Introduce Yourself : Diversify Your Brand by Michael Tyrone Boyd

Greetings All: First I want to Welcome all new members...and next I want to send a shoutout..to almy past as well as my great new connection.Once again, I appreciate each, and every one of you! That being said...Now I proceed to the topic at hand. As a longtime DIY artist and producer in this biz..from what I see is...the game don drastically changed. That's a good thing on one hand...and one fraught with challenges on the other. So it's clear to me that the only way to get a leg up, or at least to survive in the game is to....Diversify. Here's what I mean... I have been a singer-songwritrer as well as a publisher for quite a few years now. And over the couse of time although I am not "famous"... Nor rich ( my girlfriend is..) at least , I could enjoy performing , and selling the CD's I produced as well as licensing my own as well a famous artist I represent as a publisher. Now all that has changed with thr major onset of streaming services which as any of you can attest while it does provide more "exposure"...the payouts leave much to be desire...as in exceedingly paltry earnings no matter if your a major artist...singer-songwrier and publisher..or a very small( in comparison ),to being an independent DIY as I am. And I love it! And to make matters even more difficult for us is the recent DOJ. 100 percent licensing which ...sad to say is a complete disaster to the livelihoods of ALL artists, singer-songwriters, lyricists, composers, and publishers of ANY stripe! I hate to say it...but if any of you remember the classic "American Pie" song of decades ago by Don McClean (forgive me if I spelled his name wrong)...the refrain..."The day the MUSIC died"..is ominously appearing to come to past. That is the situation is so dire in the music industry that new and upcoming artists (If they dare to leave their "day jobs" behind) are fast becoming few and far between! There won't be any new artists I suppose to attain the glorious heights in terms of sales or popularity of the likes of the famed Beatles ,or a Michael Jackson nor any other artist of their times. Today its Beyonce, JayZ, Kanye West. Adele, and last, but certainly not least Rhianna, and Drake to name a few. Thus, because of the really pathetic state of affairs with some streaming companies even angling to reduce the already fractions of pennies i.e. like the bigtime producer and artist who only got a paltry payment of only $2,700 for over 47 Million streams! Correct me if Im wrong. And with the recent DOJ ruling he would be lucky to get that! So what does this symbolize for..to quote a line from a famous Bob Dylan song.."A complete unknown". A deplorable,.and super hard road to travel to become rich and famous. So as you can surmise...indeed the day of New music is about to die! It's time to Diversify! Now, I'm an optimistic by nature... I'm just stating the cold, hard facts...that's all. The only hope of averting this is a united front from we the artists to push for and demand change irrespective of the PRO you belong to or your "stellar" or "super-star status. Cause at the end of the day we are all in the same boat slowly paddlind in a sea of...S...t! Now let's turn our attention to the TV and Film biz. The game done really changed in this industry as well. I am a card carrying SAG-AFTRA actor, and very proud to be! It took me a lot of time and money to get it. On the plus side it's never been a better time to be a trained and experienced actor! And with the entrance of the 800 pound.. No more like 10 ton Godzilla gorilla, namely, China, and the hegemony of Hollywood as being the only option...is fast becoming a thing of the past! So Sorry, to burst your bubble! No, I'm not! And I know, that, boldly saying this...may get to certain ears, and ruffle certain feathers...to the point that I may" never work in this town again"! But ask me if I care! We as actors who are ambitious also have besides Hollywood... Now don't get it twisted..Because I got my start in Hollywood, and I would not if I happened to be offered the right role turn it down... But I'm talking about Diversification! Now we as actors and producers also have Bollywood, Nollywood..and coming soon...Chinawood...well they've already arrived! And If you don't believe on Chinawood just ask Matt Damon,.or the former president of Paramount Studios. And they are not playing! They are going for the global markets, and becming dominant players. So in conclusion.. If you're a singer only diversify... If you're an actor only diversify... If you're a publisher only diversify your portfolio... If you're a producer diversify... And to all others the same thing applies...Diversify! These are the worst of times.... And the best of times. Keep going, and Diversify! Michael Tyrone Boyd