I’ve been through independent deals, UK and US major label interest, underground hits and commercial radio play-listing but I have never, ever earned a living through recorded music! Have I paid my dues? Hell yeah! And if all that pain and suffering was about ‘paying my dues’ then this game owes me big time!
I hung up my mic in 2001 and decided to turn all of my attention to my other passion……… marketing. I have been a disciple of the 4 P’s since about ’95 and cut my teeth doing work experience at Big Life records working on Damage, Truce, Celetia and Ooh Ah Eric Cantona (yep!). I have lived my people’s music, studied the effects it is having on the British culture, seen it be commercially exploited by international brands and held my head in my hands in despair at the lack of financial rewards available to the outstanding talent that resides on these shores.
I have especially also over the last 5 years seen a change in the attitude of music makers here. The, create it yourself, produce it yourself, manufacture it yourself and ‘shot it on road’ yourself philosophy is an extremely exciting phenomenon. And new media on-line, on air and on digital TV is providing the platforms that can create a generation of black British music’s media stars!
Where do I fit into this new era? I’m too old and wise to start strutting my stuff in low budget music videos and too young to retire to my bachelor pad in Highgate! But I do have a blueprint for the commercial exploitation of our music. ‘Hot On Road’ the brand is one facet of that blueprint and more will be revealed in time. The world wide web has excited me since Quincy Jones first spoke about the information super highway back in ’96, enter hotonroad.com our online music, entertainment and lifestyle publication. An invaluable information point for what’s best about our beloved music scene and a whole network of influential media channels, media entrepreneurs and media personalities (continiue...)