1. Russell Simmons and Universal Music Group are teaming up to bring the
world the next big thing: All Def Digital (ADD). ADD, an acronym that has come to
symbolize today’s youth as the short-attention span generation, will offer music,
comedy, poetry, and scripted programs on the All Def Digital YouTube multi-
channel. Steve Rifkind, the man who founded Loud Records and brought us the likes
of Wu-Tang Clan, will be All Def Digital’s first CEO. All Def Digital will bring ‘hip-pop’
music to a young generation that grew up with an MTV that played scripted
programs. All Def Digital will fill a whole in the market: Russell and his team will
provide an outlet that comedy, music, and poetry desperately need. All Def Digital
will bring a plethora of music, comedy, and poetry to the world merely through
subscription to their YouTube multi-channel.
App Submission
The App.
The App.
If done correctly, the ADD app has the potential to be the most
powerful and profitable tool in the companies’ arsenal. However, the term “done
correctly,” is an extremely delicate concept, that, if misunderstood, could yield the
app an unnecessary (and costly) appendage of the main site. In the analysis of
successful companies it becomes evident that one of the major determinants of
success is efficiency. Furthermore, in the infancy stages of a company, every single
thing must pass the efficiency test. That is, every component must add substantial

2. value to the total operation, or it risks sinking the whole ship. Therefore, the app
must be a feature that does not merely accompany the main site, it must enhance it.
I believe the best way to do so is by making the mobile app a platform that differs
from the online platform. If done correctly, the two will synergistically enhance one
another. If done incorrectly, the two will simply be redundant. The youtube mobile
platform is a great example of a redundant relationship. Yes, it does allow you to
check out artists or videos on the go, and may warrant limited use, but its nature
does not warrant continuous or even daily use. And even worse, it does not
synergistically enhance the online youtube product. A great example of a synergist
relationship is that of Facebook and Instagram. The online Facebook experience and
the mobile Instagram app are two completely different platforms. Instagram offers a
product and value that Facebook does not- effective and immediate sharing of
photographs that are guaranteed to get greater buzz and feedback than if shared on
Facebook. Facebook offers a platform broader in reach and content than Instagram.
By intertwining the two platform's relationships, they each mutually enhance one
another, in service and number of users. This should be the model for ADD. The app
needs to enhance the user-ship of the online product, and the online product needs
to increase use of the app. Below I will list a number of creative ideas on how to do
that.
Theory on the app.
In the app space, simplicity is always, always, always best. If TV is the
breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and ADD is aiming to be the constant snacking of the
media world, then the app will be the ultimate snack. Not the snack you have to go

3. “back to the pantry” to grab, but the snack that you always have in your backpack-
ready to go. Ready to distract. The one you eat way too damn much of, because, well,
its just always there and its so damn easy. In order to make the app this ultimate
snack a few things must be done. Firstly, it needs to be accessible. Immediately.
People have minimal patience, and even less when they're supposed to be listening
to a lecture on linear algebra. Therefore, buffering time needs to be non-existent.
The recommendation engine needs to be perfect. People are not going to search for
their snack, it needs to be sitting on a platter right there in front of them. And, even
more importantly, it needs to be their very favorite snack. consistent delivery of
their favorite “snacks” will result in habit formation. The most activity we can expect
of the user is for them to use their thumb to scroll down. We cannot expect for them
to search, or even click on things. Therefore, content needs to be delivered
immediately- think vine or Instagram. We therefore, need to create an easy way for
users to interact with the app. If we are able to get them to interact then they are
both more likely to stay on the app for longer periods of time, and every time they
interact they are providing us with information. We can then sell this information,
use it to provide specific marketing, use it to further manipulate them, and
ultimately recommend even more effective “snacks.” Every time a user interacts
with the app it gives us an opportunity for synergism, where we can then increase
the likelihood that they will also interact with the online platform. An example of a
way to do this is as follows. All of an individual's liked videos and content on the
mobile platform will be accessible and organized on their online profile. Then, when
people want to brag about all the cool stuff they found online, they will go online

4. and access their profile (think tumblr or stumbledupon). As they re watch their
content, this gives us an opportunity to recommend other content on the ADD
platform. As the user begins exploring new ADD content this gives us the
opportunity to complete the synergistic loop and send increased activity back to the
app. We do so by creating a following feature where users online or on the app get a
get a feed of content that other users “post.” This not only completes the loop, but
creates enhanced community. Below I will present a more concrete idea of how the
app will be experienced.
A user clicks on the app and is immediately presented with their feed.
This feed will include all the content posted from those ADD artists to whom they
subscribe, as well as content reposted by other users in the ADD community that
they follow. Content will be presented in an “in screen” layout, ie. the content will
not take up the entire screen and buffer as is the case with the youtube app. Rather,
it will be more similar to vine, where content is played will in stream. A single click
on the window will play the content. A double click will like the content. Below the
window there will be an option to repost, share via other media platforms, and
comment. At the top of the scroll window there will be two tabs; one for their feed,
which they automatically are brought to when they open the app, and one labeled
discover. When a user clicks the discover tab they will be brought to a new scroll
window where they are presented with all the top content, as presented via the
recommendation algorithm. This scroll window will have an identical scroll window
as their feed, with single videos presented on their phone screen and new content
available as they scroll down. The top of this scroll window will be further broken

5. down into four tabs: Top, Music, Comedy, and Poetry. Top is the default tab a user
enters when they click on discover. The other tabs will serve as search restrictions;
restricting the recommendation engine to only recommending content in those
various areas. This may sound somewhat complex in written word; but in actual
experience it will be extremely simple as there will only really be two options. Feed
and Discover; which are then broken down into their more specific parts.
Additional ideas include the ADD radio function. This idea is a work in
progress and two directions are available. One is to make it a feature within the ADD
app, the other is to make it its own separate app. I am of the belief that we should
make it its own separate app. I believe this to be best for two reasons: firstly, adding
it to the ADD app risks over complicating and ruining the integrity of the simplicity.
Second: I believe that ADD is divided into two separate entities: the MCN and the
Label. Another way of thinking about this would be that it is divided into a video
heavy medium (the MCN) and a music heavy medium (the label). I see the ADD app
as a social/ video platform that synergistically supports the MCN while the radio
app would be an audio heavy app similar in design to a Pandora. This app would
also be broken up into music, comedy, and poetry, with further sub genres. I do not
believe ADD would have enough content to support a radio on its own, and
therefore would have to use content from other labels, however this may be a
greater possibility because of partnerships with the likes of publishing/ licensing
companies like Jingle Punks. Furthermore, the radio app would give us great
freedom to promote and generate interest in both label and MCN artists alike.

6. Various Notes And Ideas:
-Short buffering times will be absolutely essential as people will instantly put
their phones down if they have to wait.
-As the company expands, either additional apps or functions to the original
app should be added. I see this as ultimately being an entire new app for ADD TV,
which would be a central hub for ADD original shows and longer feature content.
-The Key feature for the app will be the creation of every users profile. In
order to get access to the app they will need to create a profile which will require at
minimum their name and email address. This can serve as an automatic
subscription tool to the network. Then, all app users can be leveraged as numbers to
make a sales pitch to advertisers.
-Furthermore, all their online, as well as in app activity, will be recorded and
serve as a tool to not only deliver them more relevant content, but to deliver them
more relevant and effective ads. This will also enable us to get an idea of our average
user and further understand what the ADD brand really is.
-The App can also serve as a direct portal into the ADD universe as we can
utilize push notifications to communicate with our users.
-This will be particularly helpful in the promotion of ADD hosted events, as
well as the creation of a strong community and culture, with brand staying power.
A more in depth look at the Youtube situation.

7. Youtube has an extremely effective online presence. However, in the
creation of their app, they modeled the online platform, rather than creating a new
platform that mirrors the strengths and unique opportunities presented through the
mobile device medium. Their app is clunky, and far from simple. It yields a similar
recommendation function as the online site, a function that does not translate into
easy mobile search or discovery. By doing so, they have effectively turned the app
from a tool in which users would come and spend large amounts of time interacting
to discover new content, into a tool in which the only real function is to find specific
music or videos that they already know to exist. This reduces not only time spend on
the app, but also the amount of information that can be garnered from a users
activity. It lowers the overall value of the app. Additionally, the need to click on
videos which then go to full screen and then buffer, creates a lag between interest in
content and experiencing content. During this time users often lose interest and
simply move on with their life. This is in direct conflict with the goal of the ADD app-
to be a constant and habitual distraction, and ultimately hub of entertainment.
In conclusion: We are not only studying a course on music in a digital
age, but we are working for a company that materializes it. Therefore, it is our
responsibility to stay ahead of the digital curve at all times. I believe that with the
technology associated with smartphones and tablets, that social content
consumption in the future will occur predominantly on non-pc technologies. All of
these technologies use apps as their main tool of efficiency, and therefore in order to

8. stay relevant in this digital future, dominating the app space is absolutely
fundamental.
ADD should not be called a record label. There is a vast hole in the music
industry. There is a plethora of talent, without the proper source to show the world.
People complain of a lack of “good” music today because the music industry has not
evolved alongside technology. People now download music online. The music
industry has been trying to ignore that for too long. In order to monetize music in a
technology-dominated society, the only option is to go digital. ADD is the first record
label to do so. Netflix shocked the world when they rebelled against Blockbuster’s
monopoly and offered streaming movies online. ADD will do to the music world
what Netflix did to the film world, but go a step further. Netflix puts out a limited
amount of films and shows to an audience desiring to consume film. ADD will pose a
threat to Netflix and HBOGO. Not only will ADD provide a consistent outlet to a gold
mine of music that people haven’t heard. ADD will also provide scripted programs,
comedy, and poetry. The musician, comedian, artist, director, or poet has always
been the underdog. ADD will lead the path into an artist-friendly world, providing
an easier way to appreciate the arts. The human population is at an all time high and
continues to grow. Technology that exists today has the capacity to connect this
enormous population of people that have been disconnected for too long. YouTube
and Facebook have made the world a more connected place. Protests across the
world because of injustice can be spread, and revolutions can happen. The truth can
spread through breakthrough technologies. ADD gives people a chance to connect to

9. art. Whether you’re a lover of music, poetry, comedy, or culture, ADD allows people
to connect. The iPod was big because we could consume thousands of songs and
listen to them whatever. People live in a music world. Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine
bought back “Beats by Dre” for $150 million a year after selling 50% of the company.
People use headphones to listen to music. If anything, people appreciate music more
than ever. In this economy people are willing to pay for $300 Beats by Dre instead of
a cheaper brand merely to experience it in higher quality. Dr. Dre is a trusted
tastemaker of the urban community, and that trust has spread globally. ADD,
spearheaded by none better than Russell Simmons, allows people to revel in a
multitude of unheard artistic talent. Dre spread high quality music-listening
technology across the world; word quickly spread across the urban community after
his headphones came out: Beats are worth the expensive price. Russell gives a
frustrated generation a voice. Who better to usher in the next wave of talent than
the man who brought us Def Jam? ADD isn’t a better version of MTV on YouTube.
ADD isn’t a refined World Star Hip- Hop. ADD isn’t the next Comedy Central or Def
Jam Poetry. Granted, ADD will provide up-and-coming musical talent, comedy, and
poetry, but on a new platform: YouTube.
The ADD app should not be advertised on the page. When ADD hosts a
college tour with their artists, students can enter only by downloading the app. Once
they download the app they will see a multitude of easily accessible videos. When
kids are bored in class they will be on ADD following their favorite musician,
comedy, poetry, or the next hot high school basketball player on Hoopmixtape.

10. ADD should either have a radio portion of the app or an entirely separate
ADD radio app. The app should open up with three separate words: music, comedy,
and poetry. Once clicking on music, there should be several options to choose next:
R&B radio, pop radio, hip hop radio, top hits of the week, most played, most likes,
etc. On comedy there should be a play button. If the comedian does not suit the taste
of the consumer, there should be a thumbs-down button and the next comedian will
play. The poetry portion of the app should follow the same template as comedy. All
of the content on the radio will be from ADD artists. The app should be simplistic
and easy to navigate. Twitter, instagram, vine, and snapchat all succeeded as apps
because of their simplicity. The app should be designed similar to Twitter: a home
page with all of ADD’s top streaming content, a “me” page with all of the user’s
original videos/reposts/tags, a connect page with all of the artist posts the user
follows on ADD, and a suggestion page. All of these pages could be icons at the
bottom of the page.
As well as an app, the content of ADD should be available on TV. By switching
an input, subscribers should be available to watch their favorite artists on TV. The
ADD logo will appear, like Netflix or other programs, and by clicking on ADD the
streaming content is unlocked. The major forces right now in procrastination are
tumblr (just sold for $1 billion), instagram, snapchat, ESPNgo.com, Netflix, hbogo,
facebook, twitter, vine, and worldstarhiphop.com. ADD wisely takes a page out of
each of these successful sources of procrastination by amalgamating it into a cluster
of material. Whether it’s through the app or TV or YouTube, subscribers constantly
have access to their material.

11. Netflix dominated the business news around the world when their stock
plummeted and their multi-billion dollar enterprise was almost at its demise.
Because they increased the rates with which people had to pay to watch the
streaming content, subscribers dropped in astronomic numbers. But, with original
content like House of Cards and Arrested Development Netflix once again finds
themselves on the brighter side of things. Unfortunately, HBOGO came into play.
HBOGO not only had access to a library of amazing original material, but they also
offered a free stream to anyone who had an HBO account. Cleverly, HBO allowed
unlimited users to have access to one HBO account. Throughout dorms students are
now watching more provocative content on HBOGO instead of Netflix. The digital
world is changing. That one student that has an HBO account now grants access to
all of his friends, and suddenly HBO controls the time of millions of people.
By using television, YouTube, and the app as access to the content, a
foreseeable change in the major sources of procrastination is likely. The generation
in high school today did not grow up with access to new music on MTV. Instead, they
watched shows like Jersey Shore or Fantasy Factory. P. Diddy, with the launch of
Revolt TV, endeavors to restore the music that the world has been craving. Yet there
is still a vast amount of material that goes to waste because a lack of an outlet: ADD
will provide that outlet. Looking up “poetry” on YouTube yields content from Def
Jam Poetry. There has been no proper outlet for this creative art-form to reach the
masses since Def Jam Poetry. With ADD there will finally be a proper outlet for
poetry.

12. Talented Comedians also struggle to be heard in the world today. There are
countless comedic superstars like Mike Epps who have no digital presence. ADD
could team up with the likes of Epps, Spoken Reasons, and many others to provide a
depth of comedy to the ADD audience. Remember the Chappelle Show? Genius
comedy like Chappelle’s Show now appears from unknown YouTube stars. ADD
delivers those acts to the world, unleashing them from YouTube anonymity.
Speaker Reviews:
Spoken Reasons
Spoken Reasons is the face of the new generation of talent to make its way to
prominence via the digital space. Because of this, he was a particularly interesting
speaker. He began by discussing his path to success. After mentoring young men in
prison, he realized his true passion was the spoken word and entertaining. He dove
head first into the YouTube space, posting multiple videos per week, and the rest is
history. The most interesting characteristic of his story was the fact that he quit his
job and went after his dream 100%; not part time on the side. Before hearing him
speak I had this notion of finding great success through dabbling in my passions
while continuing on my steady path. Because this class is as much about me learning
what makes other artists successful, as it is about me finding my own great success,
learning about this all in approach was one of the greatest enlightenments I
received. He spoke about his rise to success and self-branding process very
methodically, revealing its premeditated nature. By showing us that success in this
industry is not random, rather that it is a pre- planned and executed process, I
reevaluated my own plans and notions about success. I found his process of creating

13. a brand- separate from himself to be particularly interesting. This approach solved a
problem that people in all industries face: as individuals we are dynamic and ever
changing, yet the view society holds of us can often be fixed and unchanging. By
creating an external brand, Spoken enabled himself to grow and evolve as an artist
without jeopardizing his brand. This plan is genius, as it allows him to attain
constant relevance via evolution as an artist, without alienating his audience and
fans.
Russell Simmons & Steve Rifkind
Russell Simmons & Steve Rifkind are the success stories of the music
business. Russell is the Steve Jobs of the urban music community: Def Jam, Phat
Pharm, Def Comedy Jam, and Def Poetry are a few of his legendary enterprises.
Steve Rifkind started out with his father in R&B and later transitioned to rap, where
he enabled acts like Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and Three 6 Mafia to reach the
world. Merely cognizance of the history of these two music moguls was exciting; the
opportunity to work with them was almost overwhelming. Meeting at Russell’s
house to pitch possible ideas to him and Steve Rifkind showed me the behind-the-
scenes of All Def Digital. These men are multi-million dollar self-made icons, and not
by chance. Working with these moguls reveals the thought behind executive
decisions at All Def Digital and ideas wrought with an enormous amount of industry
experience and strategy. They need to know that the numbers, sound, and image of
the artist support the launch of their label. Launching a YouTube multi-channel
including music, comedy, and poetry on this scale has never been done. Wisely,
before Russell and Steve commence the public launch, they have begun to gather a

14. solid base of talent, prudently choosing each artist on the YouTube multi-channel to
cater to their audience. Receiving Steve’s validation on artists that we have
suggested opens up my mind to the vast potential of All Def Digital. Hundreds of
talented acts remain hidden. Scavenging music through blogs, word of mouth, Sound
Cloud, features on popular albums, and tastemaker artists have led myself and the
team at All Def Digital to find a treasure chest of talent waiting to be shown to the
world.
In June 2006, MySpace surpassed Google as the most visited website in the
United States. Since then, MySpace has been on a steady decline, a few spikes in the
line, and were afraid of losing advertisements and other forms of money to
competitors like Facebook. MySpace gave a tour and showed how dedicated to
working hard their staff is toward making MySpace relevant and successful, again.
The MySpace staff is the embodiment and personality of the company. The goal
of the company is hip. The staff on the MySpace team is an enthusiastic and
energetic mix that is excited to tackle every obstacle appearing. The MySpace team
is fresh and clean with no other focus except getting MySpace to where it was in
2006. The staff is also full of minds that are malleable to the company’s needs.
MySpace has to reflect the new, trendy direction of the company and what better
way to represent that than with a fashionable staff. MySpace hopes to manifest the
hipness the new staff brings to the company into the social network’s new image. All
the staff is up-to-date with music as well as passionate in their own taste of genre.
Ultimately, allowing input from multiple perspectives gives diversity to the new
incoming information about the music industry. Knowing current events and

15. popular figures is also significant to being hip and knowledgeable about everything
that is modern because it is all interconnected because of social media. The
members are in tune with modern day vernacular to keep up with current events
and music. Having the staff keep up with the current lingo down is a great way to
manifest hipness in the company.
The MySpace staff is going to be able to communicate and be in sync with the
type of people around them that dictate MySpace’s success. It helps that the
selective staff is cunning and sharp. There are plenty brilliant and innovative minds
occupying the employee desks. However, the staff cannot be afraid to push their
idea as well as express it. A bad idea is better than an idea never heard. The staff all
seem to possess unique qualities in their personality tailored to the department. All
the different personalities and skill sets make it possible for all the staff. Every staff
member is hungry and thinking big, but realistic. The ambition is the most
important characteristic of a working individual. The ambition drives the whole
machine into play and MySpace focuses on hiring people with a high sense of
ambition and dedication. Motivation is an advocate for ambition. MySpace looks for
different ways to keep their staff motivated and enthusiastic for work. They
stressed this being one of the most important mental aspects of their employees. All
in all, the staff is a clear representation of MySpace and what it is about.
MySpace is focusing on rebranding the entire image and layout of the once
superior social networking site. In a genius effort to get back up on their feet,
MySpace placed their long relationship with music on the highest pedestal in the
company. The music industry is the only ship to save MySpace. However, the

16. company made all sorts of efforts to discard the dead and gone image. Reviving the
dead image of a social network to a cool music site was MySpace’s chance to change
the corporate image. MySpace looks to revitalize its declining fan base by targeting
the younger generations that were growing up during the peak of Facebook. Justin
Timberlake embodies the image of hip, new and cool. In June 2011, Specific Media
Group and Justin bought the company, making Mr. Timberlake co-owner, for $35
million. Ironic how Justin’s role in The Social Network as the CEO of Napster
manifests into a real life ownership of a social network.
The one and only aspect of the company they kept the same was the name. It is a
name with a record-breaking history full of old resources with big music labels and
more. These resources can destroy the old connotation of MySpace into a trendy,
household site. New Generation of young employees will provide current feed of
crowd about contemporary social media and trends. The company is harvesting old
resources and advertisement royalties to plant them into new investments to
resurrect the new image. Old revenue from advertisement companies gave MySpace
an opportunity to invest into creating a greater connection between the artists and
their fans. Programmers and developers design modern layouts and user faces for
easy access to the broad content MySpace is attempting to offer.
MySpace still boasts around that it was the first popular social networking site
knowing that could be perceived as a badge of honor inviting a wide network of
wealthy associates. When dealing music copyrights and big label agreements over
the rights to play and advertise music, MySpace had contracts spanning from ten

17. years ago. Their relationship with music labels and companies offers them cheaper
deals when contracts expire and need to be renewed.
MySpace definitely invests into the top programmers and developers with the
money they are allowed to spend. The new move has matriculated into a sleek,
tasteful looking design to the site. Video quality and content is at the competitive
rate of the best. Music is the biggest part of the site that is focused on. A lot of
investment with money and risks went into becoming the hip, new site. MySpace
created radio stations to a music artists’ taste of what the artist would listen to. The
site also started to take notes from a famous photography sharing social site called
Tumblr in which they provided a database of photos for profiles to share and
explore on. The company has also decided to create a television network that focus
on music at first, and then branch off into movies, sports, news and reality channels.
MySpace looks forward to getting personal with the biggest and upcoming
names of music. The site wants to close the gap of separation between fans and
artists. MySpace has targeted artists at all levels to hold exclusive content on their
website more publicity and attention. The team has all access backstage footage to
artists exclusive to only MySpace. Private interview sessions are being recorded
with big name artists to be published on the website. Big artists endorse the site
with their music and fans. Content is streamed live and could be shared among
member accounts. Radio stations can be customized on the site toward the users’
taste. MySpace is using every resource and capability to expand its music platform
farther than any other site.

18. Justin Timberlake pioneers MySpace in an effort to a new horizon. You bet he
chose that role in The Social Network for a reason. He cultivated an image for himself
that from a movie into the corporate world. Concluding the tour and speaking with
some employees, MySpace has the potential to come back with vengeance led by its
music scene. However, MySpace’s whole scheme and strategy could fail due to poor
marketing of their new brand; only time will tell.
Intro to artist recommendation – Jason Stewart
Before I recommend who I believe to be the most important artists on the ADD
horizon, I must describe the lens through which the artists were analyzed. Some have
described the process of predicting success in this industry as chaotic and random,
however I could not disagree more. Understanding success in the music industry is
synonymous with understanding popular culture. Pop culture is more than merely a
collection of fads and interests; it is a collective consciousness that encompasses all those
who ascribe to a particular culture. Because we all, as individuals, belong to various
cultures we are inevitably facets of pop culture. Therefore, having an understanding of
success in the music industry, is directly related to how in touch an individual is with the
collective consciousness of the culture to which they belong, and therefore how in touch
they are with themselves; for we all become ambassadors of our culture. The question
then becomes, how clearly can we intuit what we already know. I have chosen three
relatively unknown artists whom I believe will be enormously successful in the years to
come. I chose them for two reasons. One: because I really really like them and appreciate
their talent; and Two: because I believe the filter through which I judged these artists to
be one and the same as that of the pop culture collective consciousness of my generation.

19. My artists are 1) Dillon Cooper 2) Bishop Nehru 3) Joey Basa$$
1) Dillon Cooper
Dillon Cooper gained popularity from his song State of Elevation. He released the
song with an accompanying music video in May of this year. Since then, it has garnered
153,000 views on youtube. The song is characterized by a heavy yet mellow beat
accompanied with the pure lyrical gold of Dillon. He delivers a quick yet crisp flow all
while maintaining the uninvolved and carefree expression that defines swagger in my
generation. Music, like all things, moves in waves. It is like a pendulum that after
reaching extreme ends, cannot help but to return to a more middle ground. EDM has
dominated pop culture, reaching ever more radio play, and even seeping into the fabric of
hip hop. If we look at the three highest grossing hip-hop albums of this year we see
Magna Carta Holy Grail, Yeezus, and Born Sinner. These albums represent the extremes
of hip-hop today. With Yeezus we can see in the influx of EDM as Kanye pushed the
envelope, using Daft Punk to co-produce four of his tracks. With J Cole we can see the
pendulum swing back, as a lyrically defined album with great importance given to flow
and meaning. In the middle ground we see Jay-Z with Magna Carta. What does this all
mean? Hip- Hop culture is being divided into two camps. Those who embrace the club-
pop EDM defined wave ushered in by the likes of the black eyes peas, and those who
fight for the authentic heart of hip hop; the spoken word. Poetry. As the Black-Eyed Peas
have faded to the background and a new era of freshman emcees defined by the likes
Kendrick, Joey bada$$/ Pro Era, and Chance the Rapper, are ushered in, it becomes
evident which camp is going to win out. While there will always be a place on top 40

20. charts for EDM thumping “hip-hop,” the heart of my generation is making itself visible.
Lyric and meaningful hip- hop is going to win out the music scene in the years to come.
Dillon Cooper will find himself right at the center of this group of performers, and he will
do it while becoming a marketing gold mine. His age and general sense of swagger will
make him the de facto “king of the cool kids” for the incoming generation of tweens and
high schoolers. Much the same New Boyz and The Pack ushering in an era of skinny
jeans and vans, championing skater style in the hip hop world; Dillon Cooper will be a
fashion gold mine. Any and all clothes from shoes, to jeans, to hats can be paired with
Dillon.
Artist #2: : Bishop Nehru
A self proclaimed little bro of Joey Bada$$, Bishop Nehru is a younger rapper on
the verge of a breakout year. Gaining prominence for his song Fickle Mind, for which he
also directed and produced the music video, Bishop has a lyrical talent rarely seen at such
a young age (16). Both Bishop and Joey are New York natives, however Bishop has a
more laid back flow than his “big bro.” Not to say that his flow is only laid back, it just
embodies ease, with each bar melting into the next, reminiscent of rap in the 90's. His
easy style shouldn't undermine the fact that this kid is a true poet, with lyrics revealing
deep and meaningful aspects of life and himself. As a director, producer, and rapper,
Bishop is a creative jackpot. The way in which he is peaking on blogs not only reveals
that he's gaining a solid fan base and making the right friends, but that he has the
ambition to make it to the top. All of this leads to the fact that he is going to make it with
or without us; we should get involved before he does. He'll be opening for Wu Tang on

21. their next tour. I believe that this will put him in position to be where Joey is in about 6
months from now, effectively laying the groundwork for 2014 to be his break out year.
This puts ADD in the unique position of being able to get in early with this guy and both
watch and nurture his trajectory of success. He may potentially be a viable option for
signing to the label a year from now. Regardless of his future success, the lyrical and
creative videos he is currently putting out, align him directly with the ADD MCN brand;
he will without a doubt contribute to the team. Bishop looks young. He is a small guy
with an even younger face. But his voice and his lyrics would lead you to believe that
he's a thirty year old man. This puts him in a unique position of being able to transgress
multiple demographic groups. Like Dillon, Bishop could be an idol for the middle/ high
school generations, thus making him particularly effective with clothing and soda/energy
drink brands. I like him being paired with a shoe brand as I find shoe interests to be
within similar ranges for the ages of 15 to 30. His appeal to both younger and older
audiences, as well as his flow and look confirming him as a style taste maker, combine to
make him an effective marketing tool for this vast demographic group in the shoe world.
Artist 3:
Joey Bada$$
Joey Bada$$ is at the forefront of up and coming artists. He is already a known
quantity and in position to have a breakout year. Although he may be an ambitious target,
he nonetheless merits discussion due to the fact that he is not only the model for up and
coming rappers in this digital age, but he is an ideal model for ADD MCN candidates. He
leads the group Pro Era, and is a front runner in the up and coming freshman crew of

22. New York rappers. He is young. 17 years old. He is more marketable and has more
potential than either Dillon or Bishop, however, will be more difficult to sign as well.
Characterized by a somewhat laid back flow as well, Joey still delivers the most punch
out of the three mentioned rappers, and could easily be described as the “hardest.” The
most interesting thing about Joey is that he has an incredible lyrical talent while still
being able to produce tracks that could be hit singles. Joey aligns perfectly with the ADD
brand. Russell is from Queens and Joey represents all that is New York music right now.
He would be marketed as the leader of a youth generation who grew up in an economy
that made them feel as though there was no more opportunity- that their dreams are not a
possible reality. He would be an icon that would say, you can do more, you can be better,
it doesn't matter where you are now or where you started. Because of this position, he
would be perfect for all the expected avenues, clothes, drinks, etc. I particularly like the
idea of pairing him with Ableton or Logic brands. The EDM movement combined with a
trend of more and more popular artists producing their own music to create a culture in
our generation where demand for production software is growing fast. Joey could be the
face of a campaign that says “with this program, it doesn't matter where you started,
cause the only direction your going is up.” He could even be paired with any DAW or
even Mac's. He represents young ambition. All tools that effectively help people
independently achieve success and their dreams will go perfectly with Joey.
Intro to artists – Tyler Hill
#1: A$AP Nast
A$AP Nast is the premiere member of the group A$AP Mob who is “up next”
after the likes of crewmembers A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg. Ferg is set to release his

23. debut work August 20th then Nast is set to be next in line. Remarkably, Nast is still under
the radar, but has made big appearances with the best flow featuring on most of A$AP
Rocky’s debut album and mixtape as well as the A$AP Mob’s collective work. His
freestyles with the A$AP Mob and growing hype on features have the internet buzzing
that he is the next to blow from the group after Ferg’s rising. His marketing strategy is
the same as Rocky’s or even Ferg’s. The group is sharing the spotlight and taking turns
on dazzling the music scene. A$AP Nast’s flow purely resembles an original 80s/90s
New York style that has not been trending lately. Nast’s rhymes and beat selection gives
his flow a Houston, Texas coutry-like feel with a New York spin. Nast is creating an
organic buzz where he features on songs with upcoming artists and destroys the track to
only hop on the next artist’s song and do so, again. Lyrically he is just as potent in rhyme
scheme as Rocky and Ferg, but has an old school flow that reminds you of the Golden
Age of Hip-Hop. When critics and blogs refer to the group as the new “Wu-Tang” or
“Bone-Thugz” it is primarily because of the unique flow Nast brings to the table. Nast is
part of a talented crew who only looks to have as much success as his group members.
He will reach the level of success as his members.
#2: Sunni Colon
Sunni Colon is the next premiered, multi-faceted artist in the R&B/pop genre.
Like Frank Ocean, Sunni has a unique and subtle, but harmonic voice that captures the
audience’s attention in a heartbeat. His voice and aura has the cross between a Seal and a
Frank Ocean. His recent project “The Els’ Flowers” has his buzz on the Internet going
crazy, especially the ladies. Sunni Colon has a marketing strategy similar to Frank
Ocean’s. Sunni has kept a mysterious vibe since the launch of his music career and

24. wants to further his audiences’ imagination by remaining somewhat “exclusive.” The
Weeknd and other artists, who have capitalized on this scheme, demonstrate a marketing
strategy consisting of streaming great music and material with little or no public
advertisement, just allowing suspense to excited fans that, hopefully, carry the buzz by
word of mouth and/or adjacent publicity. The main facilitator behind the whole strategy
and publicity scheme in this digital day and age is, of course, the Internet.
Trusting that a musician’s work will generate buzz on its own is risky business. The
potential of success involved with the scheme is relative to the content of the musician as
well as the image. Sunni’s melodic and unique vocals duplicitously steal his audience’s
attention raising the demand . Running away with the attentions of audiences could force
but could have a tremendous effect if marketed the precise way. Sunni potentially could
be heading down the same route as the next R&B superstar. Frank Ocean’s and the
Weeknd’s big break was not a commercial debut of a number-one hit radio single. Both
artists used the Internet as a carrier of their buzz upon release of their projects. Frank
Ocean, for one, used his Internet blog to have a base for fans to drool and wait as music
content was being leaked out directly from the artist himself. Internet music players,
such as SoundCloud and Spotify, helped with the viral invasion of Frank Ocean’s
content. For the Weeknd, there was a similar strategy regarding the release of music
content on blogs and music players. However, the Weeknd had the fortunate co-sign of
Aubrey “Drake” Graham on his blog to help with his marketing strategy. All in all,
Sunni has the look-alike marketing strategy of today’s breakout and most demanded
R&B singers. He releases content exclusive to his blog. His image is the most intriguing
aspect where it remains shadowy and enigmatic. Not giving too much information about

25. the artist has a reverse effect on the artist’s marketing at times, depending on how potent
and unique the content is. Creating a web of skepticism and inquisitiveness gives an
audience an incentive to be curious.
#3: Da$h
Da$h is a New Jersey rapper who is the nephew of Damon Dash, former CEO of
Roc-A-Fella Rocords. He has been on the music scene for a minute. Lately, Da$h
released his V.I.C.E.S. mixtape that had the likes of A$AP Ferg, A$AP Nast, Action
Bronson, Ab-Soul and Vince Staples as some of the big guest features. The mixtape was
a work the Jersey rapper had been working on for years during his absence in the music
industry. During the time, he also made minimal guest appearances on records that
created a little buzz. The mixtape has premiered on magazines all over the Internet. Da$h
has been associated the A$AP Mob clique for years and finally go together to create
some work. His voice is definitely distinctive feeling the passion in his flow and lyrics.
His flow and sound is eerie and unprecedented. No one has a sound like him and it is
creating buzz fast. Da$h can contribute to a new sound to hip-hop as well as influence
other artists. Da$h could be marketed the same way as his A$AP Mob friends in the
music industry. Da$h is a talented artist under the radar due to his long absence, but is
making a solid comeback. Da$h is clearly talented and unique who is ready to make an
impression on the scene.
Artist recommendations: Zac Salinger
First impressions are paramount. Incessant phrases in our culture today such as “first
impressions can only be made once” exist for a reason. When ADD makes its public
debut, the whole world will watch and make their pivotal first impressions. Like any

26. industry, when a product makes a bad first impression, the potential revenue can suffer
dramatically. ADD cannot afford any review that is not praising Russell Simmons and
Steve Rifkind’s undying musical genius. Who better to reinvigorate creative industries
like comedy, poetry, and music than Simmons and Rifkind (the guys who brought us Def
Jam & Loud Records)? Despite the undeniable success of Def Jam and Loud Records,
skeptics across the nation wait to disparage Simmons or Rifkind and deny any notion that
they still deserve a voice in today’s music industry. ADD needs better artists than
Simmons or Rifkind have signed in the last twenty years. When ADD is unveiled to the
world, they need the next music icon: they need someone who can change the world.
ADD need the likes of a Najah Lewis, Prince Ali, G-Eazy, or Chance the Rapper to fully
encompass hip-pop’s hidden goldmine of talent.
#1: Najah Lewis
Najah Lewis is America’s future sweet heart. Her video “Fairy Tale” in the
subway of New York City is a goldmine for any A&R. Ranging from her jaw dropping
beauty to her smooth, soothing voice in tune with her guitar, her potential as a future star
is apparent. Taylor Swift, your time has passed. Now is Najah’s time. Najah has beauty
and lyrics reminiscent of Taylor Swift but with a penetrating soulful twist. To
counterbalance the sweetness of Najah, ADD has 3D Na’ttee. You can’t have sweet
without savory. Najah Lewis’ jaw dropping voice and womanly beauty is the perfect
contrast to Na’ttee’s raw sexuality and dominance.
#2: G-Eazy
When looking for artists, ADD should search to fill all demographics. The ADD
brand should cover the diverse, hidden mainstream urban culture has become. Even with

27. 3D Na’ttee, MellowHype, and Najah Lewis paving the way to a diverse starting lineup of
music stars, there are still untouched ‘hip-pop’ genres. That’s where G-Eazy comes into
play. He’s a white rapper with a unique delivery and a James Dean look. G-Eazy has
toured successfully across the US on his own independent label. He is “joining Lil
Wayne, T.I., 2 Chainz, and Hitboy on a 40 date US tour that kicked off July 9”
(billboard) By 2014, his success from this tour of established stars could be tenfold by
branding himself alongside ADD. ADD and G-Eazy mutually benefit by branding
themselves in an industry that honors unique talent. ADD is arguably not even a record
label; the majority of the artists are on the multi-channel (MCN). When pitching to
potential artists, it is vital to stress that ADD is teaming up with Universal Music Studios
and Google. ADD isn’t merely another MCN or another up and coming music label. It is
a different entity. G-Eazy could have signed with a record label to increase his fan base
but he chose not to because he does not need that leverage to succeed. ADD could offer
him more revenue by only offering him a spot on the MCN, giving him a wider audience
that would increase his stardom and YouTube views. In return, ADD gains the branding
benefit of G-Eazy and a buzz across the music digital world. G-Eazy is like 3D Na’ttee,
he is a relatively unknown superstar. Even better, his music caters to a completely
different audience than any current ADD artist.
#3- Prince Ali
Prince Ali is a 19 year-old superstar with no platform to showcase his talent. He
has put out two songs on soundcloud. Nasir Jones (Nas) reposted one of his songs on his
sound cloud page. Nas has only posted 4 songs to his sound cloud this year: one with J
Cole and himself, two songs by Nylo, and one by Prince Ali. None of his songs are on

28. YouTube. He is currently recording the music video with his crew Monarchy: a collective
of artist consisting of Prince Ali (vocals), . He has a distinct swagger. He has tasteful
photos on his tumblr. After searching for his management, I was not surprised to find that
his manager was Leslie Rosales. Leslie Rosales manages 6 clients. With the likes of Nas
and Nylo as her stars, Leslie struck gold again with Prince Ali. Leslie has wisely kept him
hidden from the music world, allowing him to work on his debut EP at his own pace. As
soon as his EP is released, his music will appear on a blog, and a talent scout at
Columbia, Bad Boy, MMG, or Paramount will find him and he will be signed. It is
exciting to even think of the songs Prince Ali will release in the future. People
commented on his “Black Girl Reign” on sound cloud, hailing him “amazing” and the
“future of R&B.” If ADD signs Prince Ali, there is a bright future for both parties. ADD
could see to it that Prince Ali’s path to becoming a superstar is a guarantee. With
executives like Russell Simmons and Steve Rifkind, ADD is the perfect place to cultivate
a talent like Prince Ali. Great singers like Robin Thicke remained undiscovered for
several years of their careers. With ADD Prince Ali can instantly begin a successful
career without years of sub par earnings because of a lack of an outlet. ADD is the main
outlet to artist’s creativity. It is the artist’s company. Prince Ali deserves a voice for his
talents.
#4- Chance the Rapper
Chance the Rapper is a breath of fresh air to music. After his EP Acid Rap this
year, incessant praise by the likes of Kanye West and others have launched his rise to
fame. Major labels endeavored to sign him soon after Acid Rap was released free online,
but Chance the Rapper like many other up and coming superstars wisely denied the

29. offers, seeing the potential revenue he could earn by staying independent. His sound is a
blend of reggae, soul, jazz, and hip-hop: nothing like the world has seen. Offering Chance
the Rapper a spot on ADD’s YouTube channel would give him a chance to earn more
money than he would by keeping his YouTube channel independent. If ADD signs
Chance the Rapper to the label itself, great things are to come for both parties. ADD will
reap the benefit of aligning themselves with the new wave of music and talent
revolutionizing the industry. New genres, styles, and notions of what is right and wrong
are falling down. To succeed in this industry one must take a risk. ADD is taking a risk
by having a label and a YouTube channel covering music, comedy, and poetry. Chance
the Rapper would remain different and unique by signing with a different and unique
label. Both parties must take a chance on each other to succeed.

30. Works Cited
1) Chmielewski, Dawn C. "CES 2013: Russell Simmons and Brian Robbins Talk All
Def Digital." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 08 Jan. 2013. Web. 02 Aug.
2013.
2) "G-Eazy To Join Lil Wayne, T.I. & More on America's Most Wanted Tour:
Exclusive."Billboard. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug. 2013.
3) Krasilovsky, M. William., and Sidney Shemel. This Business of Music: The
Definitive Guide to the Music Industry. New York: Billboard, 2000. Print.
4) Lazar, Shira. "Russell Simmons Announces Launch of His 'All Def Digital'
YouTube Network at CES 2013 (VIDEO)." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Jan. 2013. Web. 02 Aug. 2013.
5) Sloan, Paul. "Crank It Up: Russell Simmons, Universal Music Launch Label -- on
YouTube." CNET News. CBS Interactive, 23 July 2013. Web. 02 Aug. 2013.
6) "The New Economics of the Music Industry." Rollingstone.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
02 Aug. 2013.
7) "Music in the Digital Age." Music in the Digital Age. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Aug.
2013.