I’m asked the questions below so often, that I finally decided to document my response with an in-house interview.  So below are the answers to what people often ask me concerning the 1up movement, my music career, and to my personal experiences in general.  As I always say, Stay 1up. 

1up Entertainment
What is something most people don’t know about you?
[Saye Taryor]
Let’s see. I’m originally from Atlanta, but I spent most of my youth in Liberia, West Africa, Chicago, and small town in Mississippi called, Piney Woods, where I attended a boarding school. When people ask me where I’m from, I usually don’t know what to tell them because I’ve lived in so many different cities. I picked up different accents and slang’s from each city, so it’s hard for people to distinguish where I’m from when I speak. Most people also don’t know that I’m devoted when it comes to introducing people to the importance of social entrepreneurship and critical thinking education.

1up Entertainment:
How did you end up attending boarding school in Mississippi?

[Saye Taryor]
I don’t know the answer to that, but I can explain the process. I was living in Savannah Georgia at the time, when my guardians decided it would be in everyone’s best interest to send me to a historically African American boarding school in Mississippi called, Piney Woods Country Life School. Living in a dysfunctional environment, I took the news pretty hard, when I was told I was going to have to attend a boarding school in Mississippi, but I didn’t have any problems making the adjustments that were needed. Attending Piney Woods was no cakewalk, but lucky for me, it kept me off the streets and out of trouble.

1up Entertainment
What did you do after you left Piney Woods?

[Saye Taryor]
I attended the University of Southern Mississippi to learn how to be a journalist. I even worked as the sports editor for the University’s newspaper. It’s funny thinking about how I use to chase down athletes for interviews. I spent a lot of my free time writing rhymes and free styling on mix tapes for my friends. Eventually, I met another aspiring artist and we formed a group called “Bottum Rok Boiz”. At first, it was just about creating mix tapes and having fun with our peers. I don’t think either of us took our music careers serious until we started getting large responses and positive feedback from a song we recorded called “Wise Up” It wasn’t until 95 or 96 until we permanently moved back to Atlanta to focus in on our careers. We use to bang out music in a small apartment in Atlanta across from the twin towers at Morris Brown. Around that time I met Dj Blak Magic at a job we both worked. He was rapping at the time and his music was getting spins on a local radio station. I was a fan of the music, but all that time, I had no clue it was his music. One day I let him hear some music we had recorded, and he kept nodding his head. He told me it was hot, and we instantly clicked. He introduced us to Shannon Houchins, currently the founder of Average Joe Entertainment. Those years were a learning experience about the music industry, but more importantly, about life. All of my experiences are the reason why I’m currently devoted to helping young people to understand the importance of critical thinking education and the importance of social entrepreneurship.

1up Entertainment
Would you like to elaborate on those experiences?

[Saye Taryor]
No, not really. Once a person is conscious about their surroundings, they will eventually invest time in making better decisions. I just want to share the knowledge I’ve gained with young people so that they can learn and build from that.

1up Entertainment
Saye is a unique name. Say, feel free to say something about it if you will? LOL

[Saye Taryor]
Say What? LOL… Seriously, from what I’ve been told, the name is common in Liberia. The name comes from the Mah tribe and means, first son. My middle name is Menlekeh and I’ve been told it means, “Nothing is impossible”.

1up Entertainment
So what does 1up Entertainment represent, and what are you trying to accomplish?

[Saye Taryor]
After going through a few rough experiences with so-called friends, family, and industry people, I vowed to always stay 1up (conscious) about everything that goes on around me. If I tell someone to Stay 1up, I’m pretty much telling them to maintain a consciousness and a strategy to maintain in life. A person who stays 1up does not allow others to dictate, or force their will on how they think or behave. 1up Entertainment, the business, was created to strategically plan and host events, which promote public awareness (consciousness) while generating revenue for organizations that support changes to community norms and policies. The idea is to work with social entrepreneurs to identify opportunities for strategic policy implementation, show community support, and to develop projects and events that fundamentally promote change in communities. 1up Entertainment is broken down into two branches. We have 1up Entertainment/Consulting and 1up Entertainment/Music. The main objective for 1up Entertainment/Music is to spread the importance of critical thinking education and to get more artists to create more positive conscious minded music. We are dedicated in promoting those artists who are down with the 1up movement as a whole. 1up Entertainment is just another tool used to promote the 1up Movement.

1up Entertainment
How do you define the 1up Movement?

[Saye Taryor]
The 1up movement only exists when there is a conscious effort, or collaboration, of organizations and individuals putting words into action. It’s very essence stems from the combining and sharing of knowledge and resources, all used in a positive way to enhance the economic and social conditions of everyone involved. The movement funnels through social entrepreneurship, and its effectiveness is maximized using critical thinking techniques and practices.

1up Entertainment
What current projects do you have going on?

[Saye Taryor]
I’m glad you asked. I’ve recently created two programs with detailed curriculums for children ages 12-18. The critical thinking program elaborates on the concept of critical thinking, while providing students with several hands on applications that can be used to improve their process of daily thinking. Students are introduced to several ways of implementing critical thinking applications in education. The social entrepreneurship program gives a basic overview of the concept of social entrepreneurship and its’ importance. It also teaches young men and women how to establish/manage a nonprofit organization, giving rises to the insight and interest for human services. Participants gain an appreciation for the workmanship of leaders, officers, board members, directors and managers; as well as, laying the ground work for these aspiring future business owners and entrepreneurs. I’m also searching for independent filmmakers to take on two screenplays I’ve written. One is called, “A Fathers Burden”. It’s an emotional drama that addresses the issues of family values, self-reliance, and personal responsibility. The second script is called “Country Life School”. It deals with the trials of an inner city youth from Atlanta, who trades in the street life to attend a historically black boarding school in the middle of nowhere Mississippi. Hopefully a path will be created for me to introduce this vision to a large audience. In the meantime, I’ve made it possible for anyone to read these great scripts online for free.

1up Entertainment
Is the Country Life School script about your life?

[Saye Taryor]
Not really. It’s a fictional drama, but all the characters were developed from my memory of old friends or just individuals I encountered while attending Piney Woods. Of course, a few of my personal experiences were thrown in the mix.

1up Entertainment
For those interested in following, partnering, or working with 1up Entertainment, what avenues are available?

[Saye Taryor]
We have the 1up Entertainment/Consulting site, geared towards aiding nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs, while 1up Entertainment/Music specifically caters to artists and musicians who are interested in collaborating with us, or those who just want to see what the 1up Movement is all about. I have my official site, and then there are branches of the 1up Movement being discussed on media formats like wordpress, facebook, and twitter. I almost forgot, I also write for the Examiner, so you can find my articles and interviews on that site as well. For any individual interested in the 1up movement, I would ask that they read, “Example of the 1up Entertainment Business Strategy Broken Down into its Simplest Form” and “The 1up Codes”.

Mike has just opened a brand new restaurant and business is really slow. He does not have money to launch a marketing campaign, and he knows he needs some form of revenue to start paying the rent on his new building. He’s contacted a web designer, but the cost of the website digs into his electric bill, which is more important for now. The web designer is also responsible for doing the first wave of promotional print materials. He needs to create more awareness about his new restaurant, and he needs to figure out a way to bring in new customers, to generate more revenue.

Tanya is an inspiring R&B artist. She currently has 12 newly recorded songs, but she has no platform to promote her work and display her talent. She knows she is talented, but she is unable to afford the expenses that come with marketing and promoting her project. She needs a platform to perform and display her talents. She also needs help creating a fan base.

Xavier works a 9 to 5 corporate job, but recently received his 501c(3) certification, for his newly founded nonprofit organization. Exited about pursuing his life passion, he contacts a web designer, but the cost of the website is currently too expensive. He does not have the income to hire a full time office staff, but he needs administrative assistance to have any success. He needs help to create awareness, and to generate revenue for the newly founded organization. He also needs administrative assistance in setting up his operational system.

Roscoe is a 19-year-old college student, is excellent with graphic designing, creating flyers, banners, posters, and other forms of art. He often sends out his work on social media, and many people give him positive feed back about his work. Roscoe thinks he can create a business, and generate revenue, that will help him through his college experience, but he is not sure how to go about gaining clients, and promoting his talents for revenue. Roscoe needs to new clients, and he needs a venue to allow him to display his talents. He needs public visibility for his work.

Terry is single and happens to have a lot of free time on her hands. She wants to be more socially active, and to leave the house more. She loves to cook, and she feels that she makes the best jerk chicken in the metro D.C. area. She would like to be more involved in her community, and would also like to display her talent to a larger audience.

What do these individuals have in common with one another? They are each talented, but feel that they are limited to what they are able to accomplish. They each feel an obstacle in their way. What they see as an obstacle, we see as a tremendous opportunity. The 1up philosophy is to show individuals how to network and build as a team. Staying 1up means recognizing the power of networking to accomplish individual goals. These individuals see obstacles, but let me show you how 1up entertainment strategically operates to create economic empowerment through unity and networking, sharing the wealth.

At 1up Entertainment, our job is to search for individuals who share different skill sets and resources, but whom are compatible, from an operation, and economic empowerment standpoint. It starts with us reaching out to Xavier. He decides he would like to work with us to aid his non-profit organization. He hires us a virtual assistant, and he pays us to do administrative work by the hour. We build a website for his organization, 50% less then his last quote. We intergrade the website with a Twitter and Facebook account, helping to enhance a social media networking presence. Xavier is pleased, and he allows us to plan a strategic event for the organization, to help increase revenue and awareness for the organization. We plan to do this with little, or no budget at all. Our job is to create the theme of the event, and the event type. We decide to have a evening charity dinner, with a live stage performance. We have to find the venue, contact the entertainment, and figure out a cost effective way to orchestrate the marketing and promotions of the event. Our job is to link together the individuals who can provide all the resources for this event, but we need to make sure that all individual needs are met, in the process of this joint venture. We have to clearly present and exhibit how each individual benefits from participating in the event, and we have to outline what is expected of each individual, in order for the joint venture to be successful. We have to clearly understand and explain the short and long term benefits of this joint venture to each individual, before all party’s can be united. Once the research is completed, we seek out Tanya, Roscoe, and Terry, to work with Xavier. We make sure to understand all of their needs, and we make a pitch to each individual to get them involved in the networking process.

First, we contact Mike and ask him to sponsor an evening charity dinner, by allowing us to use his establishment as the venue. So Mike wants to know what’s in it for him. He informs me that he has bills to pay. From our research, we know that Mike needs to create more awareness for his new restaurant, and he needs to figure out a way to bring in new customers, to generate more revenue, so we offer to build his website (for an extremely low price/or based on the work that is needed, we may even offer to do it for free) and we explain to him, that if he allows the event to be held in his establishment, it will bring in potential new customers, and that he will get free promotions from the advertising of the event. We tell him that there is a chance we can also enhance the image of the restaurant, by providing free art work to post around the venue, and affordable print (promotions) moving forward. All we ask is that he donates 30% of the night profits, to Xavier’s nonprofit organization. He thinks about it and agrees.

We meet up with Roscoe and ask him to sponsor an evening charity dinner. We explain to him how we can put him in a position to get new clients, and to help him gain more public visibility for his work. We tell him that we can get his art displayed all over the walls of Mikes restaurant, if he agrees to create the posters and the print (promotions) materials for the evening charity dinner. We also ask him to help promote the event by posting it all over his facebook and twitter pages, since he has a large following of people who admire his work. We promise that he will be acknowledged for his artwork, during the event, and that print material promoting his work, will be handed out to individuals attending the event. We agree to mention him as a potential art and graphic designer, to the nonprofit organizations that I encounter moving forward.

We meet with Tanya and ask her to sponsor an evening charity dinner, by agreeing to be the headline entertainer. We explain to her how it will create a platform for her to perform and display her talents. We also explain how her participation will be beneficial in helping her expand her fan base. We explain how she will be mentioned on the marketing a promotional material, and how she can negotiate with Mike (after the event) to perform any where from once a month, to maybe even once a week. We offer to build her website for 50% less then the average quote, and we ask Roscoe to show her how to set up pages on ReverbNation, and other online sites for inspiring musicians. Tanya and Roscoe negotiate on other marketing and promotional projects, allowing him to display his talents and allowing her to get affordable artwork, or even free artwork, for her music projects. The two promise to promote each others talents, and projects, moving forward, as they work on the their presentations, for the upcoming evening charity dinner.

We come across Terry, and we inform her of the upcoming evening charity dinner that is being planned. We ask her if she would be willing to volunteer, and be the host at the door, She declines invitation, but wants to know if she can cook her infamous jerk chicken dish at the event instead. We contact Mike, and explain what Terry wants to do. Mike and Terry meet, and he agrees to let her prepare one of the side dishes, during the event. Mike now has another person to help out in the kitchen, which he will not have to pay, for the evening charity event.

By agreeing to work together, and not dismissing the joint venture, and by not demanding high fees, for each of our services, we all create a working network that can be beneficial to each of us, long term. We can charge our normal fees, once we have obtained more clients and more customers, through working together. Being humble and making sacrifices allows all of us to move forward, through networking together, and by aiding each other into economic empowerment. This key is for us to reach our long-term revenue capability. Our message needs to remain positive, and our approach always needs to be professional. In such a scenario, I would like for these individuals, and 1up Entertainment, to keep it in the family, meaning we continue to work as a team to promote and advertise for one another, beyond the charity evening dinner. The idea is, the people unite and work together to generate revenue and to solve problems moving forward. This example is the ideal working and networking strategy for 1up Entertainment.

Contact 1up Entertainment

We are currently searching for three lecture speakers to join our team.  The topic of the lecture is, “Urban Challenges And The ImportanceOf Critical Thinking Education”.

(Read Entire Proposal Here)

Lecture Justification 

So why is this lecture so important?  Self-improvement and social improvement are presupposed values of critical thinking.  Meaning critical thinking requires an effort to see others and our selves accurately. This requires recognizing gaps between ideals and practice.  This lecture is important because it aims for self and social improvement.

All Inquiries, please contact:
Saye Taryor
Phone: 301-925-8405  Email: 1upentertainment@gmx.com
Website: www.1upentertainment.synthasite.com

Have you ever been approached by a homeless panhandler? I would normally spare a dollar, or whatever little change was dangling in my pockets, when those moments took place. I’ve wondered how these individuals found themselves in such a predicament, where they were homeless, jobless, and broke. The thought never crossed my mind, that some day I would be the individual begging for change and searching for a place to sleep deep into the night. I mean, come on, I had a full time corporate job, which I had been working for over 7 years, family and friends that I felt would hold me down, a few dollars saved in my bank account, an upcoming consulting business, and not to mention my income tax refund that was do every year. So how could a single bachelor go from traveling from Mississippi, New York, and back to Atlanta, on business meetings, lose everything overnight? The explanation is a very difficult one to navigate through, but I will try to illuminate to the best of my abilities.

I remember the turning point as if it took place yesterday. One of my former high school classmates proceeded to drop me home from the transit station after a disappointing meeting in New York City with one of my music industry comrades. The negative energy from that day was in overflow. Back at the office the following morning, the managers at my corporate job were keeping everyone posted on the possibilities of our jobs being sent to India. Discussions of a possible severance packages were outlined, while we were constantly thanked by management for our continuous hard work. In a way, I wanted my job to be sent overseas so I could have an excuse to go all out with my business. 1up Entertainment was once a record label, in transition of becoming an organization which specialized in nonprofit consulting. The transition would take hard work, but this was the break I would need. So like I always did, I took time to evaluate the pro’s and con’s of my decision to go full time into developing 1up Entertainment into its new direction. Let’s see, a few thousand dollars from my tax return, constant flow of dollars surging in from the severance package for the first few months, maybe some unemployment if need be, and I managed to save a few dollars from the job. Now would then cut my expenses by sharing the rent and living expenses with a relative while living up north or out west. In both cases, I could collaborate my services and job experience with this relative to help them with their business and income stream. Did I mention I continued to apply for jobs weekly, leaving a safety net to continue in the same path of corporate security? So see, I was prepared for the worst to come, so I thought.

After feeling heavy pressure from management at my corporate job to walk away, I prepared my two-week notice once I was mentally prepared to head up north to gamble with the family business collaboration. I figured, worse case, I would easily land a Job at Walmart or Target if need be. Plus, I had several thousands of dollars to survive on, which would give me time to find some sort of work, if the business revenue came in too slow. After sending in my two-week notice, I decided I was not yet ready to leave, so I stayed at the job for another month. After a month, I decided I was finally ready to head up north, but I had forgotten to rewrite my two-week notice. I had left the job, and a week later, I received calls from individuals asking about my where bouts. My frame of mind was, I had already turned in a two-week notice, but just hung around two more weeks before leaving. My boss saw it as me leaving without giving the company a two-week notice. Knowing it would be a more expensive move, renting a truck to haul all my personal belongings up north, I sold a few of my material belongings, but left most behind, like my 60” HD television and my bed and dressers. Relationships with so called friends and family were currently strained, so I had no one to wish me the best as I packed my little Nissan to the max, and headed on my 15 hour journey to New England. Hope never went away that things would turn out for the best, but there was no doubt in my mind that my safety net was no longer looming from corporate headquarters. Not to mention I could never be rehired if I had changed my mind, due to the little fiasco between my boss and myself. By the way, the job was never sent to India. To cut the chase, nothing up north worked, and the tension between my relative and I was OC … out of control. Still having a few thousands in my account, I decided to move back to Atlanta, this time only taking half of by belongings, which I had recently taken up north. No job, and no place to really stay. Sure, I had a few people I knew, but it was obvious none of them really wanted me in their home, being that I didn’t have a job. Did I mention that I do not smoke or drink alcohol?

Anyway, I religiously found myself in the local library searching for work and rebuilding a marketing and promoting concept for my business. I also took the time to read as many books as I could to educate myself on issues and trades which I had limited knowledge of. It kept me off the streets and in a productive and more peaceful frame of mind. After one of my classmates informed me that he would not be able to allow me to spend the night in his home the following day, I had finally come to the realization that I was now homeless. I had no place to sleep, other than in my car, and nobody could care less. Sleeping in my car went from one day to two days, and two days to two weeks. For some reason I found comfort in riding around the city in my car when I wasn’t in the library, so my daily routine became an expensive habit. The usual routine consisted of, waking up at 5 am in the morning, shaving, taking a wash up, and brushing my teeth in the local park restroom. I would then drive around a little as I waited for the local library to open. Let me guess, some of you are asking, where were your family and friends? All I can say is that, they were aware of the situation. Some wished me good luck, while others were nowhere to be found. One relative offered a room in the east coast but I still had hope that I would find work more sooner then later. I mean, a strong man like myself would surely be able to stock shelves at a grocery store. I applied for work and no responses came my way. An occasional hotel stint kept me fresh, but weeks turned to months, and at some point, I eventually ran out of money. I managed to sell a few of my company shirts I had stashed away, but that was gas money, meaning it did not last long. Calls and emails went out to family and friends, while panhandling was my next strategic move to gather up money for gas. I found a place that issued food once every two weeks, and I refused to live in a shelter, afraid that all of my personal belongings would be stolen from my car. I can recall the individuals I ran into who confronted me with distrust, disgust, and mockery. Being looked down upon from someone you are begging for money is a humiliating but humbling feeling. As for the process, my objective was to get 10 dollars a day. I issued seven dollars for gas and three dollars for food if needed. During that time, my body was conditioned to eating one meal a day. The weight lost did not bother me at all.

Despite the struggles, good luck still happen to find it’s way to me during this time. Two relatives, and one former Co-worker, eventually opened their doors, allowing for a little success with my newly vamped business. I was able to work with a seasoned professional, creating “Generation Y”, a leadership training workshop, leading students into role play and critical thinking. We allowed students to take the position of hypothetically developing a nonprofit organization, and sharing what benefits the organization would have in their community. During this time, I managed to contact and work with several non profit organizations, creating sponsorship proposals, speaking with youths concerning the importance of critical thinking and social entrepreneurship, created several marketing campaigns (commercial treatments), and managed to establish, my one man show, (1up Entertainment) company’s brand. I may have informed a few of my clients that I was homeless, but I was never taken seriously. For a homeless guy, I had managed to keep myself fresh for majority of the stint. I would like to thank all the individuals who had my back, and who continue to be supportive of me during my quest. My entire perspective on homelessness has changed due to my experience. No longer having the safety net of the weekly corporate checks, health benefits, and paid vacations, I also have a deeper appreciation for the hard work independent business owners put in to survive daily. During the last few months, I’ve been blessed to have a few people in my corner, and I hope to be able to repay them by working hard, and with my dedication to the promotion of social entrepreneurship and critical thinking. The thought of me panhandling is still fresh in my mind, and I would like to avoid that from happening again.

Does reading a lot of books make one smart, or does it depend on the type of books in which one reads? Is it better to only understand one side of the argument, and to understand it fully, or is it better to only know 90% of both sides of the argument?

What are ten things you feel all children should know? List ten things you feel all children should know and explain why.

How do you apply your religious, spiritual, or moral beliefs to your everyday life?

How do Christians, Jews, and Muslims, individually, view the importance of Jesus of Nazereth? Research the role of Jesus in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, and create three categories, explaining the similarities and or differences, on how each religious group views Jesus.

Do you agree with the American governments actions in their dealings with “operation paper clip”?

Read the entire document here

How often do you defend or oppose bills passed by congress?

How often have you read the bill in which you have defended or opposed?

Do you track how your elected state official, in congress, votes on daily legislations?

Are you familiar with the individuals in congress who support or are in opposition to the three most important personal concerns that you have, and how often do you read legislation in which they have presented to congress?

How do you research to make sure the person you are listening to is giving you the most accurate description on the issue at hand? Do you use multiple research tools to fact-check your sources, in order for you to be able to form the most accurate opinion?

Do you make sure to examine the argument from the other side, and from reliable sources that can provide adequate viewpoints or explanations?

How well educated are you concerning each issue at hand? Do you make sure you have read or studied (from multiple sources or view points) about the dynamics surrounding the conflict being discussed?

Do you educate yourself well enough before you form opinions on issues, or are your opinions from quick sound bites, which you’ve heard from different television personalities? What responsible process do you follow before deciding to agree with or to reject an individual’s response as being true, false, reliable or unreliable? How do you evaluate these things?

If someone were to ask you, “what is the moral difference between capitalism and socialism” and then were to state the fact that “people owned slaves and made individuals work for free labor within a capitalist system in America” how would you explain the difference between socialism and capitalism to them?

If someone were to ask you, “what are your views on the 1964 Civil Rights Act of 1964, and why do you think former president George H. Bush voted against it, how would you go about getting the necessary information to respond to the question in a responsible and adequate way, and what would your response be?

Marketing, advertising, and promoting are very important aspect of any business and it would be wise to spend a lot of your energy developing a strategy for your business to succeed. From a business perspective, the main objective of any record label, artist or band is to create a fan base to sell music to. Successful businesses maximize efficiency while controlling expense. As an independent label or an unknown artist or band, why waste your time and money sending out CD’s to major record labels and major radio stations (who receive thousands of material daily which they never listen to) when you have a better chance of building a fan base in the college circuit. Here is the deal, many colleges and universities have radio stations, usually ran by students, that are more likely to listen to, and even play, radio edited music by new artist and bands. So what if their listeners are nowhere near the major stations. In reality, you have more people listening to your music when a college station plays it, then when you send it to a major radio station and it gets thrown away or lost in the mix, with the other thousand disc that have been received. Below is a list of things you should do when promoting your music on the college circuit.

1) Contact as many college radio stations as possible and find out if they play your genre of music. Create a college circuit file with names, phone numbers and e-mails of all the disk jockeys that play your genre of music.

2) Study the format and shows of disc jockeys that play your genre of music and offer to do jingles or theme songs for their shows for free. Try to build a relationship with them.

3) Make sure to document and follow the procedure of each station in regards to getting your music played. Most stations prefer radio-edited versions of each song. Some stations ask for artist bios with an 8×10 black photo while others prefer that artist or bands send only mixed and mastered songs, for quality purposes. You should not have a problem with any of the suggestions if you are serious about what you are doing.

4) Try to have each station manager of disc jockey contact you before hand to let you know how often or when your music will be played. You want to already be a member of ASCAP or BMI so that you can receive royalties every time your song is played. Since you are dealing with smaller radio stations, you may be able to keep track of how often your song or songs are being played. If you are organized and keep good files on how often your record spins, it will look good on your resume when dealing with major labels.

5) Find out if the disc jockeys or radio station managers use mailers and offer to send them information that will lead their listeners to your site. Good visual images with information about artist recordings and upcoming shows should be effective. Make sure to give them access to your site. Once on your site, motivate them to join your mailer by offering free downloads from mix tapes or other creative ideas you can afford.

6) Once you have built relationships with disc jockeys, find out where most of the students that attend their school purchase music. Find out the best mom and pop locations and contact them to find out the procedures you will need to take to sell your disc at those locations. Make sure to send disc jockeys posters, free T-shirts and other marketing perks. If you can do it yourself, post-marketing tools like poster around the campus or even throughout each city. If you can’t afford to travel (which most artist can’t) having a good relationship with the disc jockey may come in handy. Get someone to display a few posters on campus, if not around town. Ask that they send you a few digital pictures of the posters on display. Even if you have to pay a few dollars for them to do so, just charge it to your marketing and advertising expense. Do the same with the mom and pop stores.

7) The more you do for people, the more you increase the likely hood they will do something for you in return (not a guarantee: but it improves your chances). Offer to put some of the disc jockeys in your music video, if possible. Give them shouts out in album credits or offer to post their links on your site. Store owners and disc jockeys that you have great relationships with, add their business on some of your marketing and promotional material, free of charge. Offer them free passes to shows or create marketing concepts that enhance their brand, products or services. Let’s say you are marketing your album in a mom and pop store and no one has ever heard of you. You need for people to know that you exist and to motivate them to purchase the album or to at least go to your website and purchase a download of one of your songs. Why not select a few mom and pop stores with large audiences, whom mostly purchase your genre of music, and give each storeowner a reason to promote your recordings. The truth is, they could care less about your record sales if they have nothing to gain from it. Remember, this about you building a fan base willing to listen and eventually purchase your music more then it is about you making tons of money from record sales.

Go through your list of college disc jockeys and schedule a meeting with three whom have connected you with great mom and pop stores whom you seem to have a great working relationship with. Propose to do a few favors for help them advertise and promote their radio shows. (Jingles, shout out in recordings, songs for show themes, or just provide beats for that the disc jockey can use through out their show) In return ask that the disc jockeys give a few shot outs to the local mom and pop stores and even inform their listeners of the stores website or physical address. Schedule a meeting with each mom and pop store and tell the managers that you have worked out a deal to provide free radio advertising for them. Be time specific and provide all the details you and the college disc jockey have discussed. Offer to send out mailers (e-mails from your list) on their behalf for any deals or promotional items they are currently pushing from their store inventory. In return ask that they make your posters and marketing tools visible and that they suggest your music to their customers. You may also want to provide a free mix-tape CD with each album purchase. See if the owner of each store will be willing to play a single off the album or to play the mix-tape disc so that the customer can hear your music. Just make sure they have a radio friendly version to play. There are even more motivational ways to get people to buy your music, but just make sure you stay within budget so that you do not loose more money then you earn in the long run. You will lose enough revenue in the mix-tape marketing alone. You actually want to gain some earning in the college circuit marketing.

8) Last but not least, try to find out if you can book shows on college campuses. Many student unions are given annually budgets to bring in comedians, music artist, motivational speakers and so on. Get the school disc jockey to speak on your behalf and test the waters with the local clubs as well. Focus on performing locally first but when you record spins and sales pick up, see if you can put together some sort of college tour with a booking agent if not on your own. Just make sure all your contracts are good and each financial agreement is secure. Make sure you have a strategy to sell merchandise and recordings at each store. Always have a list for people to sign their names and e-mail address so that you improve your mailer. This will eventually become your fan base, or people who follow your career and buy your music. Offer a free mix-tape disc for their information and always make sure to add your company’s website on each mix-tape disc.

Insert from 1up Entertainment Music Guide and Directory Vol. 1 by Saye Taryor

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