Music tech
Why was the Sugarhill Gang's 1979 album important in the history of rap music?
It was the first rap music recording and included the term "hip-hop."
Afrika Bambaataa started an organization of positive, antiviolent, anti-racist artists, dancers, DJs, and MCs called the Zulu Nation. What was special about Afrika's song "Planet Rock?"
It was the first rap song to use a drum machine instead of turntables.
While on tour, the Humongous Monsters have a rider for their shows. What is a rider?
A list of things an artist needs at a venue for them to perform
The A&R scout works for Raw Meat Records. What is a recording label and what does it do?
A company that produces and sells music
What tool allows a DJ to control the volumes of two turntables mixed together?
A crossfader
Once the Humongous Monsters enter negotiations with Raw Meat Records, there might be enticing talk about an advance. What's that?
A large loan given to an artist when a contract is signed
What's a "tribe," and what should the Humongous Monsters do with it?
An artist's true fans are a tribe. The Humongous Monsters need to lead, grow, communicate with, market to the tribe (respectfully!).
Who should the Humongous Monsters consult with before signing a contract and why?
An entertainment/music lawyer, because there is a lot of legal language involved, and contracts are very long
People from out of state have heard their hit song "You Can't Scare a Monster" on the radio, they have seen the video, and now they want to see the Humongous Monsters perform live in their town. What exactly does a booking agent do?
Arranges for a band's performance in concert, handles paperwork and negotiations, selects other bands on the bill
The Humongous Monsters are trying to revive their career in 2013. However, the music biz has changed. Bobby Owsinski has defined our current musical era as "Music 3.0." What's so different about how artists need to work now than in the past?
Artists communicate, market, and sell directly to fans. Labels, TV, and radio are irrelevant. Singles are more popular than albums.
Today, rap has hybridized with other different styles of music—for example, country (Kid Rock) and swing/jazz (Outkast). Why is this important for hip-hop's future?
Hip-hop can appeal to listeners of all ages and backgrounds.
What is a popular way to change the sound of vocals in hip-hop today? (T-Pain is known for popularizing it.)
Auto tune
What is the art of imitating the sound of drums and the scratching of records with the voice?
Beatboxing
The album is recorded. How does Raw Meat Records get the music out there (marketing)? Name three ways.
CD sales, posters, T-shirts, videos, website/Internet, radio plays
What is beatmatching?
Changing the speed of one song to match another to seamlessly play them without stopping. It keeps the dancers dancing!
Once the Humongous Monsters hit the studio to record their first professional album, they will consult with a producer. What does a producer do?
Coaches the artist to be better, selects songs for an album, drives the studio, and makes the beats in rap music
What are the four basic cultural elements of hip-hop?
DJing, Rap, Graffiti, Dance, Language and Fashion
By 1986, some hip-hop became mainstream. What was unique about Run DMC's collaboration with Aerosmith in 1986?
It was a mix of rock and rap.
By 1987-1988, artists such as NWA, Ice-T, and Geto Boys rapped about tough life on the streets, gangs, crime, and poverty. What kind of music did they invent?
Gangsta rap
What is the competitive art of using spray paint to tag buildings, subways, and other urban areas called?
Graffiti
Also hanging out in the studio is an engineer. What is the engineer's job?
He is the producer's helper, who takes care of all the technical aspects, such as mics, wires, the mixer, the computer, and so on.
The first person the Humongous Monsters encounter is the A&R scout. What does the scout do and how did he become interested in them?
He seeks talent for the label—and looks for artists that have been very successful on their own.
What is hip hop?
It is a culture, a way of life
What does MC stand for?
Master of ceremonies, or emcee
Royalties are often discussed before contracts are signed. What are royalties? Where do they come from?
Money artists get when their music is played or sold. Royalties come from CD sales, radio plays, movie soundtracks, and ringtones.
By 1986, hip-hop began to change. One group, Public Enemy (featuring Flavor Flav), wrote what kind of music?
Music about politics and social problems—"smart" hip-hop
After five albums and eight tours, the Humongous Monsters break up. They never became a huge hit, but "You Can't Scare a Monster" made it into a movie, became a popular ringtone for about three months, and was even included in the video game Guitar Master. Ten years later, the members get monthly checks from performing rights organizations (PROs)
PROs collect and mail out royalties from radio plays, CD sales, and so on.
Many rap songs, such as Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby" and Jay- Z's "Hard Knock Life," use snippets of familiar songs as part of the music. What's this called?
Sampling
What do the Humongous Monsters roadies do?
Set up and take down all stage and musical equipment, sometimes drive the van, sometimes run a T-shirt/CD table at the show
In the 1970s, DJ Kool Herc came to the U.S. from Jamaica and used his huge sound system to play music at parties. What two kinds of music from Jamaica were played at NYC parties and served as the original source for hip-hop music?
Ska and Reggae
NYC audiences preferred hearing other types of music. What genres were especially popular at these parties? What genre was mainstream at that time?
Soul, R&B, funk, Motown. Disco was mainstream.
Where did hip hop originate?
South Bronx, NYC
With regard to royalties, how much do the Humongous Monsters (or other musicians) typically get per CD? How much does Raw Meat Records get? What are the iTunes rates?
The artist gets 10 to 20 percent per CD, and the recording label gets 80 to 90 percent. iTunes takes 29 cents per download, the label takes 61 cents, and the artist takes 9 cents.
What is the break of a song? How is it used?
The best five seconds of a song, played over and over using two turntables. MCs and breakdancers use it to feature talents.
Who was U-Roy?
The first freestyle rapper/MC (from Jamaica)
The Humongous Monsters don't already have a band manager, so they are assigned one by Raw Meat Records. Name at least three aspects of a manager's job.
The manager takes care of all business aspects for the artist, gets gigs, creates a press/promo kit, collects and manages money, and makes a business plan
DJs also experimented with different ways to play their records. DJ Grand Wizzard Theodore invented what technique that changed how we listen to music today?
The scratch
People love the music! A hundred thousand CDs were sold, but the Humongous Monsters haven't earned a dime yet. Why?
They haven't paid back their advance yet!
How often should artists stay in contact with their tribe?
They should tweet every day; Blog every week; Email every month; Release music every six weeks; Use YouTube, Facebook, Bandcamp, SoundCloud and Last.fm; and Pay attention to social media metrics and statistics
Nobody feels like paying for music these days, so how is an artist supposed to make a living?
Tours, merchandise sales, other kinds of royalties. CD/iTunes sales are only about 10 percent of total income—max!
What advantages do you have over the Humongous Monsters if you want to start making a living in the music biz?
You have the Internet, and you have this knowledge.
What does DJ stand for?
disc jockey