Wednesday, September 24, 2008

How 50 Cent Uses Online Video to Build Brand Loyalty

This article was published a while back by Michael Miraflor of how 50 Cent Uses Online Video to Build Brand Loyalty.

I thought this article was so GREAT and really broke it down on how 50 cent is capitalizing on this digital world. READ. LEARN. APPLY!

50 Cent might be the most polarizing figure in contemporary pop culture. Love him or hate him, one thing is undeniable: 50 Cent, whose government name is Curtis Jackson, is a great businessman. From his platinum albums to his G-Unit record label and clothing line to his cashing in on Coca-Cola's acquisition of VitaminWater, "Fiddy" and his team never seem to get the raw end of a business deal. So it comes as no surprise that he has a long-term Internet strategy to help maintain and grow his personal brand.

50 Cent's online fortunes lie with This Is 50, a destination that's part hip-hop/pop culture blog, part fan community, and part original content destination. The popular site, which has grown by leaps and bounds since it was publicly released in October 2007, is built primarily on top of two free services. The blog and social network framework are built on top of social network platform Ning, while the primary video content delivery platform is Kyte. While using these two services may be unremarkable, how he uses them -- especially Kyte -- is revolutionary.

Flying High on Kyte

50 Cent and G-Unit have taken advantage of several user-behavior-oriented aspects of Kyte to great effect:

Real-time chat. Real-time chat within the Kyte player adds a new social dimension to the content viewing experience. Users that view 50 Cent and G-Unit content don't feel like they are watching in isolation. As I type this, a real-time audience indicator on the Kyte Player on This Is 50 shows 648 viewers simultaneously watching a new piece of content.

Since new videos are distributed on what can be considered a linear basis, rabid fans anxiously waiting new content consistently populate the chat room. Conversations often continue long after content is introduced, which keeps these engaged users within an insulated 50 Cent/G-Unit branded environment.


  • Production flexibility. Kyte allows video content to be professionally filmed and produced for subsequent uploading. More important, it allows video to be easily recorded or streamed live from mobile devices. This gives 50 Cent's production team the flexibility to film anywhere, giving fans a unique behind-the-scenes perspective of the rapper's day-to-day life.

    For example, backstage concert footage can be filmed on a Nokia N95, edited on the spot via Kyte's dynamic and intuitive mobile editing environment, and instantly uploaded to the Kyte Player on This Is 50 in seconds. Better yet, video can be streamed live through a mobile device for a truly unscripted experience.

  • Built-in distribution. The This Is 50 Kyte Player has been embedded on more than 50,000 Web sites globally, resulting in over 14.6 million aggregate views over the course of 69 shows. Again, since new content is released on a regular basis and the content is exclusive to the player, many of these sites either dedicate a site section to the player, feature it prominently in their design, or, in the case of blogs, embed the player every time a new piece of compelling content is released.

  • Such staggering numbers have made the player the distribution platform of choice for 50 Cent to premiere exclusive content. Chances are, when 50 Cent or a member of his G-Unit crew releases a new video, you won't see it right away on MTV, VH1, or BET. You'll find it first on his Kyte Player.
Click here to read the rest of the article..

Monday, September 22, 2008

New Music Feature: P Gutta

New Music Feature: P Gutta
Genre: Hip Hop / Rap, Urban

P Gutta's album, "Failure's Not An Option" is a diverse mixture of hard-core rap about the life of surviving in the streets, to lessons learned growing up in the 80's to becoming a man and the struggle of single fatherhood. Some of the tracks feature a twist of R&B by local up & coming artist to hooks from the producers of N.B.B. Information on P-Gutta AKA "Pitts"

With the East Cost rap scene being heavily overshadowed by the club targeted, pop chart, and ringtone styled music of the South, P GUTTA is just the artist Hip Hop needs to return the art form back to its rightfull place. P GUTTA (which stands for “Pitts from the Gutta”) who’s born name is Lamar Pitts, started rapping around the age of 14. Since a child, P Gutta has possessed excellent grammar and vocabulary skills, thus making it easy to pen vivid lyrics about inner city life growing up in Maryland’s Capital.

http://www.nbbent.com/pgutta
http://www.myspace.com/pittsgutta410

Check out his HIT single "The Game Needs Me" ft. Lil Mo

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Urban Music New Media Buzz: Podcasting

So with this "NEW" Music Industry moving all Digital I find that a lot of independent and emerging artists are really lost in what exactly that means actually.

So Cyber PR has written a guide to a component artists can begin to help with online awareness of their music: PODCASTS!!

Introduction to Podcasting

What is Podcasting?1
Podcasting is quickly becoming a buzz word among the techie crowd. So what is podcasting, anyway? Podcasting is online audio content that is delivered via an RSS feed. Many people liken podcasting to radio on demand. However, in reality, podcasting gives far more options in terms of content and programming than radio does. In addition, with Podcasting, listeners can determine the time and the place, meaning they decide what programming they want to receive and when they want to listen to it.

Listeners can retain audio archives to listen to at their leisure. While blogs have turned many bloggers into journalists, podcasting has the potential to turn podcasters into radio personalities.

Podcasting can be used for:

1. Self-Guided Walking Tours - Informational content.

2. Music - Band promotional clips and interviews.

3. Talk Shows - Industry or organizational news, investor news, sportscasts, news coverage and commentaries.

4. Training - Instructional informational materials.

5. Story - Story telling for children or the visually-impaired.

Podcasting is the syndication of audio files using RSS. Podcasting works the same as a standard RSS feed reader or news aggregator, the only difference is that the feed you subscribe to contains an audio file in it. Instead of reading content in your RSS feed reader or aggregator, you can listen to the contents of your feed using a reader or aggregator that supports podcasting, or you can listen to them on an iPod or similar device. While podcasting was named for the iPod, you do not have to have an iPod to listen to a podcast. Podcasts can be displayed on websites with clickable links to audio files and many of the standard RSS readers, like FeedDemon's latest beta, have begun supporting audio enclosures.

The audio file that makes the feed a podcast rather than a standard RSS feed is contained in the 'enclosure' tag. The easiest way to think of this is as an e-mail attachment.

Although the "enclosure" tag is not new to RSS feeds and has been included in the RSS v2.0 specification for about four years, podcasting has only really been around since August of 2004.

Webmasters are finding creative ways to provide media-rich content. The syndication aspect and potential increase in audience size are an attractive lure. Listeners benefit from podcasting because, like RSS, podcasting is a means to publish content that ultimately gives the recipient the control over the information they want to see or hear.

It will be interesting to see how this publishing medium develops. Currently, only the technical crowd has endorsed podcasting as a new audio medium, but the potential is real and the process is not overly complex. With a little time I think this field will develop and prosper.

[1] – Housley, Sharon. "What is Podcasting." Podcasting Tools.com. Retrieved 11 September 2008


Why Do People Tune In?2

Podcasting attracts people who want the ability to choose their own content (much like using the Internet), instead of the TV and radio model of broadcast where you tune in and select from one of the programs playing. It shares common ground with other time shifting technologies like TIVO, which allow you to download programs and watch whenever you want. Many people like the convenience of always having fresh material loaded on their iPods or personal music players, and listen to their podcasts throughout the day.

Many consider podcasting an alternative to commercial radio and TV, because the low cost of producing a podcast allows more voices and viewpoints to be heard. Also, unlike TV and radio, which produce programs for mass consumption, podcasts are "narrowcasts," where only those interested in a certain topic seek out programs and sign up to listen. There are thousands of podcasts which target very specific niche interests, producing communities around topics which are too obscure for traditional broadcasting to cover.
Why Should Artists be Promoting their Music to Podcast:

Simple. There is an audience of 12 million people listening to podcasts! Emarketer.com just released a study showing the growth in the podcast listening will shift UP 250% to about 65 million by 2012!

This is amazing for artists!.

To being to make your music available for Podcsters please sign up to the Podsafe Music Network (PMN) - music.podshow.com

Creating a profile here with your music lets podcasters know that your music is available for use on their podcasts via the Creative Commons License (Basically: you can't sue them for using your music). With PMN you will also be able to track when its being played an which shows.

Hopefully this tool will help you become one step closer to creating an online buzz for yourself!




Monday, September 15, 2008

New Music Feature: Rhoda

New Music Feature: Rhoda
Genre: Urban, Pop, Soul, R&B

A native of Uganda, Rhoda was raised in the Washington, D.C. area, where East and West African rhythms, pop, jazz, Broadway, R&B, and hip hop music imbued her childhood, creating a unique hybrid in her musical sensibilities. As a member of various choral groups, from school and church choirs to a female a capella group while attending the University of Virginia, Rhoda's musical instruction includes five-part harmony and piano. Her talent emerges from deeply within, guided by a natural force of love and passion for all things creative.


http://www.rhodankojo.com
http://www.myspace.com/rhodankojo

Thursday, September 11, 2008

CRANK THAT VOTE!

with Terrence J & Fred Whit

featuring Ludacris, Lauren London, Ne-Yo & Gabriel Union

" People died for the right to vote, the least we can do is exercise it"- Lauren London

The 2008 presidential race is truly unprecedented. Never before have millions of Americans been so excited to see change, more importantly, never have the youth been so vital in shaping America's future.

Unfortunately, there are over 8 million African Americans that are unregistered to vote in the USA! The last presidential election was won by less then 350 votes, so Terrence J decides to stop talking about it and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!!

Tune into BET this September as Terrence goes on a CRAZY road trip across the country with his brother Fred on a BOLD mission to get 100,000 young people registered to vote. CAN HE DO IT??

Register to Vote: http://www.fabnit.com/nvra_update.pdf

Please join the movement & Spread The Word

http://myspace.com/heyterrencej
http://twitter.com/crankthatvote
http://bet.com/decision08


New Video: Phashara- "Young World"



Phashara (emcee & beatmaker) is the balance between aggressive golden age hip-hop and progressive melodious modern hip-hop. His style of vocal delivery is strong while his lyrical content is rather introspective and thought provoking. Phashara’s brand of vivid & soulful hip-hop is a throwback to a time when lyrics, chopped samples and drums that boom and bap were standard Emcee issue.

If you will be in LA coming up Check Phashara on Sept. 12th (Tomorrow!)

  • Date
    September 12, 2008, 9pm
    Venue
    The Airliner
    2419 N.Broadway
    Los Angeles, CA
    9512064862

    Ticket price
    $10
    Minimum age
    21
    Other acts on the bill
    West Coast Release Party for The Storybook Adventure, in conjunction with Urban Underground Weekly at The Airliner in Los Angeles. Phashara performing with Planet Asia.

New Video: Qtip "Gettin Up"

Yes Qtip is BACK in the game! Im quite EXCITED to hear his new stuff is now about to drop.

Check out his new single “Gettin’ Up” off his upcoming album The Renaissance set to drop November 4th.



Qtip also taking the new media world by FORCE, check him out on TWITTER : www.twitter.com/qtipmusic