Volume 2, Issue #8

DJ Nemo

In 20 years behind the turntable, DJ Nemo has seen it all whether it be here in the U.S. or in Europe. The well-traveled producer/spinner who had his name 19 years before that Disney fish is currently residing in Florida for the past four years after a leaving hometown of Cannes, France. Although he still loves mixing several variations of house music in the clubs, DJ Nemo has turned most of his attention to the production aspect of the industry. He, along with his wife Ebony Jazz, own and operate Foxworth Productions where they work with several up-and-coming artists providing beats, lyrics and vocals if needed.


Five questions for DJ Nemo

1) How has the DJ business changed since you first began? “When I started it was a real job. A very hard to attain job. There were statutes to uphold. Not just anyone could do it. But now anyone can. And some of them are doing a really bad job and it is hurting the profession.”

2) What made you leave Cannes? “The fact is I just wanted to do something different. I figured it was just one city and there is so much more out there. I always wanted to travel and figured that would be a great way to have other people hear my records.”

3) Other big name DJ’s recruited your skills to assist them in doing remixes for Madonna, Donna Summers, Luther Vandross and Lisa Stansfield, but you didn’t receive any credit. What’s the deal with that? “It’s unfortunate. But I get a personal satisfaction out if it. It really is a thrill to work with those amazing artists. Most people eventually find out that I had a hand in it anyway.”

4) When you provide music entertainment for celebrities what usually happens? “Most of the time it’s a lot of fun. Like when I Dee Jayed Rosanna Arquette’s birthday party. But once I did a gig for Spike Lee and it went real bad. He wanted hip-hop and I do mostly dance music. His entourage was really tough on me and it turned out to be a really bad experience.”

5) You’ve done the club scene, fashion shows, studio work and private parties. What could there possibly be left for you to do? “I would love to do music for a full length movie. That would be an adventure. That is my next goal. i’m going to fight as hard as I can to show people I can do it. And then I will.”

----Joseph Barracato  

Tiffany Villerreal

After traveling the long road for the past four years, Tiffany Villarreal has finished paying her dues and is on the verge of unleashing a sultry, uptempoed R&B album that will leave Beyonce Knowles and Co. as stale as four-day-old Italian bread. The songstress is straying away from the classic, relaxed style of R&B and is leaning more toward an energetic rhythm, that has a hip-hop feel lying in the undertone. Back in 2000, the San Antonio native recorded demos for such stars as Faith Evans, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliot, who took a shine to her after they met on the set of a 702 video she was working on. Elliot singed on as the executive producer of Villarreal’s unreleased album for RCA, but it never made it off the shelf as the label folded shortly after she began work. Universal signed Villarreal two years later and quickly put the the 22-year-old to work, collaborating with rapper/label mate Raekwon for his single “The ‘Hood.” Since then Villarreal has been working fiercely in the studio putting together tracks for her long-awaited debut album that is expected to be completed when leaves start to change colors.

Five questions for Tiffany Villarreal

1) What was your life like when RCA broke down and your album hadn’t seen the light of day yet? “I was completely devastated. I’d been through some rough times before, but that might have been the worst. But I knew somehow it would all work out. Looking back on it not, it was just a speed bump.”

2) Did you pick up a lot when you worked with the extremely talented Elliot? “I was basically a sponge in the studio. I watched everything Missy did. She’s amazing. Working with her was a blessing.”

3) Tell me about your experience when you joined forces with the Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon. “I loved it. Rae is a real genuine person. Nothing fake about him. After we did “The ‘Hood” for his album, we wanted to do some more stuff together. He’s going to appear on my album in a song called “Rewind The Time.”

4) How did you land that gig as host of BET’s “How I’m living”? “They found me in a magazine and called up Universal. I was so excited. I never did anything like that before. They may have me come back and do few more episodes this year.”

5) Who are your major music influences? “I have so many. Just off the top of my head are Kim Burrell, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Mariah Carey and Lauren Hill.

----Joseph Barracato

Can Musicians And Their Music Influence The Outcome Of The 2004 United States Presidential Election?


Back in the late eighties, U2’s front man Bono repeatedly made prank phone calls to the White House from the stage of the bands Achtung Baby tour. It was a hilarious attempt for him to express some of his thoughts to then President George Bush Sr. What’s not funny is the recent news of a coalition of superstar musicians who have planned a politically minded concert series this fall in an effort to voice their dissatisfaction for his son George Bush Jr.


Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, R.E.M., Pearl Jam and a deep roster of other rock acts are in the early stages of setting up rallies, er shows, they are hoping will influence the crowds to pull either the John Kerry lever or anyone else for that matter, as long as it’s not Bush’s. Helping these mega stars reach out to the masses are the Dave Matthews Band, the Dixie Chicks, Bright Eyes, Ani DeFranco, Death Cab for Cutie and International Noise Conspiracy. There are also rumors that the legendary Bob Dylan may might be part of the bill.


Expect more than just insults hurled toward Bush at these venues. There are sure to be a few speeches, especially from Pearl Jam. Their controversial single “Bushleaguer”, a direct attack against the character and beliefs of Bush caused quite an uproar during their tour last summer. I was there in Long Island, NY when Eddie Vedder was booed of the stage for singing it. And in prior shows fans got up and left when it was performed.


It’s inevitable that people are going to argue that these musicians have gone way to far in voicing their respective opinions on Bush. But what I’m questioning is after a summer where the entire tri-state area didn’t have one show of value to attend, why did it have to take complete hatred for the president for these respective acts to give their devoted fans something to see?


----Joseph Barracato

Q: What is the real deal with Publishing?

-- Borg 5

A: Compensation and administration are the most important topics an artist must understand about publishing. Compensation packages can vary from publishing deal to publishing deal; from publishing company to publishing company. Therefore, I will keep this as simple as I can. Generally speaking, publishing companies negotiate for 50% an artist’s royalties (Mechanical, Synchronization Fees, etc). In return, the publishing company gives the artist advances that enable them to live and continue refining their art. Artists should be aware that most advances are recoupable.

The great thing about publishing is that as long as your song (copyright) is used or played, you are entitled to the fees negotiated for the use of that song. This will not change until your copyright has becomes public domain. That is why accurate administration is so important. It makes it possible to track and pay appropriate monies to all afiliated parties.

Administrators collect monies from all entities that have used your song both locally and internationally. Generally, administrators charge 15-20% of monies collected for their service. It should be noted this fee usually is taken prior to the 50-50 split between the artist and the publisher.


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