2008 SEA confirmed panelists

The 5th Annual SEA Weekend in Tunica, MS (20 miles south of Memphis, TN)
Grand Casino Hotel (at the Grand Casino Convention Center)

Friday, January 25th, 2008
Noon to 1:45 pm: How To Get A Record Deal
How can a new, unsigned artist attract the attention of a record label? What do the labels look for when signing new artists? What are the different types of deals available to artists in today’s marketplace?

Kaspa, Zone 4/Interscope & HITTMENN DJs
Arthur Mitchell, Urban Network
Memphitz, Jive Records
BloodRaw, Artist (CTE/Def Jam)
Michael “5000” Watts, SwishaHouse Records
Wendy Day, Rap Coalition

2:00 pm to 3:45 pm: Assembling A Killer Team
Putting together a team to propel the artist’s career forward is key. How do you choose a lawyer, a manager, a publicist, and an accountant? Whose job is it to oversee the team?

Trae, Artist (G Maab/Rap-A-Lot)
Bob Celestin, Attorney
Ray Daniels, Manager, Rock City
Kim Ellis, KE Consulting
Chad Brown, Jive Records
Stretch, Manager of Mistah FAB


4:00 pm to 6:00 pm: Building A Buzz
Since there are so many artists and producers out there, what do you have to do to stand out from everybody else? How do you build a buzz in today’s music industry?

Nick Love, Proving Grounds
Bigga Rankin, DJ & HITTMENN DJs
Tony Neal, Core DJs
Miami Mike, Manager, Soulja Boy
Greg Gates, journalist, Down magazine
Lucky Smith, JUS Promotions
Melvin Street, Street Masters Magazine



Saturday, January 26, 2008
Noon to 1:45 pm: How To Put Out Your Own CD
How does an artist or indie label put out their own CD? Is it better to make $8 a CD independently or sign to a major label and make less than a dollar a CD? What’s the difference between distribution deals and artist deals? This year I have asked the entire TMI Muzic team to discuss how they’ve built the incredible success for TMI Boyz, step by step.

Wendy Day, Label Consultant
Nick Love, Marketing & Streets
Nancy Byron, publicity
Dudella, Artist, TMI Boyz
Huskey, Artist, TMI Boyz
Sayeed, Artist, TMI Boyz
Steven Reese, TMI Manager
DJ Scorpio, Street and Club Promotions
Wes Phillips, Select-O-Hits Distribution


2:00 pm to 3:45 pm: Making Money With Mixed CDs and DVDs
There are numerous ways to make money selling mixed CDs. Has the climate changed since the DJ Drama raid last year? Also, with the large amount of DVD ‘zines that exist today, is there still a way to make money with these?

DJ Bigga Rankin, DJ and & HITTMENN DJs
DJ Vlad
DJ Chuck T
DJ JudgeMental, DJ & HITTMENN DJs
Jason, Raw Report DVD
DJ Michael “5000” Watts
Jacki-O, Artist
DJ Scorpio
Killer Mike, Artist


4:00 pm to 6:00 pm: Getting Your Song On The Radio
Always the most popular panel at any convention, we will explain how to get your record played at radio, and more importantly, WHY you’d want it played on the radio. Having a plan is a key element to securing spins. Also, is there life to a record that doesn’t get radio play? We will explain why there is…

DJ Impact, DTP Records
Al Weeden, WBLX, Mobile, AL
Wild Wayne, WQUE, New Orleans, LA
Feygens, Hip Hop Friends, internet radio
Lester Pace, Set The Pace
Damon Shields, The Go DJs (Houston)
Amir Boyd, WVEE, Atlanta