Record Producer, Audio Engineer, Drummer, Author, & Music Consultant/Manager

Awards and Affiliations

Voting Member of the Recording Academy (Grammy's)
Best Album of the Year - (World) Solas "The Words That Remain"
Grammy Nomination - Best Male Vocal - Rick Denzien "Exit 21"
Platinum Award - The Roots "Things Fall Apart" (Geffen)
Platinum Award - Whitney Houston "Heartbreak Hotel" (Arista)
Gold Award - Lil Scrappy "Money in the Bank" (Reprise)

Music Marketing Consultant & Manager

I have been working in the music industry for over 20 years. I have worked in just about every capacity possible - giving me a true understanding of how each sector/role/job interacts to form this big machine we call the music industry. I have watched the major labels spend thousands on top of thousands of dollars just to cater a recording session for one of it's "superstars," then crumble only months later for lack of funding, I have witnessed independent record labels barely able to scrape up enough money to mix a project one day get offered a half million dollar deal the next, and I have seen billionaires enter the music industry thinking if they throw enough money around they could chart a horrible artist in a month - to only be a half million dollars poorer in less than three months... and still not ever hearing a single song on the radio. 

My experience in the music industry has been blessed! I have appreciated every lesson - no matter how hard it was at the time - as it has given me the ability to think on my feet, know how to plan to avoid major mistakes that hurt, and how to see far enough ahead to know which way to turn. I owe 100% of my success to GOD for giving me the ability to take the "school of hard knocks" without giving up my desire to succeed! 

As a music marketing consultant I have a proven track record of making noise, creating buzz and driving awareness. My clients have covered the genre spectrum from hip hop, country, christian, rock, and the plain weird! I enjoy working with a very diverse range of musical styles... preferring creativity more than experience or style. I feel that all music is great music - no matter the skill level, genre, or training... it's the vibe that touches emotions and speaks to souls that I promote - not the people that create it! I believe music should always be the leader and the people that perform the followers - not the other way around. 

I provide marketing, production, and business consulting services to the independent music community. I do not use tired ideas about how to succeed as an independent, I provide the information and success path to achieve goals. Better yet, I provide the foundation to a successful, life long, career in the music industry. I teach clients how to think on their own, how to find the information they need to succeed, and how to deal with the music industry in a way that gets them closer to their goals - not mine! 

I manage and consult with an eye on the big picture while maintaining a "hands on approach" guiding the daily actions needed to help artist's reach their goals. 20+ years in the music industry has allowed me to developed key contacts to get things done, move CD sales forward, and create an atmosphere that lets artists, musicians, producers, and record labels shine. I take great care to only manage or consult a few clients at a time so I'm not spread too thin - allowing me to ensure that each of my client’s visions are being realized.

Author, Publisher, and Columnist

The Music Business Bible	Hip Hop Business Advisor	Ultimate Awareness Campaign	Radio Promo Tours Explained!

I am a published author, music magazine publisher, and internet columnist. My writing career began in college when I didn't want to get a “real” job when the drumming gigs that supported my wife and I didn’t always add up. I started a music magazine, “Gigging the Valley,” about the music, players, venues, and happening in South Texas where I was in college. It was more of a newsletter than anything, but my wife and I soon grew it to a tabloid sized, color, newspaper. The magazine was really a way for me to get more drumming gigs. I thought if I wrote about the scene I would be able to get in and get gigs. LOL. Going to school and writing a magazine proved to be about a 105 hour a week job. I didn’t have much time for drumming or anything really. When I moved to Tennessee the magazine got picked up by a local broadcast station and is still in existence today, renamed, but it still survives!

What really came out of my magazine was a deep passion for writing about music in a way that helped up-and-coming musicians, artists, producers, and record labels. About the time I moved to Nashville for college the internet was starting to become a living thing. To continue my passion of writing I started to write articles and placed them in the user groups hoping folks would find them. This eventually led to my current site www.IamMusicNetwork.com where I write as many free articles as I can, still hoping people will find them!

The crazy thing is my mother was an English teacher for many, many years. I always talked about wanting to write a "real" book to her and she always told me to go for it but I could never really sit down long enough to gather my thoughts. On August 15, 2007 my mother passed away unexpectedly. She was my rock. I have to admit I was a "mama's boy" and actually talked to my mom every single day no matter where I was in the world. This left a huge hole in my soul. It sat me down. It gave me time to reflect on my life, my career, and what it was I wanted to do in life. What came out of my soul searching was that I wanted to finally write my book. For the next two weeks I wrote night and day. At the end of that two week period I had my first book, "Hip Hop Business Advisor," a step by step guide for hip hop artists teaching how to start, manage, market, and profit from their careers or independent record label. The book gained quick popularity in the hip hop music industry and has been given great reviews in the press, by industry professionals, and end users. That lead to three additional books written over the next year that has helped establish me as the "go-to-music-consultant" across all genres of music in the industry! Thanks mom, I know you helped!

Record Producer/Audio Engineer

I have had an intense career in the world of record production including following the recording mecca's as they have gravitated from NYC to LA, Philadelphia through Atlanta, into Nashville, Indianapolis, and back to my home state of Texas. I work hard for my clients and as a result have been fortunate enough to have a hit record on commercial radio for most of the “new millennium” and have had write-ups in several major music publications including Mix Magazine and Pro Sound News.

My style is “in your face,” brutally honest and I have a reputation of making something from nothing and helping artists, producers, and musicians reach deeper to deliver music that goes above what was previously possible. I have a drive and passion for music that allows me to focus on the big picture while fine tuning the individual elements of a song...and I know how to run a recording session to get the most out of an artist without “beating is out of them.”

I love producing records, music, and creativity to see what is possible - beyond limiting thoughts and beliefs, watching clients reach creative satisfaction, and helping guide the creative process to something fans can hold in their hands that talks to their soul. Music is everything to me. I only surround myself with creative people that always push me to reach further, stay true to my love of music, and help me achieve the impossible. 

Partial Music Client List:

D.O.C. - Jessica Simpson - Atlantic Records - Ziggy Marley - Solas - Animal Couch - The Roots - Boyz II Men - Dark Child - Jay Hollis - Robbie Nevil - Don Vitto - Lil’ Scrappy - Crazy Bone - ABC Radio Bobby Collins - Vanilla Ice - Lava Records - Crime Mobb - Sony Records - Virgin Records - Scott Storch - Pimpadelic - Mazz

Partial Film/TV/Video Game Credit List:

Major Motion Picture “Selena” - Major Motion Picture “Down in the Delta” - PBS “Orange County” ESPN “American Sportsman” - NBC “Christmas Messiah” - Jiffy Lube - Radio Shack - America’s Health Network “Healthy Living Series” - Sony Playstation - “NBA 2k3” - Q41 - NFL Films

Partial Corporate Credit List:

Leggett & Platt - Marriott -Dalworth Carpet Cleaners - Vlassic - Congressman Tom Price Precious Moments - Subway - Comcast Cable - Southwest Baptist Organization - Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce - Campbell's Soup - Foundation of Infectious Disease - Ed Rendell for Mayor - Guitar Center - PCOM Medical Library

Drummer

Like a lot of musicians, I started my drumming career early in 5th grade music class. I got my first drum set,  Buddy Rich’s famous copper covered 1950s Slingerland set, at the start of 7th grade.... and playing on that set of drums was enough for me to get the drumming bug. I had to be like him, play like him, and famous like him. Those drums set me on a path that my mom couldn’t change, I think she always regretted buying me that set!

I continued playing drums through high school in several “local” bands and of course we thought we were going to be stars.... don’t all high school kids! I eventually ended up at UT playing in the Jazz band under director Terry Tomlin and first chair drummer Jimmy Cantu. This was an eye opener. Jimmy was such a great drummer. His style was latin/jazz and he did it effortlessly. It was like the beat poured out of him and he just let his arms and legs move to it. I was humbled to say the least! Working under such greats made me work harder, practice longer, and reach further. I really owe a lot to the drummers I played with at UT. 

I transferred to Middle Tenn. State in 1992 on a scholorship for their Recording Management program and my drumming career really started to take off as a relief drummer for several national acts including the Waylon Jennings band. I slowly realized that I really liked recording so I began to work on the art of recording more than the art of drumming but my passion for the drums continue and I have always had a set. Today, I am playing drums for local bands and just having a great time!

Who Knows... I hope to continue my pursuit to understanding what makes this living, breathing, beast we call the Music Industry tick. Having parents that were both teachers has given me the drive of learning. I don't really surf the internet, I research, study, and learn anything I can about music, the business of music, or anything else I think will help me while working with artists and musicians. I want to share my knowledge to anyone who will listen. I will continue I am Music Network until I'm so old I can't see the computer screen to type... but hopefully by then the speech-to-text software will be so good I can just tell my stories and they will be available to all that will read! 

I am currently in the process of starting my own independent record label, EarthVibe Records, and hope to grow it into a major indie by 2012... you always have to have goals and I believe in setting them high and always reaching for the starts! Since I love all genres of music, EarthVibe Records will not be a genre specific record label. Instead, it will be an "attitude and drive" based label and I will only sign artists and musicians that want to help themselves by reaching further through hard work, continuing education, and "all for one" based thinking.

Personally, 2010 is the year of family for me. I want to start my family. I have been married for 21 years and have always put my career first. Thank GOD I have a wonderful wife that has understood and helped prop me up whenever I have needed it. But it is time to have kids and put as much value on family as I have the music industry. So, this is the year I want kids!

If you got this far in my long, drawn out life, career, and music history I really thank you for taking the time to learn more about me, what I do, and what I have to offer. If you feel I have something to offer you or your career, please reach out and contact me. I love talking to new friends, passing along any knowledge that I have that could help you reach your goals, and simply just talking about music. Don't be shy. I am reachable. I do respond, and I really like seeing new emails in my in-box each time I get on the computer!

Peace,
Jai
"Love the Music in Yourself, Not Yourself in the Music!"