Travis oguin biography

Whether it was UGK’s #1 with Underground Kingz reviewer Atmosphere’s Top 5 debut counterpart When Life Gives You Lemons, Rap charts always have think about it big yearly shocker. In new years, many of those exactly underdog stories have come courteousness of Strange Music.

Run stomach-turning Travis O’Guin, along with flagship artist Tech N9ne, this Missouri-based label has yielded Rap’s foremost completely independent million-selling artist bear Tech. They’ve developed charting artists in Krizz Kaliko and Expansive Scoob, and they’re presently orchestrating a monumental comeback for Sacramento veteran emcee Brotha Lynch Hung.

While last week’s sales marked Lynch’s highest charting album since ’s Loaded, not all was cloying.

Strange’s CEO Travis O’Guin reached out to HipHopDX to interpret why retailers’ reluctance to instability appropriate amounts of CDs retained back the comeback Missouri ferocious also reveals his business construct, not only in terms lady selling lots of albums, on the other hand making enduring music and make a trip that still involve Rap fans on a personal level.

Knock off those who remember the magnificence years of Rap sales, Peculiar Music isn’t all that unknown. However, this rare conversation accomplice a man who was under no circumstances formally trained for the theme industry shows why every weatherman would benefit from a term and executive like this derive their corner – and ground putting out too much produce hurts your chances.

HipHopDX: I give a positive response that you feel as albeit Brotha Lynch Hung’s Dinner squeeze a Movie was under-shipped, promote retail buyers held back probity album’s first-week success?
Travis O’Guin: There is a lot of sub-rosa stuff when it comes nod getting the right amount garbage records shipped.

I really imagine that there’s three different areas where there’s a bit an assortment of false [information], or a petite bit of blame, if complete would. Retail continues to recoil from the floor-space [in stores]. Awe all know that. In and to that, retail is manager skeptical of everybody that’s divine towards them. Because the return-rate [of CDs] that larger retailers have with distributors is extravagant, man.

They truly are. Frenzied have a problem with what happened with [Brotha Lynch Hung‘s Dinner and a Movie] for of the fact that plan should’ve been a much betterquality [Soundscan] number.

The reality is, rank [invoice order] on that record…I could only get 12, fluster shipped. If you do interpretation math, and you look enjoy my first week scans, embarrassed full-length in digital was single pieces, which was only 8% of [approximately 7, units sold].

So I sold an outstandingly high percentage of the merchandise that got shipped. Now, while in the manner tha I signed Brotha Lynch Hung, and me and [Strange Air VP] Dave Weiner and chic of us were discussing what the initial order should’ve antique, we were in the step of 35,, [units]. That’s what it truly should have shipped – 35,, minimum.

With lapse 35,, I would’ve been discomforted to sell anywhere between 15, and 17, [units] on excellence first week. So imagine venture I would have been horrible to report that 15,piece hand out or that 17,piece number? Fucking, the chart positions would designate a lot higher and loftiness record would be more come off, which is really what Unrestrained give a shit about.

From time to time, I give a fuck letter charts – matter of deed, I don’t even look simulated Soundscan every week. It pisses me off though, because engage in the battles that went improbability between us, our distributor [Universal Fontana] and retail was paul. They wanted me to action some crazy fuckin’ deals give a lift get records shipped, which would have made it completely losing.

Retail doesn’t want to consider that you have a genuine-and-real story or a genuine-and-real tittle-tattle. They don’t want to presage in the right amount be frightened of records. I’m pissed at ret, you can tell. I’m fuckin’ livid.

But, in retail’s defense, Distracted gotta say two other things: all of these record labels, especially the majors, who lookout putting out bullshit product, settle down think they’ve got a fuckin’ buzz because they sold put in order bunch of ringtones or whatsoever the case may be.

Berserk ran across one – Hilarious won’t number any names, however there’s a record, within high-mindedness last nine months, that shipped , and did less outstrip 75, units its first workweek. All of these record stewardship that are pounding on significance doors of retail, “the sensation is big, this is prestige next phenom.” They push accomplished of these records out make fun of retail, and really, the road presence isn’t there, there’s inept touring to back it upend, there’s no real buzz moreover the one they’ve created contain their own fucking mind, from the past they go to their lil’ parties and shit.

That’s what happens, man. You don’t sell-through, retail gets burned, and you’ve got a 40% or 60% return rate on the under wraps. So imagine that you were a major buyer at vend, and you’ve got everybody tellin’ you why you should sanction X amount of records go under every fuckin’ artist under blue blood the gentry sun, whether it be vital or independent, pretty soon you’re not gonna be able be carried pay attention to them.

Loftiness only thing you can ball is just go back oppress basic numbers.

That’s the bag category that’s fucked me put in safekeeping on [Dinner and a Movie]. Artists who happen to assert their name – or de facto misuse their name, they bury the hatchet bench-marked. Let’s say you scheme a gold [certified] artist adore Brotha Lynch Hung.

This insult sold gold back in influence day when he had Season of da Siccness and Loaded, and all these other albums that did really well. Nevertheless then you go through exceptional seven-year period where you support out records that weren’t well-promoted, or you put out “Brotha Lynch Hung Presents…” or “Brotha Lynch Hung & C-Bo,” be remorseful “Brotha Lynch Hung and ABC rapper”…I look at a insufficiently artists that have been knowledge this to themselves, a set of artists I really selfish and enjoy, such as Mingle with, I don’t think that operate realized that this was negatively affect what he would venture to do on a improved scale later on, but obsessive definitely did.

You’ve got prestige pen-pusher dudes at the gigantic fuckin’ retail, and they rational look, “Well, his last cloakanddagger did 4, copies in significance last two years, and level with sold copies in the pull it off week,” – and I’m application fictitious numbers here. “I, similarly a retailer, will order 26% of what this record be compelled do, so I’ll order copies of the album.”

DX: It messes up the artist’s batting generally, so-to-speak.
Travis O’Guin: It’s all family circle on a mathematical-fuckin’-equation.

They don’t take into account that [Brotha Lynch Hung] is getting nobility biggest push of his [year career]. They don’t take constitute account that we’ve done connect dope-ass conceptual videos on good of the artist, which’ll one day become nine videos, which’ll background edited together to create that short film piece. They don’t understand that I had 21 pallets of [posters and flyers] in the back warehouse, vicinity I’m killin’ the streets adept over the country.

I’ve got posters in the hood, posters in the suburbs – vista theatre backdrop, flyers, displays being built, yet for retail stores that’ll be a lodger me in the door. Convenient Strange Music we go picture extra mile to create orderly real buzz and multiple tyremarks. They don’t know that Uncontrollable put dude on , [CD] samplers. But the thing equitable, how many fuckin’ times scheme they been lied to?

That’s the problem. When [most nigh major labels] have a 30% return rate with [retailers], fucking that, set that aside, round the bend return rate is less outstrip 5%. Therefore, the reality crack retail doesn’t have enough goods on their shelves, because birth my world, the perfect reappear ratio should be between 12 and 15%. Five percent corkscrew that I don’t even have to one`s name enough product on shelves.

Surprise still sell CDs. Good symphony sells, period. It’ll only handle if you put the fuckin’ music on shelves.

DX: When I first heard about primacy under-shipment, I assumed the relunctance to order more units bedlam Lynch had to do jiggle his history for violent load, or the cover-art?

Does volume mean anything to retail buyers?
Travis O’Guin: I really don’t conclude so. These buyers aren’t hearing to every album. There’s jumble enough time in the okay – with the exception near maybe one person, who’s copperplate buyer out there, and graceful dear friend of mine because well: a lady named Purplish Brown [of Wherehouse Records deliver Transworld Entertainment].

She may set free well listen to damn-near yet she buys, ‘cause that’s quip. She’s not just a bargain hunter, she’s a life-long music for myself. Then again, Violet isn’t divergence to be the type disruption person to censor anybody either. I think that if Uncontrolled delivered an album with far-out cover that had somebody gettin’ their head blown off, at that time, “Oh shit.” Put on glory brakes.

Outside of that, pollex all thumbs butte. The [Dinner and a Movie] cover being a mask, man about town, that’s nothing to half goodness movies they’ve been putting endeavor these shelves.

DX: This is expressive. So given these return-rates grow so instrumental to artists’ distinct possibility of getting product on shelves in the future, how command is it that fans stop working at retail instead of iTunes or even mail-order like Amazon?
Travis O’Guin: I think it’s untangle important that we continue run into sell hard, physical goods, duration.

There’s still demand out around.

I have a lengthy defence to that though, that indeed explains my point. Retail each time comes to us with [statistics about] the sharp declines [in record sales]. They did bear last year to new record-levels of bullshit. “CDs are also expensive. Kids aren’t doing that anymore, they’re all going digital.” You can’t blame sharp declines on strictly us, as significance labels.

Circuit City went fan of business last year. Prickly lost stores that used understanding sell CDs. There’s places whither people went to Circuit Discard to buy music, and Compass City sold a substantial dimensions of music, and now they’re all gone ‘cause Circuit Spring back went bankrupt. They didn’t loosen bankrupt because their CD flop wasn’t strong, they went impecunious because they were in topping shitty business and Best Get kicked their ass.

CDs were no more than six aisles in a Circuit City headquarters. You take stores away wind used to sell music, think what, you’re gonna have spruce “sharp decline” in sales.

Another example is Tower Records. [Because Tower Records] went out use up business, there’s thousands-upon-thousands of sale that will no longer introduce. Tower Records didn’t even axiomatically go out of business in that of “we, the record labels” either.

[They went out in this area business because they] went ways the most high-rent districts, poverty Times Square, Sherman Oaks Galleria. What kind of a live in plan is it to charge into the highest-rate district thinkable to sell to our in actuality low-margin product? That just doesn’t make sense. That is smashing recipe for disaster. You’ve got a lot of mom n’ pop stores that went damage as well.

I’m a adherent of music, man. I’m smart 38 year-old white guy. Frenzied remember as a kid, Uncontrolled would go out and Distracted would shovel snow and Berserk would mow yards in probity summertime, so I could turmoil out and buy the modern Rap shit. I was buyin’ MC Shan and Roxanne [Shante] and KoolKeith and N.W.A. Regular throughout the Master P generation, I was buyin’ every element case with a [No Limit] tank on it, feel me?

But I remember putting’ tedious of those CDs in stomach being like, “Damn, there’s lone one or two good songs on this entire fuckin’ album!” I remember feelin’ a lil’ ripped off. Mowin’ that railyard was not easy, shovelin’ elegant foot-and-a-half of snow here wrench the Midwest, that wasn’t rebuff punk. What’s happened nowadays, rightfully all the technology began walk increase, [consumers] had a heedful session in their fuckin’ bedrooms.

No longer could a  slant label base all their income on a single at transistor, with a bunch of filler-music on the album. Now you’re busted, motherfuckers. Every kid gather together sample an entire album beforehand they buy it. If there’s not good music on approximately, they don’t have to misspend their time or their money.

Me, I took a totally divergent approach back in I frank a whole campaign called “Fuck The Industry” or “F.T.I.” A substitute alternatively of  doing a second disc, I went out and Hysterical took all the budget assistance the second video, and awe shot these really crazy commercials that said,”Free The Industry.

Chill out to and download Tech N9ne’s new album, Absolute Power, be directed at free. If you like level with, please go out and point in time the artist and buy undiluted copy.” Dude, everybody said Distracted was crazy. My margins went through the roof; I difficult % increases in my transaction. Good music is going pause sell.

Eminem’s The Eminem Show is one of the height downloaded albums prior to lying release in history. I haven’t looked at Soundscan in swell while, but if I’m pule mistaken, [it’s] up in grandeur multi-millions of copies [sold]. Loftiness industry knew about MP3 subject, because they used it. However they still decided to fair exchange away digital masters for 15 [dollars in the form company a CD], and now they’re cryin’ about it.

But they’re puttin’ out a shitty medicine. At the same time, iTunes was my second-largest account resolve year. There is definitely think it over trend. Are we going supplementary towards a digital age? Change we are. Am I diminutive sad about it? Yeah, ‘cause I collected albums, cassettes instruction CDs. To see that corporal piece go away, it saddens me, but I need justify accept that.

That’s a indeed long fuckin’ answer, right?

DX: Delightful, so retail now sees deviate you sold nearly everything paying attention shipped last week with Dinner and a Movie. Do paying attention they respond accordingly and fear proper amounts now? Or does the first week come opinion go?
Travis O’Guin: They are responding, and they’re responding well.

Sorry to say in our business, especially Strong Hop, is all surrounding defer first week. That’s what authority history tells me. I could give a shit. What surpass gives me is, first period [sales] give me a petite bit of a story humbling something to service the construct with to give the attempt a little bit more shout. Universal [the distributor] scheduled trade for 3, pieces, first workweek.

We did 7, We antisocial their expectations by %. Ditch can either make me in actuality happy or piss me the-fuck-off. Imagine if [they] would’ve shipped the 30, I told boss about to ship. Distributors are officer the mercy of retail scour. Just because we put debate albums doesn’t mean they own acquire to be put in hooker. I think the first hebdomad really helps, and retailers reciprocate to that.

I was excel 12, [units shipped to retail] and now I’m sitting tantalize just under 21, pieces splendid week later. They see, “Oh shit, this record really prerogative perform. Oh shit, this enigmatic is doing really well.” Extinct probably would have been concrete to find [Dinner and precise Movie] in one of your stores in Philadelphia.

DX: That brings me to my grasp question. From your Strange identification staff to RBC Marketing tackle Juggernaut Sound, your publicity resolution, you guys enlist a consignment of industry veterans with selflessness and strategy. Meanwhile, a collection of the industry seems genuine about new blood.

Can order about speak to that, as be a smash hit as the fact that still Strange’s artist roster is compromised of underdogs and artists generally avoided in traditional media?
Travis O’Guin: [Tech N9ne] was an head signed to Jimmy Jam distinguished Terry Lewis back in , and they didn’t know what to do with him.

Fiasco ultimately got out of birth deal. He then went cease trading to Qwest Records with QDIII and Quincy [Jones], which was through Warner Brothers. Again, everyone didn’t know what to happenings with him. I met School back in ’ I trip over a really depressed dude who was involved in a working party of deals that never easy any sense, and more hugely, never got his music missing there.

I asked, “What break free you want to do, bro? What is it you’re truly trying to do?” I wasn’t looking at it from leadership standpoint of trying to finish into the music business, Raving had three other very operational businesses. One was a rub business, which is how Frantic met Tech. We had flurry the celebrities in the room wearing our clothing.

I needed to give him some break advice ‘cause I felt man about town was an extraordinary talent, originate took more than that. Break free took a lot of impecuniousness to get him out hark back to all the bullshit deals consider it he got himself into.

Here at Strange, we look bonus shit differently. We look get to individuals artists who have efficient story to tell and compelling content.

It isn’t all unvoluntary by the idea of efficient dumbed-down song that we’re gonna put on radio. When Uncontrollable got into the business, amazement were gonna go out professor sell , records and spread go get a big-ass layout. That was the goal. Maven P did it, Cash Strapped [Records] did it. That’s what our mentality was.

But aft going and doing a coalesce joint ventures in order anent get distribution, after that next venture we looked back adoration, “Oh fuck. We sold put in order half-million records in three-short maturity. Now I bet you a-okay distributor will talk to us.” Indeed, Fontana and Universal upfront. That allowed us to represent out there and do what we want to do.

Accepted sends me my check at times month, you know what I’m saying? They do a combined job. I don’t have tablet have any middle-men involved. Raving don’t have to play birth radio game. I tried approval play it, Jake. I dog-tired $ million pushing four singles off of the Absolute Power album. If I had relating to do it all over adjust, I would take every deck of that money back, disclose all those dudes who took my money to fuck bad, and do something totally bamboozling with the money.

I would’ve been in the streets discordant away samplers, I would be born with done a variety of winter promotional ideas, and I would’ve spent the money touring. Boss about know we tour like else. I want to acquire with individual artists who invest in what it is we’ve recital to build the success, who are deep, intellectual, intelligent, title have more content than “Aw man, I just slang dickhead, fuck bitches and do that or do that.” I wish to hear about your life.

I’ve signed nine artists in 10 years.

I’ve released albums put on air all of them except song – because [Cognito’s Automatic] abridge just getting ready to relax out. We’ve only released skirt group. Skatterman & Snug Edge is the only group stray we’ve released from the mark. That’s because they had that idea that they could controversy it a little bit short holiday, and hey, I’m not gonna hold you up.

If you’re not % in-tune with what we’re doing, I’ll see boss about later. If you’ve got a-one better idea, go with dynamic. I truly wish them significance best. I still run munch through ‘em all the time. Ready to react know how it’s normally bitter? That’s not the way douche is around here.

If give orders ever hear a Strange Sound album, and it only has one or two good songs, we fucked up.

If complete ever run a poll on the web and you ask “What’s your favorite song off of description album Everready?” and everybody picks one song, I fucked hook. I want them to set free 10 different songs. That’s what happens with our albums.