The mixtape game is different (its actually a genius way to sidestep the whole record industry and still get your shit out...) because ain't nobody checking for copyrights or soundscan. You just press your shit up and sell it by any means necessary, mom-n-pop shop, out of the trunk, at the mall, to your baby-moms girlfriends, or whatever.
you gotta have somebody to host it though, that's standard. and getting a well known DJ or MC to host your shit can be a power move if you put the grind behind it. or at least get a DJ who's put out a couple of mixtapes in your area already.
Here's our strategy:
1. basically make an album (non-cleared samples and all), throw like 2-3 instrumental tracks over classic beats in there (they're already old so your mixtape won't get old quick like if you're using the latest instrumentals off the radio),
2. pay a well known DJ (in our case, PCutta) somewhere between 500-2000 beans to host your shit (if you're already established, then they might do it for free, or they might even pay you if you're at a higher level than them), put his name on the front cover at the top, and
3. call it a mixtape and get it pressed up. Make sure your shit looks like a quality mixtape, with good graphics and all.
4. throw an event, a cookout, a gig, set up a stand at a music conference, or anything, and pass out flyers announcing your CD. free stuff helps, free food, free CDs, free t-shirts, whatever. try to do it at a place that's already gonna be bubblin with people. we did ours during Howard U.'s homecoming game last year but the rain fucked it up a lil bit. put up posters and pass out flyers around the city and neighboring areas to promote the event like a week before,
5. after that, hit the mom-n-pops all over the city, and in other cities in the region. (You gotta have talk game because you don't want your shit on the local rack, you wanna be where the rest of the industry mixtapes are, and that's where that DJ's name on the front cover comes in handy because they prolly already got a few of his mixtapes in the store and they know his shit moves units) Don't expect the world, but you will move units just based off the DJ's name. Get your dogs (and some females too, broads can sell anything but they gotta be cute) organized into a street team and split profits with them.
Mixtape 101 homie! We moved 2000 units like that last fall, and we bout to do it again this summer. I think we can do 5000-10000 this time, because we also got some well known guest appearances and we gettin PCutta again. And the whole thing is, its basically an album!!!
