MULA: Money Under Loyalty Always

 

I've been speaking with a prominent member of the Mula Gang, John Shakembo, and learning more about the successful endeavors of the group’s music and youtube television show – Mula TV.

   Now . . their music or rapping reminds me of Ja Rule. . .but with more of a southern flavor. The beats are fat and the melodies are close to neo-soul or dance electronica . . .You'll move your body upon hearing a few grooves. What's interesting about the band is their manager Omar. He's in the photos with the group, yet sits back stage when they perform. I've never seen a picture of a manager with a group – and realize,now, how important Omar is to the band members. Omar owns a profitable barber shop and gives great advice on selling merchandise and music. What's interesting about the group's entrepreneurial activities is John or Zanny's clothing line. www.iknowsmoking.com, I believe, offers clothing John ( or his stage name, Zanny) had designed himself. He just contacted the site, picked out how the clothing should look, and uploaded his designs to the store's merchandise. You can find his clothing and purchase what you'd like on-line.

   What is even more interesting than the groups entrepreneurial activities is the tv show. They hired Angel, a guy with a decent camera, to film their exploits or daily lives for a hour long segment. There must be ten or twenty tv shows you can find on Mula TV – all having a following of more than 1,000 and climbing. How they got the word out is amazing . .. they just facebooked the airing of each show with friends and family and gathered a following bigger than most reverbnation record sales. I asked Zanny how the MP3 business was doing . .and he seemed positive yet modest about their music. Ironically, the tv videos were gaining so much clout, I saw advertising banners across the screen. Zanny isn't too sure about advertising dollars coming in . .but he's in a position, now, to apply to the affiliate programs associated with youtube and grab a pay check. They're that big. I turned one tv show on and had to wait 5 seconds for an advertised announcement. The money must be in the show . .and the band or music is a side line activity to promote the goings on in each program. The main interest seems to be the band and what they're doing rather than the music they play. We all love music . . .but when it comes down to getting paid . .the tv show is the true winner. How they came up with this concept is weird . .they were bored and turned a camera on. After that . .they became youtube stars. All they need, now, is more promotion or advertising to let the public know when they'll be on air – or where to find them – but understanding how successful they are, now, is interesting. I was under the impression streaming revenue was a give away product which brought down the sales of digital recordings. Now, we know! You can make a ton of money on youtube if you contact the right people or social network. The music videos are doing well, also . .but that tv show is a hit.

   Speaking of social networks . . you can find Mula Gang on RudeBoy instead of reverbnation. They have links to youtube and soundcloud on a virtual network called LocalEPlayed. That one is a new one for me . ..but they seem to be getting more attention than most reverbnation groups . . .so investing time in unheard of social networks can be rewarding.

   As for touring . . .the group spent $20 on a gig in New York that show-cased hip hop featuring up and coming acts. Concert bookings are developing at the root for their brand .. . .but the popularity of their youtube exploits will surely bring them to national prominence and word of mouth celebrity.

 

(click a title to watch a video . . .)

Zealous, Mula Mula, Mula TV