What's Next For The Mixtape World After DJ Drama Raid?

'The movement is stronger than ever right now,' says DJ Sense, one-third of Drama's embattled Aphilliates crew — but others see tough times ahead.

by Shaheem Reid and Jayson Rodriguez

ATLANTA — The number of well-wishers who lined up to greet DJ Drama on Wednesday night as he held court inside his VIP booth at Club Havana mirrored the line of those waiting outside the venue to get in.

It was just past midnight at the Buckhead hot spot, and Drama and the rest of the Aphilliates (sans Don Cannon) had just arrived. Young Jeezy's "Get Ya Mind Right," a banger from Drama and Jeezy's collaboration Trap or Die, blasted through the house speakers. And then, as if it were one of Drama's own mixtapes, the DJ behind the tables announced, "Big shout-out to DJ Drama and the entire [Aphilliates Music Group]!"

The club visit marked the embattled mixtape entrepreneur's first public appearance since his arrest Tuesday night (see "DJ Drama Arrested In Atlanta Mixtape Raid"). Drama and Cannon were taken into custody and charged by Fulton County Police with violating Georgia's racketeering laws for the distribution of their immensely popular mixtapes. They were freed Wednesday on matching $100,000 bonds. A court hearing has been set for a later date.

Although the hip-hop community was disheartened by the news of Drama's arrest and subsequent raid (see " 'Play The Game Fair': Lil Wayne Responds To DJ Drama's Mixtape Bust") — which resulted in 81,000 CDs and recording equipment being confiscated, along with other possessions like cars — Drama himself was noticeably upbeat.

He declined to comment to MTV News for this article, but the bottle in his right hand and smile on his face seemed to signal he was in high spirits — a sentiment echoed by DJ Sense, one-third of the AMG triumvirate alongside Drama and Cannon. "Basically, you see the Aphilliates is right here," Sense said on Wednesday. "[We're] not going nowhere. We going strong. The movement is stronger than ever right now."

That may or may not be the case at the moment for AMG. Along with confiscating material from their downtown Atlanta office, their company bank accounts were also frozen by authorities.

Murrow Police Department Chief of Police Jeff Baker told MTV News that the raid wasn't targeting Drama, hip-hop or mixtapes in particular. But after pairing with the Recording Industry Association of America in past efforts, which targeted bootleggers and mom-and-pop shops, the police sought to address the problem at a different level: the distributors who service bootlegs to retail outlets (see "RIAA Speaks On DJ Drama Raid: 'We Enforce Our Rights' ").

"If you funnel it back to the source, to where the [mixtapes] are coming from — 'cause that's what we typically like to do — under the RICO statute [a set of federal laws used to prosecute organized-crime cases] that they were charged with, it dissembles the criminal empire or entity, if you will, by taking away the means of them being able to distribute it out to everyone else," Baker explained. "And that's what we were focusing on."

In other words, according to Baker, as the law is interpreted, Drama and Cannon are allegedly involved with leading an "organized distribution effort." Through their office and Web site, along with the large number of CDs in their possession, AMG may be guilty of pirating material that fails to disclose the name of the owners of the material and fails to obtain permission from the holder of master copies. Repeatedly distributing the material qualifies the operation as racketeering, Baker added.

Attorney Robert Celestin — who's best known for working on record deals for Mary J. Blige and Jodeci — says that in most cases, the sale or simply giving away a mixtape is illegal. "If you look at the black-letter law regarding copyrighting, technically, if you're putting out copyrights, you're infringing on a copyright of whoever's music is on the mixtape."

South Carolina's Chuck T, who also was raided by police a couple of years ago, says the legalities of a mixtape are — in practice, anyway — merely technicalities, because in most cases artists themselves and their labels support them. "Mixtapes were illegal yesterday, they were illegal a month ago, they'll be illegal tomorrow, but I personally feel that what I do is right," T said. "I get my music directly from the labels, directly from the artists. I don't bootleg a n---a's sh--. I don't put nothing out there they asked me not to put out. I don't take advantage of doing a best-of or putting out leaked album tracks."

What's clear is that the RIAA sees no distinction between pirating — selling an unauthorized, often cheaply reproduced copy of an officially released CD — and mixtapes, which are compilations or material usually provided with the consent of the artists and/or labels, who generally overlook any loss in royalties or revenue from mixtapes because of the exposure they provide. "It's just another tool for promotion. I would never say there's anything wrong with them, and I'm an executive," said Block, CEO of Block Entertainment (home to Yung Joc and Boyz N Da Hood). "You can use my music, because at the end of the day, you're helping me."

Some label execs don't like where the RIAA is coming from. "If the RIAA isn't speaking to someone like myself or someone at a label to get an idea ... where problems are, then they're kinda shooting in the dark," said Kawan "KP" Prather, head of A&R at Sony Music.

Block said he had a chance to sit down with RIAA reps recently and found them to be off-base with their goals. "We just had a meeting, and they came to us like, 'If we get on the bootleggers and all these warehouses, then y'all as a record label should try to help us stop the mixtapes.' It's impossible [to stop mixtapes]."

Prather, who has worked extensively with T.I., said Drama in particular was instrumental in launching Tip's career as well as other southern MCs such as Young Jeezy. "If this was a guy with a plant pressing up [bootleg] CDs, I'd be cheering [the arrest]," Prather added. "Because it's Drama, who I know put in a lot of effort and a lot of work to build his name up to be almost an authority on what's next. That's why it hurts. I haven't known Drama to do the bogus compilation playlist mixtapes. That kind of burns me a little bit. But there are some other DJs who I wish would get locked up because they're terrible. They can't mix, they can't scratch."

Although Prather said Drama may have been wrongly targeted, he does say the authorities need to keep their eye out for some other mixtape DJs who are really violating the industry. "There are a lot of mixtapes that go against what we're doing at labels, making money off songs that people spent money to make," he said. "If I go to Drama's house and rap over an original beat Don Cannon made, that's not illegal. The label doesn't have a problem with that. But if I take a guy's single along with a bunch of other singles that are now on the radio, then that's illegal. It's a Now [That's What I Call Music!] compilation. You're wrong then. For one, you're not being creative. It's not that mixtapes are wrong; it's how you do it. It's based on you creating something.

"DJ Drama, most times, is in the studio with the artists and producer doing songs particularly for a mixtape," he continued. "That doesn't hurt. That's why the Gangsta Grillz [mixtape series] is so great because [it's a] platform to get the artists seen. It's somebody I trust saying, 'This is the next guy.' "

Already, hip-hop is seeing a partial fallout from the Drama and Cannon situation. Many Web sites that regularly sell mixtapes have stopped altogether or are not actively promoting the street CDs, and some mixtape DJs are saying they want to lay low for a while.

"I really think a lot of DJs are going to fall back from doing mixtapes," Chuck T said of mixtapes' immediate future. "Thank God it's the first quarter, because not a lot of music is out anyway. A lot of the artists who depend on mixtapes as far as getting exposure who came out in the fourth quarter are going to dodge the bullet. But a lot of artists who are coming out in the second quarter are going to feel the effects. At the end of the day, mixtapes play a key role in getting people's music out. All the n---as I deal with don't watch BET because they're out in the streets. They don't listen to radio, because they're out in the streets.

"The best way to get exposure is through mixtapes or through street DVDs," T continued. "It's going to weed out a lot of people who are not serious about it. They're just in it to make a quick buck. So whenever we do come out of the drip, there's only going to be a few people who survive. Artists are going to suffer the most because they're not going to have that free or inexpensive promotion."

Philadelphia's DJ Wreck actually sees some light at the end of the tunnel, and seems confident that the RIAA will come to understand that mixtapes, in an authorized context, can help the music business. "It's gonna help the game," Wreck said. "I think Drama has big enough clout and respect in the game regarding labels and artists. I believe the RIAA is gonna take a backlash. They're really gonna feel it, and they're going to back away from their raids."

This report is from MTV News.

January 22, 2007

Cracking Down on Mixtape CDs
By JEFF LEEDS

Not long before Christmas, Jeff Baker, the chief of police of Morrow, Ga., a small town just south of Atlanta, and one of his officers were walking through a local shopping mall when they happened to pass a kiosk hawking rap music CDs. One in particular caught their attention.

The CD was “Tha Streets Iz Watchin,” with songs performed by the rapper Young Jeezy and, as Chief Baker recalled, it did not carry the name or address of the owner of the music copyrights, as Georgia law requires. Rather than arrest the kiosk vendor immediately, Chief Baker said, “We’d rather go after the source of the material. And at that point we had no idea what the source was.”

Any rap music aficionado would; the creator of the album is DJ Drama, whose real name is Tyree Simmons, arguably the nation’s most prominent producer of mixtapes, the name given to popular but largely unlicensed CDs stocked with yet-to-be released rap hits and free-style rhymes.

And many more people now know: last week, local authorities, working with the recording industry’s trade association, stunned fans and music executives alike by raiding DJ Drama’s studio in Atlanta and arresting him and a fellow D.J., Don Cannon, on racketeering charges. Investigators seized more than 81,000 allegedly pirated CDs and say the pair were producing unlicensed recordings and selling them without permission.

The raid sparked an outcry among many rap fans. But it also threatens to throw into public view the recording industry’s awkward relationship with mixtapes, long an integral element of rap culture and now commonly for sale on street corners, Web sites, many independent record shops and occasionally big chains.

Even as industry-financed antipiracy squads hunt for unauthorized recordings, senior executives at the major record labels privately say that they have courted — and often paid — top D.J.’s to create and distribute mixtapes featuring the labels’ rappers as part of efforts to generate buzz.

“It might not necessarily have the label’s logo on it, but they’re the ones cutting the checks for the recording and production” of many mixtapes, said Ian Steaman, a longtime talent and marketing executive who writes for the hip-hop Web site Different Kitchen. “It’s just kind of understood you need that channel of exposure for any kind of real, credible artist. I don’t think this industry’s ready to deal with that conversation.”

The raid also exposes a schism that is taking shape as the industry tries to stanch a slide in album sales, for which many blame piracy. On one side, many label executives and officials at the Recording Industry Association of America, which represents the major music companies, say the mixtape is contributing to the problem. They argue that sales are ultimately undermined when the mixtape leaps from promotional giveaway item to replacement for an artist’s official label-distributed album.

On the other side are a separate faction of label executives and a variety of artists, many of whom privately say they are worried that the chill cast on the mixtape world would handicap labels’ efforts to promote hip-hop sales, which declined roughly 20 percent last year, more than any other major genre, according to Nielsen SoundScan data.

Label executives remained puzzled over the sudden arrest of DJ Drama, whose ascent through the unregulated world of compilations has largely taken place in plain sight during the last couple of years. There has been speculation that the police inquiry into his business affairs was further spurred by tips from a competitor or unhappy customer. Chief Baker of the Morrow police declined to comment on the participation of any informants.

Mixtapes have been part of rap since the genre’s earliest days in the 1970s — back then, D.J.’s who spun records at clubs or parties committed their playlists to cassettes. But the proliferation of CD burners in the last several years has made the production and wide circulation — or sale — of mixtapes easier than ever.

It has also enhanced their role in tastemaking. Particularly since formerly underground mixtape hero 50 Cent broke out as a mainstream rap superstar in 2003, the top producers of unlicensed CDs have been embraced by the industry’s biggest corporations, who wager that the D.J.’s reputations as renegades will translate into the sale of legitimate, licensed compilations, too.

Atlantic Records, for one, hired the mixtape D.J. known as Sickamore as a talent scout and had signed DJ Drama, to its artist roster with plans to release an authorized mixtape-style album this year. Def Jam, Columbia and other big labels have released such CDs in the past.

The labels’ reliance on the D.J.’s is complicated further by the fact that many of the top mixtape creators also double as radio D.J.’s on major rap stations. Many label executives acknowledge that when they write checks to certain D.J.’s to produce a mix CD for an artist, there is often an expectation that the D.J. will play the artist’s music on the air — an arrangement that recalls the industry’s recent radio corruption scandals involving illicit pay-for-play, or payola.

Brad Buckles, the recording association’s executive vice president for antipiracy, said authorities seized about two million unlicensed hip-hop mix CDs last year, and speculated that sales of the recordings through Web sites and other channels could be running to the tens of millions of units annually.

Public performance of certain mixtape material “is probably good promotion,” Mr. Buckles said. “When you start selling them by the tens and hundreds of thousands, I don’t know that anyone is saying that’s of great promotional value.”

Even in the case of DJ Drama, whose mixtapes have been credited with stoking the careers of artists like Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne and last year’s best selling rap artist, T.I., it appears not everyone applauded inclusion on his recordings. The police said lawyers representing an array of artists sent cease-and-desist demands protesting the unauthorized use of their music, though they declined to identify the artists.

Nonetheless, the arrests instantly sent a shiver through hip-hop circles. One prominent Web site, mixunit.com, halted the sale of its usual wares and instead refocused on rap posters and T-shirts. Under a logo that read “Free Drama & Cannon,” the site said only that it was reorganizing with features that are “positive to the artists, D.J.’s and fans of this special element of hip-hop.”

Fans and music executives say the raid will most likely push the production and sale of mixtapes further underground — and encourage more efforts to skirt the edge of laws against the sale of unauthorized songs. At one major mixtape Web site, fans can choose from an array of current mix CDs on display. To get one, though, they must pay $7 for a sticker bearing the Web site’s name. Each sticker comes with a free mixtape.

The business can be tricky for the D.J.’s themselves too, said Mr. Buckles of the recording industry association. D.J.’s creating mixtapes with the intent of offering them free sometimes find that bootleggers then replicate the music and sell it.

“This is a world,” he added, “where everything just careens out of control once it’s created.”

SEA Panels

The Casino Grand Hotel & Casino—Convention Center
Tunica, MS (30 miles south of Memphis, TN)

Friday, January 26th

Noon to 1:45 PM-
How To Get A Record Deal or A Production DealThis is by far the #1 question everyone wants answered in this industry. This panel will address what labels look for (both indie and major) and what every artist should do to stand out and get noticed by record labels. We will discuss the many different types of deals and the pros and cons of each. In addition to what a label looks for in an artist, we will cover what an artist should look for in a label--all labels are NOT created equal. Panelists will be available to accept demos from artists at this panel, but you will also learn from this panel why a demo is not enough.
-Tonya Butler, Esq.
-Bob Celestin, Esq.
-Wendy Day, Rap Coalition
-Nam Moses, Consultant, Ultra Publishing
-Tangee AKA Ms Blessed


2 PM to 3:45 PM-
Making An Impact: Building A Tremendous Buzz
Nothing in this industry moves without some hype or some degree of buzz behind it. We will discuss what a buzz can do for your career, your company, or your CD. Our focus will be on offering step by step instruction on how to build a strong buzz in the music industry and how to keep it. Whether you are an artist, a producer, a DJ, a company, or just a person trying to work in this business, it is imperative that you have a buzz surrounding you.
-Ray Hamilton, Legion Of Doom DJs
-Matt Verden, Dir of Marketing, Grand Hustle
-Mike Clarke, VP Swisha House
-Nick Love, VP Marketing, Corporate Thugz Entertainment
-Amir, Southeast Rep Interscope Records
-Rovella Williams, Almost Famous Showcase
-Lil Weavah, artist


4 PM to 5:45 PM-
The Digital FrontierUsing the internet to promote your music or to sell downloads and CDs makes sense in today’s economy. The Internet has leveled the playing field for artists allowing them direct access to the fans. Join us to hear how others have used MySpace, websites, internet radio, and digital downloads to build or further their careers.
-Leon Bailey, WordOfSouth.com
-John Lobro, RadioHipHop.com
-Feygens Saint-Joy, Hip Hop Friends
-M Town Luv, MemphisRap.com


Saturday, January 27th

Noon to 1:45 PM-
Indie Labels: How To Put Out Your Own CD or Start Your Own Indie LabelWith the importance of independent music, indie releases, and a do-for-self attitude in the music business today, we will explore how to put out a CD. From pressing and distribution to marketing and promotion, an indie release can mean the difference between $8 a CD or 80 cents a CD for the artist signed to a major label. The bulk of the successful artists in music today started out as artists putting out their own CD or signed to an indie label.
-Kinky B, Corporate Thugz Entertainment (Young Jeezy, Slick Pulla)
-Michael "5000" Watts, CEO Swisha House (Lil Keke, Mike Jones, Paul Wall)
-Wes Phillips, Select-O-Hits
-Killer Mike, artist
-Janie Jennings, Label Consultant
-Wendy Day, Label Consultant
-Rock, Rock Bottom Records (Tango & Cash, Big Herk)
-Khao, Producer/CEO Intaprize Records
-Charm Warren-Celestin, Label Consultant


2 PM to 3:45 PM-
The Mixtape Game
Mixtapes seem to be everywhere today in proliferation. With the recent Federal crackdown on mixed CDs and the stores that sell them, what’s the urban music industry to do? DJs depend on mixed CDs for income, stores depend on them for profits, labels depend on them to break new records, and fans depend on them for new and hot music. If a major label pays a DJ to add a song to his mixed CD, is it acceptable for them to shut the DJ down for selling “illegal” product? We will discuss the legalities of mixed CDs, and why the Feds stepped in and shut down DJ Drama recently.
-DJ Wally Sparks
-DJ Chuck T
-Robert Celestin, Esq.
-Sweetback Tha Mack, The Screw Shop of Memphis
-George Lopez, T Town Records
-Mike Clark, VP Marketing, Swisha House
-DJ Chief Rocka
-Julia Beverly, Publisher, Ozone Magazine
-DJ Freddy Hydro


4 PM to 5:45 PM-
How To Get Your Record Played On The Radio
The most common question in the music industry is answered here by program directors, DJs, label folks, and artists. Covering every perspective of the process, we will discuss how to build a buzz at street level and then graduate to getting radio play. We will discuss the steps, the etiquette, and what NOT to do when you want radio play. We will also talk about the importance of the commercial quality of your single.
-B. Paiz, Program Director, WIBB
-Lester Pace, Set The Pace Promotions
-DJ Lil Larry, K97 Memphis
-Kasper, Hittmenn DJs
-Devin Steel, K97 Memphis
-Michael London
-Big V, Power 106 Cleveland, MS


6 PM to 7:30 PM
Serato Scratch Live!Join the folks from Serato Scratch Live for a live demonstration and a workshop of tricks you can do. You will have the opportunity to purchase Serato Scratch Live here!

Friday, January 26th

Noon to 1:45 PM- How To Get A Record Deal or A Production Deal
This is by far the #1 question everyone wants answered in this industry. This panel will address what labels look for (both indie and major) and what every artist should do to stand out and get noticed by record labels. We will discuss the many different types of deals and the pros and cons of each. In addition to what a label looks for in an artist, we will cover what an artist should look for in a label--all labels are NOT created equal. Panelists will be available to accept demos from artists at this panel, but you will also learn from this panel why a demo is not enough.
-Tonya Butler, Esq.
-Bob Celestine, Esq.
-Wendy Day
-Nam Moses, Consultant, Ultra Publishing
-Ms Blessed


2 PM to 3:45 PM- Making An Impact: Building A Tremendous Buzz
Nothing in this industry moves without some hype or some degree of buzz behind it. We will discuss what a buzz can do for your career, your company, or your CD. Our focus will be on offering step by step instruction on how to build a strong buzz in the music industry and how to keep it. Whether you are an artist, a producer, a DJ, a company, or just a person trying to work in this business, it is imperative that you have a buzz surrounding you.
-Ray Hamilton, Legion Of Doom DJs
-Matt Verden, Dir of Marketing, Grand Hustle
-Mike Clarke, VP Swisha House
-Nick Love, VP Marketing, Corporate Thugz Entertainment
-Amir, Southeast Rep Interscope Records
-Rovella Williams, Almost Famous Showcase
-Lil Weavah, artist


4 PM to 5:45 PM- The Digital Frontier
Using the internet to promote your music or to sell downloads and CDs makes sense in today’s economy. The Internet has leveled the playing field for artists allowing them direct access to the fans. Join us to hear how others have used MySpace, websites, internet radio, and digital downloads to build or further their careers.
-Leon Bailey, WordOfSouth.com
-John Lobro, RadioHipHop.com
-Feygens Saint-Joy, Hip Hop Friends
-M Town Luv, MemphisRap.com



Saturday, January 27th

Noon to 1:45 PM- Indie Labels: How To Put Out Your Own CD or Start Your Own Indie Label With the importance of independent music, indie releases, and a do-for-self attitude in the music business today, we will explore how to put out a CD. From pressing and distribution to marketing and promotion, an indie release can mean the difference between $8 a CD or 80 cents a CD for the artist signed to a major label. The bulk of the successful artists in music today started out as artists putting out their own CD or signed to an indie label.
Panelists:
-Kinky B, Corporate Thugz Entertainment (Young Jeezy, Slick Pulla)
-Michael "5000" Watts, CEO Swisha House (Lil Keke, Mike Jones, Paul Wall)
-Wes Phillips, Select-O-Hits
-Killer Mike, artist
-Janie Jennings, Label Consultant
-Wendy Day, Label Consultant
-Rock, Rock Bottom Records (Tango & Cash, Big Herk)


2 PM to 3:45 PM- The Mixtape Game Mixtapes seem to be everywhere today in proliferation. With the recent Federal crackdown on mixed CDs and the stores that sell them, what’s the urban music industry to do? DJs depend on mixed CDs for income, stores depend on them for profits, labels depend on them to break new records, and fans depend on them for new and hot music. If a major label pays a DJ to add a song to his mixed CD, is it acceptable for them to shut the DJ down for selling “illegal” product? We will discuss the legalities of mixed CDs, and why the Feds stepped in and shut down DJ Drama recently.
-DJ Wally Sparks
-DJ Chuck T
-Robert Celestine
-Fredrick Moore, The Screw Shop of Memphis
-George Lopez, T Town Records


4 PM to 5:45 PM- How To Get Your Record Played On The Radio
The most common question in the music industry is answered here by program directors, DJs, label folks, and artists. Covering every perspective of the process, we will discuss how to build a buzz at street level and then graduate to getting radio play. We will discuss the steps, the etiquette, and what NOT to do when you want radio play. We will also talk about the importance of the commercial quality of your single.
-B. Paiz, Program Director, WIBB
-Lester Pace, Set The Pace Promotions
-DJ Lil Larry, K97 Memphis
-Kasper, Hittmenn DJs
-Devin Steel, K97 Memphis
-Michael London
-Big V, Power 106 Cleveland, MS

2007 SEA PANELS!!!

2007 SEA PANELS AND WORKSHOPS

Friday, January 26th, 2007

Noon to 1:45- How To Get A Record Deal or A Production Deal
This is by far the #1 question everyone wants answered in this industry. This panel will address what labels look for (both indie and major) and what every artist should do to stand out and get noticed by record labels. We will discuss the many different types of deals and the pros and cons of each. In addition to what a label looks for in an artist, we will cover what an artist should look for in a label--all labels are NOT created equal. Panelists will be available to accept demos from artists at this panel, but you will also learn from this panel why a demo is not enough.


2:00 to 3:45- Making An Impact: Building A Tremendous Buzz
Nothing in this industry moves without some hype or some degree of buzz behind it. We will discuss what a buzz can do for your career, your company, or your CD. Our focus will be on offering step by step instruction on how to build a strong buzz in the music industry and how to keep it. Whether you are an artist, a producer, a DJ, a company, or just a person trying to work in this business, it is imperative that you have a buzz surrounding you.
Mike Clark, VP Swisha House and VP, SoBe Records (Paul Wall, Mike Jones)
Nick Love, VP Corporate Thugz Entertainment (Young Jeezy, Slick Pulla)


4:00 to 6:00- The Digital Frontier
Using the internet to promote your music or to sell downloads and CDs makes sense in today’s economy. The Internet has leveled the playing field for artists allowing them direct access to the fans. Join us to hear how others have used MySpace, websites, internet radio, and digital downloads to build or further their careers.
Leon Bailey, CEO WordOfSouth.com


Saturday, January 27th, 2007

12:00 to 1:45- Indie Labels: Put Out Your Own CD or Start Your Own Indie Label
With the importance of independent music, indie releases, and a do-for-self attitude in the music business today, we will explore how to put out a CD. From pressing and distribution to marketing and promotion, an indie release can mean the difference between $8 a CD or 80 cents a CD for the artist signed to a major label. The bulk of the successful artists in music today started out as artists putting out their own CD or signed to an indie label.
Kinky B, CEO Corporate Thugz Entertainment (Young Jeezy, Slick Pulla, Blood Raw)
Janie Jennings, CEO Industry Works (Label Consultant)
Wendy Day, CEO PowerMoves (Label Consultant: Cash Money, David Banner, Twista)
Wes Phillips, Select-O-Hits


2:00 to 3:45- The Producer’s Lab
The best way to learn is from those who are successful in their craft. Join us for a frank discussion with the top producers in urban music as we discuss sampling, producing vs beat making, shopping beats, getting paid publishing and royalties, contracts, etc. This is for anyone who wants to produce or is already making a living as a producer.
Khao (T.I., Grand Hustle, etc)


4:00 to 5:45 Radio: How To Get Your Record Played On The Radio
The most common question in the music industry is answered here by program directors, DJs, label folks, and artists. Covering every perspective of the process, we will discuss how to build a buzz at street level and then graduate to getting radio play. We will discuss the steps, the etiquette, and what NOT to do when you want radio play. We will also talk about the importance of the commercial quality of your single.
B. Paiz, Program Director WIBB (Macon) and air personality WXBT (Columbia, SC)
Lil Larry, K97/Club DJ (Memphis)


6:00 to 7:30- Serato Scratch Workshop
Join the folks from Serato Scratch Live for a live demonstration and a workshop of tricks you can do. You will have the opportunity to purchase Serato Scratch Live here!