antonradke-music

[antonradke-music]

Black Widow Lawsuit.

“SHE MAKES PLENTY OF MONEY ALREADY!!! She doesn’t need any more!! Eat the rich blah blah blah”   I DONT CARE. Corporations MUST be held accountable. They violated her contract. It doesn't matter how much money she's made. If we just let this slide, Disney will continue to do stupid shady crap like this more and more. We have to start drawing the line immediately. Now. Before it gets to the point that they start shirking paying people like animators a living wage, or their park mascots any sort of benefits or time off from being in those sweaty gross costumes all day in the hot California/Florida sun. And if you think they wouldn't stoop to that level, you're delusional. They'd LOVE to do that, and the first step to achieving this is by making it happen with larger scale paygrade individuals. SPECIFICALLY because they're aware of the "eat the rich" narratives and movements (yes. There are the two. Not every single "eat the rich" statement is genuine at all.) and because of that, they know many people will turn the other cheek to this. And we SHOULDN'T. Because its just step one in eventually doing exactly this, but to everyone that they can.This is DISNEY. If I remember correctly, every single last one of y'all agreed that they're an evil corporation not even more than a week or two ago. Now, all of a sudden, they're doing nothing wrong? Just cause Scarlett Johanson is a millionaire? Nah. At least Scarlett EARNED that money fairly by portraying a character WE ALL loved throughout the last decade of Marvel movies. and SHE KILLED IT. Disney? Did they earn every last dime fair and square by working their butts off doing 12+ hour days on movie sets? nah. Not a chance. and they certainly don't need the chump change (relatively speaking) that they're skimming off of the Black Widow premier access earnings that trashed her contracted and agreed upon theatrical release numbers which decided Scarlett's paycheck.I want y'all to think about one word: appeasement.This is kind of an extreme comparison, because obviously the consequences of appeasing Disney's actions wont be tis extreme, but consequences are on the line. There are serious dangers due to appeasement. Which is what you're allowing yourselves to do. You're allowing yourself to appease Disney's shady breaches of contracts. Thus appeasing Disney's obvious "evil corporation" moves in general. So when is the line drawn? Because the last time a larger than life, evil entity was appeased over and over again, it ended with the deaths of 5.7 million jews in concentration camps and such, as well as 24 million Russian soldiers and civilians. Again, extreme comparison. But Hitler was appeased over and over again, and look what happened. We should have drawn the line. Appease Disney over and over again, and after long enough, working for them may just end up as indentured servitude. Or possibly worse

[antonradke-music]

The Printer Ink Scam Deepens

So its no secret that the printer ink industry is one of the most disgusting, unabashed and obvious scams in the history of contemporary print technology. I’m sure many of you know the simple break down of it: HP/Canon spends roughly $40-50 bucks on manufacturing for each individual printer sold at $60 (think one of those cheaper Canon Pixma printers you can get at the WalMart electronics section). Now I know you might be thinking “that sounds pretty high for a manufacturing cost.” and you’d be right. Normally, that’s too high and would not be worth selling at $60. But Canon takes that shitty margin, and runs with it. Because they know that the devices isn’t where the money is. The money is in the small little cartridges that those devices can’t function without in the first place. Those $40+ ink cartridges?

Can you guess how much it costs to manufacture that same small cartridge, that contains just some little tiny splash of ink for a printer? Less than a dollar. They spend roughly $0.40 on each cartridge, then turn right around and charge you %8000 percent MORE than what they paid to create it.

So that’s the printer ink scam. All well and good *sarcasm*. 

Plus this is all very old news. Nothing exciting or new about this whatsoever, they’ve been doing it for decades. Scamming people, that is. That’s what they’ve been doing.  Anyways, now HP is out there, making the scam even shadier: They're advertising that they're this great, benevolent company that cares about the world by offering recycling services for those ink carts. No. They're lying. They only offer this service so they can make cartridges EVEN cheaper by saving on materials. By recycling past carts. And as nice and forward thinking as that sounds, you can recycle them at any recycling facility. Sure it varies from place to place, you may have to deposit used carts in a special bin, or save them up and bring them all at once to your local recycling facility in person. But you can most definitely have them recycled. You do not have to send them to HP to be “properly disposed of”. And doing so only enables the fucked up price gouging, and widens their margins for them to make even more money off of their ink scam.  DON’T ENABLE THEM TO FIND WAYS TO SCALP UP EVEN MORE.

DON’T SEND YOUR USED INK CARTS TO HP OR AN OTHER PRINTING MANUFACTURER. TAKE THEM TO YOUR LOCAL RECYCLER INSTEAD. It may not even make a difference, maybe your local recyclers policy is to mail all ink carts back to the manufacturer. But it’s at least worth a try. I know I’ll do anything I can to help hurt the Ink Industry Scam Artists’ margins. Y’all should too!

[antonradke-music]

~♡

[antonradke-music]

Cheeks. In. Spaaaaaaace.

[antonradke-music]

DJ’s: YOU AREN’T PRODUCERS. TAKE THAT WORD OUT OF YOUR SOCIAL BIOS.

Possibly controversial opinion:

TLDR: DJ's: If you're not posting original music, edits, remixes, or anything of the sort. Please don't put "producer" in your SoundCloud bio. It's alot like that guy in High School who would say "Yea man I play guitar, I shred like, all the time" then you hand him a guitar and he just starts goin ham with a poorly executed and under-practiced "Smoke on the Water" or "Enter Sandman" opening riff. On repeat. The entire time he plays. Except with DJ/Producers you can't just hand someone a laptop to "hear them shred on a DAW" so its alot easier to get away with in our EDM world.

FULL RANT: There is a huge difference between "DJ" and "Producer" and there isn't a single thing wrong with just being a "DJ" and not both. People still need and want DJ mixes. There's zero shame in admitting that you don't, or don't know how to, produce music.

  It only bugs me (and to be clear, it doesn't even bug me all that much) coz producers like myself and my friends spend countless hours learning and mastering our craft, so that title of "producer" is somewhat earned in my opinion. You can't just download a DAW and say "I'm a producer" if you've never once truly used it.

  Producers create. DJ's mix. If your SC page is only mixes, you're a DJ. If your SC page contains original content/music you created yourself, then there's nothing wrong with adding that "producer" bit in your bio. Even if what you're posting is ID's, WIPs, ideas, bootlegs, etc. It doesn't need to be fully finished and mastered music.  If you created it, you produced it, you are a producer on some level (beginner/intermediate/TUNE GOD, etc)

If you're a DJ now, and are just now learning to produce, just wait until you start posting/uploading your tunes. THEN add that fabled "producer" title to your socials.

  I'm also not alone. Myself and several of my producer friends have expressed at least some frustration towards the DJ's that both call themselves a producer in their socials and even (sometimes) out in public. It can definitely be a "wtf" moment (and this has literally happened to me before) when you are talking to someone, be it an Entertainment/Booking manager or a bigger DJ, telling them about your music and your work. Then another DJ shows up and starts doing the same. But you know that person, and you're aware of the fact that they've never made a tune or have even tried to start learning.

  Now there's the possibility that someone who's never worked on tunes in their life could get the credit or booking that you were working so hard for, and they didn't spend a minute doing the same. They just happen to be VERY good at talking to promoters, knowing what they want to hear, and manipulating the truth to fit a narrative that will get them hired or booked. And this has happened to me. They ended up getting a better time slot than me as they grossly exaggerated their SoundCloud stats, and played a song to the promoter by an underground artist claiming that it was their own. I kept my mouth shut. I should have spoken up, but I didn't think his ploy would work and I was new to that particular local scene, I wanted to avoid burning bridges or looking salty/bad. His set ended up being really rough, he'd lied about knowing CDJ gear (he didn't), spent an hour trainwrecking almost every transition, the dance floor was empty by the end of his set, he left the venue in a hurry afterwards and I've never seen him since.

Unfortunately it's not like many local event managers actually care. They just want a good DJ, and they'll often believe you if you tell them you're more than just a DJ. They likely don't have a reason to doubt you, and often don't care enough to check the validity of those claims. Or maybe they don't even know the difference between "DJ" and "Producer"

So in in summary: DJ's. You're not producers. Not unless you make your own music/Unless you are a creator. And just for the record, opening a DAW, playing with Serum for a few minutes, and tossing a few loops into a bus/channel doesn't count. Take the time to learn properly how to write progressions/melodies, program sequences, mix-down your track elements, structure your tune and bonus points for doing it all without presets (learn sound design) and without loops (learn drum & pattern sequencing) If you have that DAW installed, you're already sooo much farther ahead than tons of others in your position. Hit up YouTube for some tutorials and you're on your way! 

In Conclusion: Please. Please. PLEASE don't take credit for the kind of work producers spend up to 10-15 hours a track doing (my average time to finish a song entirely). You could cost a talented soul a gig or time slot they've been busting their asses for for years. There really isn't anything wrong with being JUST a DJ. Its a good thing, and still a valid and useful skillset with tons of work/gig opportunities. I played plenty of gigs before I really started calling myself a "producer". You may not get the best timeslots as compared to producers. But be honest with yourself, you could be a fantastic DJ, but who most deserves good timeslots at events? The guys with something to promote. A product to offer. And that product is their creative content/music/whatever. And that guy could be you, you just need to take the time to learn and work hard at honing your craft and skillsets.

  Soooo take "producer" out of your bio if all you're posting is mixes and mashups. And if your bio says it, or you identify as a Producer, you better expect me to fuckin test you on it cause I will. Immediately. And if you don’t pull a home made, non-plagiarizing, ORIGINAL piece of creative expression/content out of your ass in that very moment then I swear to Cthulhu I will perform a social/career crucifixion (alot like “social/career suicide” except I do it to you) on you. Your ‘music career’ ends right there on the spot, ESPECIALLY if you play some underground artist and act like its your music and take credit for it. That’s just so far from ok. And I WILL notice. I was an underground non commercial radio DJ for over 2 years. and a lifelong enthusiast all around. Trust me. I will know. So just be honest with yourself, and others. Please, and thank you.

           - Signed, bedroom producers the world over.

PS - I’m SERIOUS guys. I won't stay silent next time. If I see a DJ try to take credit for another artists work (especially while talking to promoters, and especially taking credit for underground artists work) I will shut that shit down instantly. I will ensure they're instacancelled on the spot and won't play a gig in that area ever again. Plagiarism is NOT COOL. Don't plagiarize. Seriously. You will never have a career in music if you make Plagiarism a part of your “strategy for success” in the music industry. And I will personally work towards ensuring that. (example: I still to this day convert people to the cancellation of DJ Bl3nd. That POS blatantly ripped off so many artists, and is a perfect PERFECT example of a DJ claiming to be a producer. But isn’t. AND he used plagiarism + ghost producers COMBINED to make it seem like he was a producer) I don’t care if you do end up learning to produce after the fact and start making decent tunes.. If you plagiarize and try to use it to advance your career, I will do everything I can to stop you. For ever. 

P.P.S. - For those of you DJ's who are learning to produce, don't take any offense to this rant its not directed at you guys, and please PLEASE don't get discouraged. You're likely not even applicable to this rant as you're actually working towards the title. So let me help you in that, below this text I'll be linking a few awesome YouTube producer channels who upload educational music/producer content. As well as some links to great sample/drum kits and more useful tools to help in your learning curve. I am also always available for producing tips and advice, just send me a direct message or comment on this post and I'll give you the best answer from my own experience/abilities/knowledge. Thanks for taking the time to read this ridiculous and stupidly long rant. I hope you can see where I’m coming from. And I’m sure many actual producers can agree with a lot of my points and reasoning. Have a good one. Peep my tunes if you have some time. Peace and deuces to all! -Anton Radke

www.soundcloud.com/antonradke www.facebook.com/antonradkemusic booking/collabs/commissions/general inquiries/demos: [email protected]

Resources and tools for learning producers: Some production education channels on YouTube that I highly recommend:

Dylan Tallchief has some fantastic tutorials for many different EDM genres which cover more than just production. He talks in depth about music theory, sound design. All of it. He shows how to use both Ableton and FL Studio. HIGHLY RECOMMMEND this channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIu2Fj4x_VMn2dgSB1bFyQA

For rap/hip-hop producers, I recommend watching videos made by these two gentlemen: 

Praxi Plays covers tons of genres/sub genres, and different styles of commercial, and less than commercial rap/hip hop music. He teaches using FL Studio:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAE7Doxo5WQRjLPz7JYa7Fw If you prefer darker, more underground rap music, or just less than commercial stuff in general, Based Gutta covers tons of styles of rap beats from the underground rap culture. He’s great, and also pretty hilarious. Also uses FL Studio. Oh and he does Lo-Fi stuff a whole lot as well:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTrrlfsv-5IBQ1SgPBawT3w

COMPOSERILY is also a good one. But a lot less serious. His videos are definitely more parody and satire than anything, but there’s still lots you can learn from watching him. Tons of useful stuff in his videos. He also does both Ableton and FL Studio depending on the song/artist he’s trying to sound like.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Ujq8PBm0MWraaXd8MsIAQ

For drums and other samples, I highly recommend getting a Splice Account. Its incredible So many options! And you can download individual sounds. You don’t have to download an entire sample pack if you just want one kick drum that it happens to have which is great. A good brokeboi alternative would be Looperman. Its basically a discount/Wal-Mart level “Splice” style service but free.

www.Splice.com

www.looperman.com

Some useful sample kits I recommend getting for the sake of drum sequencing/programming:

XFER Pack by Steve Duda and deadmau5 (great for house and 4/4 edm genres) 

BIGHEAD Sample Pack by BigHead (available on Splice) [great for trap/rap/hiphop] 

literally ANY vengeance or cymatics sample pack will also be a great choice for practically any type of bass music. Face it. Bass music drums are boring and are all almost IDENTICAL from song to song (with the exception of the kick drum) so any Vengeance or Cymatics dubstep sample kit will do you justice here.

VSTs to consider: EDM: Sylenth1 (must have), Razor (underrated), Massive, Serum (must have), U-He Diva, Nexus (overrated but useful), Dblue Glitch, DBlue Tapestop, Engineers Filter (free, amazing Equalizer. deadmau5 approved), CamelCrusher, OTT (overrated but useful), Cthulhu (MIDI sequencer programmed by deadmau5, hella cool but confusing)

Rap Music VSTs to consider: Omnisphere. that’s it. I’m not kidding. A talented producer armed with Omnisphere, and a decent drum sample kit, who is very good at sampling and writing melody/progression can create THOUSANDS of Grammy worthy rap/trap beats without even once reusing an Omnisphere preset.  Its like Nexus. Except it truly doesn’t suck, and is worth the absurd price tag.

-Anton Radke  www.soundcloud.com/antonradke www.facebook.com/antonradkemusic booking/collabs/commissions/general inquiries/demos: [email protected]

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