The Movement

A ton has happened in the last week and I have learned a great deal.

First thing I wanted to formally address was the first show Wicked Butterfly Entertainment booked and promoted here in Tucson, the Snug Brim Arroggant Tour. After James Barone royally screwed that tour booking up Snug Brim trusted a long time friend to rebook the tour. For those who don't know James Barone was taking deposits from promoters and artists and not passing the cash onto Snug Brim. Anyway the tour got re-booked and I sent Snug Brim the first half of his appearance fee, $225.00. Not a lot but it was what had been negotiated. After he got that money I could not reach him for any kind of flight info, arrival times, or anything. Bottom line is Snug Brim no-showed the appearance and has yet to return any of that deposit money back to me. No I normally don't air dirty laundry on here but I think if a thief is discovered they should be called out! Despite that fact the show went awesome. I heard many comments that it was the best local show they have had here in Tucson in many years. As many of you know from previous blogs I promote so that the artists, venues, and myself all make money in the end. If you want to know how I do it go back and read my last few blogs. The night had a variety of local Tucson Hip Hop artists. They included first time performances by From Tha Ash and Chi!pz, Full Kontakt Entertainment, Tha Silent 1 & J Dawg, The Source and Cultivate Creative Sound(CCS) stepped up as the headliners. Top to bottom all of the acts performed very well. The crowd showed love consistently throughout the night for all of the acts. In the end we all had a kick ass time and I think we all are looking forward to the next show as I bring T.O.N.E-Z and Poe Whosaine to Tucson Aug 28th!

Now to the main theme for the post, The Movement. I have seen this past week a lot of love for my promotion method and how it benefits everyone at the show. I had several people come up to me at the show and after and state that they have never seen a crowd stay through every act in a show. Like I said all the acts and their fans stayed at the show and gave each and every act love. In the weeks leading up to the show all the artists were given a chance to make money bringing people to the show, and I hope most did in the end. So I am starting The Movement, the Promoters and Artists working together to make each and every show a success. Instead of each side trying to screw the other so they make more money, everyone works together and everyone makes money. Sure no one person or group is making thousands of dollars on the shows but in this economy every hundred bucks helps. There are too many times I have seen headliners do what Snug Brim did to me, get a deposit(make it non-refundable) and not show to perform. This hurts everyone and it needs to stop. Artists, if you are paid to show up and perform, do it! That is easy. The promoters are paying you, covering hotel costs, and in some cases travel cost and all you have to do is show up and do 45 min to an hour on stage, that is your JOB! Mars told me once he keeps a list of promoters and performers he has worked with. Each one has notes, if he trusts them and a label on if he will work with them in the future. I have started to keep a list as well. I hope as The Movement gets going we can build a network of trustworthy promoters and artists so we all can get ahead in the music business. That is what it is a BUSINESS! In my blog Business or Hobby  I make it clear where I stand.

The next show Wicked Butterfly Entertainment is hosting is DJ Clay's Scratch the Surface Tour with Mars in Albuquerque, NM on July 26th! 2 weeks away so get the word out!

I truly feel as though this movement is needed and wanted in the business. Leave me some comments and let me know where you stand!

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Opening acts and fans are being used

  I have been rolling this idea around in my head for a while.  Several years ago when Alex Abyss left Psychopathic Records I noticed a shift in the promotion, marketing, tickets, and merch that made me a little more than concerned.  The focus of the label shifted from taking care of the fans (family) to making the almighty dollar.  Now don't get me wrong I understand you are in the business to make money.  But from the beginning ICP and Psychopathic Records has made great effort to treat the fans as family.  They always kept ticket prices reasonable for most fans.  The merch was relatively inexpensive.  And the CD releases actually gave a little back with free add ons and other releases outside of the main ones.  Since the change in management I now see ticket prices for shows higher than ever, the Gathering unattainable by most of the fans due to cost, VIP access is $100 and now does not include the $20-25 ticket for the show (the Gathering is only $175 and covers the 4-5 day event) making normal shows almost as much as the Gathering, album releases are at least 3 versions with the only difference being 1 or 2 tracks, and merch through the roof so most of the family cannot afford it.  Psychopathic Records knows their fans are rabid and will buy almost everything they put out regardless of weather or not it is worth it.  All of these things make me feel like they are taking advantage of us as fans.  We deserve better and I think that is one of the main reasons Twiztid has left the label (although they have kept the VIP with no ticket thing).

When I moved near the Amarillo/Lubbock area I started this whole managing musicians thing.  I also booked, promoted, and threw my own concert.  That is when I noticed the opening acts being used.  A promoter will book a show and then charge openers $200-$400 for a 10-15 min slot on the show.  Then they book 8-10 openers which if you add it up comes out to $1600-$4000 from their opening acts!  That covers all of their cost for the show so anything they make from ticket sales goes directly into their pockets.  The crappy thing is opening acts feel that is just how the business works because they have been fed that crap for so long.  Truth is if a promoter wants an opener to sell let's say 20 tickets for a slot at $10 a piece I understand that.  It benefits everyone because more people are at the show and some of the cost is deflected.  But if they do that they should be willing to give their opening acts say $1-2 per ticket they sell as incentive to sell more tickets!  Then everyone is making a little something and is happy.  This is how openers are getting robbed and being used.  If you are an opening act don't fall for it.  Find promoters willing to do the last thing I suggested.  You will still have shows to do, you just wont be getting used to cover all of the promoters costs.  If you guys unite against this stuff it will stop.  The promoter should be making his/her money off the ticket sales from his/her own promotion of the shows.  If they can't make their money back they shouldn't be doing the shows!  I thought it might have just been that area but now I live in Tucson and am seeing the same thing here.  For the upcoming Drive By shows in Farmington and Tucson openers are being asked to sell 75 tickets at $20 a piece.  That comes out to $1500 for a 15 min time slot, or $100/min!  Why would this be ok?  Why would a struggling local act pay that much money to get on a show that will pull some fans but not anywhere near enough to justify that cost.  The only Psychopathic group that would be worth that would be ICP.  I have seen 40-45 date tours with a cost to join of around $2000.  That is 40-45 shows not 1!

The last thing I wanted to touch on was the fact that in Amarillo, Lubbock, Albuquerque, Tucson and many other cities there seems to be a trend of division in the local scene.  This means that any new acts to the area are forced to choose sides or not get put on any shows.  It also means that quality acts from outside that city are not being put on shows so that the promoters friends, venue owners friends, or people down with a certain clique are the only people ever allowed to perform.  Promoters if you have a quality act willing to pay their own way to get to your city to perform and all they ask is that you don't make them pay to play or sell a certain number of tickets (due to their cost of travel and hotel) let em get on your shows!  It can only make it better.  Local acts, don't be so quick to tell an outsider to get lost.  They might be really good and you both can help each other.  All the division is the reason we are losing the edge we once had.  We are so worried about our own personal squabbles we are losing sight of our purpose, making money.  If someone gets you into a diss war, you lose focus on making a great album which can make you money!  If you are beefing in your city and fighting anyone who doesn't like you, you will end up in jail, which makes you lose money!  Leaving petty difference behind and supporting another artist will not kill you and it improves your chance for success.

We need to change these things in our own community.  If we don't we will continue to be used and continue to lose money.  I am not an expert by any stretch but I have seen my fair share of business and how successful people make it.  If we don't change the course of these things we can guarantee the Underground movement will not survive.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Night of the Wicked in Amarillo review

  With our hopes high and our energy up Wicked Butterfly Entertainment left Friday morning from Clovis, NM headed for Albuquerque and Night of the Wicked.  Black Project, Draztik and I drove the long 4 hours getting into town around 2 pm or so.  Not being due to the venue until 8 we checked into the hotel and chilled out all afternoon.  It was nice for us all to have time to hit the pool and hot tub and just hang out. It is the first time we as a company have had to do that.  Around 7:45 pm we headed out to The Orchid Chamber for the show.

  When we arrived we met up with Dmize, who was promoting the show.  Got our hand stamps put on and then it was time for things to kick off.  Now this review will be different as I will not be going so in depth with the performances as I have in the past. 

First up was a group called HMSM or Horror Movie Style Musick.  The group was 3 people, 2 guys and 1 girl, and they were all quite young.  This was their second time on stage and it showed.  Their live vocals need a lot of work, understandable due to the limited stage time.  The show mix they had needs to have the levels mastered better.  Overall not to bad for a second show.  But their inexperience showed for sure.

The second group of the night was the Karnie Lunaticz.  For those that heard Psychopathic radios Sugar Slam's Demo Jams they won the bootleg catagory and 2 tickets to the Gathering!  Their show was good.  Great vocals, show mix was done right and their stage presense was very impressive.

Next we had Saint Ekkwall.  I do not remember anything about the set so any review of the performance would be inappropriate on my part.  I do remember during this performance the Albuquerque Police/Fire Dept decided that 10 pm was a great time to perform a fire inspection.  This delayed the show for about 30-40 min.

Native Remedies were next up.  It was a decent set but nothing really stood out as outstanding in my opinion.  Had good energy and did well.

Solo hit the stage next.  The only thing that stood out from this performance was the fact the vocals on the show mix were way too loud and the live vocals were not in time.  This made for a very distracting performance.

Loco Chaos was next.  I do not remember anything about this set either so once again I cannot give an honest review.

Next was Cryogenikstyles.  He had a style and sound similar to Eminem or Underrated.  His set was way more than the 15 min we were alloted.  I don't know if it was technical difficulties or not but the distortion on his mic was way to high.  That coupled with the fact he held the mic to close to his mouth made it really difficult to hear the lyrics he was spitting.  His flow sounded good but the lyrics I could not make out.

Draztik the Terrible was next.  He also was featured on Psychopathic radio's demo jams and he also won 2 tickets in the semi-pro catagory.  He has made it a point in recording that his show mix not have the primary vocals on it, this allows for a 100% honest performance, but can also be very painful if there is any equipment issues.  That being said, during his first track the mic kept cutting out, which had him distracted.  Between the first and second track the DJ turned the volume down and announced to the crowd that who ever brought the wireless mics the batteries were dying.  When the show mix was turned back up it was about halfway into the first verse.  This threw Draztik for a loop and he never really recovered.  With the rest of his set having mic issues the set was lost.  He lost his breath several times and really seemed off his game.

Born Wicked was up next.  Their show mix had the vocals on it still and I feel it saved the set from the same downfall Draztik had.  Kano held his mic almost all the way up to his mouth and his vocals were still very muted coming through the speakers.  Corerupt's mic was not pickeing up his vocals for most of the set but it was saved by having the show mix vocals on it.  Their second to last track was a track called "Bounce".  This song was live as hell.  It had the crowd up on their feet which hadn't really happened all night.  I personally feel that should have been the last track for their set because the one that followed brought the crowd down off that high.  All in all a great set even with the technical difficulties.

Nmaniaks hit the stage next.  This group was 2 guys and a girl as well.  One of the guys looked like he came straight off the set of jersey show (track suit and all), the other had a standard rap look and the girl was in massive heels and a nice tight outfit.  Their set was not impressive.  The girls rap skills need a lot of work.  The 2 guys tried to bring a gangster sound to the stage and to me it seemed forced and fake.  Their flow was ok but their show mix needed a lot of work on levels.

Black Projects performance started very rocky.  They chose to use a wired mic due to the issues the wireless were having.  The volume on one mic was minimal and the other was way to high.  Halfway through their first track they stopped to adjust the levels.  Once both mics were the same volume they restarted their set.  About 3/4 way through their set the levels were jacked up again.  They kept going and just traded the mic that was working back and forth.  This set was a huge step down from the previous shows I have seen.  It was however not due to their abilities but the technical issues they had to deal with.

Shovelo was next.  I did not stay for the whole set because I was in a meeting with my guys.  What I did hear didn't blow me away.

Dmize finished the night.  Unfortunately I was unable to see his set because I was giving a few people from the show a ride home at the venues request.  I was told one of the speakers stopped working during his set and they had to stop and restart his set as well.

I had really high hopes for our first trip into Albuqeurque.  Unfortunately I was really disappointed at all of the technical issues everyone had.  I hope all of us will be invited out again for a future show and hope that the tech issues will have been resolved.  I do feel all 3 groups from the West Texas area did the best they could and definitely represented for their cities!  Much love and respect to all the performers and Dmize.

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

We invade tomorrow night!

Yes you heard that right Tomorrow night in Albuquerque, NM the entire Wicked Butterfly crew will be performing at The Orchid Chamber!  This is New Mexico's first chance to see the full lineup all in the same night. I am talking Draztik the Terrible, Black Project Productions, and Sikone!  This show promises to be an event for the ages.

  As I said in my last blog this is not just a music event it is a bridging of the divide.  New Mexico and West Texas have a huge amount of talent to share.  This is a great chance for any underground fan in Albuquerque to check out what we have going on out here.  It is also a great chance for us to make new Homies and see what you all are doing over there.  So come on out and enjoy great music and maybe find some new stuff to jam.

  A special thanks must go out to Dmize for inviting us all out there.  If you don't know who he is click the link and check him out!

MMFWFL,

Juggalotus

Success Vs EGO

   So I have been thinking about the local rap scene here in New Mexico and West Texas.  Here is what I think:

   I have met a lot of local rappers recently, some good at what they do, and some horrible.  The one thing I have noticed though is that every rapper or group is walking around thinking they are the absolute best thing going, when really they are a small fish in a huge pond.  Maybe it is the lack of spine these rappers’ so-called “friends” or girlfriends have.  No matter what, those close to him never want to tell the guy he really isn’t that good or “it’s good but I think if you did this, it might sound better.”  Then there is the fact that every local rap group around here has their own “record label,” even though a majority of them mix tracks in their basements or garages.  Now I am not saying that aspiring to own your own tracks and put out your own stuff is a bad thing, but if your back room is where you have recorded for the past eight years and all you do is release free mix-tapes, then you should probably reconsider what you are doing.  You’re not getting anywhere!  And a majority of the major names in the underground will not work with you if you do not have professional studio time and tracks put in; they want to work with professionals, that’s just the way it is.

Another problem I see is that most artists want to manage themselves.  That’s not always bad because it can save you money in the beginning, but if you ever want to get further in your career, you have to focus on making tracks, not on when and where your next show is going to be or how you are going to set up a good collab.  I don’t understand how any good artist can lay down tracks plus find and book shows, set up good contacts/rapport with other artists, keep track of finances, promote their music, etc., all at the same time!  There is absolutely no reason, if you are serious about making it in this business, that you should not have a manager who knows about the business side of your music career.  He or she should have your back with everything except your actual job: writing and performing the music!  It’s sad to see so many aspiring artists out there, trying to do it all and succeeding at nothing.

Of course, there are a ton of crappy promoters and bookers out here as well.  In a previous post, I have talked about the Pay-to-Play mentality that seems to be so prevalent in my part of the country, the southwest.  Let me say once again that NO ARTIST SHOULD HAVE TO PAY TO OPEN A LOCAL SHOW! Sure, an exception would be a major act (I’m talking someone like Snoop, Jay-Z, etc).  However, for an underground act, someone that isn’t big and famous nationwide, you should not be willing to pay for a slot on the show.  You are helping the booker/promoter fill their show!  If they want you to sell five or ten tickets to the show, okay cool.  But remember that most good promoters will give you a cut of your personal ticket sales; that way you are getting paid to perform instead of paying the promoter’s bills.  Also, be careful of all the promoters/bookers down here that book a lot of shows and then end up canceling almost all of them.  You need to surround yourself with people you can trust, meaning people who want to help you succeed.  If you perform with the same six acts every other week and there are no new faces in the crowd, you need to rethink working with those promoters/bookers, because you are not succeeding.  Those people should be booking you with other acts that attract new people to the show.  Because some things I do know as a booker/promoter: if the audience never grows, you are soon out of business; if you screw over bigger labels in your genre, you will not get bigger acts coming in; and if you do not get and maintain contacts, you shouldn’t be in the business, because it’s who you know, not just how hard you work. 

You guys might be asking why I am going off a bit; well, the past week has opened my eyes from a manager, booker, promoter, and business standpoint.  There are so many people in this business who have no idea what they are doing.  Now I am no expert, but I do have a good head for business and how things should be done.  I have maintained positive contacts and expanded my business 10 times over, just this year.  And I just started doing this full time in January.

As a manager, I take pride in making sure my artists make great tracks.  Sometimes I have to tell them the track sucks and they need to rework it.  They understand that I am not doing it to kill their studio budget; I am doing it because if they make great music and become a huge star, I am going to get paid.  As much as they want to make it in the business, I want them to succeed.  If I put time and effort into a project and it fails, I am not going to get any money and ultimately I want to make this business my career!  I also believe in honesty.  Most people don’t believe you can be honest and succeed in this business.  I disagree.  The only thing that can make you successful is being honest.  If you are not, then most people will work with you only once or twice before they get tired of getting screwed over.  Also, if you never hear any negative, you will have an inflated idea of your own worth and abilities.  Someone should be in your crew that keeps you grounded.

    For all of you artists, please please please understand that, unless you are selling out arenas, you still have to be on the grind!  Just because you are headlining in one city does not mean you are known at all in cities within driving distance of you!!  If you have only performed one or two shows, you are not ready for stage theatrics and world tours.  Respect and notoriety in this business are earned; nothing is ever given to you.  Yes, I realize you pack 80-100 people at your shows in your city; most of them are your homies and friends, and once you get 100 miles from home, you are still unknown.  Like I said earlier, if you have the same faces in the crowd, you are doing it wrong.  Don’t let local success give you a nationwide ego.

 

  Now don't get me wrong I have met some great people down here who are doing all the right things.  Those are the people I would love to work with in the future, you know who you are ;)  If anything in this post offended you then you would be the ones I don't want to work with.  It's all underground family love! 

That’s it!  I am done.

MMFWCL,

Juggalotus

SikOne & Psycho Krew in Albuquerque

While we were in Albuquerque, standing in line, we managed to meet a few fellow ninjas who want to get their names out there as musicians.  Well, part of juggalo support is giving these guys some props, right?

First off, we had a long, fresh-ass conversation with a group out of Arizona called Psycho Krew.  I see that they just joined facebook, so if you like 'em, go over there and give 'em some love.  Otherwise, they have a more pimped-out myspace  profile with some tracks on it, for those of you still rockin' it over there.

Sadly, the concert was invaded before these guys had a chance to perform, and we all got scattered before they could give us their tracks.  (So guys, if you're reading this, hit us up and send us anything new you got!)  But, I did go onto youtube to get something for all of you to listen to.  This was my favorite track of the ones I found.

The other performer we talked to was the first one to perform once everything started.  His name is SikOne, and he's from Texas.  He was tight; everyone seemed to really like him.  He was real quiet out in the parking lot, but when he got in, he tore it up, with some of his homies to help out.  Here's the facebook, and a site to check him out at.  The bio says:  

IM SIKONE OF THE CHICANO RAP GROUP TIERROSOS. REPRESENTING TEXAS TIERRA ENTERTAINMENT. WE MAKE OUR OWN BEATS, PRODUCE OUR OWN MUSIC, BOTTOM LINE IS WE OWN OUR SHIT! (NO MIXTAPE MATERIAL HERE).

And this was our favorite song he did that night:

Okay, ninjas, that's all from me for now! MWCL

-Special K