Music Junkie

He’s Been Pushed Too Far for Someone Not to Die

2009-08-25T01:06:00.000-07:00

A Gritty Tale of Deception Told in the Glitz of Miami – Dirty cops, money launderers, street thugs and all the other ingredients of a well-balanced society complete the circle of intrigue. Greed, betrayal, wrath, envy and a perfect ensemble of characters keep the pages turning. This year’s grittiest crime novel “The War for Miami” by Yasheve Miller is a smoking gun that won’t stop firing.

“It goes off like a rocket and when the smoke cleared, I think only like two people were still alive,” said a recent reviewer. “It was great!”

Benito Castillo is no longer peddling cocaine on the street corners or parties frequented by spring breakers thirsty to rebel against their parents. He has matured to a new world, where his enemies are more cunning than a crackhead with a knife, where his friends are more likely to be the ones to steal his money, and his lovers are out for whatever they can get. Welcome to Benito Castillo’s Miami.

As the book jacket says, “There are no family vacations in this Miami.” In this tale of intrigue and deception, there are no heroes other than those the a reader chooses to pledge his allegiance to. There are no right or wrong choices, just survival or death.

“Out of my first three books, this one is the best written. I wasn’t going for shock value like I did with the first two. I wanted to tell a story that I would enjoy,” said Miller.

The novel, “The War for Miami” is an intense thrill ride into Miami’s underworld. This story takes off from the first chapter and increases in intensity, fueled by greed, betrayal and wrath. The richness of the cleverly woven storylines keeps readers intrigued until the very end and leaves them gasping for a sequel.

“This book was like watching an ensemble cast in a movie. Great characters with interwoven storylines,” quoted a recent review.

As a writer, Yasheve Miller began his writing career for a collegiate newspaper. From there, he was hired as a writer for a fledgling magazine in Atlanta, Georgia. He quit that and his day job to pursue marketing strategies for his first book. For a few years, he wrote part-time as a freelancer for various publications. Finally, he stepped out to start his own copywriting business for a global marketplace, to produce marketing material, organize branding strategies and ghostwrite non-fiction books. His passion for telling a juicy story led him back to the fiction arena to produce The War for Miami. Other books by Yasheve include Rigid and Moist.

For more information on this and other books by Yasheve Miller, please visit http://www.yasheve.com

If You Had to Pull the Trigger, Who'd You Kill First?

2009-08-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

The 2nd Best Crime Writer Alive Releases This Year's Grittiest Novel
Aug 1, 2009 – They make you hate them. They make you love them. They make you want to have the magic to be right there with them to either slap their face or kiss them passionately. Good characters keep you interested enough to read books to the end, but great characters keep you asking for more. The new novel “The War for Miami” by Yasheve Miller is full of characters you befriend, characters you despise and characters that you just have to see what they’re going to do next.

“Characters are usually the most important thing to me when I’m writing. When I was writing this book, I even said to myself that the city itself had to be a character. I’ve read so many essays about using the setting as a character that I was intrigued by the technique enough to try it,” said the author in a recent interview.

Critics are comparing this book to the likes of Mario Puzo’s “Godfather” and Graham Greene’s “Our Man in Havana.” This groundbreaking crime novel has moved from the heat of the Miami streets into the libraries and fallen right in your lap. The War for Miami is the urban drama that you have been salivating to read. The story that you will be raving about all summer. The novel that has book clubs discussing the merits of friendship, betrayal, the often misguided understanding of love and will have you saying, “I wish he would have killed that $%#^!”

“Out of my first three books, this once is the best written. I wasn’t going for shock value like I did with the first two. I wanted to tell a story that I would enjoy,” said Miller.

The novel, “The War for Miami” is an intense thrill ride into Miami’s underworld. The main characters Benito Castillo, Riley Sanders, and Keon Lindsey are intertwined by the force of Riley’s manipulation and power schemes. This story takes off from the first chapter and increases in intensity, fueled by greed, betrayal and wrath.

“I do have a strange love affair with Miami. And at times it is unhealthy. For some reason when I’m there, the crazy comes out of me. I’m always doing something that I probably shouldn’t be involved in,” said Miller. “I always say that I can’t write about my life because it would be too boring for me. I’ve already done those things, but I found myself using my experiences to write this novel. I think that’s why people are responding so well to it. The passion is there.”

As a writer, Yasheve Miller began his writing career for a collegiate newspaper. From there, he was hired as a writer for a fledgling magazine in Atlanta, Georgia. He quit that and his day job to pursue marketing strategies for his first book. For a few years, he wrote part-time as a freelancer for various publications. Finally, he stepped out to start his own copywriting business for a global marketplace, to produce marketing material, organize branding strategies and ghostwrite non-fiction books. His passion for telling a juicy story led him back to the fiction arena to produce The War for Miami. Other books by Yasheve include Rigid and Moist.

For more information on this and other books by Yasheve Miller, please visit http://www.yasheve.com

Stage Names

2009-08-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

I get worried sometimes that there's nothing to look forward to. Then, I hear that Sade has a new album coming out this year and I've heard some of the cuts from the upcoming Wolfmother album. But, that makes me wonder about the newer artists and will they be able to carry the torch. I have my doubts.

Although, I have met some talented people by cruising from Myspace page to Myspace page, it's rare that I run into anything exceptional. This year, I haven't bought only 2 albums that I found through indie artists on Myspace. For me, that's nothing. I buy new music every week. What I find is that I have to go back and buy older stuff just to fulfill my music addiction.

There may be a lack of creativity. I've gone through and looked at some of the stage names that people use. There's not a lot of creativity there. Most aspiring artists don't realize that the entertainment industry is a business as well as a creative outlet. The brand building starts with the name, followed by the artistic concept, then the performance and finally the music.

Take wrestling as an example. If you've ever watched the WWE for an extending period of time, you will notice that some wrestlers go through name changes and costume changes until they find that one concept that hits with the fans. The WWE has made it an art of building brands within brands to sell T-shirts and tickets.

Yasheve Miller is a Copywriting and Marketing Specialist whose primary focus is to build brand identity at http://www.writtentosell.net. He's also the author of the recently released novel THE WAR FOR MIAMI (more info at http://www.yasheve.com)

Lessons from the Old School

2009-05-06T03:37:00.001-07:00

One thing that just occurred to me, while working on a writing project and having a western playing in the background is that the internet is actually taking music back to an age before corporate backing ruined music. Isn't that strange. Hear me out on this before you realize that I am completely insane.

Long ago, before corporations really started throwing around their influence, in order for artists to get known, they had to play the clubs, travel the roads and perform their songs for anyone who would stop and listen. After travelling from city to city, they would build an audience. In building their audience, they would increase their income and would be able to continue doing what they do.

Thanks to the internet (and piracy) the corporate influence on what music people buy and listen to has dramatically increased. Signed artists aren't pulling in Michael Jackson 1980's numbers. They are increasingly being forced to stepped out of the music video and get their ass on the road to build a fan base.

This is the best time ever to be an independent artist. The internet allows those who can't afford to get on the road physically, blaze a trail throughout cyberspace without needing a record contract. Those who can afford to tour physically from city to city might even make more money than their signed counterparts, because they don't have the overhead that comes with paying the record company first and the artist last. Blaze your trail...

Ruin My Whole F**King Sunday!

2009-05-03T00:56:00.000-07:00

When I'm writing, which is a twelve to eighteen hour a day thing for me, I'm listening to music. Since my love of music is so broad, what I listen to will change from day to day. I will pretty much flip a coin to what I will listen to. Sometimes, it will be a set of podcasts, an internet radio station, or I will cruise through different sites and just let music play. It's an amazing way to discover music. That's how I discovered Wolfmother - who kicks international, rockin' howlin' ass and is one of my favorites forever and are working on their new album right this f**kin' minute...

I rarely, ever listen to traditional commercial radio. I don't have the patience to listen to the same crap over and over again. Here's my problem today. I was listening to a college radio station that I have never listened to before and they were rocking all night long. These morons don't have a "Playing Now" list so that you know the name of the artist and the song that you just heard.

What a waste of time. I don't want to hear music that I can't own in some form or fashion. It's bull. I've made it a new rule not to listen to radio or podcasts that don't tell you who the artist or name of the song is. Anything that will eliminate anxiety, stress and disappointment, I'm all for it.

Love's Beautiful

2008-11-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

If you're been blinded by love, then you understand Randy's plight. If you've never been blinded by love, then you've never been alive. Wrong or right, sane or insane, you will follow Randy's journey with intensity. We can always see what's the best move for our friends to make in their love lives, but we throw out all the rules when it comes to our own. Is this really love or stupidity. You decide. Click the title or the picture to download this story and you let me know.

Unique Collaboration Opportunity

2008-10-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

Unique Collaboration
Opportunity for

New York Based Artists

Work with Me on Short Video
Movies Based on Your Musical Style

Revenue
Share Opportunity Available As Well

As
an music artist, you have to use every avenue possible to expose your music to
potential fans. Every creative way that you can utilize opens the doors to new
opportunities and fans that you never thought you had access to.

Build Up Your Reel
of Footage to Market Your Music

My team and I will take
care of scripting and locations. All you have to do is show up, read the lines,
and bring your fire-brand of personality. My bread and butter business is a
marketing service, so I am definitely good and getting the word out and getting
more exposure.

Show
Your Talent In a Different Arena

You
and I have the same goal. To create artistic expression through our chosen
avenue. Yours is through music. Mine is through the power of word and the
visual artistry. All I’m trying to do is test a few cameras and microphones and
things like that before I start on a much larger project. Why not create
something meaningful in the process.

Indie, Low-Budget
Short Movies

Don’t get all excited
about making tons of money. That’s not what this is about. These are
low-budget productions (30 minute short films), shot on video, and edited with a
semi-pro equipment. Of course, we’re not trying to just throw something
together. You can get all the garbage you want anywhere or on YouTube. We’re
trying to have a good time with this, as well as create something that people
will start talking about. That’s what we both want. People to start talking
about your music and people to start talking about the productions.

If you want to be a part
of any of these collaborations, hit me up at

info@yasheve.com or leave me a message on

www.myspace.com/yasheve01 and I will check out your music and see if it will
inspire me to write something that can be filmed. If I’m not feeling the music,
then we wouldn’t work well together.

Ask me how we can make a
little bit of change from this collaboration. Don’t expect Hollywood movie
royalties, but we can both get something financial out of this as well.

Can’t Wait to
Collab With You

Music Junkie Podcast

2008-08-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

Rap Beats & Hip Hop Beats: Succeeding Like the Major Music Artists and How to Find Great Beats

2008-06-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

by Clive Calvin

Time and time again aspiring singers, rappers and musicians aim for the brass ring and tumble just out of reach. They think they have it all. They look "right." They have a professional attitude. They even have a solid following. Yet, they lack something. Sometimes, the flaw does not even seem tangible until you listen closely to their music.

Often, while their lyrics and melodies are good or even great, their sound falls flat. It is tedious, repetitive or derivative. It has no passion. You hear it and forget it. What they lack is a good, solid hooking beat. They could have avoided this if they had realized today's sound relies more than ever on the beat.

Instrumental beats, hip hop beats, Reggae beats, jazz beats, the list is a wide and varied one, providing you with options. Professional beats are readily available online. Sample, listen, combine with what you already have or replace everything. Once you have something to start with, make a decision on your direction.

The way you go, the beat you choose, must be based on a number of different but related factors. Begin with your intent. What is the audience for your music? Are you sticking with the underground scene and planning on an independent label? Do you want to go national and need music that appeals to a larger audience? Do you want popularity or fame?

Whatever it is, it still goes back to one thing: the Beat. You must fashion it and it you, to interact with your target audience. Choose a more commercial or slick beat if you plan on going pop. The club beat will take you many places. If you have a slower-than-molasses style, consider chopped and screwed, a Southern hip hop staple. If you want high energy, tap into Crunk or Hyphy. It all depends on your audience.

It also depends on your venue. Some places, prefer West Coast, others East Coast and still others, Southern hip hop. Some nights it is just as well to hit the beat of Old School. The clue is in the reaction and preference of your audience. Know this before you sign up to perform. This will allow you to prepare. Hip hop beats? Rap beats?

This does not mean ignoring your own preference and style. It means, however, checking out other forms and seeing if there is compatibility with your personal technique. Do not be afraid to experiment with new beats. It may add depth to your music. If it does not work, at least you will know because you have actually tried it.

Next, extrapolate what you learn from performing into the competitive world of music. It requires the same process. You need the same skills. In fact, you need the feedback of your audiences and countless sampling of various beats and combination of beats before you are ready to face the grueling task of breaking into the music business.

If you decide to prepare a demo or perform live for a producer, make sure you are a true professional. Choose only professional beats that work for you. Whether it is for a crowd or for an individual, know what is popular before you make your move. If it is viable, incorporate the material into your own music via the right beats. Take a lesson from the new masters and learn from the old. The diversification of hip hop, rap, and pop creates a wide variety of beats to tap into and combine. You can take the simpler rhythms of Dirty South and combine the looped drum of Crunk. From this, you can create your own personal form and it may, just may, result in you getting that signing.

Rap beats and great hip hop beats will get you noticed and alow you to stand out from the crowd. So get some rap beats like the major artist do!

At BeatsLocker.com Every Beat APPROVED By TOP A&R Involved In Todays Biggest Hits! Get Access To high Quality Beats Never available before To Indie Artists. Hundreds Of Original High Quality Beats. No "Per Track" Fees! Variety of Styles - Timbaland, Swiss Beatz, Scott Storch, Dre: Rap Beats

Are Advertising Funded Models the Panacea (Music) Indstury is Banking On?

2008-06-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

Literally, every man and his dog within the recorded music business is in a fever pitch talking about how advertising funded models are the way forward. With the likes of Blyk, myspace music store, muzu, We7 and numerous others advocating this new model, perhaps they are right? The real test though, is whether music fans will actually be prepared to sit through advertisements before having access to listen to a track they like. Furthermore, are the models commercially viable in the long-term both for the labels and the artist?

On Monday earlier this week I was in attendance at a digital music event for the independent sector. The panel focusing on advertising funded models contained five proponents and one label. The models were varied yet all had similar commercials in terms of a revenue share split after costs. One model revolved around listening/viewing an advertisement and then having access to a one off stream of the music (We7) pay with "money or time", another discussed the benefits of top and tailing video or audio on each track and once viewed the fan owns the track yet it is Windows Media DRM'd (Spiral Frog). Myspace is a straight play on banner advertising where the label receives a percentage of all advertisements displayed on its catalogue of artist's pages.

All proponents of the ad-funded model are always pushing the line that as it is ad-funded it will be free to the consumer and hence will help curb P2P file sharing and piracy. Are you telling me that a teenager who normally goes to their favorite torrent site and rips all the tunes they want for free, is going to be incentivised to go to a site and have to view or listen to ads before having access to their tune? I would state if anything this is just placing another barrier other than DRM in front of them, which in turn actually de-incentivises the P2P file sharer.

I asked the question who in the audience at this conference would be prepared to view/listen to an advertisement to have access to a free track? Only 15 - 20 percent of the audience half-heartedly put their hands up. In my mind at an industry conference if there is such a low percentage of industry personnel actually buying into an ad-funded model, my suspicion is that the percentage will be a lot lower with music fans on the street.

At this conference, Simon Wheeler Digital Director at Beggers Group stated that if the businesses pushing the ad-funded model cannot even afford to license the music from the ad-funded business model what is the point of a revenue share? In my mind this is a key point. If an ad-funded model does not generate enough income to enable the business to license music, than what is the incentive for a label to agree to a revenue share, as their income derived is obviously not going to be sufficient? How can these businesses expect labels to accept lower than traditional fees for the music to support a business model that on face value seems to be unsustainable.

So what are the commercials (no pun intended) like in terms of payment to labels and further down the chain actual artists? If you look at the myspace model all advertisements are purchased on behalf of brands by media agencies usually on a CPC or CPM model. These models usually purchase advertisement impressions on the website based on £8 - £10 per 1000 ads served. After costs an ad-funded business offering a labels music for free expects labels to accept a revenue share. This would realistically leave labels with a maximum of £3 - £4 per 1000 ads served on their artist's page and this would usually translate to 500 - 1000 song listens.

So what would an artist receive from such ad-funded deals? Generally an artist in the major label category would receive a 16 percentage royalty before producer and packaging deductions and that's if they are lucky enough not to have they royalty halved because the label deems digital to be 'new media'. So 16 percent of say £4 would equate to £0.64 pence to the artist before deductions for 1000 downloads or streams of their song. Understandably many labels are reticent to accept such a model, quite simple due to their unsustainable economic models.

At present this in my mind is a serious stumbling block. Until advertisers are willing to pay higher rates in the digital age for targeted advertising where free music is provided to the end consumer, these models are destined to failure. If anything I view such ad-funded models as a further devaluing of what music offers to the fan and is to the business. To date it is clear that the numerous different subscription models have not been the boon industry wanted, and so I ask the question, will ad-funded models be any different?

Jakomi Mathews - Digital/mobile music consultant, speaker and innovator

Blood and Sex

2008-05-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

I Am Undead: Blood And Sex Story 1

Erotica at its bloodiest

(18 and over only)

"Who could
keep up with it all. Travis inhaled deeply with hopes of getting a good whiff
of her *****"

Travis Muret has accepted the he is one of
the undead. Welcome to the Muret Estate. A place of darkness and
four generations of wealth. Travis lives his life surviving on sex and
blood, and the substantial wealth his family
has accumulated. Sex, blood, money and
his only ally, Devin. The heavy burden of lurking ghosts. Servants
that keep their mouths shut. Rarely do visitors leave alive. This is
his bloody, deviant universe.
Betrayal. And his dark world is about to spiral out of control when his
deadly deeds are illuminated and their legitimacy questioned.

This series opens the doors on the Muret
mansion, where Travis and Devin have confined themselves for years.
Unsuspecting women. Eccentricity. Centuries-old money.
Screams. Blood. Betrayal.
Sex. And No Forgiveness. Blood and Sex Story 1
opens the I Am Undead series by asking the question - Are vampires real?

Only $5.49

The Underground Music Movement of Today

2008-03-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

In cities all around the United States, both large and small, bands are in a garage making earth shattering music. They write with more passion than most do, influenced not by a label, but they pull everything from their lives. They write about their honest dreams and hopes, instead of writing about something a big label has told them to write about.

These musicians have a sense of respect for their music, and are not interested in financially capitalizing off the music, but just want their music and lyrics to influence others the way that their life experiences have influenced them. As a tribute to to what makes them who they are, Indie and underground musicians get famous not because a label had a deal with a radio station, but because their music is truly appreciated by many.

It can be hard to be an Indie musician these days in the United States. Labels make it increasingly harder to remain unique and individual, rather than conform and produce a water-downed 3 minute song with repetitive catchy versus. Progressive rock bands have it hard, because their songs are usually longer than the standard radio song average and follow a less standardized song structure.

For those who love Indie music, there are a variety of ways you can get involved and find more music. Indie websites are my personal favorite, but there are ways such as venues in every city where local musicians play, your friends who can refer musicians, as well as social networking sites where you can meet indie music lovers.

We applaud these musicians who have a "do it yourself" sense of contributing to the arts. The people who are remain pure in their goals, and pour their heart and soul into the music. They provide the trends that major labels follow, and even help set fashion trends. We send a plea to all these indie musicians to not give up, and keep making our lives better by doing what they do best.

I use websites like Pandora to get exposed to more music, my friends are a great resource, and I also find Indie Music Blogs and review websites to find new musicians.

-Jon Sanderson

Music Fundamentals - Intervals

2008-03-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

Intervals are the fundamental building blocks of music allowing us to read and write music, and most importantly, to help us construct chords and harmonies. However words like major, minor, augmented, diminished, enharmonic and compound leave many people a bit confused, hopefully this article will throw some light on the subject.

The ‘distance’ between two notes is known as an interval. This is the difference in pitch between two notes. The size or amount of distance is measured numerically.

If we consider the C scale there are 8 notes; C D E F G A B C numbered from 1 through to 8. As an example the interval from C to G is a 5th as G is 5 notes above C. The interval from C to F is a 4th as F is 4 notes above C.

All intervals are measured from the first note of the scale. These intervals are given a name as well as a numeric value and in order of progression they are: C-D is a major 2nd, C-E is a major 3rd, C-F is a perfect 4th, C-G is a perfect 5th, C-A major 6th, C-B major 7 and finally C-C is a perfect octave.

The intervals that are perfect are so called because they have a certain purity about them that comes from the overtones and upper-partials that are contained within them (these will be explained in another article)

Intervals can be raised or lowered by a half-step/semitone. If a major interval is chromatically reduced by a half-step it becomes a minor interval e.g. C-E is a major 3rd, if it is lowered by a half-step (from C-Eb) the interval becomes a minor 3rd.

If a perfect interval is chromatically reduced by a half-step it becomes a diminished interval i.e. a perfect 4th lowered by a half-step becomes a diminished 4th.

If major or perfect intervals are raised by a half-step then they become an augmented interval i.e. a perfect 5th would become an augmented 5th.

Compound intervals are those that extend into the 2nd octave. C to D (in the next octave) is called either a major 9th or a compound major 2nd. C to F (next octave) is a perfect 11th or a compound perfect 4th.

Enharmonic intervals are those that differ in name but not pitch, for example C-G# is an augmented 5th and C-Ab is a minor 6th.

When intervals are inverted they reverse the relative position of the notes. C-G (perfect 5th) becomes G-C which is a perfect 4th, a 3rd would become a 6th. Perfect intervals when inverted remain perfect e.g. C-G being a perfect 5th would become a perfect 4th when inverted, a major becomes minor, minor becomes major, diminished becomes augmented and augmented becomes diminished.

These rules apply to all scales.

About The Author

Nigel Rowles

1986 Diploma in Music – Classical Guitar Major. I have been performing for 34 years either as solo instrumentalist, in duos, trios and in rock bands playing guitar or bass guitar. 10 years ago I started teaching guitar, bass and music theory which led me to independently writing, producing and publishing The Guitar Instruction, Musicianship & Reference Manual with DVD on Left & Right Hand Techniques.

http://www.nofretguitarlessons.com.au

Where Do I Fit In - Lennon

2008-03-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

Me Gustan Todos

2008-03-17T01:31:00.000-07:00

Starting A Musical Career

2008-03-12T16:13:00.000-07:00

Beginning a musical career can be difficult if you do not know how to break into the mainstream industry. Everyone has dreams and yours are no less important, but unless you know the right people to contact or the best businesses to approach, you could be left floundering in one spot, unable to move forward and unable to go back. If you are looking to carry your singing, acting, performing, or unique career forward to the next level, you will need to know what kind of people to consult and where to go.

Depending on what exactly you are searching for you should find an excellent music consultant. There are companies locally that are available to assist you in determining what music would best suit you, or how to best go about presenting your music you have either written or had written for you. Your performance is directly related to your ability and your presentation and if you have someone that is qualified in that aspect, it will help to move your career further ahead in the right direction that much faster.

The ins and outs of the music industry can be extremely overwhelming to the layman and offers no respite to singers and performers alike, regardless of your talent. You need a music industry consultant to help you understand everything you will be involved in and help you keep a fresh perspective on what will be involved in your journey to the top. With their help and assistance you will be able to better understand everything surrounding your endeavors. Although they can only show you the way to a certain limit, their input will be helpful toward setting your goals and accomplishing them.

Looking at things from the other end of the business spectrum, engaging the assistance of a music business consultant is another excellent way of getting a handle on the music industry from a business perspective to better fulfill any goals you are trying to achieve. There are various fronts to the business aspect of music, and knowing the right people can raise your chances of succeeding. The business end of show business can be confusing, but hiring the right consultant can put you in a better place to understand and use the benefits to move up and forward toward the career you desire.

Keep these in mind when you are beginning your music, singing, or acting career. There will be many ups and downs during your journey, why make them any more difficult than necessary?

About The Author

Ty Cohen
Platinum Millennium Publishing
PO Box 644
Garner, NC 27529

Ty@PlatinumMillennium.com
1-866-752-9968
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Esto Es Para Mi - Alfa Feat. Reviver

2008-03-10T16:05:00.001-07:00

The New Master of Latin Hip-Hop

2008-03-03T03:20:00.000-08:00

Jonathan Espinosa, better known as "REVIVER" was born in the Dominican Republic on June 18. His music career starts at the age of 10 when he used to write and sing for his own entertainment. In 2000 “REVIVER” arrives to The United State looking for a better future. Soon he earned respect and admiration of others through his music. At the beginning of 2007 "REVIVER" started working on his new album which is going to be called "IT IS WHAT IT IS". Along side with the number 1 reggaeton producer of New York City (GAME-G). REVIVER has had open shows and shared the stage with most of the famous reggaeton artists such as: Tito El Bambino, Zion, Lennox, Calle 13, Ivy Queen, Arcangel, LDA, De La Getto, Alexis y Fido, Tego Calderon, Hector El Father and many more. At this moment REVIVER is working on his own without the help of any record company. He has been featured in many mix tapes. His songs get play on some internet radio stations, and in most of the major radio stations in the Dominican Republic. To find out more about REVIVER, his music, videos, shows and more visit www.myspace.com/revivermusic

Your career started at the age of 10. When did you know that you wanted to seriously pursue a music career?
REVIVER: I always used to write songs and sing for my own entertainment. My friends back in high school used to tell me how good I was at doing music and ask me how come I didn’t do it professionally. Then after I graduated from high school I decided it was time for me to show the world what I had to offer musically.

What was your first step towards a professional music career?
REVIVER: I had to opportunity to meet the best music producer in the Spanish side of urban music in New York City “Game G”. I guess that’s how I got started into doing music professionally. It was like I was in high school and working with him was like going to college. I can say own my music career to him in a way. He is the one that helped me develop my skills as an artist and showed me how to do it professionally.

There are a ton of artists out there. Some with talent and some with just a gimmick. However, there are a lot of talented artists out there who don’t have major deals. What makes you unique as an artist?
REVIVER: My style, the way I write, the way I think, the way I treat my fans. I always say I don’t have fans I have family.

What’s your career philosophy?
REVIVER: Well I can tell you this; every single song I write has to do with something that happened to me or to someone close to me. What I am by this is that I don’t write non sense songs like a lot of artists do. My philosophy on my career is that everything happens for a reason and you should always see what positive you can get out of a negative. So I never give up no matter what.

What’s your idea of success? When do you know you have accomplished what you wanted to accomplish with your music career?
REVIVER: Success to me is when I bring my message through my music to someone who can identify itself with the lyrics in my songs. I guess to me if I got to reached a least one person who can say “that song is like it was wrote to tell my story what I am going through” I could say I’ve succeeded. I don’t do it for the money and the fame. I do it so people can relate to my songs.

Full Interview Available In Downloaded Issue

King of the Heights

2008-03-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

Music Recommendations

Minus P
I don’t buy if I hate it. And I just bought Minus P’s latest release only two days before this issue was to be distributed. I had another artist to recommend, but I was feeling this collection of some of the hottest Latin hip-hop tracks I’ve bought in a while. Minus P has an amazing ability to take it to the streets and keep it gritty and switch up and serenade the ladies without sounding corner. What it all boils down to is LYRICS. And Minus P got a notepad full of hot lyrics that continues to deliver from track to track. Get it, right now!

MinsP.com

White Girl Soul

2008-03-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Stephanie Anderson
You got to love anyone whose musical influences range from Led Zeppelin and Tom Petty and cross all kinds of spectrums to Mary J. Blige and Lauryn Hill. Sound like a stretch? Maybe not. What do all her influences have in common? Soul. And she’s got it. I’m not saying that just because she’s from my home state. She got something deep inside her music that touches you from the bottom of your feet and works its way to your heart. Beautiful woman. Beautiful personality. Beautiful Music.

StephanieAndersonMusic.com

the YUU premier issue

2008-02-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

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In This Issue:

Love's Beautiful Randy Love's average day in the
REAL Miami. Beat-downs by street thugs, drunk, no money, and hoping his
wife will come home.

Interview Reviver's one of the hottest indie
Reggaeton artists and one of the most humble.

Pernosta Series If it's
off-beat, wacky, eccentric and a little street, it probably happened in Pernosta

Music Recommendations White girl soul and the gritty in Latin hip-hop

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Goal Setting 101

2007-09-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

Let’s pretend you are a married and approaching your very first anniversary. Being the first anniversary, it’s special to you and your spouse. Your spouse wants to take a trip to some exotic local in South America. How do you honor that request and make sure it’s the most special day you have shared together? Surely, you wouldn’t day waiting the day before the anniversary to buy plane tickets and reserve a hotel room. You plan it months in advance. You gather all the information you need to know about traveling to South America, and then you narrow the knowledge down into a travel plan.

First, you decide where you are going? Then, you find out as much as possible about that location. Then, you discover how to travel there and how much it costs to get there. You choose the cheapest method to traveling to your destination. Then, you plan what you will do once you arrive. Where are you going to sleep? Or are you going to take showers in the airplane restrooms? You also determine what sites you will visit and plan a list of potential vacation activities.

Often times, we set goals with out consciously thinking about it. You fill up your gas tank on Sunday night to make sure you get to work on time Monday morning. Your goal was to get to work on time. You planned ahead a way to accomplish this goal. You probably thought about getting up earlier Monday morning, but you knew after a great weekend that getting up earlier was going to be impossible. The filling stations from your house to your office building are always packed with morning commuters. So, you concluded that it was best that you filled up the night before. Monday morning, you made it to work early.

Getting to work is a smaller goal associated with larger goals. You get to work on time to accomplish the goal to keep your job. You want to keep your job to accomplish the goal to receive money on payday. You want to receive money on payday to accomplish the goal of paying the mortgage. You pay the mortgage to accomplish the goal of having a shelter. Each smaller goal helps to accomplish the larger goal of providing shelter.

You want to be successful in real estate. Now, you’re going to have to learn how to consciously set goals. Each goal you set leads to obtaining what you ultimately want. To reach the top of a ladder, you have to take a step at a time. If you don’t, you may lose your footing, fall off the ladder and break something. Setting goals is a secure step towards accomplish what you truly want. If your desire is to sell two properties a year, you will have to recognize that you can’t just walk out in the street and ask people if they want to buy property. Most basketball players can’t stand underneath the basket, perform an elaborate movement in the air and then expect their dunks to fall perfectly in the baskets. Usually, they start with a running start. You have to do the same, stand back look at the goal (pun intended), assess it, then decide how to get their and make your slam dunk.

No one can pick up a book about real estate today and be a million-dollar success story in the newspaper tomorrow. And saying in Hollywood reads, “It takes ten years to be an overnight success.” Over the ten years, the actor or producer, made small moves along the way that increased in notoriety step by step. Finally, he was offered a project that gave him more than critical acclaim, but audience financial approval. How would you know if you were successful? Receiving lots of money? Receiving praise? It’s very important for you to first define what success in real estate means to you. That’s going to be your destination. Without a roadmap of what you want, where you want to go, and how you plan to get there, you won’t notice where there is nor success if if fell out of the sky spelled out with bricks.

How many times have you watched a television show interview with a superstar actor, or a grand prize sweepstakes winner and you heard some variation of these words during the conversation, “Money has made my life miserable. I just want everybody to know that money can’t buy you happiness.” It’s true. Most of the times you hear statements like this it comes from the newly rich. This happens because they person never had any clearly define goals. The only goal they had in life was to get a lot of money. Then, what? Pay your bills? You’re already paying your bills. What do you want the money for? What do you do with the money after you have it? What’s the basic human need that you want to satisfy?

Remember getting to work early so that you could keep your job, so that you could get a paycheck, so that you could pay the mortgage? The basic human need was to provide shelter for you and your family. Dig deep enough into your wants and desire you may find that you’re satisfying basic human needs. Food, waters, shelter, love, companionship, etc.

The best method to live by is setting a goal for the perfect life. What would make your life perfect? Visualize every aspect of the perfect life. Who would be there to share it with you? What are you sharing? How did you get what you are sharing? Day-dreaming may seem childish, but dreams we had as children are the very things we pursue to achieve in our adult lives. Learn to dream again.

Snap out of it. You had that dream life handed it to you in that dream world. Your adrenaline should be pumping now. Are you asking yourself, “How can I make my dream life a reality?” That’s why we set goals. We give ourselves something to strive for and inadvertently add meanings to our lives. If you’re not already mentally conjured ways to create your dream life, then you might not really want that life.

If you have a desire to accomplish a large task, it is infinitely easier to accomplish that large task if you break it down into smaller more readily achievable tasks. Completing the smaller tasks helps to achieve the larger goal. Each smaller accomplishment gets you one step closer to the larger accomplishment.

Most people don’t know how to set the right goals. A lot of times, the goals we set are too broad to accomplish. There’s no way to gage success when you’re reaching for anything and everything. In a lot of occasions, we also set unreasonable time restraints on ourselves for accomplishing those goals. Creative thinking and proper knowledge of the task at hand can eliminate misjudgments in time.

I understand the importance of setting goals. How do I set achievable goals? How do I think clearly about what I truly want? Where do I start?

A successful investor has five identifiable characteristics:

Burning Desire to Succeed

The desire to succeed is the fuel that drives your internal motor to greatness. That is the adrenaline that keeps you working later than your competition. It’s the one thing that keeps your eyelids from closing when you have to get that last chapter of that book finished. Here’s where you ask yourself the toughest questions. What about real estate do I love? What will succeeding in real estate bring to my life? What do I consider success in real estate?

It’s important that you set goals that you really want to achieve in your heart. If you love it, you can live it, and put the extra effort into making things happen. Once you narrow down what you really want and the reasons you want them, you will feel the adrenaline pumping. That desire will burn. But you have to think critically about your desires. If you really don’t want to be involved in real estate, and the fire doesn’t burn, then figure out what you do like and what you do want. The burning desire is not going to be there is you don’t receive benefits from accomplishing the goals.

Be Decisive In Nature

Try narrowing your goals all the way down to the human need. What specifically is it going to accomplish for me on a human level. Let’s say the goal is to complete your administrative work before the end of each week. You end up taking your administrative work home because you want to show as many properties as possible. The administrative work is backlogged. You’ve heard of virtual assistants that are secretaries without desks in front of your main office.

It’s been nearly a month and the disorganization is costing you business. This disorganization issue can cost you tons more business. Three weeks ago, you should have asked yourself the question. Can I do all this work by myself? No. Can I afford to use a virtual assistant? Yes. It’s best to keep constantly evaluating your business and your goals. Answer your own questions honestly. Make decisive adjustments. Don’t allow yourself to be held back by indecision.

Be Goal Oriented

Every aspect of your life benefits from setting goals. Make setting goals a habit in your life. Of course, you don’t want to overload yourself. Set one goal. Set one small goal, then accomplish it. Enjoy the emotional reward of accomplishing that goal. Have a plan so you don’t end up wandering aimlessly to nowhere.

Specialized Knowledge

It is so easy for us to want to do it all. We want out hands in every cookie jar, just in case someone else’s cookies taste better. In order to set clear and pointed career goals, you have to have more than just a basic knowledge of what you’re getting into. What areas of real estate interest you more? That’s where your focus should lie. Specialized knowledge helps to keep that desire burning. The more you learn about real estate in your specialized area, the more you can visualize those benefits.

Ever hear, “Jack of all trades, master of none?” If there is a property dispute, who will you call, an entertainment lawyer or a real estate attorney? The entertainment lawyer may know a little about property disputes that he remembers from college, but the guy with the real estate attorney is going to wipe the courtroom clean with you. You can even make yourself an expert in location. Specialize your knowledge to build your own little market area within the market. Attend any seminars in your local area that address what you specifically want to explore in real estate.

Join A Team

The best way to learn to set the right goals is by watching others in real estate. Be a part of a mastermind team that shares the same or similar goals. You’re learning from someone else right now. You’ve learned from someone else all your life. It’s how we humans pass down knowledge. Seeing someone else with the same aspirations set goals and accomplish them should motivate you to be more aware of the actions you are taking or are not taking.

Search the internet for local groups that meet once a week or once a month. Join these groups and associations. Within the associations, ask around for a mentor. Before you seek a mentor to lead you, make sure you are ready to achieve. Don’t ask someone else to believe in your future if you haven’t decided what your future will be.

Before you can set any goals, you have to first determine what it is that you want. Since you are reading a real estate course, it is obvious that you want to succeed in real estate. But, what does succeeding in real estate mean for you? Think about it further. There are many tiers and levels of real estate investing. Which areas of real estate get you excited? Would you prefer to buy and sell properties or buy properties and rent them out for steady income? Narrow down your desires to make them clear and attainable. Remember, if your goals are too broad, it makes it harder to define what needs to be done to achieve them.

Once you have made the decision of where you want to focus, then you decide what you want to achieve in this area of real estate? It’s okay to have several goals, but focus on one major goal at a time. Once you get better at achieving goals, then you will be better equipped to set multiple goals and more organized to achieve all of them. Write down the most important desire for you.

Now that you have narrowed down the major goal you want to achieve in your specified area of real estate, take the time to write down everything you believe you need to do before you will be able to accomplish that major goal. If your list is very short or extremely long, it may mean that you don’t know enough about real estate to truly be sure that these are the steps you must take to achieve that major goal. Number one on that list should be education. Take some time to educate yourself on what needs to be done in your specified area of real estate. Your goal is to be an expert in your field. You want to avoid attempts to learn everything. If you put too much pressure on yourself to learn everything, your competition will beat you every time because their clients want someone who know everything about what they want.

After you’ve done some educating on your specified real estate topic, it will make it easier for you to re-write your goal list. How long do you think it should reasonably take you to achieve your ultimate goal? 10 years? What on your list should be accomplished by year 5? What on your list should be accomplished in two years? What do you want to accomplish by the end of the first year?

The goal that you accomplish after the first year, should be a step towards accomplish your two year goal. Whatever you have set to accomplish in two years, should move you thank much closer to your five year goal. And likewise, the five year goal must be set to get you that much closer to your 10 year goal.

Break down your goals even further. What need to be done to reach your one year goal? Make a list. What on the list would you like to have accomplished in six month? Break that down even further to five months, four months, until you get down to what you want to accomplish in the next thirty days.

You have written down what you want to accomplish in the next thirty days. What can you do in the next week to get closer to reaching that thirty day goal? Find a memo pad or one of those “thing-to-do-today” pads. Each morning review your list of goals. Ask yourself, “What can I do today to make sure I meet my goal by the end of the week?” Try not to overload yourself. Make the goals small enough to be accomplished, but meaningful enough to take you to that next level.