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So you want to be in the music business, huh? But what do you know about the music business? Get the 411 right now from SOS.

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Hi, this is the 411 with SOS. I'm Sandra Smith, your host. And today we are having another great conversation with some industry veterans. Our talk today is we continue talking about the business of music. And we are going to give you a lot of information that will help you move your career forward. Today I am going to be suggesting three meetings that I think every independent artist should be taking. You need to know the local program director in your city, wherever your hometown is. You are competing with the likes of established artists who have money and label behind them. You need to have a stylist and you need to be talking to somebody that can act as a tour manager when you get ready to go out on the road. And we are fortunate today because we have two out of these three individuals. We're going to be speaking first to the amazing Shantay Noel. And she is an extraordinary stylist. She's a former fashion model. And the fact that she comes from New York, you know she has great fashion sense. I hit her up and I asked her if she would come on the show and just give us some insight and some perspective on what she does, how affordable she is, and what you can do to connect with her. So without further ado, let me introduce you to Shante Noel. She also goes by Noel B. Stiles. Is that correct?

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Yes, ma'am. Hi, how are you?

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I am great.

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Thank you so much for being on the show today.

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No, thanks for the invite. I totally appreciate it. Thank you so much.

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I'm honored. Girl. Well, so again, shout out to the hometown girl from New York, Brooklyn. Queens is in the house.

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I know that's right.

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Yes, ma'am.

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That's right.

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Brooklyn.

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Yes, yes. So Shante, my podcast every week, I've been in the music business for the better part of 30 years. I am always amazed at the amount of information that up and coming people who are trying to be in the business of music don't have. And so I'm doing my best to try to shed some light and to try to give some good insight into some things that are available to indie artists that may not cost them a lot of money, right? Because everything we know in the world is about relationships and connections. So, this segment this week, we're talking about people in your local market that you can connect with that can help you present yourself as a professional. They help you to be competitive with the artists that already have all of these things that the label provides for them. So, you're my first guest, and I just wanted you to talk about, you know, styling, you know, how can the local artists in the market connect with you and so forth? So, go ahead. Tell us a little bit about you, what you do, and how you help people.

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Yes, ma'am. Well, once again, my name is Shontay Bellamy. My hashtag is Secure the Client, Secure the Look. I'm actually a wardrobe stylist. That is my title. I'm a wardrobe stylist. I do production management, getting your event together on the back end, one of the behind the scenes, and also creative director into building the set,

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getting the idea, and executing it with a great, great team. So they could also tap into you for video shoots, right? Not just to find the look, but to also make sure that the aesthetics of the shoot are in line and professional looking.

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Yes, that is correct. I do it all. So yeah, I do video shoots. I do all your events that you need weddings Concerts name it. I do it. I like to call myself a jack-of-all-trades

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Basic well, this is wonderful though because you are a one-stop shop right so again You know and I believe that we can find the resources in every single market You know I think a lot of times people are looking to the major markets, LA, New York, Chicago, DC, places like that. But in your local market, wherever you're from, right? Small town America, there is someone there that is just as interested in music and entertainment as you are, and you just got to be seeking these people out. And I found you, like I said, through my girl, Neek, who is fabulous, and you always have her looking so great. And so one of the things that I find interesting about our industry is that people tend to be a little bit lemming-ish, if I might say that, so somebody's look is hitting, and then everybody comes behind with the exact same type of look and style and styling. I personally think it's important for you to again connect with someone like yourself so that you can Work with a professional and have them guide you to what your style your brand your look should be Now, of course, you can change that But I don't think it would be beneficial for you to be looking or trying to look like the person who's already secured that particular Style that look right. You know what I mean? So what would you say, what is your best advice for a brand new artist coming up that may not have a good sense of what they... Because what I'm saying here is at the beginning of your career, you want to have a sense of what your brand is going to be about.

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Yes, that is exactly correct. That is exactly correct. Because you're walking billboard at the end of the day. Before you even, I got to tell people, before you even open your mouth and you walk in the room, people are already judging you by the way you look. And it's sad and shitting, but unfortunately that's the way it is, especially in the industry. Because they want to wear the hottest outfit with the hottest shoes, the hottest shades, the hottest bag. They want to be that. They want those goods. This is like my prime example, the Tesla company, great, great brand. And look at Beyonce, it took Beyonce to just wear that bag that one time, now it's sold out. Literally. They already were doing great. They were already doing great as a black business, but now because Beyonce wore it, everybody rushed to get it. Now you can't even get one if you want to.

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And they were relatively unknown. I mean, you know, I know what you're talking about and he was doing pretty well and kudos to him. Congratulations, right? So let me ask you if you had a client like a you know Brand-new obviously with independent artists one of the greatest things that they don't have a lot of money, right? You know, so they're working Recording and doing everything all at the same time How could you be of assistance to an independent artist for example in your market or anybody who would hear you on the show and want to call you? What is the first thing that you advise your clients when you meet

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you connect with them? Give us some advice. Yes, definitely. Be open and be honest. Don't be afraid to tell somebody like myself, I want to know what you like, what you don't like, what you know, what's your best part of your legs you might show, you might like your arms to show. Tell me, you know, I also ask the client, if there's one person like you would like to envision going to anybody's closet, I should say, any wardrobe, any person's closet, who would that person be? And why do you want to, you know, represent or dress like them at least? Also, be mindful, you have so many options when it's dealing with clothes. You can go to thrift shops. You don't always have to have the expensive stuff. You can do boutiques. There are so many online boutiques and these designers, they want people to wear their clothes. Make sure you know who your target is. Your target audience is as well too. That's one of the main things. Who is your target audience?

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Now when you do consultations with your clients, you find that a lot of artists think they have a very definitive idea of what it is that they should be presenting themselves as to the public, right? Because everybody kind of comes to the table thinking, no, I know exactly who I'm talking to, right? What's it like to broaden an artist's perspective on what you think this moment they should be doing as opposed to what they're basically

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Obsessed with doing I would say actually I'm gonna give this prime example when it's them I'm dealing with clients like that So you already told me what you like what you don't like what you don't you know on that level But see when it's time for me to provide the wardrobe. I'm going to give you options. That's one thing. You gotta have options. Don't just stay one place. You have to be open and mindful as well too. So I bring three outfits or depending on the situation, for example, I bring three outfits and how I know I've got the job done is when the client says, I would have never thought I would be wearing this or I never would think to put this together. I love it. That's how I know that's it and I did what I was supposed to do and that is exactly

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Why you need to connect with somebody? like Shantae Because even though we think that we are really clear These professionals these stylists these makeup artists these directors They are bringing a completely different perspective that might force you out of your comfort zone, but it's going to be something that's going to give you additional traction because what do we want right as artists, especially in the artists, you want to get the maximum return on the minimum investment. So I see on your bio that you did an art tour with the great tell me about the Jean-Michel

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Basquiat thing that you are involved with? Yes, definitely. They invited me to actually be the, and this is the first I should say, they never, so he has a tour that they do, and what they invited me to be a recyclable designer, and I was the first one to ever actually went on tour here in South Carolina, Columbia, actually on the tour to do that. So I was actually designing live art in front of everybody on stage. At that particular show, I did a whole kitchen table set up in floor arrangements. I made the florals out of coffee filters, a whole big jacket, one of the models wore. I actually turned a coffee table sheet into a whole dress, actually, in front of everybody. They were really a good surprise as well. So I actually use kitchen items for my particular show here. And I like to say it's wearable art, actually.

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Wearable art.

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You would never know. Wearable art. So I'm a wearable art designer as well, too. I just like to broaden my horizon. Because keep in mind, that's a part of fashion as well, too. Wearable art, that's a part of the fashion industry as well, too. And you see your celebrities, and you see your artists wear these items and we like, matter of fact, the Met Gala, Met Gala, excuse me, is a prime example of wearable art. Some people are like, oh, I don't like that, but that is art.

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Right, right.

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Different types of fashion.

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And as an artist, you want the unusual, you want the conversation piece, you want something that's going to be memorable because there's so much sameness right now. Exactly. Exactly. So again, not only is she an amazing stylist, she's a designer, she's a creative person, so you can talk to her and get something very unique that you're not going to see coming and going. And that's the point of you connecting with a stylist. You want somebody who's going to take you out of your comfort zone and give you some looks that are going to be memorable in the marketplace because that's going to save you money down the road

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It sure is definitely and I like to tell what separates me from all stylists I am on I call myself an on set designer actually if I can't find that particular piece We were maybe looking for or wanted to do or can't find I'm going to make that piece Onset at the photo shoot at the event on you right in there. Boom. We make magic happen. Boom. Because you're

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a can-do person, right? I kind of feel like that's a New York thing though, right? If you cannot get what you're looking for, you're going to find a way to make it, do it, get it, and keep it moving. Exactly. Okay, tell everybody where they can find you. I thank you so much for your time. I definitely plan on hitting you up again and having you on again. If the folks are interested in connecting with you, give us some

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information as to how they can locate you. Yes, definitely. I am on Facebook Noelle, N-O-E-L-L, Shante. I am on Instagram. My business page is Noelle B-Style. I'm also actually just started my own swimsuit line and it's called Le Combe. It is French for the icon. So definitely check. I'm starting my, I'm working on my new spring summer collection as we speak. So definitely get ready for that. That business page is Becoming Lacone. And my personal page is I am Shante B.

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Excellent.

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Thank you so much. Oh, and my website. I do apologize. My website is www.noelbestyles.com. Fantastic.

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Well, I thank you so much. It's really nice to connect with you and I will circle back and we'll talk later. Thank you so much for your time today.

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Yes, ma'am. It was a pleasure and thank you so much. You guys have a great day.

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You're tuned in to the 411 with SOS, the business of the music business for those who don't know but need to know.

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The next person that we're going to talk to today is my very good friend, that's my girlfriend, KB, Kathy Brown. I have known her for a number of years. She is an extraordinary program director. She has programmed in all of the major markets. This person is probably one of the most important persons for an independent artist to know because she is one of all of the program directors across the country that could potentially help you get your record on her radio station, which in turn could help you blow all the way up. So let me introduce you to my good friend. We call her KB. Her name is Kathy Brown. And Kathy is going to talk to us today about what you should do to connect with the local program directors in your market, how you can build a relationship with them because like I said before, all artists break out of their hometown market. So Kathy, welcome to the show. Thank you so much. The main thing that I want you to tell the folks is how not to be annoying because if you are annoying and you piss your program directors off, they won't let you come up to the station and you know, you got to start from scratch. So if you could give us some insight into what is the best way for independent artists to approach their local programming radio stations and program directors.

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I think the easiest way is to be genuine with what you do. And a lot of times those meetings are at a local event that's happening and a local artist is performing and maybe the program director is there or they've recorded themselves at a local event and then they send it into the radio station but a lot of times those things will get lost. So in this business it is not what you know it is who you know. So one of the tips that I give everyone who's trying to break radio or into this business is you know somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody who works at a radio station. It is the same thing if you are a local artist trying to make your break. So you know somebody that knows somebody that can get your information to the program director or can get that program director's email address because it's not about passing takes or anything like that anymore. It is about making sure that you have the link to get to that person their email address so that you can forward information and you reference what you have done. Like, hey, I was just recently at this live event for Juneteenth or for back to school or whatever so that you know and reference who you are and they can go from there as to, you know, what you're doing and where you're going. That's one of the first things. But just blindly sending a CD with your name on it and your phone number on a CD is not going to get you what you need. That's probably going to get tossed in the trash.

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Elaborate a little bit on why you should not do that.

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The reason you shouldn't do that is A, it doesn't, number one, it does not look professional at all. Number two, we have no idea at all if your music is licensed and trademarked. And music that for me that is not licensed and trademarked, I don't even listen to because you're taking a risk for the radio station as to if that product, as in your music, has been cleared. So imagine that I am sitting in my office and someone is visiting, an artist is visiting the station, and I happen to be in my office listening to a local artist's music. So they walk by, hear a familiar beat or groove that they like, they hum it to themselves into their phone, and then forward that to their lawyer or the person who's going to clear that. So I ask those listeners out there who are hearing this, then who does the song belong to? Does it belong to the local artist who they heard, or does it belong to the major artist that recorded it and got it cleared? So if you're saying to yourself, it's the second person, the major artist that got it cleared, you are correct. If the local artist has not cleared that song, it belongs to the major artist.

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Exactly. And we had a conversation in the last show where I was stressing how important it is for you to register your music as you recorded it, as you wrote it, and if there were two or three people in the room that added two or three lines to it, they get credit because all of that comes back to whether or not you end up making any money off of music that you think is yours, but you haven't legally registered ownership of it.

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Correct.

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A lot of stations, and I've done this in the past as well, well, they will have a seminar called Making It In The Music Business, so how to get my record played. We bring in representatives who are major market or have been in the record business for a while and can explain that to you because so many young people don't understand. They just think that they can take it and put it on TikTok and then get it cleared and keep on moving and no, that's not going to happen. And you know, it is very crucial for you if you are in a local area or a local market to get your stuff cleared, number one, but to also make sure that you are networking with not only the radio station, but other local artists who you can be working with to get your stuff exposed. And it's all about exposure via website, TikTok, whatever outlet or social media that you're looking for. And then when you're working with a radio station, you have to remember that we can't play the dirty version. So don't give us the dirty version of your song and say, well, don't worry about the dirty version, I'll clean it up. Then don't give us that version. You need to give us the clean version of what we would be able to play on the radio. And we have certain segments, a lot of stations that I've worked with, we have certain sections or segments of a show or a day that we dedicate for local music. For us, it is on Sunday nights and we do it for a couple hours on Sundays. Wherever you may be in your local market, it may be a different time zone, but it's very important that you understand that this is where you hone your skills, you work out your bugs, you become familiar in your market so everybody in your market knows who you are. People start off, you may start off in a band, you may start off in a group, you may branch off on your own, or you may blow up as a group, but you've got to get your hometown to rally around you to help support you, because then they know and then they help fuel the groundswell that you need in order to make it in this music business, this thing that we call music.

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The business of music. And so you are absolutely correct, but I just wanted you to quickly go back and tell the audience why you cannot play dirty music.

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There are seven dirty words, the words that we can't play on the radio, or we will get fined by the FCC the Federal Communications Commission will find us for playing those kind of words the s-word the f-word the n-word

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So so again to the point that I made earlier in another segment was you are as an independent artist competing with that with with that kind of structure and business model and money and lawyers and things. So when you come to your local radio station and you want them to give you some grace, this woman in particular, bleeding heart, she would

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do you a favor. However, you cannot make it where you're putting her job, her company in peril. So you have to come just like the majors and that's the Well, what a lot of people don't understand, Sandra, is that program directors have a list of songs. We have a certain amount of records that rotate. There's an analytic to what we do. And so when we say, you know, I have seven powers, I have nine Bs, I have a certain amount that go into a certain category, if we put more in and put a whole bunch of local records in, that's not what the audience tell us they want to hear. Their favorite records are X, Y, and Z. So we play those and we play them a certain amount of time and we increase that airplay based on the analytics, the research that we do that tells us that this is a song that's bubbling, this is a song that people want to hear more often. So am I a fan of Drake? He's okay, but he's the person that everybody wants to hear. So we play more Drake. We play more Megan Thee Stallion. We play Tyler, the Creator, whoever it is. Playing those artists because we are trying to garner as many listeners as we possibly can. The more listeners, the more your ratings go up. The more your ratings go up, the more money you charge for advertising.

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Business. This is the business of, yes, business of music. And I know personally, and I just wanted you to say quickly, because we are almost out of time, but how many records do you get on a weekly basis? Just to put it in context for people when they're like, my local station won't support me, my local station, oh my God. How many records do you get on average in a week?

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Typically, on a weekly basis, when it's not like it is now, because it's way more now, but typically we're getting between 10 and 15 records a week.

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A week. And you would normally, and those are records from major labels, we're not talking about independent artists, those are major record labels submitting artists that are like really well-known like Summer Walker or Sweetie or Doja Cat etc etc, right? So if you're getting 10 to 12 records a week, you will have how many openings or how many slots as we call them to put in weekly music? What? Two, three maybe. So and I'm saying all that to bring this point home. So when you think that your local radio station is not being supportive of your music, it's because perhaps your music is not up to this par of the 12 or 15 records that

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they got from the major artists in one week. Right. Well, and you look at it now, we're at Christmas time when all of the heavy hitters come out. All of the big daddies are out now. So I just got a new Rick Ross. I got a new Drake. I got a new Megan

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the Stallion. I got a new 50 Cent. And all of

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those were in the, that was in the last two days. And as we are at the end of the year, what happens is the radio stations then go into Christmas Christmas music. Correct. So that takes up a slot. That takes up one of those slots when you're playing Christmas music. So what happens is all of the big boys release their stuff in fourth quarter. The reason that they do that is because they want you to download their music for Christmas. They want you to give it as a gift for someone for Christmas. So that's why they wait till the end of the year. And because of the Grammy nominations towards the end of the year. So they can get a Grammy nod, they can get BET nods and all of this other stuff, as well as buying or streaming their music more because you've dropped a new album. So even on the adult side, I just got a new Maxwell, I'm waiting on the new Mary J. Blige, I've got a new Alicia Keys. You know, those are the ones just off the top of my head that I dropped this last year.

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Right, exactly.

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So, would I put in a brand new Drake and 50 and, you know, some of the other stuff that I've got, as opposed to putting in a local artist who nobody knows?

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Yes.

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That's an easy answer. Yes.

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That's an easy answer.

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The one that the public don't want to hear. So there is a business, there is an ethic to what we do, there is a magic to what we do, but it also is really mathematical. It is a mathematical thing where we have to have a certain number of songs that we can play and if you don't have that number, then you throw your rotation off and you can't do that because then they don't get the spins that they need. It's not being played as much. The less you play a song, the more unfamiliar it is to an audience. And that's not where we're here for ratings. We're here for revenue. That's

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that's our two things. Ratings and revenue. And so that just gives, thank you so much Kathy for coming on here and explaining that, because that is the kind of insight that the average person or the average independent artist doesn't get, because what they're all thinking about is, I should have my record on the radio, but they fail to understand that the business of music is just that, it's a business that does not operate haphazardly, and it does not operate on feelings and women, and I know people love to think that, oh, well, you know, money, is it? Nope, because the labels have money for all their projects, right? So it is about the quality of the music So my independent artists out there you are competing with all the artists that she just rattled off Your stuff when you bring it to her has got to be competitive with what the labels are sending

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right, it has to be on the same caliber of those artists because let's say those artists are at an 8 or 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 and then you come in with a record that's a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, I absolutely am not going to play that because it's not on the caliber of what I'm playing.

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Exactly, exactly. And so there you have it. Kathy, thank you so much for your time and your education today. I appreciate you.

0:28:46
Thank you, ma'am. We appreciate you so very much.

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Okay, we'll talk to you soon.

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We'll talk soon. We'll have to continue this discussion on making it in the music business.

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I'm going to have you back on another episode very shortly. Thank you.

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Have a good day.

0:29:01
You too.

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Bye.

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Bye, dear. So there you have it. This is another episode of His Rap. My name is Sandra. This is the 411 with SOS, and we are talking about the business, making it in the music business, the business of music, and how you can get as much information as you possibly can use to move your career forward. and how you can get as much information as you possibly can use to move your career forward. Thank you.