SP Bonita: Exactly! Your comments were the main jest I received from dat Deal video stating Pittsburgh needs to unite and pull each other up. Another concern was Pittsburgh is a divided community and some may still be harboring the territorial gang mentality. How do you handle working with so many diverse artists from all over the City?

 

I believe it's my reputation and word-of-mouth. I don't go looking for people. Some body might give an artist my business card and say you need to go see "D" up in Garfield. Your name gets around after a while. I've been doing this for over ten years. I've met a lot of people along the way, and I still keep in touch with guys that I use to live around who had studios. Through them I meet people they know, it's an excellent tool, networking through people.

 

 

 

I've always been into music. I first took music serious in elementary school and in high school I became part of a rap group. I did the music. The group broke up but I continued with the music. Over time I built up my equipment, starting with a keyboard, add a drum machine, next the computer and software, eventually it grew into a recording studio and a place I could actually share with the other artists.

 

 

There are always people behind you who feel you're good at what you do and would like to see you succeed. So Yes, I had support, but I didn't have a mentor to offer their experience or someone who was able to pull me ahead.

 

My biggest support has been the Internet, where I've learned a tremendous amount of information. My wife, Karen, has been a great support. We've been together for about nine years; she brought the first computer I used to record. We've been building ever since. She has to put up with me not being at home, when I'm running around conducting business.

 

 

 

A chance to actually bring a national recording label to Pittsburgh. That's my biggest goal. We don't want to take our artists and move them, we want to bring the label here. I own a label but until we get a major distribution deal or support from a larger label, we're still growing. So far no one locally has achieved it. My aim is to prove that we can do it.

 

 

SP Bonita: I know this business is a struggle you love to get up everyday and fight, because you love what you do, tell us about the personal satisfaction you receive from your work.

 

Like you said it's what I love to do. I love music. I don't enjoy the business side. No one is going to conduct it so I have to step up to the plate. It dawned on me the administrative side of the business is equally as important to the success of my label as the quality of the artists. If I find I can't do something I'm willing to put someone in the position to assist.

 

 

SP Bonita: When most people think of running a record label, they first think of the fun part, making music, videos, partying, meeting other artists. You stated the business administrative side is equally as important in making the business a success. What's the other side of this business?

 

In theory you may have a record label, but on paper you don't exist without taking care of the paperwork. The administrative side may consist of legal contracts, business registration, Tax documentation making sure your artists and your business are paying the correct taxes to right places, copyright issues, distribution, dealing with other business people, the people who deal with the financial structure of business, where the big wheeling and dealing is done. It's important you know how to communicate with people at this level of business. You must be confident and knowledgeable in all aspects of the entertainment field. The business world has a definite order of procedures you must follow to be successful. It's not as easy as laying down tracks, there's so much more to it. You have to be experienced enough to go from the music side to the business side without missing a beat. 

 

 

SP Bonita: How many people do you have assisting with your label?

 

My right hand person is my wife, while I'm working two jobs she's out there doing the footwork that enables me to take care of business once I get home. I have a publicist Ron Gavalik, who recently sent out our Press Release to newspapers.

 

 

SP Bonita: Your signed artists S.S., what vision do you have for them?

 

I'd like to see them in the future owning their own label and signing artists. The whole nine. That's how the industry works. The days of you being found in the club, being signed to a million dollar record contract and becoming famous overnight, that doesn't exist anymore.

 

Most artists want more out of life and owning their own label is one way to achieve more. I'd like to build my label and see my artists grow, sell millions of records and get to the level where they re able to set up their own label and start signing artists, making it a continuous chain.

 

 

SP Bonita: I've seen this happen in the publishing business. The days of an author being signed to a million dollar contract with a large publishing house is also long gone. Most authors start off self-publishing their own books. Once they start selling and re-invest their money into building their own  publishing business, in turn allowing them to offer their services to other authors. Once these authors are making money, they in turn start their own publishing business and reach out to help another. It becomes a continuous circle of each one reaching out to help another. An excellent example is Vickie Stringer who self-published as a way to get out her own book. She saw a need to offer publishing services to the growing genre of  the new urban drama authors. She invested her money into building her own publishing company, Triple Crown Publications, which is one of the largest urban drama publishers today.

 

I've never really looked at publishing in that way, but I've seen so many of those books, it's like selling records. Someone starts with one book, get the money, starts publishing others and you turn around and have 30 books on the shelves that are selling.

 

It's more money in being an independent. You don't have the over head of the larger labels. If you have the know how , you can do the same. You may not be able to sell records in all fifty states, but you can have a great start with the East Coast. You'll still be able to make as much if not more, because you're an independent.

 

 

SP Bonita: What entertainment quality do you find lacking in Pittsburgh?

 

Pittsburgh needs more facets of the music industry locally in place. There are no major record labels, no A&R Representatives (Artist & Repertoire representatives who conduct the scouting and the developing of new talent) and no entertainment lawyers. The only black radio station in the area, I feel they could make a better attempt at networking with local artists. If there were a more genuine networking system in place between the media and the artists in Pittsburgh more people would be able to be discovered. It's hard to be discovered within the present limitations of our environment. Unless you know someone, who knows someone, who is actually going to bring someone here, or take you there. Once again you're leaving Pittsburgh. That's what we don't want, we want to get the labels to come here.

 

 

SP Bonita: I ran into Paradise Gray in the front of his building on the North Side where he's building a recording studio. Do you feel this is one of those facets Pittsburgh needs?

 

It's always a start. Paradise is huge in the entertainment field. Before I met him, I've heard of him. Anything he does is the start of something. More events like the Hip Hop Awards (January 14, 2007) and the upcoming Music and Entertainment Conference are events that'll draw the industry people to Pittsburgh. This will enable them to get an up close and personal view of Pittsburgh's industry.