RE-VOLT : March 2013

TAKEN FROM MIDEASTDYNASTY WEBSITE

My Music X is a 3 day music festival taking place in Dubai, UAE, at the end of this month. Here are our top 10 reasons why they suck and why we suggest you don’t support them or their shady ways.

Top 10 Reasons why My Music X is a FAIL:

1. Contacting us about collaborating when they really wanted us to act as a booking agency & organizers for their event with no intention of compensation. (i.e. asking us to book a 1 hour performance segment featuring 4-5 regional acts and to organize, manage and populate a panel discussion while also giving a 5-10 minute presentation)

2. Expecting local and regional hip-hop artists to perform for free aka “pro bono,” (as they suggested) at an event that obviously has major money behind it with headlining acts such as: Akon, Sean Paul, Eve, etc.

3. Acting like these local artists are lucky enough to be performing on their stage and to be a part of an event that is receiving so much local media coverage, even though none of their names will be mentioned in any of the media promotion.

4. Initially contacting us a month before the event, receiving all requested info from us in a timely manner, and then not having any form of communication with us for the next two weeks. This was followed by a rush request to secure artists/panelists and to obtain all personal/passport details, etc., 2 weeks prior to the actual event date.

5. Lacking the professionalism, respect, and decency to communicate with us whether or not to move forward with discussed arrangements.

6. Lacking professionalism and simple respect, by ending all forms of communication without any reasoning once info they requested for artist payment and basic compensation options were given. (please note: all artist requests were very minimal)

7. Taking advantage of our passion towards continually trying to build and further the Middle East hip-hop scene by having us act as their: booking agency, consultant firm/regional advisors, promoter, and artist liaison, with no compensation.

8. Presenting themselves as doing work to help build the scene and aid artists in taking their careers to the next level, but in actuality, minimizing their accomplishments and diminishing the value of their time and talent.

9. Continuing the vicious cycle of disrespectful promoters who book local talent not based on talent, but how much they’re willing to sacrifice to get any kind of stage time or opportunity to perform.

10. Claiming that they aren’t trying to hustle us, when in actuality, they’re trying to hustle us. Another event, on that same old bullsh*t.

In closing, to put things in perspective, we continually work and collaborate with organizations on a regular basis to help promote and build Middle East hip-hop locally and internationally. For example, we were contacted last summer by the Rachel Corrie Foundation, a non-profit organization, looking for our help with putting together an artist showcase for the first ever Arab Festival in Olympia, Washington, which they were organizing. This non-profit organization, and again let me emphasize, not-for-profit organization, managed to arrange a budget for booking artists to be a part of their event. They paid for travel and hotel accommodations, all artist personal expenses and performance fees.

We loved working with the Rachel Corrie Foundation and not because of the compensation, but because of their professionalism and dedication to the Middle Eastern community.

Again, this is not about monetary gain, this is about showing these artists the respect and recognition they deserve.

Hopefully one day, companies like My Music X will finally get it.

Regardless, you know we’re always going to represent!

MIDDLE EAST! We got you!

Sincerely,

DEEN (CEO, Boss man, and all around Good Guy) =)