YPRichB: I had the honor and privilege to conduct a phone interview with the co-founders of the SMES (Southeast Music & Entertainment Summit) James Heyward and Tony “Chubbz” Marcus. The conversation was very insightful and I learned a lot in speaking with them. I would encourage all musicians and people interested in getting into the entertainment business to attend the Summit this year being held Sept. 24-26 in Myrtle Beach, SC. Below is the transcript of the interview I conducted with them concerning the music conference as well as other areas I feel apply to Young Professionals. Enjoy.
What exactly is the SMES?
James: SMES stands for Southeast music and entertainment summit. The purpose of the summit is to provide access to knowledge and resources that individuals in our region need to be successful in the music industry. It was started to basically develop a music industry in this region which is Virginia and the Carolinas. The core of our mission are those 3 states and the conference serves as an outlet for people to network and go to panels and meet people that are truly in the industry from outside of our area. When you live in these states you don’t get access to people as easily as you may when you live in New York and Atlanta. That’s one of the purposes the conference serves, to provide access to the industry.
How did each of you become involved in the music business?? What’s your experience in the music industry? How did you get started?
Chubbz: Well I started out probably like everyone who attends our conference wanting to be an artist first. After that dream fizzled out the reality set where I needed to get in and try to learn the business. I started doing artists management and street promotion. In the midst of doing that I had an opportunity to continue to climb that ladder and learn more about the industry. I did promotions for MCA, Tommy Boy, throwing parties. I had an opportunity to get down with Kenny Burns who kind of put me in the right circles.
I had an opportunity to be apart of some of the stuff he did like the group Dream with Bad Boy, Toya from Arista. I was able to work that from the management perspective. He later gave me an opportunity to come to Roc-A-Fella with him doing marketing. I’ve also put together college tours etc.
In doing all that James and I met because he was one of the regional reps for North Carolina and I was working Virginia at the time. On the conference calls we built our relationship and in doing so we built SMES. Today I’m still involved in marketing, promotions and management as well as event planning.
James: I started in 1991 doing college radio at Duke University on a show “Take 2 and Pass” for about 8-9 years. That helped build the hip hop scene in Durham, NC. I did street promotions as well. In 1995 I started Take 2 Entertainment, and worked for a bunch of record labels (mercury, nervous, G street). I also opened up a retail store, Mad Wax, on September 11, 1999 selling vinyl to DJs. In terms of music it’s strictly SMES and all affiliated companies.
Is SMES just an annual summit or is it a day-to-day operation? Do you guys promote other artists?
James: We have a lot of segments of work that we do. The conference is our biggest event but we also do quarterly events. The CIAA tournament in Charlotte allows artists to showcase themselves in markets that they aren’t usually in. We try to put them around large events for exposure. We have our music group in which we have 3 artists we are preparing to release (2 during the weekend of the summit) through our digital distribution brand to put them out. We also do consulting for artists in the region for example a group named Hustle Boys out of Orangeburg, SC and we’re doing consulting work for them to move their project forward and get out there and sell and be successful. It’s a 24-7, 365 business, the conference is the big event that stands out but we have tons of work.
Focusing specifically on the conference, could you speak on what an attendee would expect in terms of the type of panels, MC battles and the other events that happen during the conference?
Chubbz: To give a brief summary, we have the panel discussions and each day we have different panels and topics such as Careers in the Entertainment Industry, The art of production (producing/song writing), a power broker panel. We have the freestyle and producer beat battles. We’re also doing a movie screening hosted by Kenny Burns in which he’ll do a Q&A after the screening. There’s also an award show to highlight some of the artists and up and coming executives in the region. We have listening suites and different workshops as well, a business 101 workshop on how to setup your business from A to Z. We also have a digital workshop. Also there are lots and lots of networking opportunities.
We have great panelists who are approachable and there to interact with the attendees. They are there to network and not afraid to give you their contact information. They also attend the after parties and all the events. There are lots of networking, education, and opportunities to build solid relationships.
Outside of Kenny Burns, are they any other people on the panel who are confirmed??
Wendy Day (founder or Rap Coalition), Katina Bynum (VP of Marketing, Universal Records), Leota Blacknor (VP of Marketing, Capitol Records), Kawan Prather from Def Jam, John Shaw from Selecto hits out of Memphis, Angela Rogers an entertainment attorney, Lenny S A&R for Roc Nation (Jay-Z’s label), Nottz Raw (producer from VA), Chris Henderson (producer of Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It”) RL from Next (songwriter) and more panelists.
In terms of the actual summit where are most of the attendee’s coming from?? Is it mostly a VA/NC/SC presence or are you seeing a national presence as well?
Chubbz: We’re slowly seeing more people come from different areas. The areas we’ve seen have been Chicago, Illinois, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, D.C, it’s definitely spreading out to other areas.
In terms of the people who are attending the conference what exactly are you hoping they walk away with?? What do you think is the best thing the conference does or the best information that the conference gives??
James: The biggest thing is that a lot of people who attend are not familiar with networking at all. Most aren’t used to what I call a physical cold call where you walk up to someone and introduce yourself and do your pitch. So this helps get people familiar with business environments where they can network, get information and give information. A lot of nuances are introduced and you get to see how business is done. Even if you end up doing something outside of music you can you use these skills.
Most of our panelists were in the same spot as our attendees so they understand where the attendees are coming from and how to maneuver their way to get on. Although we focus on the region (Virginia, North/South Carolina) the information we provide is valuable for people everywhere. Even if they are from these big areas such as Atlanta or California, they still can hit walls when trying to get heard.
As far as the actual battles, how does someone become involved, how do they sign up?? How do you guys go about selecting the participants MCs and Producers??
Chubbz: Well we have a screening process where people will submit their material. We have someone assigned who reviews it and follows up with them to let them know if they made the cut.
Can you name a few musicians or producers who have previously attended and are making a name for themselves now either locally or nationally??
Chubbz: I know the kid Lil Ru has definitely attended several times. The conference didn’t get him signed but we aided with his ability in the marketplace and did the same thing with Small World. Locally, 9 Mil (producer) Head Hunter records.
James: Marcus Allen
Outside of the people you named, are there anyone locally that we should be on the lookout for or some people you want to highlight?
James: McKeve who has won the last 2 king of the ring battles.
Chubbz: Flauce in NC and Hustle Boys out of SC.
(Editor’s note: Other musicians were named but the audio was inaudible and I did not want to guess and put the wrong information. Apologies in advance for any errors or omissions.)
With music changing every year in terms of the actual music business with the digital age coming in, how has that affected what is taught at the summit? Nowadays a lot of artists don’t need the major pushing and can do the work on there own with vehicles like Twitter etc. Has it changed what is actually taught??
James: It’s changed things because the cost of doing business is way lower than it was 5 years ago so theoretically u don’t have to press vinyl, CDs etc but some of those things are still good ideas. In terms of the summit, it’s included in the conversation but the business itself is kind of still the same. It’s still based on relationships a la the interview we’re doing right now. In the past you (ypblogspot) may have been a print publisher but its digital now and we wouldn’t have gotten to you (ypblogspot) without the relationship that got us to you.
We do have a panel that speaks on the digital aspects and what you can do. You still have basic principles in the music business that you need to observe. I call the digital advantages a vehicle. Instead of handing out flyers you can tweet or you’re posting on facebook. Instead of handing out CDs and cassettes you have mp3 downloads but you still might hand out the product in the physical because people do like to touch things.
I think you have to use it as another tool to be successful but it’s not like it’s changed everything we discuss in panels. It’s more so how do you use the tool to be successful. But relationships are still important.
Chubbz: I pretty much echo what James said. The costs are down but you now have an avenue to sell your records without spending as much money. You still need to promote your music though. I’m cool with the digital revolution. You have to find a way to make it work for you.
In terms of the conference it doesn’t hurt the conference at all as long as we provide someone on the panel that can help them move their product and show them how to do it in the proper way, that’s what it does for us.
Where do you see the summit going in the next 5-10 years?? What is the ultimate goal??
James: Looking for continued growth and to accomplish the mission which would be having someone come out of the conference and become nationally prominent. It doesn’t matter if it’s one of our artists or someone else. We want to use this as a vehicle to bridge the gap for our region. Not only for artists but for people who want to be in the business. We’d like to be a long-standing and legitimate institution in this market. People want to be in this business and it’s not stopping. We want to establish this as a national event and want to have people become successful out of SMES.
Chubbz: On top of what James said, we’d like to establish our label and create some real success stories out of the conference. We wanted to be the Mecca for information for those that strive to get in the industry. I’d like to see continued growth (for SMES), our attendees continue to grow and people get knowledge that they were seeking.
What advice would you give to Young Professionals trying to get their goals and dreams in motion?
James: The advice I would give is the advice I give to myself every morning. You have to make plans, execute and work. Don’t forget about the work. I’ve started more than one business and have learned you need to believe in yourself. If you find 3 people that understand your point of view you are doing something right because most people don’t believe in what you are doing. Even your mother, she may believe in you but she may not know exactly what you have going on. You have to do work and motivate yourself and stick to your plan. Compete with yourself. Entrepreneurship is a very lonely profession until you attain success. A lot of times you are on your own. You have to believe in yourself, plan and execute.
Chubbz: Just do it, don’t stop, no one can tell you that you can’t do what you want to do. It’s all up to you. You control your own destiny. Whatever your plan is, plan your plan and work the plan.
For more information regarding events and how to register for the SMES Music Festival click here: The Southeast Music & Entertainment Summit
