Radio and Music Industry News, Urban Radio

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The BMI Songwriters Spotlight Series is returning to the 2019 Radio Show with support from HD Radio. All performances are free for registered attendees and will take place during select sessions and events. The Radio Show is held September 24-26 in Dallas, Texas and produced by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB).“BMI is proud to once again partner with the Radio Show to give our emerging songwriters a platform to showcase and share the artistry behind the music we all tune into every day,” said BMI Vice President of Industry Relations Dan Spears.The current schedule is below:MAX STALLINGSeptember 24, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Tuesday General SessionMax Stalling is a country musician and native Texan. His latest album, “Home to You,” earned nominations for Best Album and Best Male Vocal at the Lonestar Music Awards. He was honored with a star on the South Texas Music Walk of Fame in 2008.KYLIE RAE HARRISSeptember 25, 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Wednesday Headline SessionKylie Rae Harris’s unique blend of country and folk helps her stand out as a singer-songwriter. She was named as New Female Vocalist of the Year in Texas and starred in the reality documentary series “Troubadour, TX.” “Waited,” the opener from her first EP, was played on The CW’s show “Hart of Dixie.”MADISON RYANN WARDSeptember 25, 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. - LunchMadison Ryann Ward combines soul, blues and pop music. Her timeless sound gained the attention of producer Jay-Z and led to an appearance on David Letterman’s “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” Ward’s single, “Mirror,” received acclaim from Billboard and Music Connection, among others.PAYTON SMITHSeptember 25, 3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. - Wednesday General Session‘90s sound and classic guitar rock continue to influence Payton Smith’s style of country music. The Nashville-based artist performed at the CMA Music Festival in 2018 and released his first single, “Let Me Help You,” in 2017. Smith was recently signed by Big Machine Label Group.CHRIS COLSTONSeptember 26, 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. - Thursday Headline SessionTexas native Chris Colston combines a classic sound with his hometown roots to create his unique style, which is also influenced by his love for blues and rock n’ roll. “Gone,” the title track from his 2018 EP, quickly surpassed a half-million streams upon its release.Additional information about the 2019 Radio Show is available here. 

This is an email that we received in response to the post about Urban Radio Announcer's becoming extinct.Kevin,It is ironic that in this story pictured is the "Record Rocker" the Legendary Frankie Crocker as one who epitomized creativity . Frankie was LOCAL and one of the GREATEST radio announcers to have ever lived. Frankie could make you feel like he was on the turntables right in your home. And it was his ambition that led to his "greatest mistake" of creating the "Urban" Radio DJ title. In creating the Urban Radio DJ title which was only to make "SOUL" radio/SOUL DJ's acceptable to the advertisers (money) Frankie in essence SOLD OUT the BLACK/SOUL RADIO DJ. An Urban Radio DJ has NEVER been defined so how can the Urban Radio DJ become extinct? What is the Urban Radio DJ? Anyway. 

Former local DJ and early rap artist Lynn Tolliver won a $1.2 million judgment by a New York jury in a lawsuit...

[caption id="attachment_235303" align="alignnone" width="1288"] KJLH PD Jamillah Muhammad and The Industry Dot Biz founder Kevin Ross[/caption]I'd like to thank one of my favorite industry people, Jamilliah Muhammad for inviting me as her special guest to the KJLH booth at the Long Beach Jazz Festival. In almost 30 years of living in LA, I have never spent any time in Long Beach, CA. I must say it's a beautiful city and I will have to visit more often. The festival was great and it was great to catch up with old friends from the station like Aundre Russell who kept the KJLH tent by motivating the crowd to dance while a DJ was on board. Around the corner where the stage was I was treated to a great concert watch Patrice Rushin on the keys while having dinner at the VIP table setup. Hope you enjoy the pics below.

The President turned to urban radio stations yesterday to encourage black voters to participate in the midterm elections. Black turnout will be vital to Democrats to help determine control of the senate.  “This isn’t about my feelings being hurt,” Obama told the Rev. Al Sharpton in one of many nationally syndicated interviews he’s conducted the past week. “These are folks who are strong allies and supporters of me. I tell them, I said, ‘You do what you need to do to win. [...]

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As the year winds down, I've been blown away by the amount of money and the assignments people are getting in our industry who don't have Black radio backgrounds like we do but have found ways to capitalize on the culture of Black radio, culture and black music. This is no dig on them, I can't blame anyone for taking an opportunity and business is business, but it's a dig on US. Granted, it's often not a level playing field but the good news is tech slashes the middleman so a lot of the usual BS goes with him. The question becomes why are we sitting idly by when the opportunities to grow, earn more and progress are right in front of us?  Several corporations have contacted me over this year looking for people FROM Black radio for great opportunities and while I have forwarded the opportunities to certain people, I've seen many people leave radio (mostly not by choice) either fall by the wayside into depression or a few wisely turn their situations around by exercising their leverage to create new opportunities. Which one are you?Overall, we are still "waiting" for opportunities and that's not the business world that we live in today. It's about CREATING opportunities. Waiting will do three things; make you older, unemployable and bitter. But there is good news if you are willing to be in charge of your own career at any age today. You can do it. Here are a few tips to get you going as we approach a new year.   Leverage is 'using what you got to get what you want.'  Many of us have it but don't know how to use it. It's about being aggressive at the right time when things are high instead of waiting and ending up desperate when things are LOW.

Ability

Who can do your job better than you? If you are working and have been working for several years you have to find a way to leverage that into something greater. Too often Black radio people are satisfied with letting others determine their fate instead of creating more opportunities for ourselves. It's OK to have mentors and to let people give us an IDEA of where we should go with our careers but the most important person to help you progress at the end of the day is YOU.  STOP making other people the god of your career. That's YOUR job ... (click NEXT above or below for next segment) 

Experience

Experience can be good and bad depending on you present it. If you are "waiting" for opportunities, you look dated and aged out when speaking of your experience but if you are on top of current trends and you are still active in the industry "experience" can be impressive. Should you be speaking at local colleges? Be voicing the commercials for a local car dealership that repeatedly advertises on your station? Host a 'How to get into the industry seminar."  If your station wants you to pay for the time on the air to promote, DO IT, you stand to gain more than lose.  Be the spokesperson for the local hospital or police station? Teach college professors how to effectively communicate with students? (teaching is one thing COMMUNICATION is different and many professors fall WAY short of holding and maintaining the interest of students). Local TV news shows are on their death beds and dying for talent to lure millennials, they are SO desperate they will even hire black people (lol).  Quite often we are at odds with the sales department at our stations but I would strongly suggest doing the opposite and developing a relationship with a salesperson or a few of them at the station. At the end of the day, if the station decides to fire you but the car dealership still likes you, you will still have an income and the station will think twice about letting you go (leverage). The station is the bridge, not the destination.

Value

Don't be afraid to ASK for what you want and ALWAYS go a bit higher, not shockingly higher, but enough so that when someone negotiates your price down you are either right where you need to be or slightly ahead. If you give the person exactly what you expect and they say yes, you have just sold yourself (esteem) short. Take your emotion out of it and stop looking at a situation that is presented to you like an opportunity and start looking at it like a business. Especially if THEY come to YOU. In business, if you are lacking in self-esteem, the buyer is keen and will KNOW it and take advantage of it. I have often been told that I am very stern, direct and a man that knows what he wants. I've been told I can be intimidating but there is a job to be done and I need to do it. How do you operate?  Calculate and KNOW your value and NEVER let anyone undersell you but most important, don't undersell yourself. ALWAYS keep your eyes open for the next opportunity in the industry.

Social Media

There are so many people on social media whose main goal is to get likes and followers. They literally have NOTHING to say. They are posting affirmations, pictures of their grandmother, a plate of food and a TON of selfies with explanations of their mood, and abusing FaceBook live. Do MORE. The elusive but EFFECTIVE man is always the most interesting and intriguing. If everyone knows everything about you there is no reason to want to know more. People who constantly post selfies are SCREAMING insecurity and BEGGING for approval and acceptance. it's actually pretty desperate and sad. When using social media SAY SOMETHING USEFUL to your followers.

Market

How can you benefit from the market that you are working in and how can the market benefit from you. Look around you establish your team, get an agent and go to work. What can you do to ascend your career? Look at the market you are in (if you are not from there) as an opportunity ALONG with the radio station

Relationships

We are in an instant gratification industry today but look at the people in Black radio and music who are in charge. MOST are between the ages of 40 thru 65. We are talking about a youth-driven industry. Do you know WHY the people in charge are in that age range? RELATIONSHIPS. At the end of the day, instant gratification makes you explode AND implode rapidly. Relationships ground you and give you a safety net to get another break.  Relationships are the most valuable leverage that you have, nurture and focus on the ones that are reciprocal and be courteous (mostly by email) to the ones that are not but don't focus on them. Try not to have what I call "relationships on credit." This is where people constantly ask you for things while pimping you by dangling the carrot at a feigned future return.

Money and Investments

In my opinion, the BEST investment is real estate but always remember LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION and the best investors do best by buying low in an area that will be revitalized or where the market will shift to their advantage. Keep in mind, buy low and sell HIGH.  You can do stocks if you have the time to keep an eye on them or you can simply invest in mutual funds (for long term and less attention). I'm not a big fan of hiring financial advisors because I like to keep an eye on my money and control it so you can even start with an online account like Etrade. Our industry is a HUGE tip off for what's next to invest in. For example, Netflix's stock value was $12.86 in 2011, today it's worth $122.00. We have a tendency to be impatient (probably cause we always need to eat now) but in order for long term gain, we have to learn to be patient. Be a student of money making opportunities and student of various industries. JUST INVEST. Those rainy days WILL come and you may be retired BEFORE you want to retire so have something to fall back on.[caption id="attachment_175898" align="alignnone" width="600"] dollar stacks[/caption] 

Yesterday was a shocking day for many Americans who have come to depend on the Affordable Care Act. Some say the media was at fault for taunting Trump about not doing anything for his first 100 days in office. The vote still has to pass the Senate to become law. As I can't hear all Black stations nationwide, were there any Black outlets that stopped the music and talked to the black community about the measure, what it means and how it works? Respond to poll below and feel free to comment.