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Studio spins to its own beat
Posted by randy on: 2005-10-16 13:21:08
Studio spins to its own beat
Two young music entrepreneurs pursue platinum dreams in Houston
By MASON LERNER
Earl Jones and Quincy Cole want Sean "Diddy" Combs' job.
The two entrepreneurs, both in their early 20s, hatched the idea for Kraze Entertainment when they were students at Kashmere High School. Their goal was, and is, to be the guys calling the shots in the hip-hop industry.
For now, they are trying to put their record label on the map while keeping their business afloat.
The partners have a recording business with up-to-date mixing software in their southwest Houston studio.
And they rent studio time to aspiring musicians, but their dream is to produce platinum artists.
Their field of expertise
Jones and Cole have formal music training. Cole is pursuing his master's degree in music at Texas Southern University. Jones is working toward a master's in audio engineering from TSU as well.
Kraze is putting all of its resources into promoting its first hip-hop artist, Allen Antoine, who answers to "Xposure" when he's performing. Although Kraze already has put together a CD and DVD for a gospel group called Structure Ministry, Xposure's debut album is its first stab at going mainstream.
The plan is to push Xposure's album when it comes out sometime next spring. If the label is able to market and sell enough CDs, they hope to win a major distribution deal.
That is no small task in an industry saturated with plenty of options for the genre's consumers.
"To compete with the big boys, you need to have close to a million dollars just to put out one project," Jones said. "That's hard to compete with."
Tips from a veteran
Brent "GT" Raymond is an eight-year veteran deejay at 97.9 the Box, KKBX Houston. Since 1997, he has run his record label, Key Players Entertainment, and turned it into a mainstay on the Houston hip-hop scene.
He has seen artists such as Mike Jones and Paul Wall go from local sensations to international superstars. He knows how it's done, and he's willing to share his knowledge.
Raymond advised the duo to first produce a mix tape, a low-cost solution, on which the rapper flows to popular instrumental beats.
It allows the performer to showcase his skills over a tune that is a proven commodity to hip-hop fans.
"They are a very effective marketing tool," Raymond said. "They build your fan base. A lot of guys that made it to major labels made their living off of mixed tapes for years."
The challenge
Kraze has recorded a mix tape for Xposure. Now the challenge is to sell it, in order to generate revenues that the company can re-invest into producing and marketing his actual album.
Xposure says he is familiar with the power of the mix tape from his experience selling them before moving from New Orleans to Houston.
When he was a student in computer engineering at Xavier University, he produced and sold his own mix tapes throughout Louisiana.
"It's a real good way to market yourself because you can sell all over the place and the overhead is very low," Xposure said. "It's a way to get a buzz going in the streets."
DJs are the key
Raymond said a mistake many fledgling record labels make is that they don't make enough effort to forge professional relationships with the DJs in town.
"Where most independent record labels drop the ball is with their relationship with DJs," Raymond said. "The DJs make you or break you."
He said it is possible for local artists to get airplay on the Box and at clubs around Houston. He hosts an hourlong show called Straight From the Streets every Sunday at 8 p.m. that focuses on emerging talent.
The station allows local artists to come in Mondays and Wednesdays and pitch material to the program director for a shot at getting played on the Box. Raymond said many companies stumble in their approach to doing business.
"A lot of people just bring music, but they have no business plan. It's about following protocol," he said. "They don't know when their album is going to drop. They don't have plans for distribution. All of these channels need to be covered if you are going to be on the radio."
The Kraze Entertainment Web site, www.krazeentertainment.com, does not display any of Kraze's music. It's under construction. There also is nowhere for consumers to make purchases and nothing for sale. Raymond said that has to change, because the Internet is the most "credible" form of marketing for a small record label.
"The Web site must be easy to navigate, and it should be flashy. You definitely need to have your music on there," he said. "I sell mix tapes all around the world from my Web site."
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