Robert Spears follows up his first report with a second from the Music 2.0 Conference.
December 13, 2004
Deals of 2004: Kellwood Acquires Phat Fashions
Susan Kerth’s look back at the process leading to Kellwood’s acquisition of Phat Fashions reveals the complexities of a deal that might not have happened a few years before, when urban fashion was still treated as a fad rather than an enduring element in the fashion landscape. The especially interesting point is made that it was due to personal interactions with Russell Simmons that Kellwood execs became convinced that association with urban wear did not require association with “things Kellwood would want to avoid.”
December 13, 2004
Sweatshop Labor Outlasts Opposition
An article regarding the outcome of seemingly successful student protests against the use of sweatshop labor for the production of school apparel, reveals the lack of follow through and accountablity enabling corporations to simply outwait consumer campaigns for social reform.
December 13, 2004
Purple Haze Sells
Rich Rock points to the strong early sales of Cam’Ron’s new album Purple Haze as conflicting with Cam’Ron’s recent claims of underpromotion from his former label Island Def Jam.
December 13, 2004
Bubba Sparxxx and Flavor Flav in Action
Nolan Strong summarizes recent hip hop news items including Bubba Sparxxx signing to Outkast’s new Purple Label (distributed by Virgin) and Flavor Flav’s plans to self fund his next album in order to avoid involvement with record labels.
December 13, 2004
ZLG Artists Winning Big
Zomba Label Group recently sent out a reminder that many of the names associated with the Grammys and the Billboard Awards are part of the extended fam.
December 13, 2004
Rap in the U.S. Military
Stars & Stripes’ Seth Robson profiles enlisted hip hop artists involved with a small showcase at Camp Red Cloud in South Korea. He does a nice job of presenting the artists’ perspectives on poetry and lyric writing as personal expression.
There are actually a large number of hip hop artists at U.S. military bases around the world and some of them hope to be big stars one day. I first encountered this phenomenon while working on NC Hip Hop Online, a directory of North Carolina rap musicians and hip hop artists. Scattered among them are enlistees from various NC bases, especially Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville aka Fayettenam.
December 13, 2004
Rap-A-Lot Resigns Scarface
Rap-A-Lot Records recently announced that they have reached a fresh agreement with Scarface to feature new releases in 2005. Distribution will come courtesy of a new deal with Warner Music Group/Asylum.
December 13, 2004
Arts Entrepreneurs Seeking Space in NY
The NY Times recently ran a piece on the New York real estate needs of entertainment entrepreneurs such as P. Diddy and Russell Simmons. Spurred by their clients’ needs to conduct multiple projects out of the same property and the always intense New York real estate market, brokers sometimes find themselves pitching buildings that require a bit of imagination to recognize their potential.
December 13, 2004
Def On Demand Live
Simmons Lathan Media Group subsidiary Def On Demand and Clear Channel Entertainment Television have joined forces to coproduce Def On Demand Live, a series of 12 music and fashion related events per year for 2 years. Content will be distributed via television, video on demand and dvd.
