ARTICLE: TURNING POINT By Olateju

ARTICLE: GOD

MUSIC #BEAUTIFUL | FEATURED ARTISTE : Ephraem Chene.

     Featured today is a God addict and a lover of Great Music, A force to reckon with in this our generation. He is by name EPHRAIM HARUNA. A final year student of the Department of Building, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna. Nigeria. A multi talented Instrumentalist, a great song writer and a member of the Musical, Acapella and R&B group Take Five (@take5hive).
     He has to his credit songs like Heavenly Father ft. T.R.C.Choir
                                                     In Your Presence

     and has been featured on songs like Metamorphosis by J.Clone (@Jclonee)
                                                         Keep Talking by J.Clone (@Jclonee)

     He has also written songs for great Gospel Artist like Bob Wealth, Take Five (@take5hive), The Rebirth Commissioned Choir, Noble (@noble_us) and a lot more.

     I was opportune to be among the first to listen to the track #Beautiful, I got it fresh from the oven of 2blaze Music, First thought it was a lady singing but was amazed wen I got to know it was a Guy. The song Beautiful has blessed me and I want it to bless you too. Are U guys ready to be wowed? So here it is.

WHY SOME SONGS NEVER GET AIRPLAY "PART 1 & 2" BY OLUTOLA OMONIYI (Head Praise World Team)

Okay first, I must sincerely appreciate all those who not only have passion for music, but also go all the length to invest their resources in writing, performing, recording and promoting their musical works. Without music, there is no radio.
The fact that you are reading this post right now makes me wanna asuume you probably have interest in getting your songs played on Praiseworld Radio and other radio stations OR you maybe just wanna get some more information about how radio plugging works.
Over my years of experience as an upcoming artiste back in the day, a radio DJ and on air personality in several radio stations, blogger, music promoter and now Head of the Praiseworld Radio team, I have carefully observed some very simple (but sometimes overlooked) factors that make some songs get massive airplay, while some never find their way to the music library of the radio station in question.
For the first part of this letter, let’s discuss some basic fundamentals, just before we address the other tips in subsequent parts 1. QUALITY: Gospel Music is not thrash music. It is not the left over of good music. So if you are in the “Since-I-couldn’t-make-it-in-the-secular-world-due-to-stiff-competition,-let-me-give-gospel-music-a-try” category, no apologies - you have totally missed it! The truth is “Real music” started from the Church, so gospel music should be classified as the headquarters of good music.
Therefore, make sure the music you are putting out is of very good quality. DJs/OAPs love good music. Whatever the genre you choose, be the best at it.

2. TARGET AUDIENCE: Some songs may be good but not specifically air worthy. Don’t get confused. It’s quite easy to understand. As an artiste, you must have a target audience. What are you singing about? What category of people are you singing to? What class of people do you think will be able to comfortably relate with your song(s)?
The answer to these questions will guide you when writing your songs, and will help you determine what station to send your music to when produced, and what DJ/OAP to approach first. It is imperative you start from here. Once you succeed at this starting point, expanding to other stations and DJ/OAPs would be less a challenge.

3. GET A GOOD PRODUCER: Lots of amazing songs die before even getting out of the studio. The importance of quality production can never be overemphasized. You can play your part as an artiste excellently for all I care, as long as the production is wack, the song is wack. Sometimes, good production may cost you some bucks, but trust me, it is worth it if you mean real business.
Sometimes when artistes send in their MP3s or bring their CDs to me for airplay, I listen for about 30seconds and make a conclusion – Now that is where production speaks loudly. When it is properly mixed and mastered, it catches the ear of “radio”. Like I said earlier, DJs/OAPs love good music. If it is really good, it will be pretty hard to resist.

4. TAG YOUR SONGS PROPERLY: Now this is one major challenge our music department at Praiseworld Radio has faced with artistes since we started broadcast last month. How do you expect a song with tags like “Unknown Artiste”, “Unknown Album” or “Track 2” to get airplay? Ok, let’s assume it gets played, and a listener asks “Please Praiseworld Radio, who sang that song you just played, and what’s the name?” What do you suggest our response should be like? “Track 5 by Unknown Artiste”? lol. I’ll shed more light on this in Part 2

5. BRANDING – GET A GOOD ALBUM COVER ART: You must have heard the saying “It’s not about container, but the content” right? Yeah, that may be true. But what happens when people are not patient enough to see the content due to the very poor container carrying it? See your album cover art that way. It adds panache to your work.
A very well designed album art breeds prestige and class. Even when the content does not have the corresponding top notch quality, it at least seduces the OAP/DJto give it a listen (no pun intended), which is a good step in the right direction.

In part 1, we discussed some basic reasons why some songs never make it to the music library of radio stations. In this letter, I will like to get a little more specific with some tricky tricks that will help you avoid those minor but sensitive mistakes that sometimes mar your chances of getting the airplay you desire.
Just in case you haven’t read the Part 1, I suggest you CLICK HERE to do so, as this is a follow up to the five basic tips I explained there.

6. THROW IN YOUR BEST SONG FIRST: What really is the point in sending a radio station one of your “fair” songs for airplay when you have a much better one? Like really, what are you keeping the “good” one for? Some say they are keeping it for the full album, and I wonder to myself “who would care to give you a second listen chance, when the first was a disappointment?” Let’s put it this way – your first listen impression really matters.
Don’t push more than ONE SONG AT A TIME for promo. Pushing more than one song at a time distracts media focus and makes the promo effect watery. Make a strong debut. Push it. Brand it. Let the OAP/DJ know you for that one song. When you succeed with this, your second single will be anticipated by both the OAP/DJ and your new fans.

7. DON’T SEND BLANK MAILS:  First, let me remind you that no matter how insignificant a radio station might be, there are probably tons of artistes sending their music works to it. This gives you an idea how many mails could be in that email box destination you are sending yours to. That said, I strongly advice – Do not send blank mails with attachments only. They do not command attention and they are very easy to ignore. Endeavour to send a short note containing some basic content along with your mail .

8. SEND YOUR SONGS AS FILES AND NOT LINKS: How will it feel airing a song with a foreign website address tag on it? If you ask me, I’ll say “Not professional”. Be aware that some songs are not only given airplay, but also featured on the music page of the radio station’s website (www.praiseworldradio.com/audio in this case). Therefore, do not send your song as a link from some other site. Should I be honest with you? No serious website is interested in publishing any multimedia content with a foreign website tag on it. They will rather you send directly to them so as to brand it to their taste.
Sending links of your song, bio, profile from other sources should be additional info, not the one and only source. Send your song directly as a file. It’s more professional that way. Better still, get a media kit!

9. SEND YOUR SONG IN MP3 FORMAT: Send your songs in MP3 format. That is a generally compatible format for most players. Sending your song in wma, wav, vlr or any other strange format would do you no good. Not every OAP/DJ will have that patience or time to do the conversion for you. It is advisable you play your part so well to an extent that all s/he will need do is download, listen….and “air-Play”
<<<*whispering* Now let me share two more quick tips, just before I wrap up>>>

GET SOCIAL!!!

10. GET A TWITTER ACCOUNT: Now this is for those who don’t have twitter accounts already. *pauses* But seriously, why don’t you have a twitter account? You are an entertainer. You are a celebrity to be. You are someone’s mentor. You are also someone's prodigy, someone who is also very likely on Twitter. The radio station you want airplay from is on Twitter. The DJ or OAP you are trying to get across to is on Twitter. Again I ask, WHY ARE YOU NOT ON TWITTER?!
Make sure you get a twitter account immediately you’re done reading this letter, by simply CLICKING HERE. Follow the right people, get active and interactive. Follow the radio station, DJ and OAP, get involved in their shows, become much intimated with the radio station till you become ‘family’. This is what we mean by being “social”.  Some multi million dollar deals are sealed over a drink, a game or dinner. Be smart.

But NOTE: Don’t choke the DJ/OAP. Choking him/her won’t get you airplay; instead it could cause a counter effect.

11. ATTEND EVENTS: I’m sure you are aware of the fact that there are lots of gospel entertainment events that take place from time to time in Nigeria. I should be right to assume you intend performing on some of those platforms in the near future, so why in the world are you not there watching others do what you’ll be doing soon? Asides from the fact that you get to learn a whole lot, you also stand a chance to expand your network.
Attending gospel entertainment events gives room for you to meet several other artistes, producers and other entertainers like yourself. Who knows, you could get to meet a big artiste who will someday feature on your track, whose leverage you can take advantage of. You could also meet some of these DJs/OAPs, start and develop a relationship with them. This goes a long way.
A very good example of such events is GOSPEL NIGHT LIVE which holds every last Thursday of the month at Rodizzio Hall, GRA, Ikeja. We also have CLUB 23 that takes place at Oriental Hotel, Lekki every last Friday of the month. Guess what? Admission to both events is absolutely FREE. And there are several others. Stick around to Praiseworld Radio not to ever miss any gospel event ever again.

Finally, ALWAYS remember The GOD Factor. Paul can do all the planting, Apollo the watering, but it is only GOD that is capable of giving the increase (I Corinthians 3:6-7). May God cause the work of your hand to prosper in the name of His precious Son Jesus.  I sincerely wish you the best in your music career and ministry, so you can be a blessing to the world at large.
 
God Bless You
Best Regards,
Olutola Omoniyi
Head, Praiseworld Radio

MUSIC | FEATURED ARTISTE: J.Clone

My Online Music Archive (Hulkshare)

Hey friends Check out my Page on Hulkshare for the best of Music, and by Music I mean Real Music. I have featured Artiste like J.Clone (A Gospel rapper, charged with spreading God message for this generation), Noble (A group of four guys with great harmony), Japhet Fai (A praise freak), Take5 (A group of Guys and Ladies charged with a mission to Minister through Melody) and many more other artiste to be featured.

ARTICLE: Facts About Music (Part 1,2,3) by Onyedika Nwoji (@Dikky_CIA)

As I stated earlier in the previous part of this series, Satan is using this powerful tool called MUSIC which he mastered while in Heaven, against the advancement of God’s Kingdom here on earth. It seems as if he’s winning, but I know this is not true. God is still raising men today, (by the grace of God, am one of them).
Now, a lot of “religious” people see some genres of music as evil and of the devil because of the way it’s being used in the world today. E.g; Hip hop, rock, etc. Well, I guess it’s because it’s more of noise than music, but according to these scriptures (Psalms 66:1-2, 95:1-2, 98:4-6) just to mention a few, God also enjoys JOYFUL NOISY MUSIC! That’s REAL MUSIC! (*grins*). Am fully persuaded that ALL things (including music of various genres) were created by God and are pure and good. (Rom 14:14). In times past, different styles of music have evolved over time into newer ones, creating entirely new genres of music. But the problem is its usage. If one thinks hip hop and rock can’t be used to glorify God, but genres like soul and R n B can, then I wish to inform such persons that there are a lot of soul music and R n B that are not POSITIVE and do not glorify God in any way. Try imagining a wine glass being used to drink hot egusi soup, or using water to fuel your automobile, or washing your mobile phone by immersing it in a bowl of water with detergent. Now you get the gist. It’s just a misuse or abuse! (*sighs*). Same with any kind of music. For instance, sex is good! It was created by God for a purpose (to be enjoyed ONLY in the confinement of marriage). But when it is misused or abused, it’s no longer sex but either fornication, adultery, homosexuality, incest, rape, etc. The end of such actions are always destructive because of misuse/abuse (Prov 16:25). Now can you see how CONFUSING those analogies are? That is exactly how CONFUSED MUSIC looks, maybe not to you, but to its creator. GOD CREATED MUSIC, SATAN CORRUPTED MUSIC. Music is music, it depends on how you use it. If its use is POSITIVE, its REAL MUSIC. If negative, CONFUSED MUSIC. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE “GOSPEL” MUSIC OR “SECULAR” MUSIC. Music is music, and serves a general purpose, which is BEING POSITIVE. It MUST add something positive to its listener. Even if it’s a love song, it should be done from God’s perspective because GOD IS REAL and THE WORLD IS  CONFUSED! All thanks to Mr. Satan. (*frowns and shakes head*).
The truth is; artists involved in CONFUSED MUSIC who sound really good are gifted of God. [James 1:17 (NKJV). But the issue is they are not using that gift for its actual purpose (misuse/abuse). If we can critically observe our world today, we should realize that majority of the world's problems are as a result of the kind of music being dwelt on… negative, CONFUSED music. If this world is going to get any better, then we need more positive music, REAL music. Music to encourage, teach, give hope, correct, preach, etc (Psalm 98:1-6, Ecc 7:5 [NKJV], Eph 5:19, Col 3:16, Col 4:6). It must not neccessarily be all preachy or have a “religious” approach all the time, but inspired by God, still carrying a positive message.
If I say “am not a gospel artist”, please don’t be shocked. Sincerely, I’ve been working on this article long before Lecrae announced the release of his mixtape, “Church Clothes”. So don’t think am trying to take sides with him because am his biggest fan, NO! But am happy he poured out what’s been on my mind on his mixtape though. Big ups to Lecrae by the way. (*smiles*). In music today, one is known for always singing about money, yet we don’t call him/her a money artist. Another always sings about sex, yet we don’t call him/her a sex artist. You hear a rap artist always rapping about his “bling bling” and he is known as a rap artist, not a”bling bling” rap artist. But when one sings about the gospel, he/she is called a gospel artist? Same with sports. A lot of devoted Christians are into sports, yet we don’t hear of a Christian athlete, or Christian basketball player, or Christian soccer player, etc. Back to music, I believe every artist has something to say. They talk about what they believe and live by on their songs, including Christians. So I don’t think the whole “gospel” or “secular” tagging makes any sense, but
we can differentiate the REAL ARTIST from the CONFUSED ARTIST.


Some might think this is a scheme to be more famous, get more fans, etc, but the truth is if the world doesn’t know you, how do you intend to take the gospel round the world? [Mark 16:15 (NLT)]. Don’t get me wrong, am not saying fame should be the aim, NO! All am saying is, if you are good at what you do, people will recognize you. But have this in mind, as a minister of God in MUSIC, your primary aim is to win souls, give hope, encourage the CONFUSED. Your secondary aim is to make good music skillfully by optimizing the gifts God put in you and your talents (Psalms 33:3). You have an EXCELLENT SPIRIT, so everything you do MUST be excellent! [Daniel 6:3 (KJV)]. You must also make your music have spiritual depth, which means you MUST maintain a steady intimate relationship with your creator, STUDYING God’s word constantly alongside PRAYER! (Very essential). Forget religion. I hate religion! Christianity has nothing to do with religion in any way, but it’s a lifestyle… just as the CONFUSED have a different lifestyle. Religious people are mostly hypocrites (if not all). They follow doctrines/traditions devised by men and not of God, and infuse it to the system of the Church, thereby making God’s word useless! (*shakes head*) [Col 2:20-23 (MSG, NLT), Mark 7:5-9 & 13]. That’s why Christianity doesn’t seem to be fun, which is not true. Being a Christian is so much fun, more than you can ever imagine. Let’s leave that for now, that’s a whole different issue to be dealt with in another article. (*smiles & winks*). A good friend of mine defined music like this: M.U.S.I.C = Me U Sing In Christ. I guess you now know what I mean. That is REAL MUSIC, not CONFUSED! You may not neccessarily sing about anything Christian, yet it’s positive, inspired by God. It could be funny and entertaining but not dirty or vulgar. God loves humour (Job 8:21, Psalms 2:4, Proverbs 17:22).
When we all get to Heaven (by the special grace of God), we shall be praising God with music (not gospel music). Am talking about REAL music. What people see as the main or real kind of music is so CONFUSED, and the more they dwell on confused music, the more confused they become, living in deceit. That’s how powerful music is and the devil knows this. Let’s all come together and give hope to a confused generation. Let’s go back to the times when music was still real and played a vital role in our moral standards. Let’s discourage confused music but encourage confused artists to become real artists, being the appropriate role models for the younger ones coming after them. Let’s open the eyes that have been blinded by the devil. God is REAL, Satan is CONFUSED! With God in your life, you’ll discover the real you and affect your world with the REAL stuff. Let’s put an end to garbage music. Christians, God has left this in our hands. The world is waiting earnestly on us. Let’s save our CONFUSED world! (Romans 8:19).


….the END.


 About the Author: Onyedika Nwoji (better known as DIKKY) is a Nigerian hip hop artist, music producer, songwriter who is in his very early 20′s. He’s also a co-founder/member of a hip hop movement by the name, CIA (Christ I Abide). He loves Jesus both by proffession and expression.+

Some REAL music from Dikky:
*   Big Boi (Prod. by Dikky):
http://www.lagu.in/view/CJsTh6sz/Big_Boi.html
*   Stand Out (Prod. by Dikky):
http://www.lagu.in/view/Jrmv5EKL/Stand_Out.html
*   Poppin’ Them Thangs (Remix):
http://www.lagu.in/view/puVuwmT0/poppin_them_thangs.html
* Keepin’ it Real (Prod. by Gameman BeatzJockey):http://www.lagu.in/view/9K_rjb8j/keepin_it_real.html
*   Hiphop Revamp (Prod. by Dikky) – Featuring various artists:http://www.lagu.in/view/a96O0wEJ/hiphop_revamp.html
*   Touch Down (Prod. by Cedar) – CIA:http://www.lagu.in/view/ejZD7y88/touch_down_2.html

Emi lelei by Bouqui ft. Midnite Crew

I'm listening to emi lelei.mp3 in Hulkshare:
Yet another smashing hit from Bouqui few months after her Sokutuyoyo track ft. Henry Soul which rocked radio stations and the playlist God loving hip poppers, This one is called "Emi lelei" featuring Midnite Crew, this is a most hear, a most download and a most have on your playlist, Mike Abdul up with his fuji flavour, Patricia with her strong Vocal, The track is Just an example of the kind of flavour Gospel rap in this part of the world needs "Emi lelei". Its an extract from her 22 track album titled MARKS OF A GENERAL which is to drop pretty soon. Just Click on the link above and Listen, Download and Share with friends. Remain Blessed.

Behind the scene of the Track "Keep Talking"

Keep Talking
                Four friends Jclone, Ephy, Loulou and Oooteejay sat down in the upper room of Oootejay's house at the Area A staff quarters of the famous Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State. Nigeria one boring afternoon th 15th of febtuary 2011 and thought to them selves, Why don't we make good use of this time and do something on the beat that was made by Jclone. So i pulled out my (dead) laptop *one old HP 503 system*. lets call the laptop "StillAlive" for you guys info "StillAlive was a television" it had no battery, Nepa takes light and StillAlive complies to Nepa by going off. Loulou brought out his microphone (U guys now see that a studio was coming to place), ephy pulled out a paper and started writing out lines for the hit that was about to b produce by him and his pals *lwkmd*, we booted StillAlive and launched Cubase.SX.v3.1 and Fruity loops v8 *sure you wondering, yes my StillAlive could take any application it wanted (looolzzzz)*.
                With all this set and our mic successfully connected to StillAlive using my converter from Jack to Earphone plugs. Jclone and Ephy were ready to spit into the mic 'for your info the mic ceased at different intervals' i tell U recording started and it was wow through out and StillAlive complied through out the recording by not freezing or going off, more importantly Nepa were supportive through out also. the four of us did all the too much talk "the intro"of the song while Jclone and Ephy dropped the message papa GOD send them. i took the voice while Loulou did the final mix down. there U have "Keep Talking", Me, You and everyone can talk all we want but God has the final say and all we need is found in HIM and HIM alone. It was fun trying out our first production work and we glad its blessing Souls.
Here it is for you all "KEEP TALKING" Remain blessed as you listen.

N.B. The same guys @louloubeatz @Jclonee and Ephy are bad guys now on the beatz.
                                                                                                                   yours joyfully
                                                                                                                     Oooteejay.

oooteejay

oooteejay