POSTED: Tech N9ne Shares Success Tips On Being An Indie Artist, Running A Record Label
Posted: February 18, 2012 at 7:16 pm
Last week, things got personal when we toured MTV POSTED artist of the month Tech N9ne's hometown of Kansas City, MO. This week, Tech turns teacher and offers wisdom on how to be a successful independent recording artist while showing us what it takes to run your own label. Take notes, guys -- the man's a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about making it in the music biz.
Learn more about Tech N9ne's business savvy and watch video interviews after the jump.
In the first clip, Tech N9ne shares his advice on how to succeed as an independent artist like he did under his own Strange Music label: "Have thick skin, have hustle. [You] have to get out there and make your fans." We even learn the Strange Music motto: "Gotta be ready to get up and go." Tech also discusses some differences between indie and major labels (money), but admits his real passion is to have full control over his sound.
Our next video has Tech chatting about all the hats he wears while working behind-the-scenes at his own label. The guy keeps busy acting as A&R (talent scout), but he also deals with a TON of grunt work, like answering a gazillion emails a day. Basically, Tech N9ne has a 9 to 5 like the rest of us -- except he's also a famous rapper.
Catch more Tech N9ne videos at POSTED.MTV.com all month long.
+ Watch Tech N9ne discuss independent record labels and offer music business advice.
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POSTED: Tech N9ne Shares Success Tips On Being An Indie Artist, Running A Record Label
Road to the White House: Santorum success forces Dems to revise strategy
Posted: at 7:16 pm
WASHINGTON -- Rick Santorum's surprising momentum at a critical stage in the presidential race has forced the Obama campaign to reassess its re-election strategy, which for months has revolved around the likelihood that Mitt Romney would be the president's Republican rival.
With several victories and some strong poll numbers under his belt, Mr. Santorum has garnered more attention at the Obama campaign's Chicago headquarters in recent weeks. The campaign has begun digging into Mr. Santorum's background, diverting opposition researchers who had been scrutinizing Mr. Romney. They also blasted an email to supporters in Pennsylvania, asking them to submit their most damning recollections of Mr. Santorum, a former senator from the state.
Though campaign officials still view Mr. Romney as the likely nominee, they have begun to consider the implications of a Santorum victory. They view him as a weaker general election opponent, but one who has shown an ability to connect with the population that is most disillusioned with Mr. Obama: white, blue-collar voters.
"Looking at the way the Republican race is unfolding, we'd be derelict if we didn't begin looking at Santorum as a real potential opponent," said Stephanie Cutter, deputy campaign manager for the Obama campaign.
Mr. Santorum has appeared increasingly confident of his prospects, campaigning heavily in Michigan -- a state that until recently was considered a shoo-in for Mr. Romney -- and touting his strong poll numbers in Ohio. Both are crucial swing states with large numbers of manufacturing workers.
He has centered his message on his social conservatism and blue-collar roots. But he has also tried to address his biggest weakness -- the perception that Mr. Romney would do better against Mr. Obama. During a campaign stop in Shelby Township, Mich., Friday, Mr. Santorum argued that he has a record of beating better-funded and more moderate candidates.
"Do you want someone who can go up against Barack Obama, take him on on the big issues of health care ... the Wall Street bailouts, cap-and-trade?" Mr. Santorum asked several hundred people at a rally hosted by the Michigan Faith and Family Coalition. "Or do you want someone who can just manage Washington a little better?"
Democratic strategists say they had long prepared for an unpredictable Republican primary race, but Mr. Santorum's surge caught them by surprise in part because they did not expect Mr. Romney to face such a difficult path to the nomination.
Early on, Mr. Obama's campaign had made it clear that they viewed Mr. Romney's venture capitalist past as a liability. But they did not expect that Mr. Romney's rival, Newt Gingrich, would use the issue to such great effect. And they were helped by the candidate's own difficulty explaining his personal wealth and why he paid a lower tax rate than many in the middle class.
Despite Mr. Santorum's momentum, Democrats see him as a significantly flawed candidate in a general election.
They believe his politics, particularly on social issues, are too conservative for most swing voters. The former Pennsylvania senator opposes all abortion and has made his opposition to the Obama administration's mandate that religious institutions offer contraceptive coverage a central campaign theme.
They also predict that Mr. Santorum would be less formidable on the fundraising front. Mr. Romney has galvanized the financial community behind his candidacy because of his professional ties, but Mr. Santorum would lack such an advantage.
They believe Mr. Santorum is just as vulnerable as Mr. Romney on his economic plan. Both opposed the bailout of the auto companies and have promised to repeal new laws regulating Wall Street. Both have endorsed tax cuts that Democrats will argue hurt the middle class, and would force draconian cuts to education and the social safety net.
But they acknowledge that Mr. Santorum appears to be connecting with white working-class voters, who have been hit hard by the foreclosure crisis and job losses and who largely disapprove of the president's leadership. If Mr. Santorum wins, he may fare better in Midwestern swing states that would be crucial to Mr. Obama's re-election.
Mr. Romney "can't capitalize on the president's weakness with lower-income, non-college voters," said a Democratic strategist working to re-elect the president, granted anonymity in order to speak freely about internal strategy. "Rick Santorum has a better message for that community."
Mr. Santorum's approval rating among GOP voters in January jumped 12 points to 61 percent in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll, with the increase almost entirely among those without a college degree. Mr. Romney has struggled with this group, exit polls show.
Mr. Santorum has a mixed record in his appeal to swing voters. Despite his deeply conservative values, he successfully ran for Senate twice in Pennsylvania, a swing state that has leaned Democratic in recent presidential elections. But he failed to win a third term, losing by 18 points in 2006 to Democrat Bob Casey.
First published on February 18, 2012 at 12:00 am
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Road to the White House: Santorum success forces Dems to revise strategy
Xi claims 'success' as US trumpets China film deal
Posted: at 7:16 pm
Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping declared his US visit a "full success" as he ended it in Hollywood -- and as Washington said he agreed to let more US films into China's vast market.
Xi, who attended a basketball game in Los Angeles on Friday, made the comments in the final hours of his five-day trip, which started with talks in Washington and included a charm offensive in America's heartland.
"I can now say my visit to the United States has been a full success," Xi said in a visit to a Los Angeles school with US Vice President Joe Biden, adding that his meetings with Biden and President Barack Obama had been "very fruitful."
Echoing the warm remarks, Biden -- who visited China last year -- joked: "I envy a lot of things about him, starting with his full head of hair. And I admire his stamina. We have given him virtually no time to sleep."
But Biden also reiterated a key message Xi has heard this week -- that the United States wants Beijing to play the same "rules of the game" to reduce the enormous trade imbalance between the two economic heavyweights.
"We very much want to see more of our business in China, and Vice President Xi has committed to making that possible," he said, adding: "The faster the US economy grows the more Chinese citizens will benefit."
And shortly before Xi's scheduled departure Biden announced that China had agreed to "significantly" increase market access to US movies as part of outstanding issues following a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute.
The deal will allow more than 50 percent more US movies into China, added the Motion Picture Association (MPAA), while Biden did not put numbers on the increase, according to a White House statement.
A Chinese quota system restricts the number of foreign movies coming into the country annually to 20. In 2009 the WTO ruled against Chinese limits on the import of films, DVDs, music and books, but little has changed.
"This agreement with China will make it easier than ever before for US studios and independent filmmakers to reach the fast-growing Chinese audience, supporting thousands of American jobs," Biden said.
There was no immediate Chinese reaction to the White House statement, but Xi hailed Biden earlier in the day, saying: "We have established a good personal friendship and working relationship."
He recalled how China competed in the Olympics in 1984 for the first time after being re-admitted, adding that bilateral relations have "made some twists and turns" along way, but that "over the years we have made some headway."
Building further cooperation between the nations "is the right strategic decision that serves the interests of both," he said.
A string of deals were signed on the sidelines of Xi's visit, including one Friday by "Kung Fu Panda" US studio giant DreamWorks Animation for a $330 million (250 million euro) Chinese joint venture, Oriental DreamWorks.
The tie-up, unveiled by DreamWorks Animation boss Jeffrey Katzenberg, will team his California-based studio with three Chinese companies -- which will hold a majority 55 percent stake -- to operate a studio in Shanghai.
Katzenberg told AFP a short time afterwards that Oriental DreamWorks' first film was expected to be released in 2016.
The developments came as Xi rounded off a US trip that included a meeting at the White House with Obama, who urged China to play by the "same rules" in the global economy but voiced hope for cooperation.
Xi then traveled to Iowa, where a business delegation accompanying him agreed to buy 317 million bushels of soybeans from major US companies, in a deal estimated to be worth $4.3 billion.
On Friday he spent his final hours on US soil at an economic forum in downtown Los Angeles, before a National Basketball Association game between the LA Lakers and the Phoenix Suns at the Staples Center.
A commentary on his US trip Friday in the overseas edition of the People's Daily -- the mouthpiece of China's Communist Party -- said the visit had "deepened mutual understanding" between China and the United States.
"Xi Jinping's visit was not long, but it had a big impact in promoting exchanges between the two peoples," it said. "This partnership will certainly see a more healthy development."
The Chinese leader starts the next leg of his trip in Ireland on Saturday. He is also due to travel to Turkey before returning home.
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Xi claims 'success' as US trumpets China film deal
Pepsi and coca cola drinks are haram (BANGLADESH) – Video
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Pepsi and coca cola drinks are haram (BANGLADESH) - Video
Pepsi-Cola: News
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Pepsi-Cola: News
No Coke, No Pepsi: CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF PEPSI AND COCA COLA – Video
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No Coke, No Pepsi: CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF PEPSI AND COCA COLA - Video
Palm Coast Neighbors: Man on a mission
Posted: at 9:31 am
Palm Coast man coaches community leaders: Life Coach Pat Williams, Ed.D., of Palm Coast is on a mission to empower others to connect thinking, dreams and ideas with resources available to them. Williams is a Board Certified Coach and a Master Certified Coach as well as a psychologist, author and founder of The Institute for Life Coach Training (ILCT). Since 1998 ILCT has coached leaders in big business as well as government, the medical industry and more. Today Williams remains involved with the organization, but is more actively involved in Coaching the Global Village (CGV), a nonprofit he founded in 2005 with a mission to “empower communities around the world to develop sustainable solutions for pressing human and societal needs.” As Williams put it in a recent interview, “CGV provides new ideas wherever there is an under-served population.”
So what exactly is life coaching?
“It is a special form of consulting that guides people by empowering them to think outside the box. It doesn’t give answers, but rather allows you to think about how you can take your ideas and dreams and move them to reality,” says Williams. He believes that this process helps people move from good to great by bringing out the best in each of us. This is exactly what he hopes to achieve through Coaching the Global Village.
For example, some recent CGV projects include:
■ The Kenya Project 2012. Funding support will allow CGV to work with local leaders of Kenya to keep improving the community, school and families in the years ahead;
■ Kansas Leadership Council 2011. Closer to home, CGV provided a workshop for the Kansas Leadership Council. This community leadership group supports individuals and teams to find their voices, listen deeply to one another, and move beyond conversation to leadership and collective action to build stronger, healthier, more prosperous and more joyful communities.
■ Florida Endowment Foundation Project. The Florida Endowment Foundation is a nonprofit headed by Heather Beaven of Palm Coast and offers educational enrichment programs across the state of Florida. Recently CGV provided training tor staff and mentors in the schools teaching the coach approach and also provided coaching to the administrative staff.
Williams wants to see the benefits of coaching expanded in our community. He hopes that CGV will broaden their partnerships in Flagler County. Life coaching is a holistic approach to developing leadership skills while improving a community. According to Williams, “…within every individual lies a wealth of knowledge and resources that are the source for sustainable solutions.”
With all the needs and problems we are faced with today, it seems that coaching is a needed tool. We all have gifts and skills within us that may be untapped. Coaching can help us reach inside of ourselves and expand those skills into viable ways to reach out and help ourselves and our community. Go to CGV at http://www.coachingtheglobalvillage.org to learn more or email Williams at pat@coachingtheglobalvillage.org
Upcoming events:
■ The Genealogy Society of Flagler County in Palm Coast will meet at the Flagler County Public Library, 2500 Palm Coast Parkway N.W., at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Genealogists love playing detective as they solve family history mysteries. Most, though, have a few unsolved mysteries regarding the women in their family trees. Join genealogy professional Mary Penner as she outlines strategies for tracing our elusive women in a free webinar, “Finding Females in Your Family Tree.”
Her presentation, filled with tips and examples, will help individuals ramp up their detective skills in order to close the case on mystery women. For information, call 386-445-3253.
■ Washington Oaks Park Garden Tour will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Feb. 25 at the park. Join Park Ranger Amanda on a stroll through the formal gardens to learn about the various flowers, plants and animal species that this park has to offer. You will also learn interesting historical information about the park. Be sure to bring your cameras, sunscreen, bug repellent and comfortable walking shoes appropriate for a leisurely stroll through the gardens. The walk departs from the main garden parking lot. Regular park entrance fees apply.
■
The Afro-American Caribbean Heritage Organization hosts its 31st Annual Black Heritage Day Festival at Central Park in Town Center, Palm Coast from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 25.
Enjoy food, vendors, entertainment and fun for the whole family. For info, contact Vivian at 386-446-6935.
■
That’s it until next time when I will bring you more ideas about things that are going on in the great place we call home in Flagler County. Thanks to those of you that continue to send me calendar items for this column. Please contact me at pcneighbors@cfl.rr.com or visit my blog and leave me a comment there. http://www.wordsetcwriting.com.
Thanks for reading.
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Palm Coast Neighbors: Man on a mission
Health Demystified Expert Interview Series: Heather Ling, Nutritionist – Video
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Health Demystified Expert Interview Series: Heather Ling, Nutritionist - Video
Day 1 of my 100 day fitness challenge. – Video
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Day 1 of my 100 day fitness challenge. - Video
Health Tip: Practice Proper Posture For Better Health
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Health Tip: Practice Proper Posture For Better Health