YoungAce

The new "Jerk" music scene is fraught with irregularities and inconsistencies. By this I mean the current post record company business model since Napster seems to be, let's give all of our creative music away for free in an effort to garner a huge fan/follower base until we get noticed by the Bigs. This seems to be a contradiction to those who claim to be a sort of underground movement doing music simply for the art, the movement and not to get paid.

This brings us to one of the most prolific and greatest creatives of the Jerk genre in my estimation. I've been fortunate enough to work with, YoungAce Hoodstar the founder of K.I.O.E. (Kream Inc Over Everything). The lyrics express the youthful irreverence for the status quo, but yet that seems to be just what Kream Inc seeks.

By this I mean, they are about to do a show on My_Space's Sprite Jerk show coming up around the summer and made a big announcement about new music coming up for 2012. They did release a quite a few songs and host a few different artist in their videos, but:

I have issues with the business model that says, I want to be big on Sprite My_Space, and 106 and Park, but to get there I'm going to give all my music away free. When something is free, people do not value it. They abuse it. Let me give you an example: In 1985- 1988 I worked at a Parks Recreation Center in Harlem NYC, that had an indoor swimming pool. It was free for the public to use and had free lockers for the public to leave their street wear and valuables, they just had to wait on line at opening time to get in. So what did the youth do? Rather than having to wait on a line for a free pool, they cut a hole through a $300 security fence to gain early access to a free pool. What was the solution for this devaluation. We charged $1.00 to use the lockers so patrons had some value of the pool and would have to go past a check in point to pay for and receive a locker. Upon return of the lock they got the $1.00 back essentially making it a deposit.

Kream Inc Ft YoungAce

Take a look at our interaction with YoungAce: We put out one song on our Ikohaus Music Group label with him "Tatted". We issued it out to iTunes AU/CA/UK/JP/Mex/Latin Amer, Rhapsody, Amazon, Zune, Spotify, MediaNet, Nokia and Verve Life. Ikohaus assumed the cost of the release and was virtually alone in promoting it. As it started to sell, we got word back that, "we don't sound like that anymore, and we really don't like the song". Well the fans do, and it's critical to treat your followers with respect as it's about what they like that supports you, not what you like in a one way conversation going out and not listening to the fans.

Would it be better to wait on the big muckety mucks from Sony and Interscope and sell out your ideals on the movement? Or be true to your Jerk fan ideals and work underground even if it's an indie thing to get your music out and give the fans what they like about you before your time comes and goes, waiting on the Bigs to make you a one hit wonder.

Case in point The Rangers that we'll go further in depth on in another blog, were putting out hit, free songs at the rate of about one or two a week and then got picked up by Nick Cannon of NCredible Ent. Get a clue!!! The industry Bigs are taking the competition off the market for their big Rap and Rock boys by signing the fledgling Jerk stars making a record or two and getting it some airplay and then relegating the artists to a kind of deep six limbo where nothing really happens for them and they are just there while the bigs make gobs of money with there other talent.