Published: Friday - September 12, 2008
Words by Donny Goines
Donny Goines (Photo: Don Michaels)
So last Friday I made my first TV appearance and I must admit it felt good. The show was called "The Weekly Riff," which airs on Fuse TV and it was something very different from the norm. I had a lot of fun doing it though and it made me think about how important TV is to the career of hip-hop artist.
When you think of hip-hop and TV, I'm pretty sure the first thing that probably comes to mind is the BET network, which would make sense. This channel, like many others out there, provides a great opportunity for hip-hop artists to expose themselves to a much larger audience. One that probably could not be reached without it and this is something that has to be apart of your plan as well. Now don't get me wrong, the average artist will NEVER make it to a BET or MTV2, but that doesn't mean you can't appear on TV at all. You have to think logically about the whole situation. If major labels are spending large amounts of money to produce videos for major artists who are already established, why would these networks play your video? They odds are stacked heavily against you out the gate, but it's not impossible.
Take my appearance for example. You want to know how I found out about the show and auditioned? Craigslist. Something as simple as looking for an opportunity in a place such as that can be your way in. Another thing you could do is speak to other artists who have appeared on the programs you want to be on. Attending certain events can also get you in front of those cameras. Honestly, I've been on more then one show before, it's just that this one was a major look and I was on for the entire half an hour. You can go to events where you know a certain station will be filming and work your way into the mix or at least get some good contacts. There's no sure fire way to go about this honestly, but my advice to you is look into it and do your research. TV can really boost your visibility and might just help you land other opportunities out there. I'm not saying to get all densely with it, but if possible you should really try to get face time on any TV station that you can even if it has NOTHING to do with music. At the end of the day, the more people that see you will be the more people that know you and that can help you to expand expediently.
Appearing on "The Weekly Riff" was such an interesting experience for me. It was something that was unlike anything I've ever done thus far and I really enjoyed myself. Who knows how many people saw me on the air, but I'll tell you this much. It was more people then I've probably EVER had view me at one given time and that kind of exposure is great. Check out a clip. Until next week people...
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