Volume 1, Issue 1 |
A day in the life of a promoter isn’t all that it may seem to be for those on the outside looking in. With so many
things to juggle at once, a successful promoter must develop a special set of skills to make it through each
moment of each task.
David “Dat Dude Moze” Baptiste, has learned to master those special skills to build a successful track record in
the business of entertainment, both as a promoter and road manager. Here, he shares some insight into the
world of branding and tour management.
IAE: Where were you born and raised?
Moze: I was born in Nassau County in New York, but was raised between Jamaica Queens and Brooklyn. So that
is how I got to know a lot of people between the Hollis Queens side, so I came up with Ja Rule and Run DMC, etc.
IAE: What got you interested in a career in the entertainment business?
Moze: I actually got into it by default. A friend of my got signed to an independent label here in Brooklyn called
Original Jazz Recordings. So he came to me and said he needed help with the street teams, and it just so
happened that the first thing they were trying to promote was Naughty By Nature’s record called “OPP.” So from
there I got a few people from my high school and we just started out handing out fliers and hanging up posters.
So that was in essence my first job in the business.
IAE: How does one get into promotions, and what are some of the characteristics you must possess
to be a successful promotions rep?
Moze: You can start by interning for record labels. Understand something; labels will hire you if they know you’re
willing to help them promote their product for free as an intern…and they will WORK YOU HARD!! The industry’s
favorite “F” word is FREE! You also have to be confident in yourself enough to approach people and pitch the
product, and you have to also believe in the product because it’ll help you sell it. You can’t fake your way
through promotions. You also have to network and be aware of your surroundings so you know what’s going on
and where to promote the product.
IAE: You worked for Smooth Magazine and Frontline Promotions for 8 years as Dir. Of Promotions;
what was a typical day like for you in that position?
Moze: I didn’t have to be in the office every day, so I had to sift through emails to find events to attend and find
areas for cross promoting. I’d also do my return phone calls for product placement, then call up DJs to go deliver
the magazine to them and I’d actually be delivering all these magazines personally. So at night I would have to
attend all those events I found in the emails, so I’d be sleeping in clubs. The biggest issue I had at Smooth was,
when they brought me on board, they had no clue of how to promote a magazine. They tried to hand me these
8”x10” cardboard cutouts of the magazine cover to hand out, and I had to tell them that they were going to have
to actually give out copies of the magazine to build a reader base. So since I had connections with DJs through
my experience in music promotions, I used those connects as a catalyst for pushing Smooth.
IAE: You now own Mad Man Entertainment. What is that company’s primary business?
Moze: I started it because I saw promoters being treated with disregard, so it was created to help people get a
better grasp of what promoters do. We also act as a consulting firm for brand development.
IAE: So who is Lee Carr and how did you guys hook up?
Moze: Lee Carr is a phenomenal talented singer, songwriter, producer who I had the pleasure of being road
manager for. I met him before he got signed and I would take him around helping him get studio time.
IAE: Lee signed a vanity deal with Jive Records, how did that happen?
Moze: Well, there’s a video on the internet about how it happened. But he basically had a meeting with
Universal and then after than Jive called him in. He went in did the meeting and then 24 hours later he got
signed. They gave him everything he wanted.
IAE: When can we expect Lee’s album out?
Moze: Currently the project is still being put together, but it will be released very soon and trust me, it’ll be well
worth the wait.
IAE: When promoting a new song, what are some of the things you do to get the record buzzing?
Moze: Simply put, I play it for my kids and see what kinda reaction I get because they don’t fake and tell you
what they think you want to hear. It may seem like an odd way to test a record, but it works. On top of that, I look
for ways the record can be marketed with clothing companies and other products and brands. Another way is to
test it in the clubs. One day, a few weeks ago, I was watching MC Hammer’s show “Hammertime” and I got excited
because I saw Hammer go into the club and take the record to the DJ’s booth and ask him to play it. He just
wanted to see how people responded to the record. He didn’t care if they liked it or not, he just was testing the
record to see if it works or not. You can’t be the judge of your own music all the time.
IAE: I’ve heard a lot of people say, networking is hard. So for those people, how do they know who
the right people are to network with, and weed out the fakers?
Moze: After starting out in promotions, I would just research everyone who was on the albums, especially the
executive producers because those are the people in charge. Just go straight to the source. Also, go to clubs on
the weekdays because that’s when industry people go; they don’t go on the weekends. Overall, this business is
about who you know first and foremost, then the rest is common sense and what you know. Now-a-days you got
Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace so those are great ways to network. But when you try to network with someone
who is established, before you contact them try to figure out what you can offer them to create a mutually
beneficial situation. Once you figure that out, then you approach them and don’t be scared.
things to juggle at once, a successful promoter must develop a special set of skills to make it through each
moment of each task.
David “Dat Dude Moze” Baptiste, has learned to master those special skills to build a successful track record in
the business of entertainment, both as a promoter and road manager. Here, he shares some insight into the
world of branding and tour management.
IAE: Where were you born and raised?
Moze: I was born in Nassau County in New York, but was raised between Jamaica Queens and Brooklyn. So that
is how I got to know a lot of people between the Hollis Queens side, so I came up with Ja Rule and Run DMC, etc.
IAE: What got you interested in a career in the entertainment business?
Moze: I actually got into it by default. A friend of my got signed to an independent label here in Brooklyn called
Original Jazz Recordings. So he came to me and said he needed help with the street teams, and it just so
happened that the first thing they were trying to promote was Naughty By Nature’s record called “OPP.” So from
there I got a few people from my high school and we just started out handing out fliers and hanging up posters.
So that was in essence my first job in the business.
IAE: How does one get into promotions, and what are some of the characteristics you must possess
to be a successful promotions rep?
Moze: You can start by interning for record labels. Understand something; labels will hire you if they know you’re
willing to help them promote their product for free as an intern…and they will WORK YOU HARD!! The industry’s
favorite “F” word is FREE! You also have to be confident in yourself enough to approach people and pitch the
product, and you have to also believe in the product because it’ll help you sell it. You can’t fake your way
through promotions. You also have to network and be aware of your surroundings so you know what’s going on
and where to promote the product.
IAE: You worked for Smooth Magazine and Frontline Promotions for 8 years as Dir. Of Promotions;
what was a typical day like for you in that position?
Moze: I didn’t have to be in the office every day, so I had to sift through emails to find events to attend and find
areas for cross promoting. I’d also do my return phone calls for product placement, then call up DJs to go deliver
the magazine to them and I’d actually be delivering all these magazines personally. So at night I would have to
attend all those events I found in the emails, so I’d be sleeping in clubs. The biggest issue I had at Smooth was,
when they brought me on board, they had no clue of how to promote a magazine. They tried to hand me these
8”x10” cardboard cutouts of the magazine cover to hand out, and I had to tell them that they were going to have
to actually give out copies of the magazine to build a reader base. So since I had connections with DJs through
my experience in music promotions, I used those connects as a catalyst for pushing Smooth.
IAE: You now own Mad Man Entertainment. What is that company’s primary business?
Moze: I started it because I saw promoters being treated with disregard, so it was created to help people get a
better grasp of what promoters do. We also act as a consulting firm for brand development.
IAE: So who is Lee Carr and how did you guys hook up?
Moze: Lee Carr is a phenomenal talented singer, songwriter, producer who I had the pleasure of being road
manager for. I met him before he got signed and I would take him around helping him get studio time.
IAE: Lee signed a vanity deal with Jive Records, how did that happen?
Moze: Well, there’s a video on the internet about how it happened. But he basically had a meeting with
Universal and then after than Jive called him in. He went in did the meeting and then 24 hours later he got
signed. They gave him everything he wanted.
IAE: When can we expect Lee’s album out?
Moze: Currently the project is still being put together, but it will be released very soon and trust me, it’ll be well
worth the wait.
IAE: When promoting a new song, what are some of the things you do to get the record buzzing?
Moze: Simply put, I play it for my kids and see what kinda reaction I get because they don’t fake and tell you
what they think you want to hear. It may seem like an odd way to test a record, but it works. On top of that, I look
for ways the record can be marketed with clothing companies and other products and brands. Another way is to
test it in the clubs. One day, a few weeks ago, I was watching MC Hammer’s show “Hammertime” and I got excited
because I saw Hammer go into the club and take the record to the DJ’s booth and ask him to play it. He just
wanted to see how people responded to the record. He didn’t care if they liked it or not, he just was testing the
record to see if it works or not. You can’t be the judge of your own music all the time.
IAE: I’ve heard a lot of people say, networking is hard. So for those people, how do they know who
the right people are to network with, and weed out the fakers?
Moze: After starting out in promotions, I would just research everyone who was on the albums, especially the
executive producers because those are the people in charge. Just go straight to the source. Also, go to clubs on
the weekdays because that’s when industry people go; they don’t go on the weekends. Overall, this business is
about who you know first and foremost, then the rest is common sense and what you know. Now-a-days you got
Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace so those are great ways to network. But when you try to network with someone
who is established, before you contact them try to figure out what you can offer them to create a mutually
beneficial situation. Once you figure that out, then you approach them and don’t be scared.
| David 'Moze' Baptiste - Entertainment Promoter & Tour Manager |
Industry promotions guru & liason extraordinaire, Moze, gives us the scoop on
promo
promo
| David 'Moze' Baptiste |
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