Volume 2, Issue #5

Juan Cantu

Originally from Houston Texas, Juan Cantu has always been exposed to a melting pot of people, cultures and music. His roots in music started in the church and have grown to include R&B, Funk and Latin flavors.

Today, Juan lives in Florida and he is a full time entertainer that enjoys creating music that his fans can connect with. As you listen to his music you can't help being drawn in by his subtle yet inviting delivery. His approach to music is reassuring and provocative at the same time. It won't be long before someone figures out Juan Cantu is meant to entertain the world at large.

5 Facts About Juan Cantu:

- Juan has been performing since he was 5 in church. He started training in singing, dancing and acting at the age of 13. "My first performing job was at the age of 16 at Six Flags Afterworld in Houston, Texas as a singer and dancer." He completed his first song at the ripe age of 18.

- Juan grew up in the "Barrio" of Houston's North side where it was predominately Mexican. However, being the youngest of 8 children, every Saturday was spent watching Soul Train. "I've always loved R&B, its music that talks to me, through and for me."

- To his credit Juan is a pure entertainer. His love for music is matched equally by his love for the theater. He has performed in various productions including "Grease", "Damn Yankees", "Guys and Dolls", "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", "Peter Pan" and "A Chorus Line". Naturally, these performances have given him an apprecaition and command of of the stage.

- Juan has a tremendous respect for Stevie Wonder's ability to write and create lyrics and music. "Stevie's tunes are beautiful, catchy, singable, and make your heart melt. Then his voice and feeling behind the voice are unparalleled. He is truly a unique talent."

- "In one year, I see myself selling my CD and gaining more fans. In three years, I see myself touring and playing to medium sized venues and occasionally doing special theatre engagements. In five years, I see myself writing songs for the top pop stars and performing music I love."

Kyprios

Canadian MC Kyprios is planning to lead the rap game into uncharted waters. The Vancouver native shelved the idea of samples and is using actual musicians to back his lyrics. Kyprios, a.k.a. David Coles, has brilliantly mixed instruments, pop and hip hop together in his major label debut “Say Something”. Sony Canada signed the 26 year-old Kyprios after receiving his 2001 independent album “Mic Tease” and set him up to work with producer/songwriter Thomas Tawgs Salter.

Questions For Kyprios:

Who would you say is primarily responsible for opening your eyes and ears to hip hop music? “Definitely my brother Matt (one of five older brothers). He was 14 and I was nine at the time. We always had LL Cool J, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys on. The main reason that I loved listening to rap besides the actual beats was the ability of the rappers to tell a story. That’s what I consider great music. I was always writing poetry and lyrics down since I was small and in rap I found people doing the same thing I was, just in a different way.”

During your inaugural visit to New York, you performed in front of a crowd for the very first time at the Poetry Cafe. You had to be extremely nervous, right? “I’m in a room with mostly black and hispanic people and I did a spoken-word song called Hate, which I wrote on the subway there after witnessing two men verbally abusing each other with racial slurs. So I said to myself they‚re either going to get the message behind the song or I’m gonna get the shit kicked out of me. But they got it and they embraced me. I had no idea what was going to happen. After I was done, I had a feeling of relief that they
understood the song and didn’t get lost in the racy lyrics.”

Besides the old school legends you mentioned earlier, what rappers out there now have had and influence on you? “I love Nas‚ stuff. To me his first record Illmatic is one of the five-best albums ever made. He blew my mind on that record. I;m also into Q-Tip, Guru, De La Soul, Mos Def and Eminem. Em is so talented as an artist. He‚s so original. Right now he setting the bar for rappers. As a fellow white rapper, I’ve got to make sure that whatever I do as an artist has to be different from him or I’ll basically look like I’m copying him. Mostly all the rappers I’m into are good storytellers. That’s what good rap is.”

Music Transcends Time, Space and Fashion Retail Chains?

The pervasiveness of music in our society is amazing to me. It’s not uncommon to see the average Joe walking down the street with a CD player or more likely an MP3 player. We listen to music during the commute to school. We play music when we drive to the office. We even request music when were taking the taxi to the nightclub. It is apparent that we not only want music in our lives, but that we need it. Fashion & Retail companies have known this for years. They play music to draw us into their stores. They hire DJ's to keep us entertained while we shop. They even sell music. However, I don’t think anyone expected these companies to begin marketing and selling thier own music.

That’s right, fashion & retail companies have moved into the business of content (music) creation. Companies like Armani (Exchange) and Banana Republic employee music professionals to create theme music that their customers can relate to the in store shopping experience. From the perspective of the retail companies it makes perfect sense. First, it is another product to sell. Second, customers that buy the music will be reminded of their shopping experience in the store. This may encourage them to come back. Finally, it builds brand loyalty and supplies a platform for customers to conduct word of mouth marketing.

As a consumer that loves shopping for clothing and music, I am not sure I see many benefits to this idea. When I am fortunate enought to shop, I appreciate the music that is played in the store. However, that’s as far as I need it to go. I don’t want A|X’s suggested song list in my car or on my MP3 player. I don’t need Banana Republic’s music reminding me of a previous shopping experience. And I most assuredly I don't want to have to explain to any of my friends where or why I purchased this CD. Call me you old fashioned. Call me stubborn. Call me what you like, but when I listen to music it is for the simple pleasure of enjoying music. I'd prefer to purchase clothing in retail stores and CD's in music stores. The alternative may result in music retail chains sell clothing. And I just don't think I am ready for that kind of progress.

Q: How can I get my music placed in a movie?

-- P. Goldstien

A: While there isn't one correct answer to this question, the best means of exposing your music to film and TV for consideration is to share your music with up and coming Music Supervisors. These individuals are responsible for the placement of music in Films and TV shows.

In case you were wondering music supervisors are responsible for synchronizing and licensing music for Films and TV. A good way to locate music supervisors is to attend Film & TV seminars and conferences. T.IR's music supervisor community publishes opprotunities directly on the site (see Industry Roll Call). Another great source for these contacts is the Film & TV Music guide published by the Music Registry 800.377.7411.

Have a question? Submit it to: questions@theindustryresource.com