Entertainment Wire Online

According to Jean... By ETEditor
In the midst of numerous music industry changes, many will be pleased to see a familiar face. Jean Baylor returns to the music scene with her first solo effort, Testimony: My Life Story, since leaving 1990s hit group Zhané. Recently, she talked to Entertainment Wire about her career, her CD and the reason she doesn’t plan to quit the music industry. Entertainment Wire: You went to Temple University. What did you study in college? Jean Baylor: The wrong thing. The degree that I got is called Bachelor of Arts or Science in Jazz Vocal Performance. We studied theory, harmony and arranging-all the technical aspects of music that are sometimes not all ways that fun. ETW: What did you initially want to do when you graduated? JB: That’s the thing. I really didn’t have detailed plans. I just knew that I wanted to sing. The last two years I was singing in jazz clubs in Philly. I started getting lots of offers and stuff from people. I was kinda getting somewhere on the Jazz end and we [Zhané] were getting somewhere with the group. So, I decided to go that route and we ended up on Motown. ETW: How did the deal with Motown fall into place? Did someone come and see you guys perform? JB: We used to do these little performances on college campuses. There was this one guy who knew some people and he heard that we were singing. He hooked us up to quite a few labels. That’s how we came to know Kay Gee from Naughty By Nature because we were at Flavor Unit. It was just a management company then, with Queen Latifah heading it, but they were starting their record label. So, we did a little audition a cappella. The people in the office liked it. So, they passed it along to Kay Gee, who was looking for a girl group at the time. That’s how it all came together. ETW: When you first entered the industry, did you know anything about the business side? JB: No. [laughing] As a music major, we did have one course called The Business of Music and they had a big, thick book written by industry professionals. I didn’t read a lot of the book but I read enough to know things like you choose your own manager because if you let the label choose your manager, it could be a conflict of interest. Keep your publishing because that means a lot of money, if your record sells. So, we knew that, which came in handy. When we received our first contract, that’s one of the worst things that was in the contract. The label wanted to own 100% of our publishing and that was supposed to be a standard contract. At the time, we were like, “Oh no.” ETW: So, once you got into the industry and began recording, etc., were you ever disappointed in the way the industry worked? Some people are not accustomed to the business side and they’re thinking, “Oh, it’s not what I thought it was.” Did you ever feel that way? JB: I feel like that now! [laughing] This industry is shot out…crazy. It’s 5% music and 95% business. I didn’t really get that until I had been in the industry for a few years. Sometimes as creative people, we put the business aspect of things on the back burner but anytime there is commerce attached to a particular art form, you’re gonna have to know how to handle some kind of business. If you don’t understand how to handle your business, someone else is going to come along and take advantage of that. If a person is handling everything, they’re going to fill that they’re entitled to a large portion of what it is that you’re earning. ETW: Have you ever felt like, “That’s it. I’m done”? JB: You know, I have my days where I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I should just go work at the post office.” [laughing] It’s easy to become negative about the industry but it is what it is. Either you’re going to be in or not. The first time around it was so easy. The deal basically fell into our lap and we had a hit song. This time around it’s a whole other process but my calling and my purpose keeps bringing me back to this. ETW: Do you think artists that come into the industry now are somewhat unrealistic about their expectations of the record labels? JB: Yea, I think so much has changed in the industry. The nature of what a company does now is so much more different than it was 50 years ago when they had complete artist development. Sometimes you can get into a pattern where you depend on a record company for your income but record contracts are designed to benefit the company, not the artist. I see artists like Jay-Z or 50 Cent really succeeding because it’s no longer just about, “I have a hit record on the radio.” They’re now thinking more like business men. ETW: I’ve thought for a long time that people like Jay-Z and P. Diddy should write a book about what they do and the best way to go about things, especially for artists. JB: Right. It can help educate the younger generation as they come in. ETW: Other artists that have been in the industry for several years are signing with independent labels. Why do you think so many are doing this now? JB: It’s the nature of how the record company situations are going. You used to have a bunch of major labels now you’re down to maybe three now. People are consolidating. Technology has made it easier to record an album in your house. You can get a better royalty rate on an independent label. You can get more personal attention. You have more control of what you do. I think people are just trying to make wiser decisions. ETW: Knowing the freedom that you now have creatively, do you wish that you had started your career indie rather or not you had been in a group or solo? JB: I’m really glad that I started out on a major label. It gave us great access to the market. We got to travel to several different countries. I couldn’t have handled this type of control years ago. Now in my life, it would be very difficult for me to have someone say ‘I want you to make this kind of record and that’s what we’re gonna do.’ It really worked out having a major first. ETW: You’ve mentioned before about the lack of balance in music now. Why do you think there isn’t much balance in mainstream music at this time? JB: I don’t think it’s just one reason. My heart really goes out to the ‘black music scene’ because I think that we have the most limitations. It seems that when you turn on certain channels you see 90% of one kind of music and one kind of expression and then when you turn on other channels you kinda see more creativity. They’re able to right songs about things that you maybe have to take a minute to think about. ETW: I know that you have your own label now. Do you plan to put more artists on your label? JB: I don’t really know if I would want to release albums of other artists or not. It is such a challenging process. I would need someone who is very self-sufficient, who is clear about what they do and who they are. It would be someone who has vision. ETW: You worked with your husband [Marcus Baylor of Yellowjackets] on this CD. As a recording artist, do you think it’s more beneficial to be married to someone in the music industry vs. marrying someone outside of the industry? JB: That’s a good question. I think both situations can be advantageous. With us, we understand everything about what each other is doing. He doesn’t have to spend time convincing me that when he has a gig that he’s really working because I’ve done that before. We can be involved in each other’s projects. I like it. It works for us. For photos or downloads on Jean Baylor, visit the following websites: http://www.jeanbaylor.com/, http://www.dajans.com/, or www.myspace.com/jeanbaylor.

According to Jean...
By ETEditor

In the midst of numerous music industry changes, many will be pleased to see a familiar face. Jean Baylor returns to the music scene with her first solo effort, Testimony: My Life Story, since leaving 1990s hit group Zhané. Recently, she talked to Entertainment Wire about her career, her CD and the reason she doesn’t plan to quit the music industry.

Entertainment Wire: You went to Temple University. What did you study in college?
Jean Baylor: The wrong thing. The degree that I got is called Bachelor of Arts or Science in Jazz Vocal Performance. We studied theory, harmony and arranging-all the technical aspects of music that are sometimes not all ways that fun.

ETW: What did you initially want to do when you graduated?
JB: That’s the thing. I really didn’t have detailed plans. I just knew that I wanted to sing. The last two years I was singing in jazz clubs in Philly. I started getting lots of offers and stuff from people. I was kinda getting somewhere on the Jazz end and we [Zhané] were getting somewhere with the group. So, I decided to go that route and we ended up on Motown.

ETW: How did the deal with Motown fall into place? Did someone come and see you guys perform?
JB: We used to do these little performances on college campuses. There was this one guy who knew some people and he heard that we were singing. He hooked us up to quite a few labels. That’s how we came to know Kay Gee from Naughty By Nature because we were at Flavor Unit. It was just a management company then, with Queen Latifah heading it, but they were starting their record label. So, we did a little audition a cappella. The people in the office liked it. So, they passed it along to Kay Gee, who was looking for a girl group at the time. That’s how it all came together.

ETW: When you first entered the industry, did you know anything about the business side?
JB: No. [laughing] As a music major, we did have one course called The Business of Music and they had a big, thick book written by industry professionals. I didn’t read a lot of the book but I read enough to know things like you choose your own manager because if you let the label choose your manager, it could be a conflict of interest. Keep your publishing because that means a lot of money, if your record sells. So, we knew that, which came in handy. When we received our first contract, that’s one of the worst things that was in the contract. The label wanted to own 100% of our publishing and that was supposed to be a standard contract. At the time, we were like, “Oh no.”

ETW: So, once you got into the industry and began recording, etc., were you ever disappointed in the way the industry worked? Some people are not accustomed to the business side and they’re thinking, “Oh, it’s not what I thought it was.” Did you ever feel that way?
JB: I feel like that now! [laughing] This industry is shot out…crazy. It’s 5% music and 95% business. I didn’t really get that until I had been in the industry for a few years. Sometimes as creative people, we put the business aspect of things on the back burner but anytime there is commerce attached to a particular art form, you’re gonna have to know how to handle some kind of business. If you don’t understand how to handle your business, someone else is going to come along and take advantage of that. If a person is handling everything, they’re going to fill that they’re entitled to a large portion of what it is that you’re earning.

ETW: Have you ever felt like, “That’s it. I’m done”?
JB: You know, I have my days where I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I should just go work at the post office.” [laughing] It’s easy to become negative about the industry but it is what it is. Either you’re going to be in or not. The first time around it was so easy. The deal basically fell into our lap and we had a hit song. This time around it’s a whole other process but my calling and my purpose keeps bringing me back to this.

ETW: Do you think artists that come into the industry now are somewhat unrealistic about their expectations of the record labels?
JB: Yea, I think so much has changed in the industry. The nature of what a company does now is so much more different than it was 50 years ago when they had complete artist development. Sometimes you can get into a pattern where you depend on a record company for your income but record contracts are designed to benefit the company, not the artist. I see artists like Jay-Z or 50 Cent really succeeding because it’s no longer just about, “I have a hit record on the radio.” They’re now thinking more like business men.

ETW: I’ve thought for a long time that people like Jay-Z and P. Diddy should write a book about what they do and the best way to go about things, especially for artists.
JB: Right. It can help educate the younger generation as they come in.

ETW: Other artists that have been in the industry for several years are signing with independent labels. Why do you think so many are doing this now?
JB: It’s the nature of how the record company situations are going. You used to have a bunch of major labels now you’re down to maybe three now. People are consolidating. Technology has made it easier to record an album in your house. You can get a better royalty rate on an independent label. You can get more personal attention. You have more control of what you do. I think people are just trying to make wiser decisions.

ETW: Knowing the freedom that you now have creatively, do you wish that you had started your career indie rather or not you had been in a group or solo?
JB: I’m really glad that I started out on a major label. It gave us great access to the market. We got to travel to several different countries. I couldn’t have handled this type of control years ago. Now in my life, it would be very difficult for me to have someone say ‘I want you to make this kind of record and that’s what we’re gonna do.’ It really worked out having a major first.

ETW: You’ve mentioned before about the lack of balance in music now. Why do you think there isn’t much balance in mainstream music at this time?
JB: I don’t think it’s just one reason. My heart really goes out to the ‘black music scene’ because I think that we have the most limitations. It seems that when you turn on certain channels you see 90% of one kind of music and one kind of expression and then when you turn on other channels you kinda see more creativity. They’re able to right songs about things that you maybe have to take a minute to think about.

ETW: I know that you have your own label now. Do you plan to put more artists on your label?
JB: I don’t really know if I would want to release albums of other artists or not. It is such a challenging process. I would need someone who is very self-sufficient, who is clear about what they do and who they are. It would be someone who has vision.

ETW: You worked with your husband [Marcus Baylor of Yellowjackets] on this CD. As a recording artist, do you think it’s more beneficial to be married to someone in the music industry vs. marrying someone outside of the industry?
JB: That’s a good question. I think both situations can be advantageous. With us, we understand everything about what each other is doing. He doesn’t have to spend time convincing me that when he has a gig that he’s really working because I’ve done that before. We can be involved in each other’s projects. I like it. It works for us.

For photos or downloads on Jean Baylor, visit the following websites: http://www.jeanbaylor.com/, http://www.dajans.com/, or www.myspace.com/jeanbaylor.

Not Yet A...Comeback By Delia
Is it me or does the whole Britney Spears comeback at the VMA’s thing sound too hopeful? Her undoing took more than a year; I think it’s safe to say that putting her career back on track is going to take more than one night. Of course, with hard work and determination anything is possible but taking a break from the biz might be just what the doctor ordered. If she took a three year break, got her head together and lived a normal life (minus paparazzi), she might have something to say and know exactly how to say it.

Not Yet A...Comeback
By Delia

Is it me or does the whole Britney Spears comeback at the VMA’s thing sound too hopeful? Her undoing took more than a year; I think it’s safe to say that putting her career back on track is going to take more than one night. Of course, with hard work and determination anything is possible but taking a break from the biz might be just what the doctor ordered. If she took a three year break, got her head together and lived a normal life (minus paparazzi), she might have something to say and know exactly how to say it.