21:03 Cover

21:03
Cover
April 2015 AIRPLAY 360
INSIDE
Contents
April 2015
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6
9
10
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15
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April 2015 AIRPLAY 360
Publisher’s Notes: “Spring Forward to
Fresh, New Start” by Ace Alexander
Cover Story: Recording Artist 21:03
by Louise Moore
Vocal Tips: Improve Your Voice, Don’t
Ruin It by Ken Tamplin
Music Legal: What’s the Deal?
Standard Music Agreements Every
Artist Should Know by Keonda Gaspard
Ministry Spotlight: Bishop Clarence
Langston of Oxygen TV’s Reality Series
“Preachers of Detroit” by Louise Moore
Taxes: Deduction Checklist for Artists
and Entertainment Entrepreneurs
New Music Releases
COVER STORY— Recording Duo 21:03
12
9
Don’t Ruin Your Voice
10
Bishop Clarence Langston
Oxygen TV’s Reality Series
Preachers of Detroit
airplay360.com
Music Agreements
AIRPLAY 360
FEATURES
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April 2015
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
SPRING FORWARD
to Fresh, New Start
A
n American writer, musician Henry
Rollins said, “In winter, I plot and
plan. In spring, I move.” When I read
that, all kinds of revelations raced through my
head. Every year, I anxiously await the arrival
of spring. The grass is green again, trees and
flowers are blooming and all living things that
were silent during the cold are now chirping,
buzzing and basking in the warmth of the sun.
Freezing temperatures, icy roads and the
weight of extra layers of clothing and overcoats are behind
us. Whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, I always know
that spring is surely coming. So it is with the winters and springs of
our lives. These seasons are sure to change. It’s all a part of God’s
divine plan. Yes, winter may bring with it all sorts of tests and trials
and uncomfortable situations. Yet despite the difficulties, the winter of
my life is the time when I know I must strategize and plan for the next
season. But no matter what challenges I face in my winter, I always
know that my spring is just around the corner. And with spring, comes
a rebirth—a chance to literally “spring forward” into a new beginning.
Spring is the time to execute the plan that I spent all winter working
on. Spring is the time to move into action.
I’m excited about my spring! How about you?
Ace Alexander
Publisher/Founder
@acealexanderVIP
[email protected]
Ace Alexander is a Stellar Award winning nationally syndicated radio host,
a two-time recipient of the Central South Distribution REACH Award and
two-time nominee for the R&R/Billboard Achievement Awards for Radio
Personality and National Music Director. He is also a speaker, consultant
and facilitator.
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April 2015 AIRPLAY 360
April 2015 / Vol. 6 No. 2
PUBLISHER
Ace Alexander
ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER
Michelle Slater
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Louise M. Moore
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS
Keonda Gaspard
Ken Tamplin
Pam Perry
Roger Ryan
ADVERTISING
[email protected]
AIRPLAY 360 Online Magazine
published Monthly
airplay360.com
Copyright © 2008-2015 Airplay 360 Digital Magazine,
an Ace Alexander Company publication
Reproduction, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited.
Readers are free to forward this web magazine to
friends and colleagues.
DISCLAIMER: The articles and resources in AIRPLAY
360 are not intended to be a substitute for professional
consultations. While all attempts have been made to
verify information provided in this web magazine,
neither the author nor the publisher assumes any
responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary
interpretation of the subject
matter herein.
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April 2015 AIRPLAY 360
21:03
Gospel’s
The
Real Outsiders
Outsiders
BY LOUISE MOORE
T
orrence Greene and Evin Martin are just fine
with being different—sort of like outsiders in
the industry. The Grammy nominated, Stellar
Award winning duo crafted their own unique sound,
not desiring to sound like anyone else in Christian
and Gospel music. Under the capable direction of J
Moss and PAJAM, Torrence and Evin, better known
as 21:03 have further developed their sound. Over a
period of 12 years, they have matured from boys to
young men. Their latest album “Outsiders” debuted
at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Chart proving that 21:03
is still a force in the music industry and popular with
fans. In an interview with Airplay 360, Torrence and
Evin discuss their new project and its significance.
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April 2015 AIRPLAY 360
A360: I want to first congratulate you on your new
project “Outsiders”.
Evin: Yes, it’s in stores and online everywhere. It is
gospel’s first dual release, meaning it’s an
audiovisual CD. We shot a video for almost every
song on the EP—kind of did the Beyonce` a little bit.
We just wanted everyone to see and get a visual for
the music at the same time so we’re really excited.
A360: The name of your project is “Outsiders” so
what’s the inspiration behind that album title?
Torrence: The “Outsider” campaign comes from
us just feeling a little like outsiders in the industry.
In the gospel industry we don’t sound or look like
anybody else. For all this time we’ve kind of been a
part of the outsiders or the ones that don’t fit in
anywhere but even besides that, we just want to
charge everybody to learn to love themselves even
though they may be considered outsiders or they
don’t fit into a particular group or the popular group.
The uniqueness about themselves and the things
that may be considered flaws to everybody else are
the things that make them who they are so they
need to start loving those things. And as Christians
we just be used to being outsiders anyway. We
should consider that Christ was an outsider and
radical and we should pattern ourselves after him.
We should be proud to be an outsider. So that’s
what the campaign “Outsiders” comes from. It’s
something on (the CD) for everybody. It’s family
friendly music.
A360: What’s your favorite track on this particular
project?
Torrence: I would have to say right now “Done”.
It’s kind of an R&B feel we did with Joshua Rogers
from Sunday Best. He was a very cool guy to work
with—very down to earth. That’s why we wanted to
include him on this song and plus his vocal ability is
out of this world. We had to do a collaboration with
him on a song and J Moss wrote “Done”. But it’s just
talking about being done with all the things in the
world that are distractions whether that be
alcoholism or being a sexaholic. It’s just being real
and bringing God back to the center.
A360: As you mentioned, you have Joshua Rogers
on this project and also J Moss of course. So I’m
wondering, how much creative control do you have
with your projects and especially with this one?
Evin: We have all the creative control. We wrote
six of the eight songs on the CD. It started off as a
concept just going in trying to figure out what we
wanted to sound like. The awesome thing is this is
our fourth album and things have changed a lot
since we started. When you first get into the industry
people are leading you and guiding you and now
we’ve definitely developed into men—into business
men as well. And so we’re now collaborators with
our production team PAJAM. In the last three or four
years since our last album, I released a couple of
solo mix tapes and those kind of allowed me to
stretch my pen and kind of find the sound. So when
you listen to this album the music is much more bold
and energetic. It’s has more of a Pop Urban lean,
we call it “GosPop” , that’s like what we branded it.
The music is a product of our conversation, our
airplay360.com
prayers. We like to turn up to the turn up generation.
I like it and I hope other people like it. (smile)
A360: Oh, I think they do. (smile)
A360: Now you mentioned “GosPop”—the fusion
of Gospel and Pop—so you’ve got to have some big
influences in both of those genres, who are they?
Evin: I love Capital Kings, Katy Perry, Jason
Derulo and Calvin Harris. You listen to that and then
you couple it with tobyMac, J Moss and even some
Tonex and put it in all into a melting pot and you get
what “Outsiders” sounds like. Put some Chris Brown
and some Brandy in there somewhere.
A360: With that being said, you’ve got to tell me,
what’s in your iPod right now other than yourself?
Torrence: What’s in my iPod right now is just
about everybody he (Evin) just named including
Donnie Hathaway, Ledisi, DeAngelo, Usher, J
Moss, Marvin Winans, Fred Hammond.
Evin: I’m listening to Hillsong Young and Free
Vessels. This Jazmine Sullivan CD is so good but I
listen to just a little bit of everybody.
A360: You’re pretty young, nobody’s married right?
Evin: Not yet.
Torrence: No, no.
A360: So nobody’s in a relationship or anything?
Evin: We’re dating. Well I’ll speak for me. I’m
dating. I’m not in a relationship but I think I’m about
to get dumped because this tour and this album
promo has wreaked havoc on my personal life.
A360: Ok, that was my next question. How are you
balancing it? So it’s a challenge?
Evin: I’ll be honest, I’m not that good at it yet.
That’s why I’m not married. She’ll have to be a very
special young lady. It takes a special person to be
the mate of anyone in entertainment because it
takes up so much of your time and you have to
make sure they don’t feel second to your gift or
second to your career. I haven’t really mastered that
yet. I’m being honest.
Torrence: I definitely ditto everything he (Evin)
just said. I’m dating but it’s definitely difficult to have
a career such as this and have a relationship. It’s
hard for me to juggle it so the best thing to do is just
be single for now until you find that right match that
might be able to handle it.
For now, both Evin and Torrence have a keen focus
on their musical careers and it’s certainly flourishing.
Follow 21:03 https://twitter.com/21o3
AIRPLAY 360
April 2015
7
VOCAL TIPS
Improve Your Voice,
Don’t Ruin It
BY KEN TAMPLIN
Y
ou want your listeners to be mesmerized by the
sound of your voice. You often dream of floating
up and down the scales smoothly and
seamlessly. There are so many vocal styles to try out and
you want to excel at all of them. Okay, now stop day
dreaming and start making all your dreams a reality - at
least some of them. To improve the quality of your voice
the first thing you need to do is to sign up for voice
classes. The quality of instruction in those voice classes
will make your singing stand out and separate you from
the crowd.
Get Out of the Groove
Appropriate voice training enables you to think outside
the box. There is far more to singing than belting or
screeching or even growling. Respect your vocal limits as
even a slight change in your vocal cords can render your
voice unrecognizable. Add to that the fact that the longterm influence of vocal hygiene education and the
effectiveness of voice training can never be overstated.
Your vocal coach will check to see whether you are
singing at the correct pitch and how high is the musical
quality of your voice. Don't run away with the notion that
once you've signed up for voice classes, you can afford
to cool your heels. Singing requires dedication, time,
effort, discipline, and practice. You need to have proper
control over your voice and breathing. As your singing
and your vocal agility improve, so will your confidence
which in turn will raise your self-esteem. Everyone who is
desirous of performing on a stage in front of huge
screaming crowds needs an abundance of both
confidence and high self-esteem.
The Don'ts of Singing Are Just as Critical
airplay360.com
Once you have developed a strong, wonderful sounding
voice with a large vocal range, and a consistent tone from
your lowest note to your highest, you would naturally
want to showcase your skills. Yet avoid certain things to
ensure that you can keep your voice healthy and strong
well into old age. Never practice or perform live or in a
studio without having done appropriate warm up
exercises. Singers as much as sports persons need to do
warm up exercises for the same reason - avoid disasters.
Never make the mistake of drinking anything chilled or
anything very hot just before or immediately after a
performance, even if it is in a recording studio under
controlled circumstances. Caffeinated drinks, tobacco,
milk drinks and alcohol are all ruinous for your voice and
have to be avoided.
Ken Tamplin is an American Christian rock
performer and vocal coach. He is owner of
Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy. Known for
his vocal range, Tamplin has traveled the
world studying from the best vocal
coaches. He has also composed music for
television and movies.
AIRPLAY 360
April 2015
9
MUSIC LEGAL
What’s the Deal?
Standard Music Agreements
Every Artist Should Know
BY KEONDA GASPARD
T
he dream goal of most musicians is to get
an illustrious record deal from a major
recording label. But what most don't know is
that record deals come in a range options and can
often be confusing for neophyte artist (and some
legends who should know better!!).
In order to forge through the music business,
knowing the types of agreements, some legal terms
and insider jargon, will certainly be a great asset
when the opportunity for that recording contracting
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April 2015 AIRPLAY 360
is on the table. Some of the music industry's deals
include:
Master Buyout Deal
This deal is ideal for music labels. In short, the label
owns the final completed project, which is called the
Master and retains the copyright ownership. The
company hires a musician for an agreed upon set
fee for providing a contribution to the musical work.
The agreement includes buyout options such as the
paid artists performing and/or publishing rights plus
states the company's copyright ownership to the
track as well. It is likely that the company will offer
the artist a royalty on the sales.
There are two types of buyout deals. Most times the
artist that is offered this type of deal is signed to the
label and work exclusively with the label. As in,
Whitney Houston did not own 'I Will Always Love
You,' Dolly Parton and SONY Music do, but the late
great Nippy receives a percentage of the sales of
the song. Moreover, she worked exclusively with
Columbia. Yet, the buyout can also be a 'One - off'
deal. For example, a songwriter might get paid to
write a theme song for a production company. The
writer is paid for his service and the show owner
owns all the rights to the musical work and can
exploit the song freely. In a One - off deal, the hired
artist is not exclusive to the label.
Work For Hire Deal
Master Licensing Deal
360 Deal
An entity is composing a musical work and
commissions musicians (and anyone contributing to
the track really, even the random person in the
studio who changed ONE word) to make the
composition. The commissioner of the song typically
retains the copyrights and may give an artist a
portion of performing rights or just retain all the
rights to the song. Those hired, from the guitarist to
the engineer, are paid for their services rendered
and have no ownership in the song. This deal is
important for song producer of a song because it is
possible that contributors to the track may claim the
idea and ownership of the record. Moreover, this is
a nonexclusive deal and the musicians can work
freely.
TV and Film companies use this agreement often.
The artist owns a song and gives a range of
permissions to a company to exploit a musical work
for an agreed upon fee. The permissions can
include a rate per usage fee to terms on which
mediums the song can be used in. After the term
date expires the artist retains all the rights again.
This is the record company's new favorite standard.
The company takes a percentage of an artist record,
touring, merchandise and all of artist total sales. In
exchange for giving a portion of these sales, the
label will promote, market and cross market the
artist brand on a larger scale than if the artist
worked independently.
Pressing & Distribution Deal
Now that you are aware of these different types of
deal, be cognizant of the type of agreement that you
are negotiating and signing. Additionally, you do not
have to take the first deal offered. Be sure to
negotiate your terms. Moreover, know what you are
talking about and what you want to gain out of the
agreement. The music industry preys on new artists
ignorance, it's a business, a ruthless one at that, the
labels goal is to make money off of artist and their
fans, so it is in the artist best interest to understand
business of the music business.
The owner of a musical work with contract with a
distributor to manufacture and/or distribute such
work. The distributor is mainly providing a
warehouse for the merchandise, while some
distributors use their connections with retailers and
e - commerce site to market the merchandise. This
is a non - exclusive deal and both parties are
typically free to work with third parties.
Joint Venture Deal
This is likely the most used agreement for upcoming
artist. An artist pays a producer a certain fee for
beats and studio time plus all the outstanding costs.
The producer normally has access to a studio and
owns the tracks until the producer is reimbursed for
the tracks. The goal of this deal is to get a recording
deal for the artist and/or producer. Who owns the
copyright and the split sheet percentages are set
between the artist and the producer. Depending on
the terms of the agreement the artist may or may
not be exclusive to that producer.
airplay360.com
#TipOfTheDay - When in contract negotiations
READ EVERY LINE YOURSELF. Trust no one to
do this for you. NO ONE!
Keonda “PROFESSOR KG” Gaspard,
a Los Angeles native, is a 15 year
veteran of the music industry with an
International Business Degree from
Cal State. She is a certified paralegal,
a music business educator, CEO of
The Aver Agency, a music business
administration company and creator of
'The Producer Suite', a music
education workshop series.
AIRPLAY 360
April 2015
11
MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT
A CONVERSATION WITH
Bishop Clarence Langston
BY LOUISE MOORE
B
ishop Clarence Langston is founder and
senior pastor of Word in Action Christian
Center in Detroit, Michigan and also star of
Oxygen TV’s “Preachers of Detroit”. Recently,
Airplay 360 had the opportunity to have a
conversation with the newly ordained bishop to
discuss his newfound fame and his role on the
popular reality series.
A360: First of all I want to congratulate you on the
show and also being ordained bishop.
Bishop Langston: Thank you so much!
A360: I know that on the show (at least when it first
debuted) you’re still Bishop-Elect so how long ago
was it that you were actually ordained?
Bishop Langston: January
A360: Since you’ve been on the show, it’s been a
few weeks now, how has your life changed?
Bishop Langston: It’s changed drastically. I’ve
been meeting a lot of people in the streets as well
as on social media that are saying that my
testimony and my life and my family has really
touched and inspired their lives. Many testimonies
from a lot of people has been really amazing
because so many I didn’t realize have had
experiences and are going through a lot of things
that they had saw me overcome on the show.
A360: Speaking of that, one of the things you reveal
on the show is your suicide attempt. Can you briefly
take us through that moment of you trying to commit
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April 2015 AIRPLAY 360
suicide and the revelation you received from your
failed attempt?
Bishop Langston: You know it was really crazy. I
was going through a season in my life where I was
feeling as though I was the black sheep of the
family. I had gotten into a lot of trouble as a young
man. I went through a real strong rebellious time in
my life and I had several contracts out on my life. I
was just getting into it with guys at school, you know
I was in high school when a lot of this transpired and
my mom was trying to get me to move out of state
to protect me and protect the family. I had my
friends who encouraged me that I didn’t need to
leave the city so I told me mom, “No.” And long
story short, she ended up putting me out of the
home. And so I really went through some drastic
things. I thought I knew what I was doing, thought I
was grown. I ended up losing everything; felt like I
was losing my mind. I lost my resources, my
finances. I was doing things that I had no business
doing. I just came to a real, real dark season in my
life where I just felt like I couldn’t be loved and
nobody loved me. I couldn’t find a way out. I got to
the place where I was homeless. So I just wanted to
end the misery. It was like everyday I would wake
up to nothing, just struggling. And I remember falling
to my knees and putting my own gun up to my head
and just wanting to die and I pulled the trigger. And I
tell everybody, “I’m so glad that God didn’t allow that
trigger to go off because I’m still here now and the
Lord has truly blessed me.”
A360: Oh wow! We’re so glad you’re still here too!
Now I did want to ask you about Pastor (David)
Bullock. (laughing) I know everybody on the show
seems to have had challenges dealing with him but I
think a lot of us are really inspired by how you have
dealt with Pastor Bullock. Can you tell us how you
do it? Do you pray
or what?
Bishop
Langston: Oh
most definitely.
(laugh)
A360: How do you
find these
innovative ways to
deal with him?
Bishop
Langston: You
know it’s really
amazing because
from each shoot
you don’t know
what’s going to
happen with each
taping. You don’t
know who you’re
going to be taped
with. That scene
when you saw me
and him, I like to
say I was trying to
have a
conversation with
the brother when
he explodes on
me. I was in shock
because I was
really there to talk about Pastor’s Pow-wow and us
working together for a common goal, and putting
God first and touching our community. So when he
went off, I was just like, “Wow, for real brother.” It
took me a whole day to swallow that pill. When the
cameras shut off, I was really upset because I didn’t
understand. I said, “Did he just attack me; did they
put him up to it?” But I found out later on what I was
upset about, the Lord showed me I was wrestling
with myself because the way that I would have
responded—you know when I was in the streets
they called me “Clay”—I wanted to respond like
Clay but Bishop-Elect Langston showed up, the new
me. And when God showed me that, I was like
“Wow!” and I was excited about it afterwards. But I
just didn’t understand in that moment I thought,
“Wait a minute this guy is going off on me the way
that he is going off.” I told my wife, “You know back
airplay360.com
in the day first of all I wouldn’t have stayed there
that long for anybody to go off on me like that but
secondly, I would have reached down his throat and
snatched his tonsils out.” (laughing) So it’s real.
What you see,
you literally see
me being who I
am, being
transparent and
that’s me and
that’s how I
respond. And it
really blessed me
because the Lord
showed me how
much he has
changed me and
how much he has
delivered me.
And so for the
bigger thing for
me even going
forward after that
was I really still
wanted to get
with him if we
were going to
work together
because I believe
it’s time now that
we come together
and that we heal
and that we do it
together. Divided
we fall but
together we
stand.
A360: What more do you want people to get from
you being on the show?
Bishop Langston: One of the main things I want
people to be able to see is the love I have for God,
the love that I have for my family and my community
and my city and the body of Christ. I want them to
be able to the see the sincerity of my heart for
ministry and for people and I want them to be able
to see and really understand that no matter what
walk of life they come from, no matter what they go
through that there is nothing they can’t rebound
from in God when they put God first and that’s my
heartbeat.
Follow Bishop Langston
https://twitter.com/pastorlangston
AIRPLAY 360
April 2015
13
Tax Season is HERE!
Deduction Checklist for Artists
and Entertainment Entrepreneurs
I
t’s that time again—tax season. Before you know
it, April 15th will be here and Uncle Sam will be
calling so make sure that you as an artist or
entertainment entrepreneur have your business in
order. Here are some legitimate business deductions
you can take as an entertainment entrepreneur.
Rent
Equipment Gear and Accessories
Fees for attorney, manager, agent and accountant.
Amps, pedals, effects, straps, carrying cases.
Equipment Repair
Stage Clothes
Apparel that you wear only when performing.
Consumable Supplies
Drum skins and sticks, guitar strings and picks.
Books and Manuals
Rent for storing your gear and for practice space.
Memberships
Professional organizations, associations and unions.
Professional Fees/Legal Fees
Copyright and Registration Fees
Lessons and Instruction such as vocal coaching.
Travel Expenses
Airfare, ground transportation and local travel.
Postage
Costs from mailings related to your music business.
Music business books, record company directories
and venue directories.
Film and Processing
Subscriptions
Copying and Printing
Any subscriptions trade magazines such as Billboard.
Flyers, cards and other promotional items.
Sheet Music and How-to Books and Manuals
Advertising
Promotional
This can include CD/tape duplication for demos,
photos and bios.
Office Supplies
Paper, envelopes, photocopies, stamps.
airplay360.com
Web ads, magazine ads or radio ads.
Tax Preparation Fees
Telephone and Internet Service
This information is provided for informational purposes only.
It is not a substitute for obtaining professional accounting, tax,
or financial advice. Further explanation of deductions and tax
AIRPLAY 360
April 2015
15
Erica Campbell
Jesus Culture
Jon Guerra
Ruslan
Help 2.0
MAR 31
eOne
Live From New York
APR 1
Jesus Culture
Little Songs
APR 2
Essential Records
Do for One
APR 3
King’s Dream Ent
Point of Grace
Derek Johnson
Ky’eric Powell
Amy Grant
Directions Home
APR 7
Word
Real Love
APR 7
Capitol
Survivor Series
APR 12
Ky’eric Powell
Be Still and Know
APR 14
Amy Grant Label
KB
Casey J
Ziel
Shane & Shane
Tomorrow We Live
APR 21
Reach Records
The Truth
APR 21
Tyscot
Ziel
APR 28
Dream Records
The Worship Initiative
APR 28
Provident
airplay360.com
AIRPLAY 360
April 2015
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April 2015 AIRPLAY 360