Hip Hop: The Billion Dollar Industry that Criminalizes Black People

In 2006 Nas declared that “Hip Hop is Dead.” So anything that appears to be Hip Hop now should be thought of as the music industry’s version of “The Walking Dead.” A post-apocalyptic horror that plays out through media images that affect minds and ill-advised actions by young people each and everyday. Urban radio is essentially giving free advertisement, each time a song is played, to the well-documented private prison industry. There is a cause for alarm. As many states are relinquishing their control of incarcerating their disproportionally affected African American population and turning it over to “for profit” private companies … Continue reading Hip Hop: The Billion Dollar Industry that Criminalizes Black People

Clear Channel’s ‘On the Verge’ Program Made Iggy Azalea a Star

Iggy Azalea and T.I. at BET Awards Black Artists for the most part are not On the Verge  Iggy Azalea’s Fancy was one of the songs targeted for Clear Channel Radio’s “On the Verge” program, according to an article in The Washington Post. Once a song is chosen, it is required that each of Clear Channel’s 840 stations play the song at least 150 times. (We are sure that means if the song fits a particular format. That was not mentioned in The Post.)  In the article, Tom Poleman, Clear Channel Radio’s president for national programming platforms explains how the … Continue reading Clear Channel’s ‘On the Verge’ Program Made Iggy Azalea a Star

Power 99 FM Announces Peace on the Street Jam with Diggy Simmons

POWER 99 FM ANNOUNCES PEACE ON THE STREET JAM FEATURING DIGGY SIMMONS, TINASHE AND TREVOR JACKSONWinners of the Power 99 FM Peace on the Street Scholarship to be Announced at Event Clear Channel Communities, the community engagement brand of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, and Power 99 FM, Philadelphia’s Hip Hop and R&B radio station, continue the 11th annual Peace on the Street Jam, a series of three events that feature anti-violence activities designed to promote peace and provide communities with the necessary resources to prevent violence. The second Peace on the Street Jam will be held Wednesday, July 23rd … Continue reading Power 99 FM Announces Peace on the Street Jam with Diggy Simmons

Young Black Women Don’t Matter as R. Kelly Plays On

Would you trust the guy that’s smiling with your daughter? The post below comes from the Richard Prince’s Journal-isms site. The post details a story by Jessica Hopper of the Village Voice who examines Chicago music journalist Jim DeRogatis’ original story that exposed the sexual assault accusation against singer R. Kelly.One of the most coveted demos in media are young black women. They are a group of listeners and viewers that are very attractive to advertisers because of the buying decisions they make. However apparently their consumerism supersedes the media industry’s moral sense. Radio and the media industry continues to promote … Continue reading Young Black Women Don’t Matter as R. Kelly Plays On

>Understanding the Performance Royalty Tax

>Many years ago when radio was battling against allegations of payola, an illegal practice in the eyes of the government; an agreement was reached so that radio stations would pay a “tax” to songwriters for playing music on the air. It was also agreed upon that radio would not pay the artist or the performer of the song. For example if you take a popular song like “For the Love of Money” by The O’Jays, many know as the theme of Donald Trump’s Apprentice television show, everytime you hear that song on the radio, the station pays a fee to … Continue reading >Understanding the Performance Royalty Tax

>"No Urban Dictates" Lives On – Mini Cooper Ad Agency Gets Caught in an Email – We Don’t Want to Advertise to Black Consumers

> “Non Urban Dictate” (NUD) is a “supposedly” illegal practice that essentially means that a company is not interested in the Black consumer. Instructions are usually implied orally or left unsaid, no one sends this kind of stuff in an email anymore. A NUD label means that a company does not want their marketing and advertising materials placed in media that claim an “urban” audience (or in other words to African American consumers) as their main target. In the advertising world, companies feel that there are legitimate reasons for them not to use urban radio. For example, African Americans may … Continue reading >"No Urban Dictates" Lives On – Mini Cooper Ad Agency Gets Caught in an Email – We Don’t Want to Advertise to Black Consumers

Philly’s Newest Voice in Talk Radio is Stephanie Renee

Philly Black Radio Has New Voice by BOBBI BOOKER Philadelphia Tribune For over 40 years, Black talk radio has played a pivotal role in shaping the dialogue in the African-American community. It has been the eyes, ears and mouthpiece for some of the nation’s most meaningful periods of change — from the civil rights era to the election of the nation’s first African-American president. Philadelphia — and WURD Radio, LLC specifically — has been at the forefront of creating its own unique imprint on this important medium. In 2002, Walter P. Lomax Jr. M.D. purchased 900AM-WURD, providing the resources that … Continue reading Philly’s Newest Voice in Talk Radio is Stephanie Renee

>Performance Tax Opposed by Small Market Radio Stations

> Last week, Black broadcasters met in Washington, D.C. to discuss the possibility that a Performance Tax would cause them to go into bankruptcy. Now many small market broadcasters are facing the same dilemma, if the proposed tax is put into place by congress, you might see many stations simply go dark. As it stands now, Sirius XM satellite radio; Radio stations that stream online; Internet music services like AOL Radio, Last FM, Imeem, Pandora, and Finetune; and music download sites like iTunes, pay the artist a royalty fee. Terrestrial radio has never paid the artists or performers for the … Continue reading >Performance Tax Opposed by Small Market Radio Stations

Music World Gospel and BET Networks Sign an Exclusive Recording Agreement for Sunday Best Season Three and Four Winners

Sunday Best Season Three Winner Le’Andria Johnson Set to Release First Project Under New Deal Debut Album In Stores September 6 HOUSTON — Music World Gospel entered into an exclusive recording agreement with BET Networks and its premiere brand, Sunday Best, the award-winning weekly gospel music competition program. The agreement will include the release of debut albums for the show’s third and fourth season winners and other music and entertainment product releases featuring “best of” compilations and a variety of specialty brand projects. Sunday Best season four premiered Sunday, July 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. The first release scheduled under … Continue reading Music World Gospel and BET Networks Sign an Exclusive Recording Agreement for Sunday Best Season Three and Four Winners