We now have our two winners in the recent Pro Soul Alliance next great Indie artist contest!

There was some great talent that entered so it was a tough decision to make…

Congratulations goes to Antoine C. Smith indie composer/artist and aspiring producer, that “loves to write everyday” – This gifted, now 17-year-old first rate drummer and pianist composes and plays contemporary jazz and other genres. Antoine is actively pursuing his music career receiving rave reviews as a very popular young artist on the air in rotation of many wonderful hosts on Blog Talk Radio, Black Talk Radio (e.g. Black Teen Enpowerment Radio). Along with composing his music in the tradition of the original jazz masters, his future plans include to enter an excellent music college, and continue his studies in composition and performance. His winning track “Emotional Explosion” blew the team at Pro Soul away – there is no doubt this talented young man is an up and coming music sensation for his generation. Already compared to Jazz greats like Coltrane, Miles, Blake, and Byrd, Antoine Smith is just getting started!

The Return of the Magnificent HPhenomenon also known as Hassahn Phenomenon, shares Pro Soul’s belief that music speaks to the Soul. An accomplished MC that understands that MC means, “Move The Crowd”, HP says “Whether I move the people to dance, sing, cry, think, make a change, stand up, or just listen, I truly understand that my music is only a catalyst for me to aid in changing the world for the better.” Rapping positive messages in tracks like “That Aint Me”, and a smooth R&B roll like “Down and Up” raised the bar, and HP clinched the winning spot. Writing his music with integrity in the lyrical rhyme, True Magazine stated, “HP breathes new life and energy into a somewhat asthmatic industry.” We’re proud to be a part of Hassahn’s journey – “if you are searching for someone that is ready to make a significant mark on the world, then I am definitely the Soulful entertainer you want.” Yes you are Hassahn!

This was an amazing contest. We received some very talented submissions. Special thanks to the Runners Up: Doc 00 Johnson and Jeanette Berry. Watch for Angela Predhomme, Marc Doiron, Michael Trapp, Claire Cameon and Katrina Colantoinio. You are all no doubt going places with your music, let us know if we can assist you make that happen.

Best of luck to everyone and once again thanks for entering our contest – from all of us at Pro Soul!

We’ve been working for some time now on a new video that explains what’s been happening in the music industry and what Pro Soul Alliance is doing for artists.

This video attempts to look at what is happening in the music business, how we got to this point, and where things are going. It looks at how all this affects artists, and what artists need to do to become successful, while still keeping control of their career, and all their profits. It looks at how Pro Soul Alliance is one solution in assisting artists in this process. You can view it on our home page:
www.prosoul.com

Many large companies these days seem to be fine with releasing videos using south park style animation, and voice overs from the developer using a $5 headset mic… We tried to do something a little better than that, putting some time and effort into it. Hopefully we achieved that.
That being said, this is still an early beta version of the video, and we’re working to improve it over time, so we would love your feedback and criticisms. Let us know if it helps explain where things are going and what we do clearly.

Thanks to Gerd Leonard for some visuals, and Ken Joonyer for the voice over. Music composed by yours truly.

- Jarome

There seems to be no end to the resistance major record labels have to the changes in the way people want to listen to and consume music.

Today was a classic example, as Warner music refused to come to an agreement with YouTube in how they should be compensated for the streaming of their videos, pulling all their videos from the service. This is despite Universal Music already earning tens of millions from YouTube.

Do artists signed to Warner know how much money they are losing from being banned from the most popular source for music videos in the world? Do they know MTV doesn’t play music videos much anymore? Probably not, and they have no choice anyway as long as they are under contract with Warner.
Just another example of how traditional music industry doesn’t get the potential of new ways of earning income, and building an audience.

Our attitude is that it’s career suicide to turn down any potential way of earning income in the new music business just because you don’t feel it is enough. Especially if that income is likely to increase in the future, and will help bring in new fans, and encourage fans to promote you, something that is huge on YouTube.

What do you think?