phone calls, word processing, school work ect. Define your tasks by the physical movements you make. Select a set amount of time each day dedicated to that task. Set up a time schedule for when you will perform each task each day. An example might be Phone Calls, Operations (could be anything), Meetings, In my case updating my website, ect.  Work only for that set amount of time, and even if you don't finish what you start, move on to the next task when the time is up. This way you are chipping away at many things each day, without getting worn out by any of them, and by the end of a week you may have your whole list completely done, with no unneeded stress or seemingly hard effort. These little spurts of productivity are called mini days because once your done with one it's almost like starting a brand new day doing something completely different. It can work wonders! Remember it's all about streamlining your physical movements so you don't waste time for example typing something, then remembering you have to call someone, and then going back to typing. Block everything into time slots so you can use your time as efficiently as possible. Just thought I'd share because no one seems to have ever heard of it and everyone I tell uses it and loves it. I learned this trick in a pretty amazing book I've read. If anyone wants to know more email me at Dante@musicwithoutlabels.com and I'll tell you more about the book..you may not believe me when I tell you about it..

Give us some background where are you originally from?

I am originally from Colorado.  I was born in Littleton, Colorado.  When I was a year old, my family and I moved to California.  I lived in Orange County until I was six years old, then we relocated to Dallas, Texas.  After Dallas, we moved to St. Louis, MO and I lived there from fourth grade until I graduated from high school.  I normally tell people I am from four states.  Each state I have lived in is a deep part of my psyche and has formed my perception of the world.  The easy answer would be St. Louis because that is where I spent the majority of my life, but like I previously stated, I consider the other three states a very important part of my life. 

 

You are currently attending the Musicians Institute in Hollywood Correct?

Yes, that is correct.

Tell us why you decided to attend the Musicians Institute in Hollywood.

I just graduated from Colorado State University, and I wanted to further my education.  Music has been my passion ever since I can remember, so I decided that there was no better way to continue my education than through a music school.  I wasn’t ready to go into the corporate world like my brother and father, (because that’s not my style), so I decided to attend the Musicians Institute in Hollywood.  For one, I am an artist and I produce and mix my own music.  I realized that the best option for me to pursue my dreams would be to come to Hollywood (the epicenter of entertainment), and learn how to become a sound engineer so I could engineer my own music while learning the other components that make up the music industry.  They teach you a wide range of the skills needed to be successful in the industry such as; how to hear sound correctly, recognize frequencies and understand how to conduct a session and run a studio, along with a lot more valuable information.  

What do you expect to gain as an independent artist by attending the Musicians Institute?

I expect to gain a multitude of things by attending M.I. as an independent artist.  For one, M.I. is an incredible place for networking and getting your name “out there”.  All of the teachers that teach at M.I. are extremely qualified and proven in the industry.  They all have connections and they all know their trade to the smallest details.  Some have received Grammy’s for their work; most if not all have worked and still work with famous and established musicians.  For example, one of my engineer instructors has worked with 311, Brian McKnight, Bone Thugs, and Def Leppard.  In fact, that particular engineer is so good at his job that McKnight pays him just to be in the studio when he’s recording to make sure nothing goes wrong and everything is exactly like Brian wants it.  He isn’t even his sound engineer anymore; he is just paid to be there.  Another great thing that I have already gained through M.I. are the connections that you make with your peers.  I have already started collaborating with my boy V.I. (Vic) who I met at M.I., and we have formed a band called Two $cholars $hort.  I have met a plethora of musicians who I also intend to collaborate with: guitarists, violinists, pianists, drummers, keyboard players, vocalists, etc., all at different talent levels from pro to beginner. 

Tell us about some of your experiences at school and how they have motivated you to become a better artist.

The school has clinics every week that feature various musicians or prominent producers/people in the industry who come and speak at the school.  Scientist will be coming to give a clinic soon and that should be a very influential and informal lesson.  These clinics give additional information that we might not learn in class or elsewhere.  There are often live shows occurring as well and that is inspirational to see because it makes you realize how talented your fellow students and teachers are. 

Do you think your choice to go to a music school is going to give you a better advantage in the music industry and if so, why do you think that is?

Absolutely.  In the small amount of time I have been attending M.I. I have already learned twice as much about the industry than I previously knew.  They provide a large amount of information that you can’t read in books, and that I feel a lot of people don’t know.  They tell you the mistakes they made so you can learn from them.  Also, it won’t hurt to have a college degree and an education from one of the best music schools in the world.

Now that you have attended the Musicians Institute in Hollywood for a little while, is music school something you would suggest to fellow indie artists and producers and why?

Definitely, you should never stop learning and challenging yourself, and as cliché as the saying is “knowledge is power”, it’s true.  There is a lot to learn from the teaching staff at M.I., and the equipment at the school is world class.  In Studio A, there is a beautiful SSL 4000G console with forty-eight channels, top of the line monitors, and a solid acoustic room for recording.  The networking and connections that you can make at this school is unbelievable, and the location is perfect.  The information that you receive at the school will only further your level of expertise, and you will have more control over your sound and vision.

Do you find yourself more focused on your career in the music industry than you did prior to attending music school and if so, why do you think that is?

I am more focused that I have ever been.  I finally have the tools to further my career and education in the music industry.  At the school all of the top of the line equipment is at my fingertips and I am being taught how to use it all.  It is very exciting and I can’t wait until I have my own studio.  I am more focused because, unlike other places I have lived, Hollywood is all about entertainment, and that is my passion.  Every type of music that you want to explore is located here, and the amount of musicians and artists that come here is astronomical. 

Tell us about some of your favorite teachers and how they affect your creativity and development as an artist.

It’s hard to single out a single instructor that I have at M.I. because they are all so talented and cool.  A couple would be David Hewitt, Ted Greenberg, TJ Helmerch, and Otto (superotto.com).  Dave is very relaxed and chill individual who has a lot to teach because he’s seen it all and experienced it too.  TJ is one of the founders of the RIT program at M.I. and a very talented musician.  Ted has received multiple Grammy’s for his work in “Standing in the Shadow of Motown”, and is a very intelligent man.  Otto is a certified master of both Pro tools 8 LE and HD, and Logic 9.  I almost forgot Nels Jensen who is a bad ass with pro-tool, production, mixing, and post-production. He has worked with Flight of the Concords, (he engineered their last season), Jamie Foxx, and other successful musicians and artists.

You are originally from the mid west and now you are on the west coast. Tell us, have you noticed any differences in the struggles of being an independent artist in St. Louis vs. Hollywood?

No, not really.  I would say that everything is working out better if anything out on the West Coast.  Even though there is a massive over-saturation on the music market right now, especially for hip-hop, the networking and capabilities here are far more substantial than the Midwest.  Don’t get me wrong; St. Louis has it on lockdown. I just wasn’t able to make the connections that I am here. 

Do you have any new projects you are currently working on that we should keep an eye out for?

Always.  Especially right now.  My buddy V.I. and I just created a new band called Two $cholars $hort.  We’re working on our first album, and we’ll hopefully have it out in a couple of months.  In the meantime, you can go to my website on myspace, myspace.com/lokeiistl, and check out some of the tracks.  I’m going to put up some of the new tracks we’ve been pouring our heart and soul into, but only just a taste.  I got to keep you hungry so I can feed you later.

We want to thank you for taking the time out to speak with us today and for your support of MWL and Beat-Play.

www.musicwithoutlabels.com