SMES: Eric Terry Interview

YPRichB:  Following up on our coverage of the upcoming SMES conference I had the opportunity to interview Eric Terry who actually coordinates the MC/Producer battles for the Summit.  Like the previous interview I did (James and Chubbz Interview), this one was just as informative and motivational.  Again for any artists or people interested in the music/entertainment industry I definitely encourage you to check out this conference next month.  Check out the interview below.

Give a little background on yourself in terms of your experience in the music industry?

I have about 11-12 years in the music industry.  I started out in radio as a marketing promotion coordinator for clear channel then went to radio one then I went over to a national label.  I actually went over to a couple independent record labels.   In the meantime I had my own company which was Star Marketing promotions which is now Eric Terry Promotions and now I moved on to management.  Currently I’m doing marketing and promotions for my company and also management.  I have a couple DJs that I manage, DJ Skillz being one of them, and I also work with some up and coming artists in North Carolina.

How did you become involved with the SMES??

While working at Roc-A-Fella Records I met Chubbz and when I was with the label, SMES came to my market which was Raleigh/Durham North Carolina.  While working at Roc-A-Fella Records I had some artists who came in town for the summit.  Chubbz was actually working in the Roc Music division at Roc-a-Fella records so we linked up.  I ended up moving to Atlanta and so did Chubbz and pretty much he decided to start the SMES back up.  From there I connected with Chubbz and James Heyward who I knew previously.  Chubbz and James asked me to be apart of it and I agreed.

As coordinator for the battles, how do you go about selecting who participates??  How do people sign up??

Once you register for the conference you can sign up for the king of the ring which is the MC and producer battles.  We have 16 MCs and 16 producers in the battle so once the spots are filled we fill them.  Once they register for the conference and battles we draw names out of a hat to decide which bracket they are in.  There are 4 rounds and judges pick winners from each round.

Is it first come first serve or do you try to screen the participants first??

It is first come first serve for the MC battle and for the producers we try to do a little bit of screening.  We actually do ask for records from the MCs but since it’s a freestyle battle it doesn’t really matter what you wrote though.  For the producer battle though we do ask for 3 beats.

Roughly how many people try to get a spot in the tournaments???

Its funny in advance it is kind of slow but the slots do fill.  The rush usually happens like a week before the conference.  Once people actually get to the conference and see who is participating then they try to get in too.  We even have people try to get in during the battles.  So I encourage people to sign up early and get in.  I think if you wait for the first round to finish then I think you were just scared to sign up.  If you believe in yourself you would sign up when you register for the conference (laughs).

I know the conference is primarily for the Virginias and Carolina areas but where else are the participants coming from?

We’ve had people come from as far West and North as California and Chi-town and as far south as New Orleans that participated in the conference.  It’s mainly the Carolinas and Virginia but they do come from all over and we welcome them.  We also have participants from different parts of Georgia as well. 

Are there any past participants who you feel people should be on the lookout for now??

Yea the first year in Myrtle Beach this guy by the name of DJ he’s from South Carolina he made a mark, he’s a producer and he had some good tracks, and even the winner last year Midi Marc he definitely left an impression last year, he brought that fire.

McKeve who won the MC battle 2 years straight is definitely leaving a mark and representing for South Carolina.  As for an overall performance there were a couple of cats who left their mark for instance my man Flauce.  Flauce definitely left his mark during his showcase as well as Team Iraq who left their mark the first year also. 

In terms of the actual summit, are there any particular events that you look forward to outside of the battles?  For example the panel discussions etc?  What else do you like about the SMES conference??

The panel discussions are one of my favorite things that go on at the Summit because even though I’m apart of the Summit and I’ve been in the game for years I still learn something at the panels.

I would love for my Carolina people and Virginia people to take advantage of these panels.  There are other summits out here but this is a summit where the panelists get intimate with the participants and vice versa.  One thing about the panel if you need to speak to the panelists you can and get that knowledge.  We have some good people confirmed at this year’s summit.

I want to see someone from my state take advantage of this.  A lot of people don’t understand that you can’t be Diddy overnight.  There is a lot to learn in the music business.  Everything from needing an entertainment lawyer, your publishing, your points, what you get from publishing etc.  They need to learn all of that and all the in between stuff.  Not today I’m here and tomorrow I’m Diddy.  It doesn’t work like that, they need to get the business part done.  That’s what I like about the panel because you learn these things.  That bothers me that people want to be Diddy overnight but don’t want to learn the business part of it.  You can become a millionaire from writing a song or producing but you need to learn the business to make that happen.   Come to the SMES and you will learn these things.

I also like the award show and showcases.  It gives people time to chill out and see other artists perform.

What are your goals for the SMES in the next few years??  Is there anything you feel that needs to be added to the summit?  Where do you see it in the next couple of years??

In the next couple of years I want to see artists actually get picked up by a major (record label) or if not by a major maybe the SMES music group being picked up by a major as an independent and get distribution through a major.  I think we come in contact with a lot of hot local artists out here and we definitely have a lot of talent in the Carolinas and Virginia.  I don’t know if the labels are scared or if we have a black cloud over us or they just don’t mess with the Carolinas like that.  But I would love to see someone get a deal from the SMES.  I would love to see more industry people definitely come down and share their knowledge and stories with SMES.

We’ve seen a couple people come up out of that area (North Carolina) from Little Brother to J. Cole but why do you feel the Carolinas get looked over??

I don’t think the labels are looking in the Carolinas.  There is this stereotype that you need to go to a big city to get heard but that’s not true.  I feel like the A&Rs aren’t attending any events in Carolinas and Virginias to look for that up and coming artist.  The labels need to send the A&Rs to our area to find the talent.  I understand the labels need the artists to do what they need to do to get their name out there and get that buzz but I would love to see an A&R come to the Carolina/VA market and see what we’re working with out here.  We have a lot of open mics going on that are packed weekly with good up and coming artists.  We have talent out here.

Lastly, what advice would you give to young professionals looking to pursue their dreams??

Basically make your dream come true.  Give it all you got and don’t stop until you get there.  Don’t get frustrated.  You go up hills and mountains all the time but you have to keep pushing.  You are in charge.  You direct your own path.

Tagged as: Eric Terry Interview, SMES