Edmund's Entertainment Corner

Entertainment: It's a Business
Becoming a Professional Recording Artist

As a recording artist and record company owner, I feel it is necessary to share some of my knowledge with up and coming musicians and fellow artists looking to break in to the entertainment industry. The entertainment industry has many barriers to entry and is full of many people and companies ready and willing to take advantage of others trying to achieve a dream. I hope this series gives people some needed info. I will not only focus on the music industry, but other facets of the entertainment business as well. Being a recording artist myself, I will of course begin with music. Make use of this info, because not too many will give it to you for free.

Before you embark
First and foremost, know yourself. Regardless of the type of music you want to make, recognizing which aspect of your personality you want to channel will help you determine the type of artist you want to be. After you get yourself together, nurture your creativity by surrounding yourself with creative people. Seek out the community of artists in your area and make organic connections. This is not the time to be in a networking frame of mind where you make connections strictly for business and career purposes. This is the time where you are in a learning frame of mind; making connections that will help you grow as an artist. Be an observer. Go to open mics, and performances from other artists within and outside your genre. The more you interact with other creative people, the bigger network pool you will have-and will be more meaningful and lasting because the connections were born of honesty and not greed. Before you know it, you will have a pool of people to select from for team members. Those team members will be vital in helping and guiding you to become a professional in the music business.

It is my opinion that regardless of being a performer, producer, or songwriter, you should be able to write a song. I believe it will give you an insight  to the mechanics of a song, which you would not have if you just focused on being just a performer, producer, or songwriter. During your observation and learning time you should also write everyday. The big misconception here is the thought that it has to be a full song or verse. Writing one line or a concept for a song is sufficient and will be beneficial in the long term. Keep in mind that everyone creates differently. This is why it is important to be in a community of artists. You can glean from them what works, how they deal with writer's block, and possibly some inspiration. Write about something that relates to you directly or indirectly. All your music does not need to be about self reflection and insight, or specifically about events in your life. If you want to write about the circus then write about the circus. Far too many writers over think and get caught up in trying to be witty, or prolific, or appeasing their audience. Writing should be simple, not to the point of nonsense where it seems you don't care, but with integrity and will. In the next segment I will discuss performances and recording a demo.

Ellison a.k.a Edmund Starbanks

Edmund's Community Corner

September 22nd in History

2008: Adjei Matthew Sarbeng is born @ 12:59 pm
2004: LOST premieres on ABC (This is also the date Oceanic Flight 815 crashes!)
1997: Elton John releases 'Candle in the Wind '97', his tribute to Princess Diana
1996: Nolan Ryan pitches his last game at age 46
1991: California University announces Dead Sea Scrolls find
1986: L.A. Dodger Fernando Valenzuela is first Mexican to win 20 games, 35 countries sign Stockholm disarmament treaty
1985: The Cosby Show, Tyne Daly, & Cagney and Lacey win at the 37th Emmy Awards
1980: John Lennon and Yoko Ono sign to Geffen Records
1971: U.S. performs nuclear tests in Nevada
1950: Ralph J. Bunche is the first black recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
1915: America's first Black Catholic College, Xavier University, opens in New Orleans, LA
1911: Cy Young beats Pitts 1-0 for career victory number 511 in his final game
1908: Bulgaria declares its independence from the Ottoman Empire
1903: Italo Marchiony is granted patent for ice cream cone (one of the most heavily disputed inventions to date)
1893: First automobile is built in U.S. (Charles Duryea and Frank Duryea) and tested in Springfield, MA
1888: First issue of National Geographic is published
1862: President Lincoln delivers the Emancipation Proclamation, announcing that all slaves will be free on Jan 1, 1863
1789: Office of Postmaster General is created under the Treasury Department
1776: Nathan Hale is hanged by the British, accused of spying
1692: Last person hanged for witchcraft in Salem, MA

-Edmund

Edmund's Community Corner-Call to action

These two stories aired on the premier of America's Most Wanted on Sept 12th

AMW.com | Unknown Jennifer Schuett Abductor - Fugitive
Let's Catch This Bastard

As an 8  yr old girl Jennifer was abducted and from her bedroom by a man who crawled through her window. He took her to a remote area and stole her innocence then slit her throat leaving her to die. Luckily she survived and was found by some children playing hide and seek and now she's fighting back. Help her find this bastard so he can pay for what he did

Click the link below to read the full story on AMW.COM.

.AMW.com | Unknown Jennifer Schuett Abductor - Fugitive

Help find Lily Aramburo, who has been missing for two yrs.

Click the link below to find out more.

http://justiceinmiami.blogspot.com



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Edmund's Movie Rants

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

I will try not to reveal too much about this movie as much as possible. For an action movie Rise of Cobra does not disappoint; however the acting is much to be desired. Then again, what's new when it comes to action movies. Your main characters: Ripcord (Marlon Wayans), Duke (ChanningTatum), The Baroness (Sienna Miller), Snake Eyes (Ray Park), Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), and Storm Shadow (Lee Beeyong-heon).

The basic plot of the movie is to prevent the annihilation of the world by techno WMD's. Channing Tatum's "acting" is very hard to watch and quite honestly almost ruined this movie for me. He is not convincing as a no holds barred tactical soldier, however his cast mates manage to save him. Tatum plays Duke, a Special-Ops soldier who along with Ripcord (Wayans) has been assigned to safeguard neo-tech weapons. After being ambushed they are then recruited by General Hawk (Dennis Quaid) to be part of a highly specialized covert international team to recover the weapons. Not surprisingly, the movie is chock full of action sequences that do not disappoint nor dominate to the point that you feel like the entire film is just one long action sequence. Throughout the film are flashbacks a la Lost that indicate how the characters in the film became the Heroes and Villains they are today. Thankfully the flashbacks are not a distraction and actually correlate to the storyline quite well.

Sienna Miller as The Baroness-and Ana-does a good job and is one of two characters that I enjoyed more than others (Snake Eyes is the other character). Her character is strong and kicks ass consistently throughout the film until all of a sudden the obligatory damsel in distress nonsense is injected and makes your stomach churn. Her fight scene with Scarlett (Nichols) is enough to make you forget-not forgive-the ridiculous departure from her strength. I suppose it is meant to demonstrate her digress to Ana, but it is not done seamlessly; annoying but not detrimental.

Portions of the film come off as made for T.V., especially when the flashback of how Cobra came to be was shown. I personally feel more could have been put into this given the title of the film is The Rise of Cobra. Albeit the misses, the hits are enough to make G.I. Joe a fun movie for a Friday/Saturday night.

I give The Rise of Cobra a modified Spend that doe:Full price the joint! but take your own refreshments rating.

Happy watching. Edmund

Edmund's Movie Rants Ratings: Don't Bother, DVD That Beast, Spend that doe: Full price the joint!

Edmund's Technoblasts

Edmund's Top 5 Father's Day Gifts under $100

On Sunday, June 21st get Dad a meaningful gift without breaking the bank. Looking for a great gift for the man who has everything, but you don't have much money? I have compiled a list of the 5 best gifts under $100 for dear old Dad.

1. Guitar Hero World Tour Wireless Bundle $89.99

Join Dad as he lives his dream of being a rockstar with this great family freindly game. This bundle includes the game and the guitar! Available for all major game consoles (Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, and PS2). Take a further look here.

2. Seagate Free Agent Go 320GB External Hard Drive $89.99

Give Dad a gift that will allow him to organize all his photos, music, movies and other multimedia in compact, stylish place. Ample storage space, USB 2.0 for fast data transfers, and bundled software for data encryption and synchronization. Cool gift for the tech savvy Dad. Click here for full specs. Visit Seagate.com to take a closer look.

3. Insignia Portable Speaker w/Bluetooth $59.99

An economical choice for the Dad who needs music "everywhere". The ability to connect to any portable device via Bluetooth makes this an invaluable purchase. Great sound for a small well priced speaker. Click here for more info.

4. Kodak EasyShare LCD Digital Frame $99.99

Great gift for all Dads. 300:1 contrast ratio, WiFi enabled, Mp3 player, wirleless picture mail, abd media card slots for easy photo uploads and it even plays mini-movies! A good idea to load it up with memorable pictures before presenting it to Dad.

More info here

5. Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 $70.95

Small, clips to virtually any flat panel easily and it captures HD quality video and pictures. Skype is bundled free to give Dad a great way to video conference with loved ones. Buy one here

As you can see there are great gifts you can get Dad for under a $100; so you don't have to resort to magic beans. Of course if buying a gift is not possible, spending quality time with Dad is priceless.

--Edmund

Edmund's Technoblasts

Top 5 Father's Day Gifts under $250

Father's Day is June 21, 2009. Show dad some love and appreciation by foregoing the uninspiring tie and opt for a tech gift that is sure to leave an impression and a smile on dear old dad's face.

1. Sony BDP S350 Blu-Ray Player $209 @ Best Buy

Regularly $249.99 this Blu-Ray player boasts 1080p, support for Dolby TrueHD, and BD-Live makes this a bargain from the company that invented Blu-Ray. Unbridled picture quality and impressive digital sound make for a truly cinematic experience. Click here to purchase and read reviews.

2. Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade Bundle $199

As the #2 selling console in America the Xbox 360 offers gaming entertainment for all ages. A vast library of games, unbelievable graphics, and the award winning Xbox Live experience will make Dad a happy camper. Access to Netflix, and soon facebook are features that will make the Xbox 360 a device that the whole family can enjoy. Click here for more info and purchase options.

3. Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote $179 @ Best Buy

This item also retails for $249.99 but is currently on sale @ Best Buy for $179.99. Do you hate having 10 different remotes laying around, cluttering up everything? The Logitech Harmony One is a great solution to your multi remote loathing. Rechargable battery, support for up to 5,000 brands, usb connectivity for online updates and troubleshooting, compatibility with Windows and Mac, and CNET.com's editor choice award; need I say more?!

4. Samsung SL620 12.2 Megapixel Digital Camera $199

Sleek, compact, and lightweight. 5x digital and 5x optical zoom gives you up to 25x total zoom. High resolution with up to 8GB external storage can't be beat. Click here for a full spec of this execptional economic camera.

5. Garmin-nuvi 265WT GPS $204.99

First the price is $204.99 after a $125 instant price cut. Integrated maps, expansion slot, bright 4.3" touchscreen, turn by turn directions with voice and automatic re-routing when Dad misses the turn on his shortcut. Great accessory to bring on family trips and get-togethers and best of all it's portable so you can take with you on hikes or when you're exploring a new city! Click here for more info.

Just a few suggestions for those frustrated or at a loss on what to get Dad for Father's Day. Be on the lookout for my next post when I list the top 5 Father's Day gifts under $100. Happy Shopping.

--Edmund

Edmund's Technoblasts

iPhone 3G S

What's old is new

On June 9, 2009 Apple Inc. announced the iPhone 3G S. The S stands for speed (Apple's words, not mine), however you may not be able to take advantage of that speed due to AT&T not having viable network capability to support it.  There are features that are bundled with iPhone OS 3.0 and therefore will not be mentioned since any iPhone user can get them. Let's take a look at the new features of the iPhone 3G-S

1. Up to 2x faster than the iPhone 3G
   
2. Video Camera
3. 3MP Camera (still no flash!)
4. Voice Control
5. Compass
6. Accessibility

The Rundown: Mobile devices have had voice command for a very long time now so the inclusion of it on the iPhone is not exciting, it's expected. The fact that I can use it to control my music is a nice feature but not a wow factor. This is also true of the video camera, however, having the ability to edit out a clip of the video and post it to my favorite sharing site is a great feature. The camera has been upgraded to 3MP and has autofocus along with a feature that allows you to tap on any portion of the photo to adjust the focus on the tapped item-nice feature. Apple still has not included a flash, which is disheartening, because it would have made a world of difference. A digital compass is built in to the new iPhone which works with Google Maps to let you know which way you are facing by automatically rotating the map specific to your orientation-ok feature, but there are GPS apps that already does this for you. Another features is the Accessibility package, which includes VoiceOver-on screen reader, TTY support, High Contrast, and Mono Audio-channel audio signal to one earbud for those with hearing impairment.

Overall, the actual new features are not enough for me to recommend the iPhone 3G S. The form factor of the iPhone is what makes it a great and innovative mobile device. Apple has successfully integrated a phone and desktop into one device; however, going through multiple versions to get features that everyone expects and already has on other devices is what is keeping Apple from surpassing RIM in the mobile device arena.

-Edmund

Follow me on Twitter! twitter.com/edmundstarbanks 

Edmund's Technoblasts

iPhone 3.o

Upcoming iPhone/iPod Touch 3.0 update (Specific to users and not developers)


The bulk of the update for the iPhone/and iPod Touch are more for developers rather than end users. Great new ways for you to monetize your application and nickel and dime your customers. If you are hoping to create the next great app or be the next Trism story; then you should be very excited about this update, if not; then you should feel like Apple has finally got its proverbial head out of the sand (or something else if you prefer). The upcoming update for the iPhone and iPod Touch finally addresses many of the issues users have bemoaned about since their debut. Never mind the fact that Apple addresses end users at the end of the keynote. Now that the disclaimer that Apple should have expressed, let's take a look at what is in store for the end user.

The pluses: MMS, Bluetooth 3.o support/USB Tethering, Cut, Copy, and Paste, and core applications getting a landscape keyboard.

The minuses: iPod Touch users still have to pay for the upgrade-ridiculous.

Check back later when the final release comes out. At the moment Apple is on its fifth beta version, which you can only get if you are a developer.

--Edmund

Edmund's Technoblasts

Edmund's Top 5 Electronics Wish List

1. Archos 7 Internet Media Tablet
The Archos 7 has a gorgeous 7" touchscreen, which you can utilize with your hands or a stylus. Storage capacity is 160 GB or 320GB. This wonderful multimedia device boasts WiFi, built in speakers, email, contacts management, and up to 39 hrs of music playback and up to 10 hrs of video playback.(Full specs here) Throw in the ability to view attachements, read PDF's, attach periphials, REMOVABLE BATTERY (Apple take note!), and a kick stand to watch videos hands free and you virtually have the perfect media device. Did I mention that you can purchase an accessory to record live TV! For full portability opt for the Archos 5G which includes a slot for your SIM card for unlimited fun on your cell phone network.

2. Blackberry Bold
Quite possibly the best Blackberry to date. Sleek, crytal clear hi res screen, feature laden, and light as a feather; you can't go wrong with this device! See my previous post and full review by Clicking Here.

3. Samsung LN46A950 46" LCD HDTV
When it comes to HDTVs, Samsung knows what they're doing. 46" screen, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio with LED backlight, and of course, 1080p; need I say more? Yes! Take full advantage of 4 (yes 4) HDMI ports! 3 in the back and one on the side. InfoLink RSS feed for up to the minute news, sports and stock info. Stream video, photos, music and other media with the embedded patented DLNA ethernet port with a touch of a button on the TV's remote! Pardon my getting colloquial, but c'mon man! Take a further look here.



4. Pogo Plug  
Voted G4TV's best of the Best for CES 2009 and Popular Mechanics' 2009 Editor's choice, the Pogo Plug by CloudEngines is off to a great start. The best thing about the Pogo Plug is that using it is as simple as plugging it into the wall. Exactly! Plug the Pogo into any outlet, connect any USB storage device and voila! you can access those items on your wireless network. If you are thinking Apple's Airport Express; stop right there. There is nothing to install with Pogo Plug. Just register your Pogo Plug (How Pogo Plug Works) on their website with the unique ID and you are ready to go! You can even access the files via the internet on their website from any computer or mobile device-even iPhone/iPod Touch (no more clunky ftp sites)! (Visit the PogoPlug Site)

5. Oqo Model 2+
Another Popular Mechanics 2009 Editor's Choice, the Oqo Model 2+ is a fully functional PC that fits in your pocket! Touting 2GB of ram, Intel Atom processor, up to 120 GB of HDD storage or 60GB SSD (Solid State Drive a.k.a Flash Drive) your choice of Windows XP or Vista (stick with XP until Windows 7 arrives) and a HDMI port, this media device packs quite a punch. Since you have the full blown Windows operating system at your fingertips you can take advantage of using full blown Applications on the go in the palm of your hand! For more info click here.

Comments are always welcome.

Edmund Starbanks