Hey Guys this truly has turned into an excellent discussion and I greatly appreciate all the well articulated positions and passions shared. I know that for the moment SOPA is on hold, but there is no doubt that this fight is not over. With that being said, I want to come back to the point I was attempting to make in my original Blog post:  “SOPA is a vehicle that has been created by a consortium of major entertainment conglomerates and pushed by lobbyist paid by them as a legal method to exert control over the flow of content over the internet which has been couched under the propaganda of fighting piracy.” (Wordy I know, but I could not think of a shorter way to say it).  As such, my essential argument stated again is that SOPA was not designed to protect and/or advocate the rights of small and independent content holders like you and I.

Now in making known my thoughts on this issue, many say I sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I don’t think so.  The executives employed by the major entertainment conglomerates don’t make significant policy directives by accident. I deal with them daily, and while many of them are great people individually, I never forget the fact that these executives are paid brain trusts (many of whom are highly paid) who are employed to protect and pursue both the Conglomerates interest as well as its survival.

More to the point, I look at SOPA (as presently drafted) much like I look at how the Conglomerates were able to reconfigure the playing field concerning Broadcast Ownership rules by relaxing both the total number of radio stations that could be owned by a single individual or company as well as relaxing the number of radio stations that could be owned by a single individual or company within a particular market.   Let’s take a brief look at the history concerning this issue before moving forward.

In 1975, the FCC passed Newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules which were designed to prevent a single corporate entity from becoming too powerful a single voice within a community and thus the rule was created to maximize diversity under “the conditions dictated by the marketplace.” Also keep in mind (for those of you who are unfamiliar with the role of the FCC)  that the chief aim and purpose of the FCC is not to provide a platform for profit maximization for Conglomerates, but instead the FFC is charged with promoting the public interest and thus the diversity of voices through protecting the public airways.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the heart of the 1975 FCC Media Ownership Regulation has been greatly eroded through subsequent FCC rulings and legislation – – most especially with the proposed 2003 change in Media Ownership rules passed by the FCC in a close 3 to 2 vote (republicans over democrats) under then FCC Chairman Michael Powell. Now I will be the first to admit that issues revolving around the Media Ownership rules remain in a state of flux and such issues are well beyond the scope of this discussion, but suffice it to say that with the current legislation in place a single company can now legally own hundreds and hundreds of AM/FM Radio Stations. For example, Clear Channel Communications currently owns 850 radio stations.

Now let’s next look at how the diversity of voices was fostered by the 1975 regulations particularly with regard to radio music programming and then how the diversity of voices was destroyed as the protections provided by the 1975 regulations were eroded away.  One note before I move forward: now obviously, there are differences between preventing the piracy of original content which is the issue SOPA is attempting to address versus the FCC’s effort to protect the right to hear a diversity of voices through our public airways, but I am attempting to make a point….so please hear me out. Okay, with that out of the way, let’s keep moving forward.

Under the 1975 Act, the variety of music programming available for audio consumption over the various radio stations was excellent. Each individual town or city had a group of musicians and songwriters that had developed a distinct musical sound for that particular area which could be easily heard over the radio. Taking a road trip doing this time period would easily bear my argument out. For example, let’s say your trip originated in New York City. As you get in your car to leave the city and turn your radio dial, the various radio stations you scan would be playing a variety of local music unique to the New York City metropolitan area. You could then travel down to Miami and hear distinctive music playing on Miami based radio that you did not hear while driving out of New York.  And then you could drive on to Nashville and Memphis each having distinctive music playing on their respective radio stations. Then travel to Atlanta, New Orleans , Houston, Austin, Santa Fe, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland and finally ending your road trip in Seattle, with each town or city having radio programming that was unique to that area and where you would discover music that you had never heard in any of the other places you had visited.

Why was the above true?  It was true because you had local radio stations that were closely tied to the local communities they serviced. In other words “Local” radio really meant “local radio.” Additionally, “these” local radio stations (in many cases) were intimately tied and bonded to the musical community and vibe of their particular location and supported the local music and nurtured it through spinning the music on their play lists. Thus, in my opinion, the FCC 1975 standards created a near perfect synergy by fostering the ability of the local radio stations to support the local music community…each needed the other to survive and grow market exposure.  Of course in the midst of this time period, Music Conglomerates were always lurking in the background attempting to usurp control over programming through payola, but in many cases the system worked just as I described.

Now, let’s look at what was happened to local radio and radio programming as a result of the Conglomerates successful efforts to relax media ownership rules.

First, legislation was implemented which choked off local independent radio stations ability to find space on the FM dial, which in turn resulted in long established independent stations quickly and suddenly  dying out, not only because dial space had become more difficult to secure, but more importantly because their advertising bases were raided and pillaged by the Conglomerates’ aggressive pricing models…so almost overnight the local radio stations cashflow positions disappeared which directly affected their ability to fight back against the hostile takeover of the airwaves.

Secondly, the music programming playlists for the Conglomerate controlled Radio Stations quickly became homogenized and uniform and (with the exception of college radio and pirate radio stations) radio listeners were forced to hear the exact same play list of songs rotating over and over throughout the day and night no matter what area of the country they lived in. The same set of songs were  driven to achieved heavy rotations, which in turn generated millions and millions of dollars in performance royalty fees for the PROS and Conglomerate controlled Publishing Companies in addition to positioning the Conglomerate controlled Major Record Labels to sell millions and millions of Albums, CDs and Cassettes.

Unfortunately, indie Publishers, Songwriters and Composers on the one hand and indie artists, bands, musical groups and labels on the other hand, had very little chance of participating in this cash bonanza described above other than essentially witnessing their content being used by the Entertainment Industrial Complex to generate massive cashflow with only a small select group of superstar artists making any significant money.

In essence, the eventual erosion of the protection to free speech (diversity of voices) afforded to us by the 1975 FCC Act, has allowed the Conglomerates to have a virtual strangle hold over music programming as well as gatekeeper on what music is played over the PUBLIC AIRWAVES and most importantly positioned Conglomerates to deny access to the PUBLIC AIRWAVES to any artist/musical group/band/songwriter/composer who refused to sign exclusive contracts with the Entertainment Industrial complex  (which essentially forced the indie artist to give up substantially all of his/her/their rights in the music).

Now looking at SOPA, as Lance correctly pointing out in a earlier comment, the U.S. Government already has federal laws in place to deal with piracy (and I do agree that these laws can be updated to some degree), but the real issue here is that the existing laws don’t provide the leverage the Conglomerates need in order to control the flow of commercial content over the internet which in my opinion is their true goal. When we look at how SOPA is to operate (as currently drafted), we see legislation that provides a near perfect fit for allowing Conglomerates to LEGALLY control commercial content over the internet.  Just think about it, if there is a measure that allows the Conglomerates to petition the federal government through the I.C.E. to block a supposedly offending website’s DSN from being visible, then access is now denied. A communication platform has been removed from the diversity of voices available to the public to hear and see.

If citizens sharing content become intimidated to do so because of fear of criminal prosecution and fines, the spread of ideas becomes much more difficult, because now permission must first be obtained from the content owner  with the added responsibility of having to explain what you plan to do with their content before posting.  The same is true for websites which allow users to post content on their individual profile pages. It will be much more difficult for sites like YouTube and Facebook to continue this practice because now the pressure is being placed on them to decide who is authorized to post content versus who is not authorized to post the content. So when you think about it…who offers sites such as YouTube and Facebook the best option to avoid getting caught in the quagmire of SOPA? The Conglomerates, that’s who.

Sites like YouTube and Facebook will ultimately decide to limit themselves to only allowing their platforms to be used to distribute (share) commercial content that has been pre-approved by the Conglomerates. With the passage of a law like SOPA, the Conglomerates (who in reality contractually control much of the commercial content in existence) have a way to force their content down everyone’s throat and thereby solidify their long desired goal of effectively maximizing web-based revenues and residuals through the control of what content can be ultimately shared through social media platforms.

To me that is what SOPA represents. I see it as clearly as I see the back of my hands while typing this post.  In most cases, especially when we deal with America, keep in mind that there is little to no separation between federal governmental  agencies and the Conglomerates who pay lobbyist millions and millions to get Congress to pass laws which dictate how that Agency is allowed to exercise its authority. Also keep in mind, that there is a revolving door between ex-governmental officials who become high paid executives with the very Corporations that they were to police as well as ex-corporate executives becoming high ranking government officials working for the very agency that use to regulate his or her company. It happens all the time in America. Just google Michael Powell’s name and see who he is currently employed by.  So the actual implementation of SOPA will be closely controlled and dictated by the Conglomerates who have the bank rolls to get the law to work in the way they need it to work, even if it comes at the expense of our free speech rights (diversity of voices).

Look, as I indicated in a earlier comment, the Music Industry has already tried to criminalize socialization of content when it used the RIAA and federal/state laws to prosecute individuals for P2P file sharing some years ago. Despite all the headlines, the RIAA’s efforts  ultimately did not stop file sharing and mainly acted to generate a huge amount of ill will by the general public toward all of us connected to the music industry.

That being said, I believe that music has value (great value) and I believe that we (in the indie music community) do ourselves a great disservice when we give our music away for free. When we give our music away for free, then we establish the dollar value of our music in the public’s eye as ZERO.  There are all sorts of creative things that can be done to bring value to music, short of surrendering and saying I will just give it away, because nobody wants to pay for it. Just think about it, despite all the setbacks and missteps the music industry has experienced over the last several years, commercial music is still generating billions and billions of dollars of sales each and every year. For those of us trying to eat and pay bills from our music, this is not a hobby it is a business.

But it truly saddens me to think that most of the artists/musical groups/bands/songwriters/composers who are so adamantly in support of the implementation of SOPA as a way to protect their musical content from being pirated, will in the wink of an eye,  jump at the opportunity to sign a recording agreement with a major record label and thereby sign over all rights and title to their music with the understanding that the Conglomerate is only required to pay them pennies on the dollars if anything at all. In other words, if you are a music content creator, stop giving up your ownership rights to these Conglomerates who are then positioned to use your content through a law like SOPA as a weapon of mass destruction against free speech (the diversity of voices).

Notwithstanding the above, I must say that social media sites such as facebook, youtube, twitter, google as well as others engage in a number of practices which infuriate me, but despite the imperfect nature of the sites, there is no question that each provides a  powerful platform for new ideas to spread many of which are outside the control of the Federal and State Governments as well as the Entertainment Industrial Complex.

Finally, Small Independent Content Owners must accept the responsibility to connect their content to a Fanbase. It is difficult to do…I know, but this is truly becoming the best way to position yourself to be paid from your content.  Individuals who feel connected to your content because they feel connected to you will financially support your content. I see this phenomenal happening everyday with clients of my entertainment practice who are making money with their commercial projects. Now, if a law like SOPA is passed, if forces the very individuals (our Fans) who would be inclined to spread our videos and content so that others can discover us will now be possibly denied the opportunity to do so because 1) they don’t want to be personally exposed to prosecution and  2) the social media platforms that once allowed them to  share independent music  (diversity of voices) will be limited because of all the restrictions in place for posting commercial content.

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The E-Book version of  “Before You Sign That” is now available for purchase at the following sites:

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Before-You-Sign-That-ebook/dp/B006D0G67M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325093316&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/before-you-sign-that-leslie-warren-cross-jr/1030195081?ean=2940013453357&itm=1&usri=before+you+sign+that

Through Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/114597

The print version is coming soon. We will keep you posted.

We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

Fortunately, these days, a Film Maker can bypass the money men, gangstas and major Film Companies and go straight to the general public to ask for investments into their films (this is more commonly known as “crowd funding”). There are several platforms you can implement to create a crowd funding strategy to finance your film. Some of the more popular platforms are the following:

• Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/)

• Indiegogo (http://www.indiegogo.com/)

• Rockethub (http://www.rockethub.com/)

There are several more, but the three above are popular crowd funding platforms which each has been successfully used to fund no only films but also sorts of projects.

The key to making crowd funding work for an independent film project is to make sure that you have:

1) All of your intellectual property rights secured toward the story, script, screenplay and all performances/music. Very critical (you don’t won’t people investing in your film only for them to find out later that you are being sued left and right by individuals/companies who are claiming infringement and/or other breaches);

2) Give something of value to the individuals who invest in your film. Crowd Funding is not charity. You should look at it as a trade. The public is investing in your film project and you are going to offer the public something in value in exchange for their investment (don’t shortchange them);

3) Under Promise/Over Deliver. This is the most critical aspect. Don’t build unfair expectations (hype) as a way to motivate (trick) people into investing in your film. Sell them on the strength of the story, or the subject matter, or the acting…in other words the substance of the film. Once the public believes in the Film itself, then they will help you build the energy to push the film to a greater and greater audience.

I could share more, but I think you get the picture (no pun intended)

Closing Thoughts:

Film Makers do your research and your due diligence. The most frustrating thing for me to deal with as an attorney is a film maker who comes to me after he/she/they has shot the entire project and ask me “okay what do I do next”!!!

Do your due diligence before shooting not afterwards…that way you avoid the possibilities of having to jump into bed with people you should not be in bed with!!!

Something to think about!!!

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The E-Book version of  “Before You Sign That” is now available for purchase at the following sites:

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Before-You-Sign-That-ebook/dp/B006D0G67M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325093316&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/before-you-sign-that-leslie-warren-cross-jr/1030195081?ean=2940013453357&itm=1&usri=before+you+sign+that

Through Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/114597

The print version is coming soon. We will keep you posted.

We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

Check out Adrian’s observations about Artist who give away their entire album for free in hopes of generating buzz and let me know your thoughts:

They may be talented musicians but they’re marketing idiots! I can see giving away a song or two, but to give away complete albums in hopes of future sales is just plain dumb. We have a friend who is a rock artist and he puts out several albums a year, and keeps giving them away to get people to come to his club gigs. Now nobody will pay for them because they expect them for free. What is more important though is when you give your product away for free you establish a worth of $0. The whole purpose of a marketing and P/R campaign is to establish a value for the artist, and value is measured in how much the audience is willing to spend for you or your product. Giving away product basically tells the audience that your product isn’t worth buying. That’s what the marketing is supposed to do, give them a reason to buy it. Problem is most musicians don’t know anything about marketing or how to build their value so they fall into the “freebie” trap.

Those that have known me for a long time have heard this story many times, but for my new friends here’s something to think about. One of my good friends and really my mentor in the world of performing is a retired “super agent” to the stars. Nowadays he manages a small theater in one of Chicago’s suburbs. We have had many long and informative lunches and he has taught much about this business and how it really works. Anyway, during one of our lunches we were talking about potential acts for the theater, and I suggested one entertainer who works a lot of Chicago’s clubs and bars with his comedy/music act. Without even pausing the soup spoon to his lips he simply said “never!” I was kind of surprised as the guy is somewhat popular and has a good show. I asked why in a puzzled way. My friend calmly replied “how could I ever get anyone to spend $25 for a ticket to see him in my theater when they can wait a week and see him for free at the bar down the street?” It was true. And in the bar they can order a beer and a burger. The theater only sells bottled water.

So really, honestly, and truly what is that artist’s value to his fans? It’s $0. We know another local singer who works a couple of area restaurants. He is very talented, yet why is he working there where people don’t pay to hear him when Micheal Buble, who really isn’t as good as this guy, can fill a stadium a few miles away with ticket prices hovering around $100 a seat? Buble’s backers and management worked hard to establish that value, not by giving away his music, but through marketing, otherwise Michael would still be singing at weddings in Canada.

The day we signed the deal to make my wife’s album I did what others would think is crazy; I cancelled all of her remaining club dates. I actually took her completely out of circulation. She “disappeared” for almost two years while the album was being recorded. There would be no more “free” performances in clubs. The next time her fans wanted to see her it would be in a theater and they’d have to pay for those seats. And if they wanted a copy of her album they’d have to buy that too. The only freebie we gave out went to the radio stations and the media to get the publicity we needed to sell those theater seats. It was the press coverage and advertising that sold the tickets, not giving away our music to the fans. Just some food for thought folks!

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The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  More details are coming soon if you are interesting in pre-ordering the book. We are very excited about this Project!!!! We also have other projects in the works that we will be sharing with you soon!!!

Well enough of the sentiments, our new site link is

http://musicbusinessheretic.com/hereticblog/

The new site location is up and running and we will continue tweaking it, improving it and organizing it so you can get to the information you need quickly and with the least amount of trouble and hassle!!!

Closing Comments:

Well that’s it for now, but let me say that we are going to remain focused on giving you the information, resources and inspiration to turn your creative projects into cash-flowing independent businesses as well as works of art!!!

We appreciate your continued support of The Heretic and we haven’t scratched the surface of what we plan to get accomplished.

The Heretic!!!!

We want to confirm, however, that though we are changing host, The Heretic will remain a wordpress blog so you want be inconvenienced other than coming to a new url.

We greatly appreciate the support you have provided us over the years and we look forward to taking The Heretic to the next level in empowering you to generate cashflow from and through your creative projects.

Closing Comments:

We will confirm information for The Heretic’s new web address later this week. Until then, keep coming back to The Heretic to get that knowledge to be empowered to be free!!!!

The Heretic’s Comment: Watch for Christian rockers Casting Crowns‘ “Come to the Well” to possibly debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart next week, with perhaps 95,000-110,000 sold by week’s end on Sunday, Oct. 23, according to industry prognosticators.

The set could mark both the act’s first No. 1 on the big chart and the first since 1997 to crown both the Billboard 200 and the Christian Albums chart. LeAnn Rimes‘ “You Light Up My Life – Inspirational Songs” topped both tallies in September of that year.

Standing in Casting Crowns way is Adele‘s sturdy “21″ album, which has already notched a dozen weeks at No. 1. It hasn’t sold less than 110,000 copies in a week since late August, according to Nielsen SoundScan, so it poses a real threat to Casting Crowns.

Casting Crowns has visited the Billboard 200′s top 10 three times previously — most recently with the No. 4-debuting album “Until the Whole World Hears” in 2009. That set launched with 167,000 sold. The closest Casting Crowns has come to No. 1 was the week of Sept. 15, 2007, when “The Altar and the Door” bowed at No. 2 with 129,000. (At No. 1 that week? The “High School Musical 2” soundtrack, which moved 210,000 in its third frame at the top.)

In addition to Casting Crowns, look for R&B singer Joe and reunited rock band Jane’s Addiction to both start in the top 10 with their latest albums. Joe’s “The Good, the Bad, the Sexy” would mark his fifth top 10, and Jane’s new “The Great Escape Artist” could be its first top 10 since “Strays” hit No. 4 in 2003.

http://www.billboard.com/#/news/christian-rockers-casting-crowns-cruising-1005425522.story

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The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” a is August 1, 2011. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  On May 1, 2011 pre-order your copy. More details coming soon. We are very excited about this Project!!!!

The Heretic’s Comment: Lady Goo Goo won’t be the last of Lady Gaga‘s legal adversaries.

According to LA Weekly, the Los Angeles-based pop duo Purple Crush are suing Gaga producer Rob Fusari, claiming he owes them money for production work towards the album “Born This Way.”

Although none of their work made it to the final record, Isla Cheadle and Jared Selter reportedly claim they labored through hundreds of studio hours for Fusari and his clients without compensation. According to Purple Crush, their role involved expanding upon song snippets Fusari sent them, before forwarding their work along to artists, such as Gaga, who would add lyrics and melody. Work was done in their L.A. and Brooklyn studios.

Purple Crush claim songwriting work for other Fusari clients such as Macy Gray, Little Boots and Greyson Chance.

Additionally, the songwriters claim Fusari had promised to obtain a record deal for them, which he never did.

“It became this struggle between us as artists and us as employees,” Cheadle told LA Weekly. “Getting us a record deal became this carrot he dangled in front of us.”

Last April, Purple Crush offered Fusari a $10,000 settlement, which he refused. When Fusari countered with a $15,500 lawsuit, the duo announced plans to countersue. So far, no official court dates have been announced, as Purple Crush has been unable to find a lawyer.

Aside from dating Stefani Germanotta and coming up with her now-famous stage name, Fusari co-wrote some of her biggest hits, such as “Paparazzi.” Last September, the two settled their own legal disagreements by mutually dropping conflicting lawsuits over, once again, song credits and royalties.

http://www.billboard.com/#/news/gaga-producer-fusari-clashes-with-songwriters-1005427022.story

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The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY Movement……..

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The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” a is August 1, 2011. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  On May 1, 2011 pre-order your copy. More details coming soon. We are very excited about this Project!!!!

The Heretic’s Comment: s “X Factor” eliminations rolled around again last night (Oct. 18), only 17 of the 32 contestants left the judges’ homes as competitors in the live round. Nearly every contestant was in tears, whether celebrating or mourning shattered dreams, yet one contestant convinced Simon to — gasp — change his stubborn mind.

The first pair facing Simon was Tora Wolloshin and Simone Battle. Tora’s performances have only gone downhill since her first audition, while Simone has been steadily maturing. Although Tora had the pop star charisma and personality, plus one of the best auditions, Simon saw more potential in Simone and eliminated accordingly.

Drew Ryniewicz, a 14-year-old Justin Bieber superfan, was the next to face Simon, who told her that he “saw an improvement” and she “could not have done more.” Although he continued, “I’m not going to lie. You weren’t the best teenager.”

As the young star looked down and began to accept her fate, Simon finished: “You weren’t the best teenager, you were the best contestant of the whole day.” After squeals of disbelief, followed by Simon’s reassurances of “Yes, I’m legit. I’m for real,” Drew rushed offstage to celebrate.

During his “Judges’ Houses” audition, Dexter Haygood bombed. He was assigned Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love,” and it was so far out of his comfort zone that he awkwardly forgot many of the words. “As we speak, I am homeless,” Dexter told the cameras before facing Nicole. “I don’t have no money, I don’t have nothing but a car and a jacket. I don’t think no one in this competition… they may want it as much as I want it, but they don’t need it as much as I need it.” But Nicole saw his spark and his potential, recalling his first audition, and she chose to take him forward to the next round.

http://www.billboard.com/#/news/x-factor-17-contestants-move-to-live-round-1005421352.story

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The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” a is August 1, 2011. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  On May 1, 2011 pre-order your copy. More details coming soon. We are very excited about this Project!!!!

Austin is both the first woman and the first African-American elected to serve as Chairman of the BMI Board.

Also provided below are names of other Board Members of BMI:

Reelected as members of the Board along with Austin were Craig A. Dubow, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gannett Co., Inc., McLean, VA; Paul Karpowicz, President, Meredith Broadcasting Group, Rocky Hill, CT; Virginia Hubbard Morris, Chair, Hubbard Radio and Vice President, Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., St. Paul, MN; and G. Neil Smith, President, GNS Media, LLC, Liberty, SC. All will serve terms that will expire in 2015.

Continuing in their terms on the Board of Directors along with Sander are: Del R. Bryant, President & CEO, BMI, New York, NY; Amador Bustos, President, Bustos Media Holdings, LLC, Portland, OR; N. John Douglas, Chairman and CEO, AIM Broadcasting, LLC, Palo Alto, CA; Kenneth J. Elkins, (Retired) President & CEO, Pulitzer Broadcasting and Senior Vice President, Broadcasting, Pulitzer Publishing Co., St. Louis, MO; Michael J. Fiorile, Vice Chairman and CEO, Dispatch Broadcast Group, Columbus, OH; Catherine L. Hughes, Founder and Chairperson, Radio One, Inc. , Lanham, MD; Philip A. Jones, Mission Hills, KS; Jerome L. Kersting, Chicago, IL; Mark P. Mays, Chairman Clear Channel Communications, San Antonio, TX; Mark Pedowitz, President, The CW Network, Burbank CA; and Cecil Walker, (Retired) Chairman and CEO, Gannett Broadcasting, Atlanta, GA.

Closing Comments:

Always research the individuals that play a part in controlling the money flow in the music industry.

If you enjoy The Heretic™ and the information we provide please sign up as a subscriber today! Thank You!!!

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The Heretic™ © 2011 Cross Live Media All RIGHTS RESERVED For the MAKE YOUR OWN MONEY Movement……..

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The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” is coming soon. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  On May 1, 2011 pre-order your copy. More details coming soon. We are very excited about this Project!!!!

The Heretic’s Comment: tep aside, Jay-Z: Philadelphia‘s got its own superstar rapper running part of its basketball team. Will Smith has acquired a minority stake in the Philadelphia 76ers along with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, it was announced on Tuesday (Oct. 18).

According to CSN Philly, the couple acquired part of the team as it was being sold from Comcast-Spectacor to a group of investors led by multibillionaire Joshua Harris. Harris held a press conference at the Palestra on Tuesday morning to announce the plans of the team’s new ownership. “It is an honor to become part of this storied franchise. We have a lot of work to do, but we have a rich history, a strong foundation and a bright future,” says Harris.

The NBA, sadly, is still in the midst of a lockout, and the first two weeks of the 2011-12 season have been canceled.

Smith is a Philly native that attended Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia. Jay-Z became part owner of the New Jersey Nets — soon to be the Brooklyn Nets — in 2004; last month, he announced that he would open the team’s first season in Brooklyn with a series of concerts next year.

Smith is already getting some rave reviews from the players — Sixers guard Evan Turner posted on Twitter on Tuesday, “I think it’s dope that the fresh prince is one of our new owners. Maybe Willow can perform at halftime.”

http://www.billboard.com/#/news/will-smith-becomes-philadelphia-76ers-minority-1005420822.story

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The Official Release of the  “Before You Sign That” a is August 1, 2011. An indie artist inspired book Authored by The Heretic’s very own Leslie W. Cross Jr. and co-authored by platinum recording artist Paul Wall.  On May 1, 2011 pre-order your copy. More details coming soon. We are very excited about this Project!!!!