Why Do Pop Divas Rule The Music Industry??

I've preached this equation for the past 5 years to artists looking to either expand their brand, or get into the business. Most would call going pop, "selling out", but who are you selling out to? Your fans, self, or those folks around you that want you to play the "keep it real" game, and stay behind with them? Keep it real with self, and your fans will link into your authenticity!! Everyone else may just be playing the "crabs in a bucket game", and don't want you to expand!

Fans are getting tired of the same old songs, the same old artists, the same old vibe. Songs come out today, a producer capitalizes off a certain sound, and here comes the 40 other producers copying off their sound, tricks they use, etc., I.e. the "autotune" craze now prevalent in a lot of urban records. I give T-Pain his propers for reintroducing the Zapp ftg. Roger sound. But the 50 million other folks now using it in every single one of their songs, come on already!!

Numerous artists have made the jump and it's not only the divas, but look at Snoop Dogg, Diddy, The Neptunes, Cee-Lo Green, B.O.B., Bruno Mars, Theophilus London, Travie McCoy, etc. These artists remain relevant, and some after many years in the business, because they continue to expand their brand, sound and stay on top of what is current in the business, from music, fashion, to social media, etc..

Stepping out of your or in this case, someone else's comfort zone, is the key to bringing new fans to your brand. Being afraid to expand your musical catalog may equate to instant death these days. In the case of Jonell Monae however that hasn't caught on yet, because fickle urban fans still want all the negative overtones in their music. Her team needs to get her touring specifically overseas where her style of music is appreciated or change her sound. Which brings me to Beyonce, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and yes even Britney Spears now. They all have benefited from stepping out of their comfort zones and expanding their brand with a new sound, style of dress, etc. I can even throw Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj in as well, but the aforementioned I must talk about because they are the artists that are the epitome of this entire posting.

Why are these pop divas ruling the charts? One answer is social media. Social media now can make something viral in seconds on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace (are they still relevant?), YouTube, Reverbnation, SoundCloud, etc. Another answer is promotions, promotions, promotions! These divas have teams that know how to place them in the market, in front of fans, and lifestyle companies so that their brand is fully exploited. They also pay attention to what their teams have to say and the advice that they give them, and they are involved in every step of the process. Without calling names, but there were some alternate examples of this on some reality shows recently, and that is why those artists continue to struggle in the business.

Beastie Boys Jump The Leak And Showcase New Video With Top Comedians

After their new single was leaked by anxious fans on the internet, the Beastie Boys jumped the leak express train, and the Boys decided to share it with fans themselves. "Make Some Noise" is the first single from the Beastie Boys' long-awaited new album, Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2, and it will hit digital retailers on April 11.

The trio posted the new single on their blog with a message from Mike Ad that stated: "This wasn’t really part of the plan, but since this track is out there we wanted to let you hear it here first, or maybe second. Enjoy."

The song also will be available as a 7 inch single on April 16. The band also debuted the trailer today for the Fight For Your Right - Revisited short film. The 30 minute movie features an all-star collection of comedians and actors, including Will Ferrell, Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Seth Rogan and many more.

New Social Media Site "Life + Times" Launched By Jay-Z

Seems Jay-Z has jumped on the social media bandwagon of numerous other celebs that want to express their social media awareness by launching Life + Times , a new lifestyle website showcasing the rapper's taste in high-end cars, clothes and gadgets. This falls in line with so many others before him that have capitalized off of their "brand", and I think it is a very smart move by him. If Mark Zuckerberg and other non celebs can benefit financially off of the media mountain, and in particular the brands of celebs, why can't Jay-Z and other celebs that have been exploited and had revenue earned off of their hard work do the same?

Girls-Only DJ Compilation Contest Launched By EMI Australasia

EMI Australasia is launching a new competition for female DJs with a global recording contract and a host of other prizes up for grabs.

According to the label, home to dance acts like David Guetta, Deadmau5 and Empire of the Sun, the She Can DJ contest is a new A&R project which will form part of their new dance strategy.


It opens tomorrow (April 7) through SheCanDJ.com and runs until May 6. Ten finalists will be announced with the ultimate winner decided by a panel of ambassador judges and unveiled in September.

They’ll score an EMI recording contract, a networking trip to Ibiza’s closing parties, a mix compilation under the She Can DJ imprint, an artist album release, a “producer masterclass” with an international producer in 2012 and SAE course in Electronic music production.

Snoop Dogg & Charlie Sheen on New Track Produced By Former Korn Guitarist Rob Patterson

After partying with P. Diddy in a blown out bash in his L.A. home and being dissed by the Wu Tang's Chef Raekwon who called him a "rich dick", seems Snoop Dogg and Sheen have come together to work on a new song that is to be produced by former Korn guitarist Rob Patterson.


Sheen posted a picture of himself, Snoop Dogg and Patterson, who is now a member of the band Filter, hanging out in a recording studio on Twitter last week.



"Warlock meets his makers-music makers that is @SnoopDogg @robpatterson666 get ready to rock the Sheenius within! http://twitpic.com/4d9cw1," the actor tweeted.

I'm waiting to see just what Sheen can do because we all know Snoop is going to bang on the track.

Snoop Dogg – whose previous collaborators include the likes of Willie Nelson – releases his new album, The Doggumentary, in the UK on 18 April.

Despite Outburst, Chris Brown Album Soars, Holds #1 Spot on Billboards R&B/Hip-Hop Chart

Despite his recent outburst off the set of Good Morning America, Chris Brown's new album "F.A.M.E", on the Jive record label, was the top downloaded album on Apples' iTunes store on its first day of release Tuesday, an Apple spokesman said. He also appears in the #1 spot on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop charts with the song "Look At Me Now".


Brown seemed rankled after being questioned on the show about the 2009 incident and assault on singer and former girlfriend Rihanna. He answered a question about the incident stating: "It's not really a big deal to me now, as far as that situation. I think I'm past that in my life. Today's the album day, so that's what I'm focused on."



I guess folks still are attached to the "Bad Boy" image of celebrities, and especially as evidenced by the recent off color behavior of Charlie Sheen who was not scorned, but actually embraced by fans and colleagues alike.

However, vewers of ABC's TV competition "Dancing with the Stars" demanded the cancellation of a planned performance by Brown on next week's show.

At this time next week though, Chris Brown might be celebrating his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as "F.A.M.E.," is on course to bow with over 250,000 sold in its first week.

Simon Cowell Rumored To Be Recruiting Nicki Minaj As U.S. X Factor Judge

As I was reading the news feeds across the internet about Simon Cowell secretly attempting to sway Nicki Minaj into being a judge on the U.S. version of X-Factor after locking in former head of UMG L.A. Reid, one thing struck me. Why is every report giving Minaj the title of controversial?

Controversial?? Why does every other artist that steps out of their comfort zone ala Lady Gaga, Madonna, Pink, etc. have to be controversial? Is she in trouble with the law, abusing drugs, a wild out of control child? NO! So why is she controversial?


Is it because of her style of dress, hairstyles? That is not controversial, it is innovative. Why accept being what everyone expects you to be as another artist pumped out by the major label juggernaut, when you can just be yourself, even if it means that you dress differently than anyone else, by wearing meat as a clothing item, or sporting tall out of this atmosphere wigs, etc?

Amid rumors that Mariah Carey may be out, Minaj met with the mega mogul recently in Los Angeles, where they discussed the possibility of the singer joining the panel.

'Simon thinks Nicki is fantastic. She's sassy, she looks great and she has bags of personality,' a source told the New York Post.

This would give great exposure to the show, and it would bring in the fan base that Nicki now commands. I think along with Reid and another prominent celebrity in the business, X-Factor will give American Idol a run for it's money.