Can't Help But to Love Real Music!

I have grown up to be a serious R&B chick... I love R&B and all of us who grew up with the R&B in the 90's know what I'm talking about!!!! BUT lately I haven't been on my R&B Tip I have been on my RAP Game!! I've been listening to A LOT of Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, Lupe Fiasco, Yelawolf, SchoolBoy Q The New Generation of REAL HIP HOP!! Now that I am coming near to receiving my Bachelor's Degree and taking the class I have been yearning to take (Artist Management) I have been even more motivated and ready to start doing what I love and that's promoting Music that is so amazingly, creative, catchy, sexy, flowing and REAL! I need to be able to feel carried away and no lie yall I am fortunate enough to know some unsigned artist that give me that very feeling.... PLEASE Listen to Sam Young  Doveno Presents: Brooklyn's Baby Mixtape!!! N.A.M. (New.Age.Mobsters) #BROOKLYNSTANDUP!!!

Cover Page Assignment "Ebony Magazine"

Hello Lovelies!!! I really enjoyed my Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Class. I really value GOOD ethics and understand my social responsibility as a future music professional. For this assignment I had to create an interview for a magazine and I chose Ebony Magazine online. Although the company is fictitious for this assignment the values of my future management company are exactly this. Check it out and let me know what you think :-) Cella

Pleas cover story from Marcella Pleas

MY VISUAL RESUME

Check out my visual resume and let me know what you think. I love to here any advice you may have. Thanks Lovelies!!!

Marcella Pleas Visual Resume from Marcella Pleas

THE FUTURE OF RECORD LABELS

This month I am taking Record Label Development and I am super pumped. I have been really looking forward to this class throughout my journey Full Sail. Although I am very passionate about artist managment I also share the same passion about someday owning my own record label. The first weeks discussion we had to discuss "The Future of Record Labels" and I wanted to share with you all what I wrote. Here it is ENJOY!!! ~Cella

Greetings Everyone,

 

In today’s society people are tuning in less to the radio and tuning more  into Internet radio and streaming music online. Not many labels have caught on to this but Warner Music just has. I found an article on billboard.biz called Warner Music’s Blavatnik Leads $60 Million funding of Beats’ Daisy Music Subscription.  The article talks about how Access Industries, which is Len Blavatnik’s investment group along with Marc Rowan, James Packer and parties affiliated with Lee M. Bass, has invested $60 Million for Beats Audio to work with “Daisy” formally known as the music streaming service MOG. The driving force behind this collaboration is Interscope Geffen A&M chairman and Beats co-founder Jimmy Lovine whose mission is to “bring high quality sound to every music-loving ear in America. When Blavatnik announced Access Investments participation in this endeavor he says “Beats has the vision, the brand, the management team and now the investor group to effectively change the expectations and experiences of a music subscription service.

 

The article also mentions that Apple’s Chief Executive Tim Cook met with Jimmy Lovine on a potential partnership involving Beats’ planned music streaming service. This discovery was announced the same day the deal with Warner Music and Google collaboration was announced. Warner Music has agreed with Google to license the music for Google’s two new music-streaming services for its YouTube and Google Play properties.

 

What interested me most about this article is that Warner Music Group took a step in the direction of what the consumers want. It gave me hope that they will reflect more on the quality of music and not just what will make them money. Music is so much more than how many albums you can sell or how much money you can make. To me music is the heartbeat of life and many record labels have let egos get in the way of what so many of us are connected too. As a consumer it’s not that we don’t want to pay for music it’s that we would like the freedom to pay when we want for what we want. With these collaborations I believe Warner Music Group is heading in the direction of the new era of music.

 

Halperin, S. (2013, March 6). Warner Music’s Blavatnik Leads $60 Million Funding of Beats' Daisy Music Subscription Service | Billboard. Billboard - Music Charts, Music News, Artist Photo Gallery & Free Video. Retrieved March 7, 2013, from http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/digital-and-mobile/1550711/warner-musics-blavatnik-leads-60-million-funding-of

BEYONCE: A MONDERN DAY LEGEND

Hello Everyone, 

In my Music Business Management class we had a discussion topics where we had to choose to write about different  artist who are dominate performers in the Millennial Generation (anyone born after 1981). I chose non other that @Beyonce !  Below is what I wrote... what's your opinion on Bey's mark on the world? Legend? or Will she be forgotten in the next 20 years? Leave you comments and enjoy :-) 

Marcella

Beyonce is one the hardest working woman in the music industry. Her voice is powerful but soothing and her stage presence is unmatchable in the industry today. Her alter ego “Sasha Fierce” brings her musical talent to the superstar level. Off stage she is humble but confident and wants nothing but to be the best person she can be.

From my experience Beyonce’s target market is woman. Her lyrics are relatable on so many different levels that woman all over the world are singing her lyrics and pointing to the left! Every performance I have seen from Beyonce she has put so much effort and passion into it gives you goose bumps I believe this is how she connects most with her audience. People replicate her videos and her dance moves all around the world. I have provided a link of an example of a really funny but really good parody video. 

Although Beyonce dances, acts, produces and sings in my opinion her best talent is her singing. Her voice can evolve with the times with ease. If I never seen Beyonce dance, act or produce again I would always want to hear her sing.

Beyonce’s standards for herself are very high. At an early age she knew she wanted to be a performer. She decided not to indulge in a lifestyle of promiscuity and drugs like so many other people who experienced stardom at a young age. She keeps her private life very private. Although married to a Hip Hop legend and a superstar in his own right Jay-Z she still tends to keep that part of her life personal. I do believe that because of this helped her avoid the pitfalls of success.

Because she started at an early age and was homeschooled she missed out on the high school experience and other childhood experiences. Her being so ambitious and staying true to herself and working hard towards her craft and her goals will guarantee her relevancy and success for years to come.

MUSIC INDUSTRY IS MORE ABOUT APPEARANCE THAN ACTUAL MUSICAL TALENT!

There are so many artists out there that have absolutely no talent but is somehow selling PLATINUM records just because they have the right look. Although they are lacking talent their work ethic is through the roof. This just goes to show you hard work outweighs talent, especially in the music industry today.

 I don’t think most artists that are coming out are doing what it takes to have longevity and become legends. They are looking for that one hit to put them on top for the moment rather than sharing a message and guiding their fans into something positive and uplifting . They may come out with 1 or 2 song then all of a sudden they disappear. For example the rapper Soulja Boy, his YouTube video went viral for his song “Crank That” and that’s how he got his fame. He came out with a few songs but now he’s nowhere to be found. I think the industry is so induced into making money rather than making good music is sad. I understand that it cost a lot of money to put out an album but I don’t know if I should blame the record label for allowing this debauchery to occur, or to blame the media for brainwashing young people into being like these artist but calling it “being yourself”, or if I should blame the young people for believing it.

I think music videos are important to sell records. For me, sometimes when I’m not to sure about a song when I hear it on the radio first and then I see the video and can piece together the meaning of the song I end up liking it more.

Underground artist can potentially gain more fans by putting out music videos. The problem with that is there aren’t many television stations where you can watch music videos. We do have YouTube but if you don’t know about the artist chances are your not going to look them up there.

Since the distributions of music videos have shifted to the Internet, mobile devices can change the whole game up. We might see a poster with our favorite artist and be able to scan a bar code that will lead us directly to the video. Music video apps will be where most people see videos.

In my opinion I would say producing music videos is more important in Hip Hop. Hip Hop artist mainly like to show off all this money, cars, and clothes. They like to make it seem like that lifestyle is how they live everyday. I think ego plays a big part in it.

DO YOU THINK THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS MORE ABOUT APPEARANCE OR MUSICAL TALENT?

LADY GAGA MORE THAN MUSIC!!!!

Ciao Everyone,

I have learned so much in my Leadership and Organizational Behavior class this month. I have learned about what it takes to be an exemplary leader as well as my own leadership traits. One of the biggest things I learned this month was that the best leaders are always willing to expand their knowledge everyday. Whether it's about yourself, or whatever field your in, constantly expand your knowledge and exercise that big old muscle called YOUR BRAIN. I would like to share a paper I wrote on Lady Gaga and her leadership skills as well as her "Born This Way Foundation. Learning about her foundation and who she is behind the music and outrageous outfits gave me a whole new respect for her. Please read and let me know what you think...

TTFN (Ta Ta For Now),

Cella ;-)

Lady Gaga is a perfect example of a leader. She’s not afraid to be herself and stand up for what she believes in. Her music influences her audience to be freethinking and love themselves for who they were born to be. Like a lot of people in the world, Lady Gaga was bullied when she was younger and she hadn’t noticed how much it affected her until she became a Superstar. She is trying everyday to overcome her past of being bullied and to continue to have self-confidence. Lady Gaga has an outrageous style like no other.

Lady Gaga is the type of leader where she encourages everyone to around her to embrace who they are.  She shocks everyone with her red carpet appearances.  Whether it’s a dress made of meat or arriving to the red carpet in an egg her courage exudes from her style. She maintains the confidence to wear what she wants even if it is a little outrageous despite what her peers or critics may think.  

Lady Gaga is very charismatic. She captivates her audience with her relatable lyrics and when she performs she puts on a real theatrical show. Her charisma has played a part in her success by being able to gain the attention of millions of people. Her loving attitude towards her fans and towards the wellness of humanity is what I believe captivates her audiences. She is not afraid to tell her personal struggles and what made her the person she is today. This allows a deep connection and allows her fans to trust her.

 The theme “Trust Rules” has impacted Lady Gaga life tremendously. I’m sure since she was bullied and made fun of she wasn’t sure who to trust. But because she trusts herself and her decisions she allows herself to trust her fans with very personal information. In an interview with Opera Lady Gaga’s mom talks about how she didn’t like the fact that her daughter shared so much with her fans at her concerts, but she realized how Gaga’s vulnerability allows her followers to connect with her on a deeper level. She seems very humble by her experiences and gets that she is more than her status. When Opera ask who she is she said, “ I am everything. I am the universe”. This says to me that she understands that what she does is not only affecting her life but everyone she is exposing her being to. She understands that she has the power to change many lives.

Her song “Born This Way” encourages the world to be happy with who they are and celebrate it because God doesn’t make mistakes, which derived from dialog with her fans. Once the song became public it became the anthem and empowerment of many. The dialog between herself and her fans on Twitter, meeting them in front of hotels, or even dialog between each other, made what her and her mother manifested into the “Born This Way Foundation: Empowering Youth and Inspiring Bravery” With this newfound discovery she knew that she wanted to continue the dialog her fans and herself put forth. The foundation is to inspire people to follow the 3 pillars of the foundation, which are S.S.O. Safety Skills and Opportunity.  

I believe Lady Gaga’s power is bigger than anyone else’s power in her industry. She has legitimate power because she is in the position where she has everyone’s attention in a positive way. She genuinely believes in human kind coming together and being brave together to stand up and embrace the skin that they are in. Like “Truth Number Ten” says, Leadership is an affair with the heart. Nourishing this tiny seed of faith within a person, that they do matter and so doesn’t everyone else is power that cannot be measured.