Rich Dad, Poor Dad was definitely one of those books that turned my world around.
It's a book that essentially pitches the idea that most working people are really over-dependent on their regular day jobs- so the goal really, is to get yourself to go beyond the regular 9-to-5 job: start a business, invest in some real estate, get into the stock market- all that.
The point really, is to get your money to work for you, not the otherway around where you work for the money. It's actually this dependence on a regular job that keeps a lot of people from getting more from life.
What had the biggest impact on me was the fact that the richer (i.e. more successful) folk tend to look for their own opportunities, or even better, make their own.
I suppose I appreciate it because I've seen it at work throughout my radio career- not just for me, but for a lot of my colleagues in the broadcasting industry.
See, working for a radio station, is really more of a glamour job. Sure you get lots of free stuff and you get invited into a lot of events and parties- but you really get paid crap.
Like, much less than minimum wage crap.
It was a little discouraging at first, and you wonder why everybody is seemingly alright with that.
And then you figure it out- every DJ has a whole bunch of side-projects going on:
- voice talent work for commercials and AVPs.
- stints as emcee or host for parties and corporate gigs
- a job as commentator for sports events
- work as continuity announcer for a tv station
- voice talent gigs for cartoons and telenovellas
It just goes on and on. I realized that, even if the pay did suck, the radio stint actually serves as a calling card- an impressive credential that opens doors for you- allowing you to do so much more.
Then it hits you.
Why just be a voice-over when you can be a producer, or have your own production house? Why keep emceeing, when you can have your own events group? Why just be a DJ, when you can be in charge of sales and marketing, a program director, or station manager?
Why not? After building yourself up, learning the necessary skill-sets and expanding your personal network, it's not entirely unlikely.
So it really is more of a state of mind- something that triggers your more ambitious side to get creative, and gives you a vision of what you want to happen.
Something, which, I know will keep me fulfilled and driven for the rest of my life.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Raised on Radio!
I was an avid radio listener when I was a kid- as early as 8 or 9 years old, if I could remember it right.
For me, it was a great way to connect with the chicks! Of course we all had childhood crushes back then (man, I couldn't even remember their names...), and well, if you wanted to have some common ground for interaction, there was always music on the radio.
High school was no different. The ladies also loved getting their tunes on the radio. And dudes get points if they can play guitar to whatever song was hot back then. Yeah, so I also got into playing guitar for the chicks, big deal :).
By mid-high school, I remember having the radio on while I studied in the early hours of the morning (yes, I actually studied when I felt like it). 24-hour radio stations were new back then- which was how I discovered 99.5RT- and it was the coolest thing for me since sliced bread.
For the most part, I was a Top40 dude. I think it started earlier on back when it was on 93.9 WKC. After casey Kasem left and Shadoe Stevens took over, it was still alright, but WKC was already starting to play less of the pop that I wanted, and more of the designer music that wasn't at all cool.
Hahaha- Viktor Laszlo? Silver Pozzoli? Modern Talking? Yikes.
Soirees and dance parties were the hugest thing then. So if you wanted the cool chicks, you have to be into New Order, or The Cure, or even Depeche Mode. For the more pop-oriented? There was Rick Astley, Expose and Paula Abdul.
Heck, I even tried to join a radio station back in my third year of high school- coz I thought it was probably the coolest thing to do so. Haha it didn't work out then. (Sidenote: It did work out many years later, when I finally got in 99.5RT in 1994.)
I had the radio tuned in day in, day out back then. RT was my station at night, and the radio was on even while I was sleeping, so you get the morning show on while you were getting ready for school. Not knowing what 24K was back then (RT's trademark oldies show on Fridays, playing nothing but RT classics)- I tuned out, and switched to another station. Usually it would be Magic 89.9, NU107, or WLS-FM.
LS was the coolest on weekends with its Great Music Jam- that was 1988 til 1990 I think- and they were playing songs from the early part of the decade. Lots of Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Wham!, Madonna and Spandau Ballet back there.
My appreciation for new wave, punk and rock in general, I got from NU107 (aw man, remember Ethnic Faces' Golden Boy? Man, I gotta find that song) and Power 105 (the frequency is owned by 105.1 Crossover now). The Smiths? Flesh for Lulu? The Clash? R.E.M.? Man, those were the days.
College was a little different. You meet all kinds of people- and I remembered this one dude who had this massive collection of casettes and CDs of (what I could remember) Crossover music- he had Spyro Gyra, Kalapana, Stephen Bishop, Mike Francis, Yutaka, Angela Bofill- looking back, it was one of the coolest collections I have ever seen.
No, I didn't quite appreciate it for what it was back then. I was still a pop-boy parading as a new-wave chong. Easy listening and smooth jazz wouldn't be my thing until much much later.
Monster Radio was the new Magic 89.9. Grunge was the new new wave & punk. Everyone had a Mellow Touch 94.7 or a 96.3 WRock love song collection on mixed tapes, and the hopeless romantics tuned in to Lovenotes (sappy sometimes, but it made for great listening!).
I remembered discovering 105.1 Crossover in '93 or '94. If everyone was into love songs, the cooler kids were into a more sophisticated kind of love songs. The ladies then were a little classier, a little more emotional, and sometimes, a little angstier (high school was rough, I imagine...). There were those who were into Julia Fordham, Swing Out Sister, or Lisa Stansfield, or Everything But The Girl.
I joined 99.5 RT as a DJ in 1994, and I distinctly remember my roommate was very much into Crossover. He'd have it on while he was studying. I forgot his name though, but I'm sure he's a doctor by now.
Thirteen years later, I'm still in the radio industry. I've gone from DJ, to dude in charge of audio production, to events guy, to dude in charge of sales and marketing, and finally Program Director.
So as a radio executive, what can we learn from all that?
A lot. Radio appeals very much to the young- even as young as pre-teen. While your friends and peers have a strong influence on what you listen to, ultimately your personal taste dictates your choice of music.
Radio can be a declaration of independence, but at the same time, it's also an instrument for socialization. Also, pop culture influences radio, in the same way radio influences pop culture.
Radio has a very personal connection, and therefore a strong association with parts of your life. Your musical preferences generally persist throughout, which is why most people you know are "stuck" in a certain decade or era- nothing's wrong with that- it's really just a matter of personal preference.
Make an effort to learn more from your market- listen to their stories, observe them in their natural environment, take notice of how they use other media, and how it affects their interaction with their peers.
Used with other research available to you, what you glean from your observations are key to the kinds of strategies you form for your marketing plans.
For me, it was a great way to connect with the chicks! Of course we all had childhood crushes back then (man, I couldn't even remember their names...), and well, if you wanted to have some common ground for interaction, there was always music on the radio.
High school was no different. The ladies also loved getting their tunes on the radio. And dudes get points if they can play guitar to whatever song was hot back then. Yeah, so I also got into playing guitar for the chicks, big deal :).
By mid-high school, I remember having the radio on while I studied in the early hours of the morning (yes, I actually studied when I felt like it). 24-hour radio stations were new back then- which was how I discovered 99.5RT- and it was the coolest thing for me since sliced bread.
For the most part, I was a Top40 dude. I think it started earlier on back when it was on 93.9 WKC. After casey Kasem left and Shadoe Stevens took over, it was still alright, but WKC was already starting to play less of the pop that I wanted, and more of the designer music that wasn't at all cool.
Hahaha- Viktor Laszlo? Silver Pozzoli? Modern Talking? Yikes.
Soirees and dance parties were the hugest thing then. So if you wanted the cool chicks, you have to be into New Order, or The Cure, or even Depeche Mode. For the more pop-oriented? There was Rick Astley, Expose and Paula Abdul.
Heck, I even tried to join a radio station back in my third year of high school- coz I thought it was probably the coolest thing to do so. Haha it didn't work out then. (Sidenote: It did work out many years later, when I finally got in 99.5RT in 1994.)
I had the radio tuned in day in, day out back then. RT was my station at night, and the radio was on even while I was sleeping, so you get the morning show on while you were getting ready for school. Not knowing what 24K was back then (RT's trademark oldies show on Fridays, playing nothing but RT classics)- I tuned out, and switched to another station. Usually it would be Magic 89.9, NU107, or WLS-FM.
LS was the coolest on weekends with its Great Music Jam- that was 1988 til 1990 I think- and they were playing songs from the early part of the decade. Lots of Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Wham!, Madonna and Spandau Ballet back there.
My appreciation for new wave, punk and rock in general, I got from NU107 (aw man, remember Ethnic Faces' Golden Boy? Man, I gotta find that song) and Power 105 (the frequency is owned by 105.1 Crossover now). The Smiths? Flesh for Lulu? The Clash? R.E.M.? Man, those were the days.
College was a little different. You meet all kinds of people- and I remembered this one dude who had this massive collection of casettes and CDs of (what I could remember) Crossover music- he had Spyro Gyra, Kalapana, Stephen Bishop, Mike Francis, Yutaka, Angela Bofill- looking back, it was one of the coolest collections I have ever seen.
No, I didn't quite appreciate it for what it was back then. I was still a pop-boy parading as a new-wave chong. Easy listening and smooth jazz wouldn't be my thing until much much later.
Monster Radio was the new Magic 89.9. Grunge was the new new wave & punk. Everyone had a Mellow Touch 94.7 or a 96.3 WRock love song collection on mixed tapes, and the hopeless romantics tuned in to Lovenotes (sappy sometimes, but it made for great listening!).
I remembered discovering 105.1 Crossover in '93 or '94. If everyone was into love songs, the cooler kids were into a more sophisticated kind of love songs. The ladies then were a little classier, a little more emotional, and sometimes, a little angstier (high school was rough, I imagine...). There were those who were into Julia Fordham, Swing Out Sister, or Lisa Stansfield, or Everything But The Girl.
I joined 99.5 RT as a DJ in 1994, and I distinctly remember my roommate was very much into Crossover. He'd have it on while he was studying. I forgot his name though, but I'm sure he's a doctor by now.
Thirteen years later, I'm still in the radio industry. I've gone from DJ, to dude in charge of audio production, to events guy, to dude in charge of sales and marketing, and finally Program Director.
So as a radio executive, what can we learn from all that?
A lot. Radio appeals very much to the young- even as young as pre-teen. While your friends and peers have a strong influence on what you listen to, ultimately your personal taste dictates your choice of music.
Radio can be a declaration of independence, but at the same time, it's also an instrument for socialization. Also, pop culture influences radio, in the same way radio influences pop culture.
Radio has a very personal connection, and therefore a strong association with parts of your life. Your musical preferences generally persist throughout, which is why most people you know are "stuck" in a certain decade or era- nothing's wrong with that- it's really just a matter of personal preference.
Make an effort to learn more from your market- listen to their stories, observe them in their natural environment, take notice of how they use other media, and how it affects their interaction with their peers.
Used with other research available to you, what you glean from your observations are key to the kinds of strategies you form for your marketing plans.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Nouvelle Vague: New Wave Revived in Style.
Such a joy these guys are. See, I've recently picked up a CD from a pile sitting for quite some time on top of my desk. I was auditioning through some material for work. This one particular album from Nouvelle Vague was slid into the CD player. And being the 30-something child-of-the-80's that I am, I instantly fell in love with them.This French Bossa Nova music act, whose name incidentally also translates to "New Wave", covers some of your favorite Punk and New Wave songs of the 80's. The band is basically run by two arrangers, Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux, but they have with them a troupe of chanteuses- eight of them, in fact (all French, except one from Brazil and another from New York)- so don't expect to hear the same voice for all the tracks.
Which gives the album a delightful element of variety and diversity. But why so many singers, you might ask. Surely, they could have gone with just one or two, perhaps. According to Wikipedia:The various female singers on Nouvelle Vague only performed songs they were not previously familiar with, to ensure that each cover would have a unique quality.Cool huh? I'm all for this- since it gives your favorite new wave faves a refreshing new twist. Not just a rearrangement with some vocals aping the original.
They've had three albums so far: The self-titled debut album in 2004, the more recent Bande A Part in 2006, and Late Night Tales that just came out this year.
My recommendations: Their cover of Billy Idol's Dancing With Myself- I think it got featured on Grey's Anatomy or something. Also their versions of Wishing (If I Had A Photograph), Killing Moon, Let Me Go and Making Plans For Nigel.
Discography: Nouvelle Vague
Nouvelle Vague (2004)
1. Love Will Tear Us Apart. Original by Joy Division.
2. Just Can't Get Enough. Everyone's favorite pop-dance track from Depeche Mode.
3. In a Matter of Speaking. Originally by Tuxedomoon.
4. Guns of Brixton. The Clash.
5. This Is Not A Love Song. Public Image Ltd.
6. Too Drunk To Fuck. The Dead Kennedys.
7. Marian. The Sisters of Mercy.
8. Making Plans For Nigel. This one was from XTC.
9. A Forest. The Cure.
10. I Melt With You. The definitive new wave single from Modern English.
11. Teenage Kicks. The Undertones.
12. Psyche. Killing Joke.
13. Friday Night Saturday Morning. The Specials.
Bande A Part (2006)
1. Killing Moon. Original by Echo & The Bunnymen.
2. Ever Fallen In Love. Covered from The Buzzcocks.
3. Dance With Me. Done originally by The Lords of the New Church.
4. Don't Go. The Pop-dance Anthem from Yazoo.
5. Dancing With Myself. Inspired by Billy Idol's Pop-dance hit.
6. Pride (In The Name of Love). U2.
7. O Pamela. The Wake.
8. Heart of Glass. Blondie.
9. Confusion. New Order.
10. Human Fly. The Cramps.
11. Bela Lugosi's Dead. Bauhaus.
12. Escape Myself. The Sound.
13. Shack Up. A Certain Ratio.
14. Let Me Go. Heaven 17.
15. Fade To Grey. Visage.
16. Waves. Blancmange.
17. Sweet and Tender Hooligan. One of The Smiths' lesser-known tracks.
18. Shack Up. A Certain Ratio.
19. Israel. Siouxsie & The Banshees.
20. Eisbar. Grauzone.
21. Moody. ESG.
22. Blue Monday. The club favorite from New Order.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Gettin' To Know: Journey
Journey, for me, is one of the best bands ever. And one of my personal favorites.While I have been growing up to most of their music, I haven't been a fan of Journey music until a college buddy of mine reintroduced me to the band, and we'd wear out this Greatest Hits tape playing it over and over again.
My love for Journey only grew when I got into radio- and got a good idea of how the audience responded to certain Journey songs. In the Philippines, the ballad "Open Arms" would probably be the most popular- thanks to heavy airplay on love song-oriented stations. But for me, and probably for several others, our favorites would be the classic "Don't Stop Believing".
Also cool: "Send Her My Love", "Girl Can't Help It", "I'll Be Alright Without You", "When You Love a Woman", "Wheel In The Sky", "Who's Crying Now", "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"- I was just rattling off great songs from the top of my head.
Here's all you need to know about Journey, penned by All Music Guide writer William Ruhlmann:
During their initial 14 years of existence (1973-1987), Journey altered their musical approach and their personnel extensively while becoming a top touring and recording band. The only constant factor was guitarist Neal Schon (born February 27, 1954), a music prodigy who had been a member of Santana in 1971-1972. The original unit, which was named in a contest on KSAN-FM in San Francisco, featured Schon, bassist Ross Valory, drummer Prairie Prince (replaced by Aynsley Dunbar), and guitarist George Tickner (who left after the first album). Another former Santana member, keyboard player and singer Gregg Rolie, joined shortly afterward. This lineup recorded Journey (1975), the first of three moderate-selling jazz-rock albums given over largely to instrumentals.
By 1977, however, the group decided it needed a strong vocalist/frontman and hired Steve Perry (born January 22, 1949). The results were immediately felt on the fourth album, Infinity (1978), which sold a million copies within a year. (By this time, Dunbar had been replaced by Steve Smith). Evolution (1979) was similarly successful, as was Departure (after which Rolie was replaced by Jonathan Cain).
Following a live album, Captured (1981), Journey released Escape, which broke them through to the top ranks of pop groups by scoring three Top Ten hit singles, all ballads highlighting Perry's smooth tenor: "Who's Crying Now," "Don't Stop Believin'," and "Open Arms." The album topped the charts and sold millions. Frontiers (1983), featuring the hit "Separate Ways," was another big success, after which Perry released a double-platinum solo album, Street Talk (1984). When the group got back together to make a new album, Valory and Smith were no longer in the lineup and Raised on Radio (1986) was made by Schon, Perry, and Cain, who added other musicians for a tour.
Following the tour, Journey disbanded. Perry went into a prolonged period of seclusion as Schon and Cain formed Bad English with vocalist John Waite. Bad English had several hit singles, including the chart-topper "When I See You Smile," before breaking up. Perry returned to recording in 1994, releasing For the Love of Strange Medicine. Although the album went gold, it was a commercial disappointment by previous standards. In 1996, Perry, Schon, Cain, Valory, and Smith staged a Journey reunion, releasing the million-selling Trial by Fire, which featured the gold-selling Top 20 single "When You Love a Woman," and going on tour. Perry and Smith opted out of the reunion after the tour, but Journey continued, hiring a new lead singer, Steve Augeri (formerly of Tall Stories), and a new drummer, Bad English's Deen Castronovo, who made their debuts on "Remember Me," a track on the 1998 Armageddon soundtrack. The band next reconvened in 2001. Arrival, Journey's 11th new studio album, was released in April, followed by a national tour. The band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 21, 2005. That same year they released a new album, Generations, and embarked on their 30th anniversary tour. Shows on the tour stretched over three hours long and were divided into two sets -- one focusing on pre-Escape material, the other on post-Escape material. The archival release Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour appeared on both DVD and CD in 2006.
Visit the AllMusicGuide for more on Journey, as well as your favorite artists. Read more about Journey on their official website, or on their entry on Wikipedia.
Need to know your favorite artists a little bit more? My Thoughts In Stereo brings you Gettin' To Know- featuring some of the most remembered and most iconic music acts of all time.
Cheers, everyone!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Re-education for the Masses!
I live in the Philippines, and for a small little country, I'd like to think we have a rather diverse set of radio stations. We have NU107 for rock n'roll. CHR/pop from stations like Magic 89.9, Jam 88.3, Monster Radio, Max FM and Hit FM. A variety of easy-listening from Mellow 94.7, 105.1 Crossover, Wave 89.1 and 92.3 XFm.
While we do have a lot of ground covered in terms of music, I think we need a venue for music-maniacs like myself to learn new stuff. I was already into music early on in my life, collecting some 45s, even bought an LP of Michael Jackson's Thriller, then went on to cassette tapes (ha! I think some of my first buys were Heart, The Bangles, Rick Astley and Debbie Gibson!). Haha now that I think of it, I was such a pop-boy. My education in cool didn't come 'til much later.
I think it was in 2nd or 3rd year high school when I was introduced to 99.5 RT, new wave (via NU107 and Crossover), A to Z records (in Anonas), XB102, the local punk scene, N.W.A. and Eazy E, and other stuff. I would study (study?! who studies?!?) at 2 or 3 AM and it was then I discovered the music of 99.5 RT. It was pop/top 40 stuff, but not entirely the kind of stuff played on other radio stations back then. And for some reason, I liked it: "Walking On Ice" from Devonsquare, Paul Carrack, 38 Special, Expose, Tracy Chapman, some Lita Ford, even classics from China Crisis, The Pretenders and The Little River Band. (looking back, that was some pretty diverse adult contemporary stuff!)
Anyway, I thought I knew a lot about music til I actually JOINED 99.5 RT as a lowly DJ in 1994. It was cool playing all the music you enjoyed so much, but what I also enjoyed was hanging out with all the other DJs, and they'd even go far as saying, "Hey man, you should play this stuff next week," and hand me over an album of Roxy Music (Avalon- which contained "More Than This" and, well, "Avalon"). Also, hanging out at RT's massive music library was such a treat- and there would always be somebody around who'd tell you a little something about any song you were curious about.
These days, you don't HAVE to join a radio station to have a kick-ass education on music and music appreciation. You have the internet, you have music video channels, you have wikipedia, and countless other sites online that offer all kinds of information on all kinds of artists from all over the world.
My current favorite? Yahoo Launchcast. You can pick just about any kind of genre there is, and immerse yourself in some new and familiar tunes from your favorite kind of music. Lately, I've been immersing myself into lots of 80' rock and alternative, 90's big hits, today's big hits and lite office music. Great stuff, really.
While we do have a lot of ground covered in terms of music, I think we need a venue for music-maniacs like myself to learn new stuff. I was already into music early on in my life, collecting some 45s, even bought an LP of Michael Jackson's Thriller, then went on to cassette tapes (ha! I think some of my first buys were Heart, The Bangles, Rick Astley and Debbie Gibson!). Haha now that I think of it, I was such a pop-boy. My education in cool didn't come 'til much later.
I think it was in 2nd or 3rd year high school when I was introduced to 99.5 RT, new wave (via NU107 and Crossover), A to Z records (in Anonas), XB102, the local punk scene, N.W.A. and Eazy E, and other stuff. I would study (study?! who studies?!?) at 2 or 3 AM and it was then I discovered the music of 99.5 RT. It was pop/top 40 stuff, but not entirely the kind of stuff played on other radio stations back then. And for some reason, I liked it: "Walking On Ice" from Devonsquare, Paul Carrack, 38 Special, Expose, Tracy Chapman, some Lita Ford, even classics from China Crisis, The Pretenders and The Little River Band. (looking back, that was some pretty diverse adult contemporary stuff!)
Anyway, I thought I knew a lot about music til I actually JOINED 99.5 RT as a lowly DJ in 1994. It was cool playing all the music you enjoyed so much, but what I also enjoyed was hanging out with all the other DJs, and they'd even go far as saying, "Hey man, you should play this stuff next week," and hand me over an album of Roxy Music (Avalon- which contained "More Than This" and, well, "Avalon"). Also, hanging out at RT's massive music library was such a treat- and there would always be somebody around who'd tell you a little something about any song you were curious about.
These days, you don't HAVE to join a radio station to have a kick-ass education on music and music appreciation. You have the internet, you have music video channels, you have wikipedia, and countless other sites online that offer all kinds of information on all kinds of artists from all over the world.
My current favorite? Yahoo Launchcast. You can pick just about any kind of genre there is, and immerse yourself in some new and familiar tunes from your favorite kind of music. Lately, I've been immersing myself into lots of 80' rock and alternative, 90's big hits, today's big hits and lite office music. Great stuff, really.
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