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

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

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!

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!

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

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  

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. 

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!

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

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:

https://www.beatbrokerz.com

https://www.beatstars.com

https://www.soundclick.com

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.  

https://www.apple.com/logic-pro/

https://www.ableton.com/en/

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.

http://davefore.com

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.

https://distrokid.com

https://www.tunecore.com

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.

https://www.bmi.com

https://www.ascap.com

https://www.soundexchange.com

for exclusive rights songs, https://www.copyright.gov
https://media.bdsrealtime.com/ve/
http://www.musicinfosystems.com/faq/index.asp

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 Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, 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://hypeddit.com
https://mailchimp.com/

https://digitaldjpool.com

https://demodrop.com

http://www.halepromo.com

https://www.submithub.com

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!

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

How much money are your favorite artists really making on Spotify, YouTube, etc??

Have you ever wondered how much your favorite
artists earn on music streaming platforms like
Spotify and YouTube?  It used to be that artists made
their money from the sale of albums, 8-track and
cassette tapes, CDs, etc.  Most of you probably
never even heard of an 8-track or cassette, am I right?!
With the advance of technology, music went from
an album you bought at the local record store to
a virtual file you purchase in an online store.  So much has
changed the way we buy and listen to music.  It was inevitable
that the music industry had to change too.
Enter Napster, YouTube, Spotify and all the rest...

I found an interesting article, "Music Streaming Services: Royalty
Payouts in 2019" by EDMTUNES.  Here's a link if you'd
like to check it out, https://www.edmtunes.com/2018/12/music-streaming-services-royalty-payouts-in-2019/  According to the article, music streaming services pay artists the following, from highest to lowest payouts:
1.  Napster pays $0.019 per stream
2.  Tidal pays $0.0125 per stream
3.  Apple pays $0.00735 per stream
4.  GooglePlay music pays $0.00676 per stream
5.  Deezer pays $0.0064 per stream
6.  Spotify pays $0.00437 per stream
7.  Amazon pays $0.00402 per stream
8.  Pandora pays $0.00133 per stream
9.  YouTube pays $0.00069 per stream

Just for kicks and giggles, I wanted to see how Taylor Swift fared
with just one of her songs, You Need To Calm Down,
on YouTube and Spotify.

Taylor Swift's You Need To Calm Down on YouTube
118,000,000 views x $0.00069/view = $81,420

Taylor Swift's You Need To Calm Down on Spotify
163,540,706 streams x $0.00437/stream = $719,043

Not too bad for one song on 2 music platforms which pay the least amount to artists.
I would have crunched the numbers for You Need To Calm Down on
all the rest of the music streaming platforms but I wasn't able to get the data.
Suffice it to say, Ms. Swift is doing very well for herself just in music streaming alone.
I didn't even mention what she earns from
all of her sold out shows, her multi-platinum record sales, endorsements, etc.

According to an article in the LA Times on August 20, 2019,
"Two years ago, on demand streaming platforms
like Spotify and Apple counted for 54% of total music
consumption in the U.S, according to Nielsen music.
In 2019, that share is up to 80%."  https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2019-08-20/taylor-swift-lover-streaming-spotify
There's no doubt that the game has definitely
changed when it comes to how we get our music now as opposed to
back in the "good old days."  With the digital age,
music sound quality is better than before and it's cheaper for
consumers due to affordable monthly music streaming
subscriptions with almost unlimited access to music.
Although artists aren't selling as many "albums" as before, and even with the
fractions of pennies being paid to the artist per song stream as in my above example,
artists like Taylor Swift are not starving by any means!
 

Time to put your $$$ to work! And WIN! Don't miss out, there's still time...

Most of us work a 9-to-5, 40-hr job.  Possibly some overtime so we can afford those little extras.  Or maybe you put in your 25-30-35 years, retired and are on a fixed income.  Where does all the money go??  House or rent payment, car payment, maybe go out to dinner or a movie once in a while.  But one things for sure, we all have lots of BILLS with little to nothing left over!  Believe me, I've searched long and hard for legitimate ways to make more money, and most times nothing ever panned out.  Until about a year ago.  I decided to put my degree in Business Economics to work, which I had pretty much abandoned for years.

First place I looked was in the precious metals market. Precious metals include gold, silver, platinum, you get the picture.  Why?  Precious metals are, for the most part, recession proof and a tangible asset, something you can touch unlike stocks.  Now if you have the means, gold is a great bet!  As of today 8-17-19, gold is trading at $1513/oz.  At a minimum, gold continues to hold it's value, and some investors are saying that it may go as high as $40,000/oz due to market changes, https://www.fxstreet.com/analysis/its-time-to-get-serious-about-silver-201908141424
If you don't have $1500+ to spend, which most of us don't, do you have an extra $17 to spare?  That's what silver is currently trading at...actually, it's trading at $17.13/oz as of today...and is positioned to grow leaps and bounds (see the above link to It's Time To Get Serious About Silver).  FYI I transferred my County retirement account about a year ago to a silver IRA (individual retirement account) when silver was at $15/oz.  The County investment wasn't doing me any good growing at a mere 1% ROR (rate of return).  I could do better putting my money in a savings account at the bank, etc.  However, I decided to look elsewhere and found the precious metals market.  And some market experts are saying silver could go as high as $100/oz, and according to the above article silver could go even higher ($175-250/oz).

Why silver??  I know is hasn't grown much since I made the transfer, but it WILL!  Again, I refer you to the above link for a detailed explanation.  But the short of it is, silver mining is declining worldwide, yet silver demand is growing in a major way!  I'm sure you learned something about the law of supply and demand in high school, the law of demand says "the quantity of a good demanded falls as the price rises."  Two examples of what's happening with silver demand.  As of 2020, all new homes in California will require solar panels, of which silver is a main component.  Second, China is the world's largest market for solar energy and they are not slowing down anytime soon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_China Those are just two examples, I encourage you to search on your own to find out more about the growth potential for silver, and how you can make some serious money with silver.

Bottom line, do your research but I highly recommend you buy silver NOW before you miss out.  Make sure you buy silver from a legitimate source.  I say this because you want to make sure the silver you are buying is pure silver, not a mix of silver and other metals. I bought my silver from Lear Capital but there are other places you can buy from as well.

Good luck!  I'll post other financial opportunities for you to review and possibly invest in later on...

I'm always on the lookout for incredible music of various genres for my Spotify playlists.   I was fortunate enough to be sent a single called SATISFY ME from a new band called The Unfits.  I wasn't given too much information about the band so I searched Google to see if they had an official website but couldn't find one.  The only information I was given was that SATISFY ME was produced by Emil Haynie, producer of Kanye West and Adele.  Cool!  I really enjoyed the song's ethereal intro which transitioned into a catchy hook.  SATISFY ME has potential to do well and will fit nicely in a pop and EDM oriented genre radio format or playlist.  Be sure to check out SATISFY ME on Spotify at
https://open.spotify.com/track/60wMiIhXXdMwgdUwlbx420?si=qNH2CGVFS3Cf3jWbG42l5w
AND add it to your Spotify playlists.  It was definitely a good fit for my GrindnShine Vol 2 playlist on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4mt6GesuFBafdRMIc5MJcN?si=LcaD6RAoSdCqyZagrWZk6w
You can also follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theunfits/ 

Coming soon, my new single with Breana Marin!

I'm very excited to announce that BREANA MARIN will be singing the hook for my next single.  You may not know her by name but I'm sure you know of some of the multi-platinum artists and producer she's worked with, including Keyshia Cole, Brandy, Fifth Harmony, and producer Rodney "Dark Child" Jenkins. Breana has such an incredible, soulful voice that has been described as "velvety smooth vocals influenced heavily by Sade."  I couldn't agree more!  I don't want to give you the name of the next single just yet, but I do want to let you know it will have an EDM-hiphop vibe that I'm sure you're going to love!

Here's a link to a YouTube video Breana made to describe her process when writing and recording  hooks for songs:

https://youtu.be/a6UYOzpUqW8

If you're an independent artist and want to collaborate with Breana Marin, be sure to connect with her on her official site https://breanamarin.com

Want to work P/T and/or make money from home? Here are some LEGIT opportunities for you!

I'm sure you've seen a ton of images like the one shown above.  Truth be told, there are a lot of "GET RICH QUICK" schemes out there on the web but from personal experience, I caution you against them! Might as well throw your cash in the trash because the outcome will be the same, broken promises and worst of all, less money in your bank account! It's with this in mind that I'd like to share some opportunities out there that won't cost you anything but your time.

Here are some links to online surveys that pay you for your opinions. Expect to spend anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes per survey. Good if you have some extra time on your hands, and you could make anywhere from $1 to $3 per survey:

VINDALE RESEARCH https://www.vindale.com/v/index.jsp
SURVEY JUNKIE https://www.surveyjunkie.com
19 Best Sites to Take Paid Online Surveys https://wellkeptwallet.com/best-survey-sites/

Here is a link to a company called LIONBRIDGE that offers part-time jobs where you can work 10-20 hours per week from the comfort of your own home. Search JOIN OUR TEAM, minimum requirements, high school diploma or GED:
https://www.lionbridge.com

Are you creative and have a way with words? Here are a couple of companies that, if selected, will pay you anywhere from $20 to $200 to provide unique names for business and websites:

PICKY DOMAINS https://www.pickydomains.com
NAMING FORCE https://www.namingforce.com

Have something to say and/or sell, become a blogger. Here are a couple of links to help you get started:

BLOGGER https://www.blogger.com/about/?r=1-null_user
Amazon.com Associates Program https://affiliate-program.amazon.com

I'm sure there are lots more opportunities out there where you can make money from home just be careful and check out the companies, including online reviews and complaints, before you take the plunge! In the words of Lt. Aldo Reigns from the film INGLORIUS BASTARDS, "If it sounds too good to be true, IT AIN'T!" Good luck and hope you find something, if not from this post, a great opportunity where you can make some extra money. AND be sure to share your link here!

Need a good quality, reasonably priced cell phone holder for your car?

I found this nice cell phone holder for the car or truck! AMAZON rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars, and is reasonably priced below similar cell phone holders. Very easy to install (no tools required), and it doesn't go in your cup holder where you put your coffee or other beverage! NICE! AND the cell phone holder is closer to eye level.  Installed in the vent of your vehicle vs. the cup holder type which presents a greater danger since you'd be required to look down, taking your eyes off the road.    

Beam Electronics Universal Smartphone Car Air Vent Mount Holder Cradle Compatible With iPhone XS XS Max XR X 8 8+ 7 7+ SE 6s 6+ 6 5s 4 Samsung Galaxy S10 S9 S8 S7 S6 S5 S4 LG Nexus Nokia and More 

Do you like tattoos and if so, what would you get? How do you find that great tattoo artist to tattoo you?

Tattoos aren't for everyone, it's a decision anyone whose ever thought about getting one has to decide for him or herself. If you do choose to get one, where to begin? What exactly do you want? Maybe something you saw on someone else you admired that you thought looked cool? Or something you want to say about who you are, what you believe, or just something so simple and beautiful to you that you would proudly wear it indefinitely? Whatever the reason, it's as true an art form as it gets. I put a lot of thought into a tattoo I want. Most of the ones I've had done have a spiritual meaning to me. For instance, I had a Saint Michael the ArchAngel tattoo done on my left arm. Michael was the name I was supposed to have, and he was who God commanded to send the fallen angel lucipher to hell. The artist who did that tattoo recently died of an overdose, may he rest in peace. Most recently, I had 3 tattoos done by a very talented tattoo artist here in Bakersfield, CA. His name is Garrett Feliz, you can find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/garrett.feliz It was by sheer luck that I met him, he happens to be dating my niece. He works for True Grit Tattoo Company, which can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TrueGritTattooCompany/ Getting back to the tattoos, all 3 I've had done have very special meanings to me. The first was a portrait of my son when he was in middle school, he must have been about 12 or 13 at the time. Garrett confessed that it was the very first non-famous person he'd ever tattooed and was worried that it might not turn out well. Well..it turned out way better than anticipated, in fact it was an incredible likeness of my son! The next was a combination of Roman numerals, a clock and a rose...the Roman numerals are of the year I was born, the clock designates the time I was born and the rose is a symbol of my family surname. The third tattoo is a Latin saying, VERITAS AEQUITAS, meaning "truth and justice." The meaning is self-explanatory to me but some people equate the phrase to a cult film entitled, The Boondock Saints, which I have yet to see...but a film I will see soon. I have another tattoo appointment with Garrett soon, and I'll share it with you once it's done. In the meantime, here are 2 of my most recent tattoos done by Garrett Feliz. Check out his artwork and if you are interested in getting a high quality tattoo at a reasonable price, and you are in the Bakersfield, CA area I highly recommend him...just make sure you book him at least a month in advance. DL
PS.  Here's a link to my latest "FAITH HOPE LOVE" tattoo with a rose, https://www.instagram.com/p/B1PhCXIguDU/

Wireless Earbuds, Letsfit Bluetooth 5.0 Headphones on AMAZON!

Just saw these cool Bluetooth, sweat/weather-resistant LETSFIT earbuds!

20H Playtime Deep Bass 3D Stereo Sound, Bluetooth Earbuds with Built-in Mic Portable Charging Case

Perfect for working out, shopping, and other daily activities.  4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon!  Check them out!

Be sure to follow my Spotify playlists GrindnShine, GrindnShine Vol 2, and Slow Ya Roll for the BEST independent music!

GrindnShine on Spotify!

GrindnShine Vol 2 on Spotify!

Slow Ya Roll on Spotify!

Want to be considered for my popular Spotify playlists? Submit your BEST song here!

As an independent artist, the journey to get playlist curators to listen to my music, let alone add my songs to their playlists, was difficult.  It's with this in mind that I decided to start my own playlists to feature new music I released.  BUT I also enjoyed listening to music from other indie artists like me struggling to get their songs heard.  At first, I didn't know how to accomplish this but where there's a will, there's a way.  After a long search, I found the site SOUNDPLATE.com and decided to join the ranks of playlist curators and create my own playlists.  There are 3 playlists I created, each with over 6, 000 followers: GrindnShine (hip-hop, R&B, urban), GrindnShine Vol 2 (EDM, pop, indie rock), and Slow Ya Roll (slow to mid-tempo R&B, pop, island/reggae jams, acoustic).  Search my playlists by clicking on the link below.  Submit your best track, ONE SONG only!  Good luck!

ATTENTION indie artists! Submit your BEST track here!

VIBE feat Bobby Kennedy is featured in Hood Illustrated!

VIBE feat Bobby Kennedy feature in Hood Illustrated with song links!

Download DL Moreno's latest single VIBE feat Bobby Kennedy for FREE!

Click the following link to get VIBE feat Bobby Kennedy for FREE!

DL Moreno's single VIBE feat Bobby Kennedy featured on DJ Clue's DesertStormRadio.com site!

Posted on DJ Clue's DESERT STORM dot COM site
http://dsradio.ning.com/profiles/blogs/dl-moreno-vibe-ft-bobby-kennedy

10 QUESTIONS: Indie Music Interview of DL Moreno and single, Show Me feat KevinK

Was there something (an experience) or someone in your life that was the "catalyst" for you to start writing music? Tell us about it.

My mom was my inspiration. She was the lead singer of one of the first trio rock-n-roll girl groups of the 1960's and was eventually signed to Warner Bros Records. She and her sisters toured with The Beach Boys, The Everly Brothers, Bobby "Borris" Pickett of "Monster Mash" fame and The Temptations. I began learning the drums at age 10, was playing in honor bands and orchestras by age 12, and eventually gravitated toward writing my own songs by the age of 16. My mom retired from the music business in the late 1960's, she never forced my brothers and me to learn music but always had music playing in the house so it kind of rubbed off on me. Learning a musical instrument and singing came naturally to me and I owe a big part of that to my mom.

Let's get this out of the way. What is the CRAZIEST thing that has ever happened to you in your music career?

On 5/20/17, my first official release SAVAGE featuring Trey Songz topped the Digital Radio Tracker National Airplay Top 50 R&B/Hip-hop Chart at #9 and the Top 150 Independent Chart at #3

https://www.indiemusicinterviews.com/post/2019/03/21/dl-moreno