Warning: Explicit Content in Video
On Wednesday August 14th King of Diamonds hosted Summer Jam artist showcase. The event was suppose to start at 9pm but the first artist did not get on stage until almost 11pm. For this event artist paid a hefty fee in order to perform in front of record labels. It was held in the famous King of Diamonds Gentlemen’s club which I an enormous warehouse space. They house the best exotic dancers and are known for celebrity appearances. Several performers were ill prepared but some really did pull out all the stops. There were many performers who flew in from out of state for this event and their opportunity to network with the top A&Rs.
Several different artists only one of whom was able to perform invited me. Pharaoh Darci was one of the few artists who pulled out all the stops. He brought on his personal hype man, crowd and cameraman. His music was definitely different from the other hundred performers at the showcase. After his performance we all noticed he had disappeared for a while which we later found out was because several record labels were talking to him. After awhile the crowd began to die down but all performers that paid did get to perform. The performances ended around 2:30am.
Overall it was a good networking event for artists to connect with each other and with record labels. It also gave artists a chance to perform on a big stage in front of a major crowd. Many artists were handing out demo cds and flyers to help with self-promotion. My only dislike of the entire showcase was that it was the same genre of music with the same types of beats over and over. Many times the dancers were not able to do their job because the music was so off. My advice for artists do research on the venue and the type of audience that way you are more prepared for the event.
