SK Original: Jay Gutta talks relevance in the music industry today
While making my rounds at DSN Studios I chopped it up with Executive Producer Jay Gutta of Live From Harlem. During our lengthy conversation the topic of advice to indie artists arose and I begun to pick his brain about what he would share, as well as his opinion on what he feels is lacking in the Big Apple right now. Check out his dissertation below:
Personally what’s relevant to me right now are these radio stations that are giving the underground an outlet like never before. Back in the day to be heard on the radio you would have to stand outside of the radio station or pop up at every event that a DJ was at to try and get on the radio with a lot of ‘payola’ going around. I came into this game by interning with Bad Boy and Rocafella when they were heavy on their grind so I got to see first hand how hard it was to get heard. The Matrix Studios from the BX with shows like Live from Harlem among others give these artists a great look; DTF Radio out in Brooklyn also gives a lot of shine to the artist and I salute that. Secondly, these networking events and mixers have brought back the essence of networking and bridging that gap from celebrities to the up and coming artists. Levels Management has done a great job in New York and recently expanded to the DMV. Plans are in the works to invade markets in Houston and so forth, to get artists in the same building with known A&R’s and their favorites rappers. Rubbing elbows seems like a thing of the past, but the truth is its importance can never be overlooked. Another element that should be applied on the indie scene is collaborations that spawn quality music. Artists aren’t thinking outside the box enough. Working together would combine support networks and add to the push. . Hip Hop in general is a competitive sport but sometimes you have to let your team play with other teams and make a dream team and bang out some hits.
Seems pretty honest to me. All comments welcome.
SK Original: Jay Gutta talks relevance in the music industry today was originally published on Street Khemistry - Hip Hop's Secret Formula.
