Friday, November 22, 2019

Tis the season! Save $$$ and eat healthy with these great holiday gift ideas!


Not sure what to get your loved ones for the holiday season?  Or perhaps a gift for yourself?  What better gifts to give than these kitchen products from Mealthy (see below).  I really like this company for the simple fact that they make quality products at reasonable prices.  On Amazon, the Mealthy 9-in-1 6 Quarts Multi-pot pressure cooker sells for less than half the price (about $95 on the Mealthy official site) of its equivalent, the Ninja Foodi 6.5 Quarts Multi-pot pressure cooker which sells for about $200.  Also, the Mealthy Multi-pot pressure cooker was #2 on the Best Sellers list on Amazon with 4.6 out of 5 stars.

In addition, Mealthy is focused on easy to prepare, healthy meals that won't cost you a ton of money.  According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, "average American households spend $3000 a year dining out."  https://www.moneyunder30.com/the-true-cost-of-eating-in-restaurants-and-how-to-save  That's significant but not nearly as much as it could be due to the most recent statistics which state "eighty percent of dinners were consumed at home in the United States" https://www.statista.com/statistics/967505/eating-in-or-out-dining-preferences-us/

Mealthy also has a community Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/278823729299475/ to enhance your Mealthy cooking experience.  Mealthy created their community page for people to "share pressure cooking, CrispLid, air fryer recipes, post (pictures are encouraged!) your successes, ask questions about the MultiPot, CrispLid, or AirFry, get tips, and share in the fun of cooking with Mealthy Products!
We can also use this forum to assist each other with tips and tricks, and come together as a community to cook and help each other." Can't get that with the Ninja products!
Below are links to a few Mealthy kitchen products available.  Be sure to visit their official site for a complete catalogue of their product line https://mealthy.com/products/pressure-cooker

Mealthy 9-in-1 Six Quarts Pressure Cooker

Mealthy CrispLid for Pressure Cooker (converts any pressure cooker into an air fryer)

Mealthy CrispLid Cookbook

Saturday, November 16, 2019

ZAYN is BACK!


British born singer Zain Javadd Malik aka ZAYN was first introduced to the public as a solo contestant on England's The X Factor in 2010, then went on to join the boy band One Direction before exiting in 2015.

As a solo artist, he released the mega hit Pillow Talk which has 937M YouTube views to date.

ZAYN is back with his latest single, FLAMES, a collaboration with R3HAB and Jungleboi.  FLAMES is a melody driven composition with a soulfully expressive vocal.  Looks like he's got another hit on his hands, so be sure to check it out on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/4XBpczMYDeco0RR5MpJFWt?si=cBXa_D07QUCfiCp2Cou37w
and add it to your playlists.



Better still, follow my GrindnShine Vol 2 playlist on Spotify for all the latest in EDM, pop and indie rock.  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4mt6GesuFBafdRMIc5MJcN?si=kzXxb-yOTgm0BcIxpG5mow


Tuesday, November 12, 2019

My son's (aka AlBundie) 1st single, Soul Searchin', is all ready a Chart Topper!


I'm always asking my son in a lovingly-joking, but somewhat serious way, "hey son, when you droppin' that new heat?" or "when that new mixtape comin' out, son?"  He normally laughs and walks away.  Well, this was not the case last weekend.  My son came to me, said he had some lyrics ready to go and was wanting to record as soon as possible.  I was like,"WHAT??!!"  He replied, "yeah."  About half an hour later, he found the instrumental or "beat."  We played it as he "spit" his verse, a nice mellow flow with some real emotion in his words.  Some minutes later after playing the beat over a few times, he came up with a catchy "hook" or chorus.  Sometimes it takes days, even weeks, to write a decent hook!  My son did it in just a few minutes.  Within a few more minutes, we were recording his verse and the hook.  Like a real pro, he dropped his verse in only a couple of takes, NO JOKE!  I offered to write a verse, so I wrote one and recorded it the following day.  Just like that, Soul Searchin' feat AlBundie was finished in less than 24 hours!  So proud of what my son had accomplished in such a short time.

After it's release on Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, my son's debut single Soul Searchin' feat AlBundie landed at #45 on the Hypeddit Top 100 Hip Hop Chart https://hypeddit.com/music/genre/hip-hop 
If that's not a sign that he should pursue a recording career, I don't know what is!  He's all ready in the process of writing his next single.

Be sure to follow my son aka AlBundie on Soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com/alec-de-la-rosa to get all of his latest music.  Stream the full version of Soul Searchin' at https://soundcloud.com/alec-de-la-rosa/soul-searchin Also, you can get your copy of Soul Searchin' feat AlBundie at the following links:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/soul-searchin-feat-albundie-single/1487381040?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
https://open.spotify.com/track/4RCL61piuQX5V5HLMAk3YE?si=oOo49B3DQq6WPlF3s92R1A
https://www.iheart.com/artist/dl-moreno-488394/albums/soul-searchin-83728101/
https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Dl_Moreno_Soul_Searchin_feat_AlBundie?id=Bi4hqtaeaqi66murgedcbsmelqa
https://www.deezer.com/us/album/118419862
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyAO87ZtvLg
Don't forget to STREAM IT, SHARE IT and ADD IT to your playlists, thanks!

In other news, my single Hourglass feat Breana Marin just hit #43 this week 11-09-2019 on the Digital Radio Tracker Global Top 150 Independent Airplay Chart!  It's available on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/track/7MtbGh6YA7xJ4taIlnpRjU?si=cmVWOVxvQxikLLNSkB4y_w

It's been a very good week for sure.  Have a great rest of the week and weekend, my friends!










Thursday, November 7, 2019

What do Drake, Snoop Dogg & Seth Rogen have in common besides being celebrities??




What do Drake, Snoop Dogg and Seth Rogen all have in common besides the obvious?  Yes, they're all celebrities, entertainers, and are all known to be connoisseurs of the cannabis plant aka "weed." FYI they've all partnered with one of the largest cannabis companies in the world based out of Canada, Canopy Growth Corporation https://www.canopygrowth.com with Drake being the most recent investor/partner.  And if you didn't all ready know, multi-millionaire Martha Stewart also partnered with Canopy Growth in a deal Snoop Dogg helped broker.

Here's an excerpt from the Press Release today 11-7-19:
Canopy Growth Corporation (“Canopy Growth” or the “Company”) (Toronto Stock ExchangeTSX:WEED, New York Stock ExchangeNYSE:CGC) and Aubrey Drake Graham (“Drake”) are pleased to announce that they have entered into agreements to launch the More Life Growth CompanyTM, a fully licensed producer of cannabis based in Drake’s hometown of Toronto, Canada.  “When we first began talks with Drake we were extremely inspired by and aligned with his vision to bring best-in-class cannabis products to the world,” said Mark Zekulin, CEO, Canopy Growth Corporation. “Drake’s perspective as a culture leader and entrepreneur combined with Canopy Growth’s breadth of cannabis knowledge will allow our new company to bring an unmatched cannabis experience to global markets.” Drake’s eclectic career includes experience across a wide variety of industries including music, television, film, fashion, sports, brand development, content curation and social and digital media strategy. Having launched numerous successful brands over the past decade, he is uniquely positioned to bring his innovative eye to the recreational cannabis industry. “The opportunity to partner with a world-class company like Canopy Growth on a global scale is really exciting,” shared More Life Growth Company founder, Drake. “The idea of being able to build something special in an industry that is ever growing has been inspiring. More Life and More Blessing.”

I've had an interest in investing in the cannabis market for some time, just wasn't sure where to start. Why?  The global cannabis market is one of the fastest growing markets which some financial analysts project to grow as high as $150 billion within the next 10-15 years.  Uruguay and Canada have legalized cannabis in their countries with Mexico due to legalize it soon.  Here in the US, 33 states have legalized medical cannabis and 11 states, including California, legalized its recreational use.  In addition, the "2018 Farm Bill, which includes language that legalizes hemp across the US, was signed in to law" in late December 2018.  Along with all of the celebrity investors I mentioned, billionaires James Simmons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Simons_(mathematician) and Kenneth Griffin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_C._Griffin have also invested heavily in cannabis stocks.  They all see the writing on the wall!  And just like what happened with alcohol prohibition, cannabis will eventually become legal nationwide.  When that happens, the cannabis industry here and globally will explode!

So why Canopy Growth?  Check out their success story https://www.canopygrowth.com/about/ here. Also, Constellation Brands, a Fortune 500 company who produce the beers Corona and Modelo, invested $4 billion "to build scale in the more than 30 countries currently pursuing federally permissible medical cannabis programs, while establishing the foundation needed to supply new recreational adult-use markets as cannabis becomes legal in markets around the world."  It's for all the reasons above that I decided to buy shares in Canopy Growth (CGC on the NYSE) last month at around $20/share.  The price per share was as high as $50/share but lately has been back and forth between $19-21/share.  That could change as Canopy Growth is set to announce their projected earnings for 2nd quarter 2020 on November 14, 2019.  I also placed a small wager, or "call-option" in stock jargon, that Canopy Growth stock price will rise when they make their announcement.  Hoping for the best!

If you're interested in investing in cannabis stocks, or stocks in general, I recommend opening a Robinhood account https://robinhood.com  It's as easy as opening a checking account, it's free to trade and you don't have to deposit any money in the account to start as with other brokerage accounts.  Good luck!


Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Just found out about the new APTERA electric vehicle (EV). It's the FUTURE of EV!


Been seriously thinking about getting an electric vehicle, also known as an EV.  Sure, there are hybrid vehicles out there, the Toyota Prius, the BMW i2.  But in my humble opinion, they are not aesthetically appealing AND the electric aspect of it doesn't really provide the mileage I'm looking for.  The Tesla models are really nice looking, are pure EV's (meaning no gasoline required & great for the planet), and the high end model S can deliver about 370 miles on a single charge but you'll have to pay a premium in upwards of $100K.  I also like the fact that the Tesla S accelerates from 0-60 MPH in 3.2 seconds.  I can definitely attest to this as I was one of three passengers who experienced its phenomenal acceleration.   FYI my friend "floored it" on District Blvd here in Bakersfield after a night of beers at Buffalo Wild Wings...I was literally blown away!

But I recently discovered a new EV that looked like something out of an old cartoon, The Jetsons.  It had initially generated a ton of excitement back in the mid-2000s touting 100 miles per charge, but the company eventually went bankrupt.  Well, IT'S BACK!  It's called the APTERA and if you're interested in the latest in EV advancements, I encourage you to check out their new site https://www.aptera.us

It's a 3-wheel vehicle and to be honest, it looks like a plane cockpit on wheels!  Love it or hate it, it's definitely aerodynamic and has the lowest drag coefficient of any vehicle on the planet.  What does that mean?  And this is the kicker...the APTERA can go 1000 miles on a single charge!  Also, it'll be well equipped with all the latest technology, including bluetooth and self-driving capability.  APTERA Motors is proposing an initial price of between $35-50K but that could change based on further research and development.  I doubt it will cost more than any EV on the market since it only has 10 key parts compared to 300 parts typical on current EV models.  In addition, the website does not specifically tell you its maximum speed but in the following video with former Tonight Show host, Jay Leno, he was cruising in it at a comfortable 70 miles/hr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrQqCLRXl2w  I can live with that!  Another benefit to owning an APTERA is that your monthly insurance premium will be about what you pay for a motorcycle.  Nice!

If you're interested in investing in this car of the future, be sure to read all about it on their website and at https://wefunder.com/aptera




Wednesday, October 9, 2019

FVYDID MUSIC ACADEMY! Learn from one of the BEST DJ's/producers/music marketing specialists I know!




Jack Lozeron aka JackEL and I have collaborated on music since 2017.  Our songs have been streamed over 2.4 millions times on Spotify, including 1 million streams in 2018 alone, and I highly recommend his services to take your career to the next level.  He's very knowledgeable in all areas of the music business, from pre-production to music marketing.  If you're just starting out as an independent artist, or your career is stagnant, be sure to hit him up and get your career on the right track!

JackEL is based out of Las Vegas, NV and you can reach him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJackEL/ and https://www.facebook.com/jackelozeron  

Sunday, September 29, 2019

5G will be the next tech revolution! The FASTEST internet with NO lag time, self-driving cars, surgery performed from across the globe, and MORE!


Have you heard about 5G? If you don't all ready know, it's the next BIG revolution in technology.  Like the invention of the steam engine, electricity, computers & smart phones, 5G will take technology to new heights. Think better & faster cell phone/laptop performance including video streaming & gaming, self-driving vehicles & accident prevention, synchronizing all of your home appliances to perform tasks such as waking you up in the morning, preparing your coffee, ordering food items that you're running low on, surgery performed from across the the globe?!  AND this is just the tip of the iceberg! 

Check out this YouTube clip which explains the potential of the 5G network, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC_Sfkh5-zQ

One company is at the forefront of the 5G technology revolution with over 49K patents.  They recently inked deals with AT&T, Verizon, & their technology is being considered to replace existing iPhone hardware/software.  Also, many investors are quietly investing billions of dollars in this company. The company is Ericsson https://www.ericsson.com/en and it's currently trading at less than $8/share. That may change very soon so all you savvy investors out there, do your due diligence & consider investing in this company soon, preferably before their big announcement on Oct. 17, 2019. 


Thursday, September 19, 2019


As promised, here is my latest release HOURGLASS feat BREANA MARIN!

About Hourglass feat Breana Marin
“The song is about a deep infatuation when you first meet someone special, and the pursuit or "chase" involved in getting to know that someone on a deeper level.  Sometimes you don't have the words to express how you feel, when only a song will do…”  

Music produced by Breana Marin @itsbreanamarin on IG & Mantra @BeatsByMantra on IG. Hook by Breana Marin & Love Pulse Music @lovepulsemusic on IG.  Lyrics & vocals by Breana Marin, official site https://breanamarin.com, & DL Moreno @dlmorenomusic on IG.  Mixed & mastered by Dave Fore, official site https://davefore.com & @iamdavefore on IG.  Album art by anonymous and DL Moreno.

Here is the YouTube video link for Hourglass feat Breana Marin (explicit version), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQNhTH_wyPE

Hourglass feat Breana Marin is available NOW at https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/dlmoreno/hourglass-feat-breana-marin
so be sure to get your copy, add it to your playlists, share it with your family and friends.
Thanks and hope you enjoy it!


Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Will the new ElectroSpit ESX-1 mobile talkbox replace the traditional Talkbox made famous by Roger & Zapp?


In my quest for finding start-up business ventures to invest in, I found this new technology that could possibly revolutionize the music business. It's called the "Electrospit" and was created by co-founders Bosko and Maya Kante.  Bosko is a Grammy winning producer, talkbox artist, and holds a BA in Mechanical Engineering from USC.  Bosko also performed with Kanye West at the American Music Awards in 2004.  Maya is a business strategist who holds a BA in Sociology from UC Berkley.

Here's Bosko's description of the "Electrospit" in a nutshell:

"The device works by first connecting a mobile phone using the ESX-1 companion app, or any guitar, synthesizer, or keyboard through an audio input. The ESX-1, using its built-in amplifier and magnetic vocal projectors, sends sound in the pitch of the user’s choosing through the neck of the user, allowing them to control the shape and frequency of the sound with their mouth. The lightweight, durable device does not require the cumbersome tube or additional amplifier of legacy talkboxes."

The Talkbox sound was first introduced in the early 1970's by famous guitarists/singers Peter Frampton and Pete Townsend (The Who), but gained momentum in the 1980's by Roger & Zapp's adoption of it and/or making it their signature sound.  No one will ever forget the Talkbox sound in their mega-hit "More Bounce To The Ounce" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_IPV2zeDIc
The Talkbox is still used today by artists MC Magic and Southern Cali's Magic Girl.  The Talkbox also influenced the "autotune" sound made famous by Kanye West, vastly used by hip-hop and R&B artists today.

Here's a short video of the "Electrospit ESX-1" mobile talkbox, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XduZSfvI11c

If you'd like to read more about the "Electrospit ESX-1" mobile talkbox and/or are interested in investing in this breakthrough technology, follow the MicroVentures link at https://app.microventures.com/crowdfunding/electrospit


Sunday, September 8, 2019

For my son & other artists just getting started in the Business of Music!

Let me first comment on the image above, "SUPPORT INDEPENDENT MUSIC, IF YOU LIKE IT, BUY IT."  Of course I whole-heartedly agree with this statement but would add, "...STREAM IT, ADD IT TO YOUR PLAYLISTS, SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA..." and so on.  Most independent artists have spent lots of time and their own MONEY to get their music heard, gain fans and have their music appreciated.  But I assume those same artists would want to at least break even, or better yet, see some sort of rate of return on the money they spent to promote themselves.  Wouldn't you?  Enough about that.

So, my son approached me the other day asking me to make a beat for him so he could record some vocals and make a song.  He said he wanted to submit it to a popular podcast and he was sure it would "HIT!"  He brought in his laptop, music production hardware that was gifted to him a couple of years ago which he had no idea how to use (and I was unfamiliar with as well), and expected me to produce a track on the spot.  I love my my son and would do anything for him, but I explained to him that it wasn't going to be that easy.  I further explained that I all ready have a music software program I work with for my vocals, not so much for making "beats" any more.  We continued our discussion for a few more minutes, it was getting late but I let him know I would definitely help him out.

Being an independent artist has been a difficult journey.  Be ready to accept criticism.  Sometimes the criticism is constructive but beware of those "haters" out there who'd like nothing more than to see you fail.  There have been times when I wanted to just give up.  I've spent many hours, thousands of dollars, and learned a lot of what not to do.  But through trial and error, I learned what has worked for me and I want to share some things I've learned that may help further your music careers.

Unless you're already an accomplished music producer/beat maker, I highly recommend you lease or buy your beats.  Leasing is a great way to start, it's a relatively inexpensive way to obtain a beat.  You won't outright "own" the rights unless you request to buy the "exclusive rights", but you'll at least have a great sounding instrumental to work with.  The format of the track you receive will be MP3, WAV, and you can also request "stems" so that your sound engineer can produce the best possible sounding mix/mastered track for you.  Here are a few sites where you can lease beats from professional music producers:


Once you have your beat, where to record?  You can take your beat with you to a local studio to record your vocals which could easily cost you hundreds of dollars.  Or do what I did, buy your own music production software and record from home.  You'll also need a microphone you can connect to your computer.  I'd also recommend getting a microphone isolation shield and a "pop blocker."  It may take some time to learn how to use the software but it will also increase your skillset and save you tons of money in the long run.  I personally use Logic Pro X but Ableton is great too.  


Once you've recorded your song, DO NOT RELEASE IT as-is!  You'll need to get it professionally mixed and mastered.  If you're recording at a studio, you can ask the engineer to provide you with a mixed/mastered song.  I only know of one person who I trust to transform my track into a radio-ready song, and that's Dave Fore.  For more information on how to contact Dave, please refer to my previous post regarding this Billboard charting sound engineer.


Once you have a single that is ready for release, you'll want to submit it through an intermediary music distribution service that will be able to get it distributed through Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Napster, Pandora, Google Play, etc.  I currently use Distrokid since it costs approximately $20 per year to distribute unlimited number of tracks.  I've also used Tunecore in the past but the cost is approximately $10 to upload one track, and if you're one of those prolific writers, submitting your music could get expensive.  Both services will get your music out there for fans to buy and/or stream your music online.


Once the music distribution service has received the "thumbs up" for your song to "go live" from online stores, you'll receive your UPC and ISRC codes.  You'll need the codes to register your music so that you are eligible to receive royalties when your song is played.  Make sure you register as an artist with BMI, ASCAP, or other service that keeps track of music royalties, before you start registering your songs.  If you've obtained "exclusive rights" to the song, I suggest copyrighting it with the U.S. Copyright office.  If you are anticipating FM and online radio airplay, make sure you also register your track with Nielsen and Mediabase.  Refer to the links below.


Now it's time to start promoting your single.  First thing you should do is upload it to all of your music and social media pages so that your fans can stream it.  If you don't all ready have one, make sure you have a Soundcloud page, a ReverbNation page, a YouTube channel, and of course, you should be promoting your track on InstagramTwitterFacebook, and other popular social media sites.  In addition, there are some sites where you can promote and/or upload your music.  I found a site called Hypeddit that has a music exchange with other artists to help build your fanbase.  You can get email addresses using Hypeddit to send your fans updates, so be sure you also create a Mail Chimp account too.  If you want to get it directly to DJ's, I recommend you upload your song to Digital DJ Pool and DemoDrop.  Both are free to use and work very well.  You want to get your song on as many playlists as possible so be sure you submit your song through Soundplate.  Another way to get your song in the hands of playlist curators and music bloggers is SubmitHub, though they are highly selective.  Don't get discouraged if your single is declined because you may get some great feedback in the process.  One last recommendation, if you have a budget of at least $1K or more and are looking for radio airplay, I recommend Hale Promotions internet radio promotion campaign.  Raymond Hale is the owner and he'll evaluate your song to see if it's one that he can promote.  He does not accept all songs but it's worth a try.  With his 3-month internet radio promotion campaign, I was able to get my single Savage featuring Trey Songz to the top of the Digital Radio Tracker charts!

https://soundplate.com

In conclusion, this is not a complete and comprehensive DIY guide for independent artists.  However, it is a compilation of knowledge and resources I've acquired over the years.  I believe the information here will help increase your music business knowledge and avoid some of the mistakes I made along the way.  Best of luck to you all!

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Are you an artist & want to work with a BILLBOARD charting audio engineer? Dave Fore is your guy!




No, it's not Donald Trump, LOL!  It's my friend Dave Fore, audio engineer extraordinaire!  Although his Facebook profile photo (above) is anything but, he takes his craft very serious.  He's a 5X Billboard charting engineer whose worked with major recording artists, including Compton AV featuring Snoop Dogg, Baby Bash, Big Tray Deee feat XZIBIT, country recording artists The LACS, the list goes on.  Amazingly, Dave played a major role in helping his artists rack up 100 Million+ streams in 2018 alone!  He also mixed and mastered my single, Savage feat. Trey Songz, which was #3 on the Digital Radio Tracker Top 150 Independent Chart and #9 on the Digital Radio Tracker Top 50 R&B/Hip-hop Chart in May 2017.  Dave is also a voting member of the Grammys.

I first met Dave in the mid 1990's at Pound4Pound Studios in Delano, CA.  He was part of a talented team of producers/engineers which included Rick Natividad (retired) and DJ Eric "the Insane Mixaken" Tapia.  As far as I can remember, Rick and Eric made the beats, Dave was in charge of mixing/mastering them.  Not sure if Dave knows this, but the demo Dave and the crew produced for my brother and me (we were a Christian hip-hop duo called C.O.G) prompted Ron Fair, VP of A&R at RCA Records, to reach out to me.  Mr. Fair said he liked what he heard and would be forwarding it to someone at his label who handled the Christian music genre.  Never heard back from Capitol Records but that interaction with him has motivated me to continue to make music to this day.  And I must add that had it not been for Dave and his team's help on that demo, I don't believe Mr. Fair would have ever contacted me at all.  A few years later after I heard from Mr. Fair, he signed multi-platinum recording artist Christina Aguilera https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Fair

In closing, if you're serious about taking your music to the next level I whole-heartedly recommend Dave Fore's services!  And make sure you have a budget in mind, his time is very valuable and he doesn't work for free.  You can contact him via his official website at http://davefore.com/ Be sure to follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/iamdavefore/ and at Facebook too at https://www.facebook.com/iamdavefore


Tis the season! Save $$$ and eat healthy with these great holiday gift ideas!

Not sure what to get your loved ones for the holiday season?  Or perhaps a gift for yourself?  What better gifts to give than these kitc...