Tracking

Breaking Into the Music Industry: A Long, Hard Road

Known as country music’s biggest night, the CMA Awards represents the highest achievement for artists and musicians in America’s most popular music genre, country. The 42nd Annual CMA Awards will be aired on Wednesday, November 12 on ABC.

While honoring those that have become successful in the music industry, what about the ones who have not made it, yet? What is it really like when an unknown artist tries to break into the music industry?

“Down here on music road, it’s just a mile or so. But, it’s a long, hard road. You’ve been with me from the start, soul in the heart of this old guitar. And you keep telling me, that one of these days; one of my songs will go all the way,” sings Marshall Ray Sanford in his song, When It’s Our Turn to Dance.

Not only does Marshall Ray use his vocal talents, but he writes his own music and lyrics. “I’ve always found it best to write and sing about what’s happening and what has happened in my life. I want other people to be able to relate to what I’ve been through,” said Marshall.

“The music industry is hard and it’s hard to not give up sometimes, but, you have to continue if it’s something you really want,” Marshall said. Marshall Ray began singing in the seventh grade. One day, Marshall just figured out he could sing, Marshall said, “it made sense that I could sing; my mother was a singer.” After his discovery, he began singing in the school choir and participated in choir competitions. Linda Bragg, Marshall’s mother said, “After he started singing, he picked up a guitar and taught himself to play.”

“I loved music and after I figured out I could sing, music became a passion for me,” he said. After high school, Marshall joined Young America Showcase, a Florida based touring company. Marshall has been trying to break into the music industry ever since he discovered his talent.

Marshall said he’s gotten very close before. “I was offered an independent recording contract in the late 90s, but my producer thought we should pass,” said Marshall. Over the years, Marshall has taken time off from pursuing his dream. “Life happens. I got married and had kids. I had to provide for them. But, when I was 29, I figured it was time for me to make a move,” he said. Marshall moved to Nashville to continue pursuing his dream of becoming a country musician.

Two years ago, he performed for the entire Artist and Repertoire (A&R) staff at RCA records. “They told my producers they wanted to sign me but they had too many male acts already,” Marshall said. In addition to performing for RCA Records, Marshall has also met with Warner Brothers Records and Capital Records.

Having the support of a family is always important when trying to break into the music industry, said Marshall. “I was lucky. My family has always supported me,” Marshall said. “The entire family is behind him. We all believe in him and his talent. He’s got a wonderful talent, God truly blessed him,” said Linda.

Breaking into the music industry is difficult. Those who do get offered a contract should consider themselves lucky because so few people are chosen. Breaking into the industry takes a lot of political pull and money, said Marshall, “It’s important to never give up and make as few mistakes as possible.”

It’s also important for aspiring artists to develop thick skin. According to an article in JET magazine on how to break into the music industry, breaking into the industry takes a lot of hard work and a lot of discipline. Artists need to be prepared for the bumps because there are going to be a lot of bumps in the road to stardom.

Frontline: What's Happening to the News?

The Future of News: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/newswar/view/

It was mentioned that it is the job of the good reporter to ask questions that no one else is willing to ask. It's interesting that newspapers are the only news source that still have reporters out on the street -- the rest are non-existent in the news realm (bloggers) or are even being removed (television news). What's even more interesting is that newspaper staffs are the ones being threatened. An example of this is the LA Times. The LA Times was bringing in $1 billion, gross and $200 million profit, but the Chicago Tribune (wanna-be news conglomerate) was wanting to sell the newspaper because they weren't making more profit as the years continued. The shareholders were getting greedy and wanted more money. This is because the news organization owners and the editors do not see the business in the same way, which is unfortunate. The news is now being judged by the standards of entertainment media, which is unfair. What will happen when there is no longer a news organization that participates in reporting "hard news" or "serious news"? These types of news stories are essential in a functional democracy.

It's interesting to note that 20 to 30 year olds are no longer looking to the traditional newspaper and news television sources for information. They're now turning to the Internet. This is because there is now a public disdain and distrust of the news industry. This same age group is instead, watching shows like the Daily Show or the Colbert Report, relying more on the entertainment aspect of the news. As a result of this phenomenon, traditional news venues have gone "soft" because of the profit motive.

I think that traditional newspaper should be owned and operated by the community. Newspaper should be taken out of the public market because ultimately, this is ruining the news value. Instead of providing the public with a public service, the traditional news paradigm is concerned with profits. Local owners (as in the case of the LA Times) are more concerned with serving the community than themselves. They're willing to take lower profit margins as compared to the newspapers owned by large media conglomerates with shareholders to please. It'd be better for the newspapers and news stories could actually focus on hard news rather than the soft news that brings in the revenue if they're not needing to produce such a big profit.

Exploring News Beyond the United States

Observations:
A lot of news organizations in the United States have a greater focus on domestic affairs rather than international affairs. This is not as true in other news organizations outside of the United States. In some news feeds, as a viewer, I can tell that the government is being glorified. It would be interesting to see the correlation between government-run media and the favoritism of the national government and political elites. It also seems that news organizations outside of the United States present the news in a more straight and to the point manner. It doesn't seem as if the news is as sensationalized as it is in the United States.

1. How effective do you think the Internet will be for Al Jazeera as it attempts to reach a U.S. audience?
   Al Jazeera on the Internet will not pull in a large American audience. This is partly because of the negative connotations attached to the news source. It is also possible that the average American will not be attracted to the website. In my own experience, I've only really heard Al Jazeera mentioned in scholarly discourse, it's the only forum that discusses and promotes the alternative media outlet as a source (though somewhat biased), it provides students with an alternative viewpoint, something that is encouraged in higher education. I also don't think that Al Jazeera will be successful in the United States, even if it is on the web, because the U.S. news media is so over-saturated; there are so many options for news and these other news options are much easier to access for a larger portion of the American population.
2. Based on your own observations, do you think that Al Jazeera English should be allowed to broadcast in the U.S.?
   Al Jazeera should be permitted to broadcast in the United States. The only reason I would agree to this is because of free speech and because of media saturation in the United States. Because there are other options in the realm of news media in the United States, viewers have the opportunity to not watch the programming. But, the broadcast should be available for those who are wanting to watch it. As long as the Al Jazeera broadcast is not encouraging violence, and if they're following the same protocol as other national and international news organizations, they should be able to broadcast in the United States.
3. What, if anything, do you notice about Al Jazeera's approach to telling the news? How is it different than the U.S.-based TV news outlets that you have experienced?
   Al Jazeera's approach to reporting the news is quite different as compared to the United States news media. Al Jazeera's focus is on the Middle East (the issues and opinions of those in the Middle East) as compared to the U.S. media's focus on national issues. I don't think this change of perspective is necessarily a bad thing, it's just different. That's the point of the news media (and especially the media), is to provide information and varying opinions. I also find it interesting that Al Jazeera pays more attention to international issues than the United States media. Despite saying this, they still focus more on the Middle Eastern perspective.
4. While on the Al Jazeera site, be sure to check out the network's published Code of Ethics. Based on your own observations, do you think they are adhering to them?
   From what I noticed on the Al Jazeera side and broadcast, it seems as if they are adhering to the network's published Code of Ethics. I didn't find the coverage overly biased. For the most part, they adhere to the Murrow Standard of "fair and balanced". The perspective is the only difference as compared to the American media outlets. While watching the broadcast, one wouldn't think that it was produced to disseminate a particular viewpoint. The reporting style seems very reminiscent of other international news organizations. The published Code of Ethics seems to hold the news organization to a high standard that is being met.

In-Class Research Assignment

1. Several crime statistics are available at the FBI's "Uniform Crime Report"
   In 2006 and 2007, there were a total of 9 hate crimes in Pullman. 8 hate crimes were related to race and 1 crime was related to sexual orientation. Race seems to be the biggest motivating factor behind hate crimes in Washington. There were a total of 104 crimes motivated by race in 2007 and 39 crimes motivated by sexual orientation in 2007. Pullman, being a small town fairs better concerning hate crimes as compared to the larger cities in Washington -- Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane are the three cities with the highest rates of hate crimes.
2. Followthemoney.org is a Web site that allows you to track flow of money in state politics.
   In the 2008 Washington State Gubinatorial race, a total of $15,166,838 has been donated. Dino Rossi is the candidate with the most donations. Rossi has been given $7,587,579. He has only been given $200,000 more than Gregoire for the 2008 election. Lawyers and Lobbyists were the largest contributing industry in general; total, they've donated $63,570. The lawyers and lobbyists donated $55,110 to Gubenatorial incumbent Gregoire. But, the health professionals have been the largest contributor to the Rossi campaign. They've donated a total of $15,330. During the 2008 election, the forestry industry has given 76.81% of their contributions to the Democratic party and 100% of the contributions made by the lobbyists & public relations have gone to the Democratic party as well.
3. Use Google's Patent Search to find the patent application with the FIRST REFERENCES to these technologies:
   The first patent for a 'Digital Video Recorder' was granted to Sony Corporation in 1984. The first patent for 'Social Networking' in the sense that we know social networking today was given to Fujitsi Limited in 2001. The first patent for the 'Automobile' was given to Jtaljclni Walter A. Crowdus in 1894.

WSU's Campus Campaign against Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is a national problem that is not unique to Washington State University. Many students at colleges and universities experience similar problems with sexual assault. According to the United States Department of Justice, close to one quarter of all college women will be raped during their college career.

According to the fall 2006 WSU Campus Safety survey, close to one third (32 percent) of WSU students reported that someone has touched them in an ‘unwanted sexual manner’. Further, 10 percent of WSU students have been forced to have sexual intercourse, and 71 percent of these individuals knew the person involved in the incident.

Thomas Brigham, executive assistant to former Washington State University President V. Lane Rawlins and professor of psychology acknowledged that sexual assault was becoming an increasingly important issue on college and university campuses across the United States. Former President Rawlins committed a portion of the Office of the President’s budget to Brigham in order to create and implement a sexual assault prevention campaign.

Brigham approached Dr. Stacey Hust and Paula Adams for assistance in creating and implementing a public relations campaign to increase awareness about sexual assault prevention. Hust is an assistant professor of communication at Washington State University and focuses on the media’s effects on sexual and reproductive health as a health communication scholar. Paula Adams is the communications coordinator for Health and Wellness Services at WSU and has experience in health campaigns. Brigham, Hust and Adams created the Campus Campaign against Sexual Assault that is sponsored by the Office of the President and Health and Wellness Services.

The Campus Campaign against Sexual Assault aims to increase awareness and change attitudes surrounding sexual assault and sexual assault prevention. Dr. Stacey Hust said the campaign was created to encourage students and members of the WSU and Pullman communities to start talking about sexual assault. “It is important to correct misconceptions, increase self-efficacy and increase the likelihood that someone will report a sexual assault,” said Hust.

The campaign was implemented to foster a community that does not tolerate sexual assault. According to WSU’s Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Task Force, individuals may be more willing to report sexual assault and seek care after an assault of they feel more comfortable talking about the issue in a supportive environment. Reporting sexual assault is an important aspect of the campaign because so few of those affected actually report an incident. According to the 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey, only 38 percent of rapes and sexual assaults are reported.

The purpose of the first year of the campaign was to identify a target audience and create effective campaign messages and materials. Domineke C. Rathbun, a student in public relations, said a target audience is the primary group of people that an advertising campaign is aimed at appealing to. “Discovering the appropriate target group to market a product, service or idea to is one of the most important stages. Without fully understanding the target audience, the campaign’s messages will become ineffective,” said Rathbun.

In April of 2007, a month long media advocacy campaign began. Articles surrounding sexual assault prevention were published in The Daily Evergreen and a video guide highlighting the resources available on campus was created for the Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Task Force’s website. “The campaign is proving effective. 11 percent of the target audience remembered the messages surrounding sexual assault prevention and more people are reporting sexual assault. That number is great and much higher than anticipated,” Hust said. A shorter version of this campaign was conducted in the fall of 2007.

The third phase of the campaign began this semester. Though the last two campaigns focused on the campus as a whole, it is now focusing on incoming freshman. This is because there are increased rates of sexual assault during the first semester of college. A new living environment and social scene contribute to the increased risk of sexual assault.

As a result, monthly newsletters have been created and distributed to those living in the residence halls. Hust said, “The newsletters have a cutting edge feel with a sense of professionalism. There are aspects of the newsletter that were taken from mainstream magazines but it still looks like it was published by the university.” The purpose of the newsletter is to entertain and encourage efficacy towards preventing sexual assault.

The sexual assault prevention campaign is student driven. The messages and campaign materials are created by students which make the messages all the more relevant. “We’ve really tried to make the campaign from and for the students. Because students are creating the material, it causes them to change their own views surrounding sexual assault as well as influence the opinions of others”, said Hust.

There is also a research team that writes weekly manuscripts documenting the campaign’s processes, materials and research findings. Hust said, “If we find the campaign effective, we would like to publish the results and encourage other universities to use the materials.”

In Class Assignment: "A Hidden Life"

1. When referring to the allegation that Mayor Jim West was pursuing underage boys online, why do you think editor Steven Smith differentiated between a legitimate news story and one that is not legitimate when he said, "If he's [Mayor Jim West] engaged in this activity … we need to know that. If he's not -- there's no story"?
   Smith made this comment because it is believed that only those stories that have some shock value will be considered as a legitimate news story because ultimately, it's going to sell. It's also important to note that it's the job of the media to act as a watchdog, this is especially true of public and political figures. Even though this is the job of the media, they knowingly ran the stories about Mayor West realizing that it was going to ruin the mayor's life.
2. How did reporter Bill Morlin justify the use of a concealed identity on Gay.com as partof The Spokesman-Review's and the FBI's "sting operation"? Why didn't Morlin himself create the assumed identity to engage Mayor West online?
   The Spokesman-Review reporters relied on an expert to design the sting. "Here's the online handle, and tell us who it is". The reporters didn't provide any theories to the professional on who the person may be. Morlin couldn't design his own handle because it would have violated the code of ethics. Morlin couldn't pretend to be someone he wasn't. But it is not against the journalism code of ethics to hire an expert to design the sting. The intention wasn't to bait anyone, the purpose of the investigation was to gain the truth.
3. Why do you think The Spokesman-Review ultimately published so many articles on Mayor West's alleged improprieties?
   The stories that the Spokesman-Reivew published were about his abuse of public office, not about him being gay, except for the first story which connected the abuse scandals of the 1970s to his abuse of public office in 2005. 189 stories were ultimately published and most of them dealt with West's abuse of public office. The newspaper published a lot of articles because of the controvery surrounding the issue and it was providing sales for the newspaper.
4. In the final analysis, who benefited from The Spokesman-Review's decision to expose Mayor West and his alleged improprieties? Who was hurt? Do you think the outcome was worth it? Explain your reasoning.
   "This has been an embarassing, a humiliating and painful event," Mayor West. The Spokesman-Review reporters knew that they were causing Jim West enormous pain, both politically and personally, having said that, they still had more sympathy for those he allegedly sexually abused and the community for West's refusal to leave office. Not only was West's reputation severely damaged after the allegations, but his family's reputation was also harmed. I don't think the outcome was worth the articles because in 2006, the FBI said that there was no evidence that West had abused his position in office. Therefore the stories really didn't do anything except ruin the man's political reputation and 'out' him as a gay man. It doesn't seem fair.
5. The Spokesman-Review has been criticized as conducting a "witch hunt" in its reporting on the private lives of some city officials. Below is a link to another recent article on Spokane Deputy Mayor Jack Lynch. Do you think that there are any ethical problems in the reporting in this story? Why or why not?
   The Spokesman-Review went into the investigation with the preconceived notion of West's link with his partner who was accussed of molesting his scout children in the 1970s. The reporter for the Spokesman-Review accepted Galliher's allocations because they seemed consistent with West's behavior online. This is difficult and ethically confusing considering the time in which Galliher was making these allegations -- he was fighting for more money in a damages settlement regarding the molestation charges in the 70s.
   The other article poses many ethical problems. First, they're also hinting at the private life of the deputy mayor by suggesting that maybe he's gay, or into drugs, or prostitution and that his request for medical leave is bogus. Also, the article mentions anonymous sources and hearsay evidence. It really does seem like the Spokesman-Review is taking its job of 'watchdog' too seriously and is grasping at straws that don't exist.