MIDWEST FUNK VOLUME 4 COMPILATION ALBUM INFORMATION AND CRITERIA

    With the 9/11 tragedy, illegal CD burning, downloading music off the internet, misallocation of corporate funds and a present day economic recession, that mimics the 1930's Depression, the music industry is headed for ruins. Universal Records the largest record label in the world which is owned by "Vivendi" owes huge debt payments to it's creditors.  The radio stations are becoming monopolized by a few owners and payola is running ramped like a disease. All of these factors makes it to expensive and almost impossible for an independent label to get some air play.  This act also monopolizes the video play, since the videos that get played on MTV, VH1 and BET are based on what is hot on the radio charts.  End result, if you can't get radio play, you will not get video play unless you have a lot of money to pay.

    Even the distribution companies are filing for bankruptcy at an alarming rate.  Additionally, big name artists on major record labels are getting terminated from their music contracts because of lack of record sales.  The music dream for most artists is becoming a nightmare and if a new artist manages to get a record deal and they are not a big name act, chances are, they will see little to no money at all.  The major labels will make sure that the artist's album will never recoup all the expenses it took to put it out.  This means if all the costs are never made back on the album, the record label does not owe artist one red cent!!!!  If artists and independent labels don't start networking together, the dream will be impossible to achieve and will be lost forever.

    The most important factor the artist must do, is market and promote their own careers such as raising their own capital, passing out flyers/posters and really getting out to sell their CDS on the street and stop looking for everybody else to put them out or do all the work.  Those Days are gone forever because the music game is to hard to succeed and you need a team of people giving 110% to have a slight chance. (If you don't believe us getting from the Major labels themselves and read the recent article dated February 12, 2003 Entitled: Want a Major Record Deal?....WHY??!!)

   First, The Midwest Funk 4 Compilation album will be a double CD with one rap disc and one R&B disc.  Each group will need to invest $1000.00 into the project to help cover some of the start up expenses.  (Album cover, CD pressing, posters, flyers, BET/MTV commercials, radio spots, etc.)  The double CD will be sold on the street for $10.00.  The minimum requirements for a group to go on this new compilation project will be that you must sell at least sell 500 units in your city.  (Note: Ratti Records would like the groups to sell as many CDs as they can over and above the requirements.)  Also, you must do the promotions in your city.  This includes putting up posters, pass out flyers and snippets, make displays in their local record stores and set up shows.  Each group makes a $3 profit per CD they sell.  The groups would make their investment ($1000) after selling only 333 CDs.

    The objective goal for the MIDWEST FUNK 4 project is to get 28 local groups from around the Midwest Region, mixing in a few groups from around the country.  Additionally, we will put 6 big national acts on the project to make the album easier to sell and market.  If each group were to sell 1000 units total in their city through heavy street sales, chain stores and independent record stores, that would be a total of  28,000 units which would give us much more negotiating power with the major record labels.

These positive sales numbers would open up several key strategical benefits for all the groups participating on the album.

• Ratti Records could easily get a national record deal for Midwest Funk Volume 4 in which each group would receive 1 royalty point.

• Ratti Records could walk into a major label and negotiate a label deal.

• The company could then put out some of the solo groups' projects nationally that were on the compilation album.

• Or Ratti Records could get some of the artists from the compilation album their own record deal with a major label.

• Ratti Records could get more overseas deals.  (The company already had several deals in : England, Germany, Norway, South Korea, West & South Africa, Canada and Japan.)

• Ratti Records could also get more movie soundtrack deals for the artist(s) that are on the Midwest Funk 4 project. The company has been on several soundtrack projects including: "Bullworth", "Fakin Da Funk", "Better way to Die", "Nothing for Nothing" and more. Get for more info on some of these movie soundtracks (Note Bullworth earned Ratti Records a Platinum album)

• With CD sales numbers generated on the Midwest Funk 4, the album would chart on the Bill Board magazine which would give us more power and leverage to land a major record deal.  As the album moves up the charts the major labels will start calling us for a deal. (Midwest Funk Volume 2 was number 67 on the billboard charts in the December 1, 1998 issue.)

The most important point is that without networking and pooling our resources like a football team, none of the groups individually have the vast money needed, music connections, business knowledge or man power to put out their own album project   If Ratti records adds 6 national acts to the project, topped with the best local artists, creates two target markets by having a double CD with one Rap disc and one R&B disc and then sells the double CD for the price of one, (buy one get one free) the album would be a hit.  More importantly, if every group on the album works together as a networking team in promoting and selling CDS on the street, MIDWEST FUNK 4 has the potential to be profitable for everybody.  The groups that have the highest record sales will be rewarded by being shopped for more soundtrack projects, and overseas deals first and will be heavily shopped for record deals in America.  All songs picked for the compilation album are owned by those artists.  Ratti Records will sign contracts with each artist for the permission to promote, sell, exploit, shop and represent their song.  Also, if the compilation project gets any artist a deal or movie soundtrack, Ratti Records gets a piece of the deal and a small percentage of publishing.

Next, groups that would like to compare their music and lyrical skills to what Ratti Records is looking for to go on the new album project can purchase a copy of Midwest Funk Volume 3 for $5.00 plus $2.00 for shipping.  Send money order to Owen Ratliff P.O. Box 32268 Columbus, OH  43232.  In addition, groups that don't want to follow the criteria for participating on the MIDWEST FUNK VOLUME 4 project please do not email or call.  Finally, Ratti Records has a huge fan base already with the successful release of MIDWEST FUNK VOLUME 1, 2 AND 3 CD compilation albums, and everybody is eagerly anticipating the release of MIDWEST FUNK VOLUME 4.

Ratti Records is seeking  sponsors to help with the MIDWEST FUNK VOLUME 4 compilation project.  The sponsors logo would go on the front top and back of the album cover, all posters, flyers, magazine, website, BET/MTV commercials and announcements on the radio spots.  Ratti records also will be presenting its second annual 2003 Midwest Music, Movie and Model Expo "Chasing the Dream."  The 2002 Expo was a big success with about 1100 people in attendance.  Get for more information. The 2003 Expo is going to be even bigger and better with more movie stars, major record label A&R people, music and model showcases, more vendors and industry speakers.  Anybody interested in participating in the MIDWEST FUNK VOLUME 4 album project can contact Owen Ratliff:

To listen to some of Ratti Records artists and the quality production CLICK HERE and feel the hype of Ratti Records Columbus Mob Productions.

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