Let Keveeno hear your album or songs!

I love listening to new music. Tell me a myspace, or give me a way to listen to your album and I will give it a full review. If you need advice I can let some of my producers friends give it a listen and I’ll let you know! Good way to get feedback, and some publicity for your music.

Why 99 cents is too much for a song.

I know this is looong overdue, but it doesn’t matter. 99 cents is still standard for a song and it’s too much. Think about this, a cd costs, lets go for the low, $15 for a cd with 16 songs. Minus $6 for distribution the cd is $9 to send to best buy. Best buy gets their profit loss cut (They take a loss because you buy a cd and they make a profit on the cd player; they win) and lets say the cd is worth $6. I’m not good at math, so my calculator says each song is 40 cents. Without the cuts, the songs are worth roughly 94 cents.

Now why pay 99 cents? I would love to support your artists, love to support your million dollar condo’s for the big artists, and for the struggling artists, I would love to support your music if it went back to the bootleg $5 cd days, maybe $10 for your cd if I got to listen to it first. But really, I myself have been on the roman noodle diet trying to pay off my loans, how am I gonna for over 99 cents for a song that I can hear on the radio if I had one, overplayed on MTV if I had cable? When somebody came to me trying to sell their independent album for $8, I talked them down to five.

With the recording process getting cheaper because of Pro Tools LE, mbox and not even needing pure acoustics no more, why should the fans still pay the same price? I say with all these lay offs of the major labels come through, at least have online MP3’s DRM free, and maybe 50 cents. Why pay cd price for an mp3 you can even easier get for free. Sell more at shows, with other things, get creative with it. With computers getting cheaper, free wi fi, people can more easily access iTunes, but even easier access these downloading sites to get all songs for free. The rich complain because their money flow is slowing, and the not so rich are over saturating the industry online, somebody either needs to stand out now, or make the mp3’s cheaper or free with ticket sales. You get better quality for free than paid for now and its crazy.

I’ve been coming up with my own plans on ways to boost the industry and most of them have one thing. Make mp3’s cheapers, cd’s cheaper, more profit to the artist means more power to their music, and most importantly, although Lil Wayne is close to double platinum or already made it… does not mean you will. One strategy is not the same for the next anymore, get creative or get lost in this huge sea of too many fish with not enough bait. Please comment and tell me what yall think.

From the mind of Keveeno

Nas “Untitled” official Keveeno Review

** editors note, to a word constantly used throughout this album that I have promised a friend I would never say and that I back as one to be removed from this language, I will not say within this review and will censor it. Once a promise is said by me, I honor to death and that is how I am. If you like/ dislike my review comment below and mention what I can do to improve since it is my first review. Thank you.

excerpt from Nas- Sly Fox

“Watch what you watchin’, Fox keeps feeding us toxins, Stop sleeping, Start thinking
Outside of the box and, Unplug from The Matrix doctrine, But watch what you say Big Brother is watchin’, Watch what you watchin’, Fox keeps feeding us toxins, Stop sleeping, Start thinking, Outside of the box and, Unplug from The Matrix doctrine, But watch what you say Fox 5 is watchin’”

This album I have to say is incredible and that is an understatement. I have bumped it for the past 2 days I had the advance copy and have to say its been the best thing I have pumped in awhile.

Nas brings his A game in a album originally with the controversial title N**** that was changed after constant pressure from his label and activists. His mission to desensitize the word though has not changed as only the title, not the content changed. He has songs in this advance copy (not 100% sure its retail) like “Be a n***** too”, “N***** hatred”, “Fried Chicken”, and even “N.*.*.*.*.*. (the Slave and the Master)”. He works to provide an opening to a nation that still holds grudges from the past; when we as a nation should be united! The past can never change, but what we can do is change the nation for the future.

I love the messages in his music as well as respect the man for always having unknowns featured in tracks with himself helping bringing and keeping the underground feel he always had. Most people will not like his album and still be on the Lil Wayne train, but those people dont understand what real Hip Hop is. Lil Wayne is on his grind, Nas already is a Hall of Famer. I don’t hate Lil Wayne, just personally I don’t like his music. I have always been about the lyrics, and Nas brings it.

Favorite songs; Sly fox, We’re not alone, Black President, Hero, Breath, Fried Chicken, You can’t stop us now, and Middle Finger.

My what the hell, why is this on here song; There is no song that I really didn’t like. The song that I did not like out of all of the songs was War is Necessary. Thats still a good song, but out of all the classics, this one didn’t hit me as much even though the message is true.

Song List

01. Queens Get The Money
02. You Cant Stop Us Now (Feat Eban Thomas Of The Stylistics & The L
03. Breathe
04. Make The World Go Round (Feat Chris Brown & The Game)
05. Hero (Feat Keri Hilson)
06. America
07. Sly Fox
08. Testify
09. N.*.*.*.*.*. (The Slave And The Master)
10. Louis Farrakhan
11. Fried Chicken (Feat Busta Rhymes)
12. Project Roach (Feat The Last Poets)
13. Ya’ll My N*****
14. We’re Not Alone (Feat Mykel)
15. Black President (Feat Johnny Polygon)

Bonus Tracks
16. Be A N***** Too
17. N***** Hatred
18. War Is Necessary
19. Middle Finger (Feat David Banner)

out of 5- 4/5. Its hard to be perfect but Nas is on his way. Nobody is 5/5 period. Rarely is 4/5, and this rarity here is a classic. Purchase this, Support the economy of good music.

Where will this industry take us?

Everybody is talking about the upbringing of indie labels taking this record industry out of their slump. I wouldn’t go as far and say the music industry in a slump, no, thats actually growing every day. Its just the fact of sales going down, and the record industry is taking the hit.There are many reasons for that, for examples,  Bush’s reccession (yes I’m biased, I hate this kat… so shoot me), the over saturated market (sometimes making sure your fans have new music everyday may seem all well, but the amount of quality that also stands out?), or it could be that this record industry of 20+ years may have been in a bubble that finally popped? So what is this solution? A lot of the indie labels I have talked to mention a lot of the same strategies that the majors failed on. There are many reasons to that, but still we need to figure a way past the old ways and come with something new. The tipping jar acts like street artists to world wide audiences, but sometimes the price to park the car can be more expensive than the tips given to the musician. It seems that rather than just looking at other strategies, we need something brand new. My recent work with 50 Entertainment shows they are dedicated as an indie label to figuring this industry out by helping few artists out with their career rather than throwing dozens of artists like a hook in the over saturated water hoping a million dollars bite. Sometimes all it takes is one group, with two hooks, very stable and strong rods (so when the million bite, the rod won’t break), and a good strategy when the big fish bite to pull it in.

From the mind of

Keveeno

Introduction

Hey how are yall doing. My name is Kevin, but most people call me Keveeno. I am a recipient of a AAS in Music and Entertainment Business from the great school The Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis, MN, and have a internship currently with 50 Entertainment that I am very glad to have gotten.

I believe that every step of the way to a dream is an accomplishment in its way, so each show that I help create is its own entity in a way. I believe that if music came out as more of an accomplishment of goals for the artist, rather than an accomplishment of money, than possible music will be better. I don’t mean that all music is bad but as a avid hip hop fan, it seems that it has lost its roots and came to something more about money rather than about people. Hip Hop use to tell stories of struggles, and now its stories on gang relations that are more fake than KFC’s chicken.

There are some people out there who come out lyrical but have no substance to it. It seems that everybody is trying to rap these days, and that dilutes what we hear which causes our ears to pick and choose something good out of what we hear rather than going out of our way to hear whats good.

As I babble on whats on my mind, I have my first day of my internship tomorrow so I’m off to dream of what could be if I get rich. But don’t worry, I won’t rap about it.

Peace and love

The mind of Keveeno

PS if you are wondering what aritsts I do like…

1- Talib Kweli

2- Nas

3- The Roots

4- Anthony Hamilton

5- Lauryn Hill

6- Alicia Keys

7-Mos Def

8- Immortal Technique

9- Alicia Keys

10- Amy Winehouse

Edit— I forgot Nas!