powwow music labels

[Miss Mia]

i was just at day break star pow wow in seattle and i was looking around the stands trying to find a new CD to listen to for the LONG drive back....

and i noticed that there are many different music labels who are know to contract different types of people, like....native rap artist ( ex: litefoot=red vinyl, canyon records=blacklodge, etc etc)

im just wondering what kind of other labels are out there, cuz i know there are tons of independent labels that record drums and flute players.

how does one start a label? how does one keep it successful? is success an issue? what do you think?

[Mr Bo Jangles]

I think one key thing to bear in mind when you're producing music of ANY KIND, of ANY GENRE, Nat. Amer. or otherwise, is.

Get to know your customers. Their likes, their dislikes. What's popular, WHO"S POPULAR. The Powwow World is riddled with popular groups & people. Not all of them are exactly record label material. Others are on their way...or haven't made it yet.

You're company is only as good as the groups or individuals you sign on to record on YOUR label.

In time, if they find popularity or fame out on the circuit, or in doing shows and such as performers, they'll bring in the customers.

Customers equals sales equals PROFIT!!!!!

Look at Elvis. He was a nobody. All it takes is ONE GOOD CUT, one good track or one good song.....better yet, a whole album full of them!!!

Look at Southern Boys, Youngbird, Yellowhammer, Southern Thunder. They're practically household names in Indian country....among powwow folks. T

To anyone else, they're just nobodies they could care less about.

Point is. You have to depend on your customers. If they don't like what they hear, you'll end up with 5,000 CD's in storage that aren't worth the plastic they're burned on!!!

Everyone has to get their start somewhere, eventually, they make a name for themselves, are recognized for their talents.... and are ridiculed for their weaknesses and short comings!!

I'm sure it's a real dog eat dog world out there.

[Miss Mia]

bo knows labels

Look at Southern Boys, Youngbird, Yellowhammer, Southern Thunder. They're practically household names in Indian country....among powwow folks. T

To anyone else, they're just nobodies they could care less about.

thats a really good point, cuz even in the pop music scene, selena was VERY accomplished in her spanish singing arena, but hardly heard of when she made her cross over ablum.

but makes you think, would we ever want pow wow music "main stream"? w/ powwow drum celebrities? sporting their gold plated cut bead bling bling? lol. tell me more what yall think.

[uw_n8iv]

thats a really good point, cuz even in the pop music scene, selena was VERY accomplished in her spanish singing arena, but hardly heard of when she made her cross over ablum.

but makes you think, would we ever want pow wow music "main stream"? w/ powwow drum celebrities? sporting their gold plated cut bead bling bling? lol. tell me more what yall think.

heck no!! i wouldn't want powwow music to go mainstream. look at what happened to hip hop when they took it out of the black neighborhoods....it got all commercialized....now u got all these white g-'s thinkin' they can be "down"....jeeeeez....we already have problems w/ that stuff.