Music Industry Entrepreneurs

His Struggle with What Defines Success:
Lupe Fiasco is a very influential rapper in the sense that he creates music that's true to his heart and is drowned with talent.  This post reflects the pros and cons of being signed to a major record label and his battle with struggling to produce the music he desires.  This information was retrieved from two combined interviews with Lupe.  Lasers is Lupe's latest album and it was on hold before the release date of March 8.  Atlantic Records got a taste of Lupe's fans mind when they stood out to protest about the delay of Lupe's third album.  Finally, Lupe speaks about the delayed album.

Lupe admits that his latest album, Lasers, came in phases combined with honest and dishonest aspects.  The record label sort of messed things up for Lupe because he'd record a phase of his album, and then had to record it again after a competitor's album was released to compete with that.  He asserts that he didn't have his hopes up too high for his third album because these 360 deals are not about selling records, but about properties, such as selling T-Shirts and getting a cut of your touring and publishing.  Grammy nominations, a platinum single, and nine weeks at No. 1 is components that constitute success to Lupe.  He didn't want to put out singles just for getting played on the radio or MTV plays, but rather the song(s) that meant something to him.  "The Show Goes On" was his fist single from the album, in which he personally declined.  He wanted to express himself as meaningfully as he could.

Lupe doesn't care for the success of his album, Lasers!  Basically, he's grown very distant from the music business side of the industry.  He doesn't care about the fame, the success, and how his motivation for producing music has changed because his bank account statements haven't reaped what he sowed. He hasn't made any money with his Record Label.

However, his fans support encouraged him to go back into the studio to record music because he realized that the music he made is actually something people want.  Their support was a humbling and inspiring experience.  On an end note, this did move Lupe to want to remain on his label, because he's looking for a way out, regardless of the unforeseen percentages taken off his next albums to come.  The relationship between Lupe and the record label has smoothed over, but he's patiently waiting for the end of his contract.    

(2011, March 07). Hook, B. & Ramirez, E. NYMag.com. Lupe fiasco on lasers, lame rap, and his battles with the music industry. Retrieved April 18, 2011 , from http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/03/lupe_fiasco_on_lasers_lame_rap.html.

Owning your own business today can yield benefits of being your own boss, putting your creative ideas to practice, doing something that you love to do, a chance of a more lucrative retirement plan, and make more money.  I had the privilege of speaking with an entrepreneur who have been self-employed for over 29 years in various fields or retail and music entertainment, with a background in Radio.  This background in radio and advertising sales gives much leverage and credibility when running a business in entertainment industry. 

Roger Schnur is currently the SVP of Advertising Sales for Sterilyfe USA, CEO of Allworks Media, and President of CDH Enterprises- ABI Web Hosting.  Mr. Schnur was the President of Independent Radio Inc. from May 1998 to November 2007, and the SR VP/ Co-Founder of Premiere Radio Networks from May 1986 to April 1998. 

Premiere Radio Networks specialized in radio advertising sales and promotions, the head of New York regional office, then it was sold to Jaycor.

Independent Radio Inc. specialized in radio advertising campaigns for new products introduced in the health and nutrition sector.

Sterilyfe USA specializes in advertising hand sanitizer with no alcohol content in kiosks in the entrance of retail stores.  This particular hand sanitizer provides a protective barrier, such as a natural coating to protect the hands.  This market exploded when the Swine Flu, H1N1, became heavily prevalent.  The stores who have these kiosks in their front entrance receives a percentage of sales whenever the merchandise is bought, therefore both Sterilyfe and the retail store makes a profit.  They are also seeking out major distributors of skin body products to promote and advertise this particular product.  This is a great strategy to promote and gain profits from a much-needed product.

CDH Enterprises - ABI Web Hosting specialized in managing online advertising for their client's company, their e-commerce websites, budget hosting and development, server management when the company's website is uploaded to the server, and oversee company operations.  The ABI Hosting website also offers an affordable website designing service.  You can register a new domain, transfer or renew it.  The ABI Web Hosting website is http://www.abihosting.com/#.    

As CEO of Allworks Media, Mr. Schnur saw a need for getting indie artists into the stream of mainstream media and a place where existing artists can get all of their music heard, instead of the  few select repetitious songs.  The site offers 'The Music Promoter Game,' in which new artists are discovered and promoted through an animated virtual concert social game, and a song and research service called 'ProPlay'.  ProPlay plays emerging artists songs along with popular artists of the same genre and when their song is played the listener gets to fill out a survey opting choices of becoming a fan, rating the song, and connect on social networking sites, and much more. When an artist upload a song to the website  and get it played 1,000 times for $30, they can look at results from their campaign, print a survey and send it to an artist manager they're seeking.  Mr. Schnur states, "Not many songs are being played on terrestrial radio, but Promusic.fm internet radio is more exciting to listen to because it has over 7 million songs to choose from, review, buy, and share."  There are over a thousand existing artists featured on the site to attract music fans, including 80% of established artists and 20% of emerging artists.  Promusic.fm Internet Radio website is http://www.promusic.fm/index/home/.

Appreciating success goes along with doing work that you enjoy, providing services others can benefit from, and making money at the same time.  Sterilyfe USA and Allworks Media are prime examples of business services offering an exclusive product.  Exclusiveness is a guarantee in having a successful business, because a supplier has the benefit of selling the same product to your competitors, competing for prices and potentially dwindling profits for business.  So, make a difference in being different.  Internet marketing can be very successful, depending on the type of product being marketed.  It is very important to study the market and know your niche, so you can get the exposure you are aiming to receive.  You can find Roger Schnur on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/roger-schnur/3/22b/a37.