Management….. How do I even begin?

With graduation quickly approaching, I cannot help but to wonder, “What am I going to do?” I mean, I know exactly what I want to do, and the steps that I need to take, but I mean really, what am I going to do? I want to start off small with managing an artist, but I cannot help but to dream big and want to manage an artist that is already successful. It is a stressful time, and I feel like a high school student who is caught in between the mixed feelings of going off to college, and venturing into the new world.

While thinking about all of this, I couldn’t help but to resort back to my undergraduate degree in education, and think about the first thoughts about being a classroom teacher; Audrey, You do not and will not know everything! I found some very helpful tools in teaching inside of a classroom, and I believe that they will help myself and others, who potentially want to be managers in some sort of way. (Management 101)

All management starts with good planning. You cannot possibly manager yourself or another individual without having good planning skills. Being organized, and able to piece things together is what managers do, and you need to be able to do this for yourself, before you do it for another individual. Being able to direct is the next important step. Direction is always needed when planning any event or activity, and if you do not have any direction, you will never get anywhere. Finally being able to monitor a situation and not becoming overaggressive or overbearing in the situation is key. Monitor, never be bossy (only if needed). I believe also that you must have the personality to “click” with the client. Nobody wants to deal with a manager who they cannot get along with.

So in saying all of this, truly what am I going to do? I am going to be available and aggressive when it comes to seeking clients, and win them over with my knowledge, personality, and ability to work. I mean, Mariah Carey may be needing someone soon.

Husb(Manager) – Beyoncé Fires her Manager of Five Years

This past week, as we have seen all the headlines surrounding the Super Bowl performance from Bruno Mars (Bruno Performance tops Beyoncé and Madonna) and his incredible performance, we also saw the announcement of Beyoncé firing her manager of five years, not a shocker since she even fired her own father, and replacing him with her husband, Mr. Sean Carter. Sound surprising, not really. This does not come to a major surprise to many due to the fact that Jay-Z is so hands on in B’s career, and they do ultimately everything together.

The move had nothing to do with financial aspects or 12% commission based salary he was making, or bad chemistry between her manager and herself, but instead she saw it as a major move for her family. (Check out full story)It is reported that Jay-Z and Beyoncé have been working together in the studio, surrounding performances for her tour, performing together, and Jay also had his hands in helping to manage and produce Beyoncé’s latest self-titled album “Beyoncé”. The carters know exactly what they are doing, and why not put “family first”, when everything they both do surrounds their family. Plus, there are rumors surrounding adding more to their family.

It was a complete power move that has been made, and I’m sure many great things are to follow for the couple. Jay-Z does not lack intelligence when it comes to music, or being a businessman, just look at the deal he did with Live Nation, and how they practically gave him Roc Nation. He is known to see avenues that will bring success, and I believe that the best is yet to come for Beyoncé’s career. Maybe now Jay-z can officially retire and focus on her, and making her into the legend that we all know she will go down in history for.

All Negotiations are Wins!

When working with negotiations, you have to realize whom you are working for. Now, I know this sounds weird, but there has to be a clear and communicable strategy when dealing with negotiations, between yourself, and any colleagues that you are working with while trying to make a deal. Negotiations may seam hard to many individuals due to the lack of self-confidence, or not simply believing in the product or good that they are rallying for. According to the “SalesCrunch” Video, directed by Jonathan Farrington, there are steps to negotiations, and the most important one is remaining in control. “When you are structured, you remain in control” (Farrington, 2011). One has to be in control of not only their actions in the negotiation process, but also being in control over their reactions. The reactions that one may display during the process can be negative or either positive, but regardless you have to be prepared and enter into the process as if it is a battle, and the war is yours to win.

Negative reactions are most common when in a negotiation process, because most people are not acceptable to change. According to the Andy Gilbert and Kathryn Roberts of Go MAD Thinking podcast entitled, “How to Understand the Thinking of managing of change”, you must be able to understand the change. Change is one thing that we as humans always react negatively to at first are change. It is considered one of the most difficult challenges that we encounter, and when dealing with negotiations this especially catch a person off guard. In the podcast, they are dealing with a management situation, and the most natural reaction from everyone is that something is not “fair”. What is fair in negotiations however? When adapting to change, there is nothing that will be considered fair by any person, hence why there is a negotiation that is taking place.

We as people come across negotiations all the time when in the entertainment industry, but to be effective in negotiating, you have to realize where you stand as the negotiator. Are you rallying for or against something can alter the negotiation, and you have to learn how to play both sides of the field. To help better understand negotiations, I chose to also listen to Margret Neale’s YouTube video, “Getting What You Want”. She says the first thing we need to know when getting a “good deal” is, what are our alternatives, what is the point when we are saying yes or going with the alternative, and what are you actually trying to achieve in the negotiation?

The most common goal in negotiations is to realize what you want out of the deal. How will this deal benefit you in the long run, and how will it benefit those who are around you. By learning about the positives and negatives in a negotiation process from all three videos and podcast, it has taught me that not all negotiations can be bad. We as people tend to look into a negotiation as being a shark eat little fish world, instead of working it together to benefit everyone involved. There are plenty of negotiations that will take place in my future, but the most that I want to accomplish is how to continue to look at how both sides can win, and make it plain as day to the other parties involved. In the entertainment industry we cannot get hung up on a negotiation that has gone wrong, instead you have to learn how to make it fit your situation, and be beneficial to yourself and those around you.

Queen B! No Promotion!

Call her a queen!!!!!! The Queen has arrived, and that an amazing weekend it was for Beyoncé! Surprising her fans with a new album, self entitled, Beyoncé, and also announcing more tour dates in the UK and Ireland! Beyoncé is on the rise, and much hate has also come her way. Being compared to Rhianna, and other Pop/R&B stars, Beyoncé has crushed the scene in my opinion, and many critics before me. Releasing an album at the stroke of midnight, and not promoting it at all, shook everyone up, and made one of the biggest frenzies that social media has seen in a while! The 14 track visual album, is exclusively available on iTunes, has sold a record of 430,000 albums the first day! If meeting the 600,000 albums in its first week, Beyoncé will definitely hold the best week ever in sales, with the record at that standing or above. (SeeTimes Entertainment Article Here).

What made Beyoncé make an album, and not let fans know anything about it? If many remember watching the remarkable HBO special from Beyoncé, “Life is but a Dream”, Beyoncé dove into many things that she believed music was about. She even at one point said that many artists are not making music anymore, that they are simply putting singles out, and not caring about their fans, and what the music may mean to them. Very powerful words were spoken in the documentary that she had done, and she gave us insight to the beginning to what she was working on. We had no idea what she was doing at that time, but judging from the numbers and the haters, she definitely will go down in history as the “Best Singer Alive”, just as her husband Jay-Z.

Although the album has not been released to stores yet, the numbers speak volumes, I guess we will have to wait until we see what Billboard has in store for us after the first week!.....Stay Tuned!

Preview visuals

Manager to Record Label CEO, Yandy Smith

Many know Ms. Yandy Smith as being from the hit sensation television show called “Love & Hip Hop New York”, but many do not know her hustle and grind to get to where she is at currently. She is a respectable woman in the music industry, and is constantly on the go with her two children, one biological, and one step-son, who is the son of her incarcerated fiancé Mandeecees (to see more about Mandeecees (click here to learn about Mandeecees). Ms. Smith has a lot on her plate, but it is nothing when it comes to her first love, and that is managing artist, and playing the role of a strong single mother.

Within recent years of Love & Hip Hop being a hit sensation, many of us have watched YS grow into a loving, supporting, and strong woman. From her fallout with Jim Jones when managing him, to her being the star of Love & Hip Hop and partnering with Mona Scott to produce the show. We, all women across America, and fans of the show wonder what drives YS to continue to do such time consuming things with two young children in her household, and how she even does it! I, myself, as being a single mother, a full-time student and employee, am tired from reading her story, but there is something about her passion and drive that just keeps her going.
In a recent interview with Tract Her Trail Her, YS says that “When I had a baby I realized that the whole sitting in the studio, or going to the club getting DJs to play my records just wasn’t going to be my thing” (read exclusive interview here). Just like most mothers, they want to spend more time with their children, and do more with them. You are being accountable as a mother, and I believe that YS is looking at her children’s best interest, instead of just her own.

As well as her natural ability to spot talent, YS is not alone in the starting of this business, she also has her partner and manager of many artist for years, Rich Dollaz, who is also a main feature from LHHNY. He has the natural ability to spot talent, as YS reports to Madam Noire. These two together are the new hit sensation in my opinion. You have many artist who have been on the search for good managers and record labels to be apart of, and with the new year ringing in, this has came just in time. YS and Dollaz plan on having a national tour to scout and launch their new record label, and are looking for serious people who have serious talent. To turn from a simple artist manager, into a woman building a record label, is why I admire Ms. Yandy Smith. Her hustle is real, and her grind and support of herself is what sets her apart from many. She is what drives the force of many of us African American women, who want to be apart of the music industry. The New Cassette Tape has not seen the rest of Ms. Yandy Smith, Stay Tuned.

The National Association of Record Industry Professionals

The National Association of Record IndustryProfessionals, better known as NARIP was founded in 1998, on the principals of bringing together the worlds top and leading business professionals in the music entertainment industry. NARIP concentrates on developing a person and taking them beyond what they think they can achieve. Though different areas in NARIP, this is possible. To become a member, one must work at a major or independent record label, record marketer, record distributor, or work for a personal management firm. Membership is strict for this organization, but also important because it allows you to access the world of music business professionals in a way that one may not get to see from the outside.

The NARIP program that I definitely appreciate the benefit of being a member and having guidance. Many large-scale companies want you to partake in memberships within the company, and you might not get too much out of it. The Stan Monterio Mentorship Program that NARIP has to offer is backed up by your own interest survey. They do not just place you in a category with a mentor that they think will fit you best, but they allow you to answer questions about your style, and allow you at actually pick a mentor that fits to your liking. There is a $35 application fee, and I believe they do this to actually make sure you are interested, instead of wasting someone’s time. The program allows you to seek help and guidance in areas of direction for your career, jobs, and resume building.

While researching NARIP, I thought about my own company, and how I would want to model some of the same principals. It is not everyday you come across a company that is accessible to millions of individuals in the world, that actually wants to help build you into a better brand or label. Upon my first professional job, this is an organization that I will be joining, and also seeking the mentorship program to better my chances at advancing. The lists of possibilities through this organization are endless, especially with the list of national speakers who are actively involved in the process of getting you “on your feet”

To learn more about The National Association of Record Industry Professionals Click Here!

Mohamed Ali: The linkage between Unemployment and Terrorism

When faced with difficult circumstances, ones natural instinct and response is to run; run away and never look back. Mohamed Ali, in his speech on Ted.com, entitled The Link Between Unemployment and Terrorism, he explains that terrorism may be eliminated if we provide opportunity for the youth to be something different. In this situation, with unemployment rates and the surrounding circumstance of violence and fear, the only thing for many young children and youth in many Mogadishu, Somalia the only thing to do is to stay, and become stagnant, or become involved in terroristic activities. Mohamed Ali, spoke about the foundation of many youth in Mogadishu, and the daily life of a young person living in fear.

While many believe that foreign countries are dangerous, Ali believes that there are beautiful things that come out of small unhopeful cities, and that there is hope for the youth of Mogadishu to become rich and prosperous, as long as we and everyone recognize that there needs to be contributions to help. The unemployment rate in Mogadishu is what is driving the cases of violence, or the string of suicide bombers. The youth are being sucked into believing that the only way that they can make sure that their family has money, is to join in on terror attacks, and sacrifice themselves for a payoff for their families. This, as Ali explains, is not what his city should be like, or any city at that.

One of the major things that we all can start doing in our own cities, as well as for Ali in Mogadishu, is to make sure that we are encouraging and educating the youth on what opportunities are available to them. There has to be a push in mentorship opportunities, and resources for the youth to understand how they can not only work for a person to make an income, but that they can become their own boss and be an entrepreneur. Many young people in his native city are unaware of the possibilities that they have, if they find out what they are successful at, and maximize that potential. Ali speaks about encouraging those around us to become better, and not to just be what we see. It sounds familiar because that is how many urban cities operate around the United States.

When unfortunate circumstances surround us, the new question to consider is are we going to run, or are we going to make the best out of the situation that we are presented with. Be something different, and be great.

My driving force behind my career, is to help make people better. I have a passion for working with the youth in my community, and after hearing this inspirational story, there is a chance to save if not one, but many by offering guidance and mentorship. Although this post has nothing to do with the music industry, it has to do with change, and change can only start if you realize that it is necessary. 




"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi