This week features Hip-Hop music artist K-Fresh aka “The Nem-s-iss”, and insightful tech geek Jason Seifert. K-Fresh talks about new opportunities for music artists through online video content, and how the Web is an effective low-cost business medium to attract valuable attention. Jason talks about Windows 7, Snow Leopard, and how he can save you valuable time.

Topics covered in this episode:

- How online video is great for music artists to find new business.

- How the Internet has surpassed clubs and bars as a way to promote  music.

- The benefits of music artists collaborating with video creators.

- Tapping new revenue streams.

- What the new Windows 7 operating system is all about, and why to be cautious on upgrading from Vista.

- Why upgrading to Apple’s Snow Leopard is a good idea.

- Which newsletter to subscribe to so you can knock time off your day.

- How Spidvid is a solid niche social network offering benefits outside of the mainstream sites like Facebook.

Full Text Transcript

Show Introduction: Hi, I’m Michael London and welcome to Spidcast the future of collaborative video production brought to you by Spidvid.com. On this episode, we’re visiting with K-Fresh, an independent rap artist from Toronto, who has some insight into the changing face of the music business via the Internet. And we’ll also visit with Jason Siefert, owner of JMS Technical Solutions of Orange County, California. Now Jason will share with us some great technical information but not too techie for the casual computer user.

So let’s jump right in to this week’s Spidcast.

Michael: We begin with K-Fresh aka “The Nem-s-iss”. Welcome to Spidcast.

K-Fresh: No problem. Anytime.

Michael: K-Fresh, tell us a little bit about some of your current projects.

K-Fresh: I just released a project called “K-Fresh: The Nem-s-iss”, which was a street-orientated album and now I’m actually making an album called “Radiogenic”, which is going to be directed to the radio genre of music. It’s a full CD of radio music because I am an underground artist but I’m trying to break into the mainstream and this is my way of doing it by making a total CD of all radio-friendly music. It’ll be easier for me to submit because the more commercial my music is, I’ll be able to send it to places like Spidvid, and I can also get my stuff into movies or any other video productions that would be profitable.

Michael: Let’s hope so. Now, tell us a little bit more about K-Fresh.

K-Fresh: Well, I go by the name Nem-s-iss and K-Fresh is also easy to find us. We’re talking about the Internet right now because if was on the radio and I said Nem-i-iss, they wouldn’t be able to find the way I spelled it, so K-Fresh is my way of getting people to find me easier. So you can search K-Fresh on Google. You can search K-Fresh on Youtube. You can search K-Fresh on Myspace and my profile is actually MySpace.com/kfreshtherapper.

Michael: Well, hopefully, they’ll have the ability to find you easily. Now, K-Fresh, as an independent producer and artist, do you see online video as the new way to gain exposure to attract new audiences and to pursue new business opportunities?

K-Fresh: Oh, yes. I would say that for sure. I’m going to answer that because it’s like I’m finding that more people are on the Internet more than they’re actually watching TV. I find myself on the Internet more than watching TV. It’s the best way to actually gain exposure especially for independent artists to attract new audiences and get business opportunities from other Internet businesses and so on because the Internet is so used in all this.

Michael: Wow. It used to be that clubs were the big breakout spots for the new underground artists. Are you saying that the Internet has now surpassed that?

K-Fresh: Yes, for sure. The Internet is like the most inexpensive way to do it especially for independent artists that even the major artists are benefiting off the Internet. I find that it is more than the clubs now because the DJ’s can only play so many songs in the club. The Internet is the way to go for sure.

Michael: So, let’s follow that logic and talk a bit about collaborative relationships between music artists and video creators. Do you see this as a beneficial way to build each others brands and overall content and quality?

K-Fresh: Yes, for sure because I also believe it’s kind of like cross promotion in a way where the artist can be viewed from the video’s audience and it will be a vice versa for the video and the artist. Both audiences will basically combine together to have a solid fan base for the artist and also the video production.

Michael: Win-win. You got to love that, right? Now, let me ask you this, does the idea of providing songs to video creators who are using their projects in exchange for say a percentage of that video’s revenues excite music artists as a way to explore untapped revenue streams?

K-Fresh: Yes, for sure. It’s like an equal benefit for both artists and the video. That’s very good because the artist and the video production can also benefit especially if the artist is presented with a proposal for a percentage of what the video revenue makes, then I’m sure that almost every artist, if any artist who wouldn’t want to do that I don’t think they would be very serious about their career because it’s something that they can benefit from just by getting a buzz from the video and also getting a percentage.

Michael: Ah, which brings us to Spidvid.com. Tell us how you see Spidvid benefiting the music artists?

K-Fresh: Well, I see many benefits because a lot of artists – it brings every artist from different genres all into one fan base so audiences actually see them there. It’s always good to cross promote and network. So I think Spidvid is going to be something that every artist of every genre can benefit from and basically bring everybody a step forward in their career that they want to pursue and do it properly.

Michael: Great advice, K-Fresh. Thank you for joining us today on Spidcast.

K-Fresh: No problem.

Up next the owner of JMS Technical Solutions and one of the coolest tech geeks I know, Jason Siefert up next.

Intermission: You know how challenging it is to produce quality videos without the help from others who have the skills and talent you need. Well Spidvid let’s you find the individuals you need for your video production project so you can create the Internet’s next big viral hit. Visit Spidvid.com. Click the sign-up link and reserve your spot within our collaborative video community today.

Michael: Jason thanks for joining us on Spidcast.

Jason: Thank you very much, Michael.

Michael: Tell us a bit about how you became the go-to guy of Orange County for tech issues?

Jason: Well, I’ve got about 23 maybe 24 years in the technical industry under my belt. I’m kind of one of those people that was practically born with a keyboard in my hand. I ended up owning one of the very first Apple Home Computers that you could back when they were $4,000 in 1981 and kind of fell in love with it almost immediately, took it apart the second day it was there, which thrilled the heck out of my parents, and kind of just been a technological addict there ever since when I realized that most people didn’t kind of understand intuitively the language of computing. I realized there is a definite market and a definite need for people who could succinctly and accurately explain how a computer works to a person who’s not technically savvy. That’s kind of the focal point of my business nowadays is acting as sort of a liaison between the non-technical consumer who must use a computer to survive in the modern world, and the computer itself that is trying to tell people what it needs and to never really get it’s point across accurately for most people.

Michael: Well, I tell you certainly have filled that void with your knowledge and expertise and to that end, tell us a little bit about the new Windows 7.

Jason: My idea of Windows 7 is I think it is a viable operating system and by viable I think it an operating system that people should not be afraid to run, which was not true of Windows Vista. It was an operating system that I think was nothing more than a cautionary (tail) in Microsoft’s very long and illustrious history.

I think that Windows 7 definitely offers some very friendly, very exciting new interface options, but I think that the buyer must beware whenever they’re upgrading with an operating system because if they assume just because the system is “better” that it’s going to be easier without any form of training or introduction into the interface for that new system. Most people are going to be solely disappointed.

I think that what I am the most disappointed with Windows 7 is, again, Microsoft has chosen to release just this very strange, slew of versions of their program that I think really kind of plays against the market itself in a way that I think is kind of (piratical) there’s a version of Windows for the “home user”. There’s a version of Windows for the “professional user”. And then there’s a version of Windows for the “ultimate user”, I suppose. The range of cost is $100 from the cheapest one to the ultimate version and to me, not releasing a full featured operating system in just a single succinct package, I think a very unfortunate choice that Microsoft made.

Michael: Well, that being said, let’s jump over and talk about some real computers now. I’m reasonably certain that a good portion of our listeners at least the editors and graphics folks are on Macs. Talk a little bit about Snow Leopard?

Jason: Well, I think Snow Leopard is extremely exciting because what Snow Leopard has done as it has brought to the table what Leopard should have had in terms of its back-end features. Snow Leopard is not exciting news for an end interface and it’s not something that’s throwing at you a hundred new front-end features that you’re going to appreciate, but what it is it’s the build for the future. The infrastructural support that for those of us who want high end systems, if you’re on a Mac for instance and you’re running more than 4 GB’s of RAM, these changes that have come up with Snow Leopard are really what are going to allow you to take the most the advantage of those higher end resources.

In that regard, I think for a $30 price tag, Snow Leopard is a pretty trusted beat and I think it’s a very exciting beat. I think it’s a very exciting that they – as for an apology for 10.5 not having the features that Snow Leopard comes with. They said, “Okay, we’ll give it you for a nice, cheap price.” In that regard, I picked up the Snow Leopard the day it came out. I love it. I think that every Mac user who’s using a mid to high end work station should consider buying it. The price is just right. There’s no excuse not to get it.

Michael: Very good. You know, I trust not only your opinions but your real working knowledge as well. I guess there is a Snow Leopard in my future. Jason, let’s talk a little bit about your newsletter. Now, I fancy myself an expert computer user and I always find something not only interesting but useful in each issue. In fact, recently, you reminded me about all the cool things that the simple, right mouse click can do. Some of these things I’ve forgotten. Tell us a little bit about your newsletter.

Jason: Well, the newsletters are pretty much the way that I intend to keep my users’ learning at all times and subscribers’ learning at all times about the features of their computer. You know, computers are very, very powerful tools and if not a uni-tasker, it’s really built to do a tremendous number of things and sometimes those very sort of core functions, those very rudimentary functions become overlooked and they become real productivity losses because if you’re digging through as many as every which way and things like that, for instance with the right click, you really can just speed up your overall production and something that took you an hour and twenty minutes to do, maybe will take you an hour and five minutes and added up over the course of a work day those savings can be pretty significant.

What the newsletter is and is going to continue to be in the future is really sort of my encounters in the field with my various customers, the lessons I teach them – the little tidbits and tricks that I show the individual, the really great nuggets of wisdom that I share with the individual, I’m going to try and propagate out to my newsletters so that everyone can benefit from those.

Michael: Very cool and how does one subscribe to the newsletter?

Jason: All you have to do is go to my website and it is a double opt-in system which means you submit your email address and your name to the form on the front page of my website and then it will send you an email after you confirm that subscription, you merely respond to the email, click the link, confirm it and you will be on my mailing list until you choose to remove yourself from it. Hopefully never and I will be sending out the newsletter as close to on a weekly basis as possible.

Michael: And what is that website?

Jason: The website is www.jmstechnicalsolutions.com.

Michael: And as long we’ve gotten under the subject of websites, let’s talk about Spidvid.com. What value do you see at Spidvid.com for techies?

Jason: Well, I see Spidvid networking the same way that I see almost all other networking especially in the sense that though Spidvid really has a tight focal point where it is for video editors and high tech individuals. In that regard, I think that there’s a great deal more value than say a Facebook would have where every one of the members this is something where it’s creating a genuine community.

I think that having other people who are in the know, other people who are using the tools you’re using means that you can always look for assistance, you can look for technical tips and resources. You can also just kind of find people to help you with projects if you need to outsource work and other things like that.

I think there’s a tremendous number of values to the site, I think that it is something that there’s not a video professional that couldn’t find a way to benefit from it.

Michael: And Jason, how can folks get in touch with you directly?

Jason: The easiest way to get in touch with me is either to call me, my phone number is 714-585-9267 or contact me via my website – I have an email address that is hotlinkable from the website – it’s Jason@jmstechnicalsolutions.com or if you’re a member of my newsletter, all my contact info will be at the bottom of that.

Michael: Very good and now a trick question for you – a bonus question – just off the top of your head, give us the best, hottest, coolest, neatest tech tip of the week.

Jason: Best, hottest, coolest tech tip of the week is be very cautious if you decide to buy the upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7 because having just been in one of those installs last night, I can tell you that it is not a seamless process in my experience and the majority of the applications that you have installed in your system will probably still have to be reinstalled. So tip of the week is be very cautious when you believe Microsoft saying that everything is easy.

Michael: Alright, Jason. Thanks for joining us on Spidcast.

Jason: Thank you very much for having me.

Michael: My thanks to Jason Siefert and K-Fresh, the Nem-s-iss for joining us on this week’s Spidcast. I’m Michael London. Thank you for listening. You can join the conversation by visiting Spidcast.com. We welcome your thoughts, opinions and feedback and you can also get access to the full text transcript of this week’s Spidcast. Until next week.