ANALOG hit maker turned DIGITAL King Singa

Diana King aka King Singa is a Jamaican Reggae Soul Music icon. The voice, the sex appeal, the hits are all unforgettable, even within the context of how the Internet has transformed the music industry, lowering barriers to entry for all levels of musical talent,making competition for consumer attention fierce and niches not Top 40 charts rule. SiliconCaribe in its first one-on-one Wednesday interview feature, poses six questions to the Scorpio soul.

 

SC: Diana, you’re on MySpace.com, Facebook.com, Reverbnation.com. You had your first hit in the analog age and now you’ve embraced the Digital space….how has the Internet helped you as an artist ?

DK:IT’S BEEN FANTASTIC. BEING ABLE TO CONNECT WITH YOUR FANS AND PEOPLE IN YOUR LINE OF BUSINESS IN THIS WAY IS SOMETHING I NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE….ATLEAST NOT WHILE I WAS STILL YOUNG. THERE’S SO MUCH AMAZING TALENT OUT THERE. I FEEL IT WAS INEVITABLE.

 

SC: Are you one of those artists, who like Prince, believes you can/should “give away” your music onlineand focus on concerts as the place connect and be rewarded by your fans?

DK: ACTUALLY I AM…. BEING THE VICTIM OF A SHELVED ALBUM (MEANING GIVING YOUR MUSIC TO A BIG LABEL THEN THEY DECIDE THEY CAN’T B BOTHERED 4 WHATEVER REASON SO THEY DON’T RELEASE, PUT IT ON A SHELF AND U CAN’T TAKE IT BACK) I FELT THE ONLY WAY TO GET MY NEW MUSIC OUT THERE WAS TO PUT IT UP MYSELF ON SITES LIKE MYSPACE, FACEBOOK ETC. AND FOR A WHILE IT WAS DOWNLOADABLE FROM MY PERSONAL WEBSITE. I KNOW THAT THE QUICKEST WAY AND SOMETIMES THE ONLY WAY AN ARTISTE MAKES MONEY TO SURVIVE IS FROM LIVE PERFORMANCES. EVEN WHEN U HAVE A HIT. IT TAKES FOREVER TO GET THE MONEY U R OWED SO ARTISTES LIKE MYSELF AND PRINCE KNOW THAT. 

 

SC: We’re in the Digital Age which has made access to technology easier and cheaper which has led to a flood of music online from anyone, everywhere…is this a good thing or a bad thing?

DK:OVERALL I FEEL IT’S GOOD. EVERYONE DESERVES A CHANCE AND WE HAVE TO TRUST THAT THE PEOPLE WILL KNO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD MUSIC AND CRAP. BUT 2 EACH HIS OWN. I BELIEVE THERE’S A MARKET 4 EVERYTHING. THERE’S ALWAYS GONNA BE A DARK SIDE TO EVERY GOOD. I WAS VERY HESITANT AT FIRST BECAUSE I’M OLD SCHOOL, I LUV MY BAND VIBE AND STILL DO, BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH THE TIMES IF WE WANT 2 STAY IN THE GAME. IT’S A HISTORICAL TIME FOR US ESPECIALLY 4 INDEPENDENT ARTISTES, THE NEW AND UPCOMING ARTISTES AND FOR MANY PREVIOUSLY SIGNED ARTISTES LIKE MYSELF, IT’S A BLESSING. I WISH THIS WAS AVAILABLE WHEN I STARTED MY CAREER. NOT ONLY CAN WE MAKE OUR MUSIC WITH PROGRAMS SUCH AS PRO-TOOLS WE CAN ALSO PROMOTE AND SELL OURSELVES BY OURSELVES ONLINE IF WE CHOOSE TO. WE SOMETIMES STILL NEED THE BIG COMPANIES FOR THEIR DISTRIBUTION POWER AND SOMETIMES THEIR PROMOTIONAL POWER. AND WHILE WE NEEDED THE SONYS AND THE WARNERS BACK THEN TO GIVE US OUR BREAK, THEY DID ‘RAPE’ US. WE APPRECIATE THEIR HELP BUT WE’VE GOT OUR OWN POWER NOW. ARTISTES AND MUSICIANS HAVE THE BALL IN THEIR COURTS AND ACTUALLY ANYONE WITH A BUSINESS CAN DO WELL ONLINE WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THEIR CORNER…AND LETS FACE IT, MUSIC IS A BUSINESS. 

 

SC:How long have you been online sharing, promoting your music and interacting with fans ?

DK:IT’S ONLY BEEN 2 YEARS. I LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERYDAY ABOUT THE BUSINESS AND THAT KEEPS ME ON MY TOES. IT’S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME 2 GET FEEDBACK FROM MY FANS BE IT GOOD OR BAD. IT ALSO REMINDS ME OF ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I DO WHAT I DO WHEN THEY SHOW ME LUV. THE FANS KEEP U GOING AND IT’S A PLEASURE TO GIVE BACK SUM LUV 2 THEM PERSONALLY. IT’S THE 1ST AND LAST THING I DO EVERYDAY.

 

SC:Which sites do you must visit regularly, like every week?

DK:IT’S MY JOB 2 KNOW WHATS GOING ON SO I VISIT VARIOUS SITES EVERYDAY BUT MYSPACE IS MY MAIN SITE EVEN THO I HAVE A .NET OF MY OWN. I CHECK IT HOURLY….LOL….IT’S LIKE MY E-MAIL. IT’S NO NONSENSE AND STRAIGHT TO THE POINT AND THATS HOW I AM AS WELL. I GET ALOT OF CONTACTS ,LINKS AND REQUESTS THERE FOR INTERVIEWS,CONCERTS, SPECIAL PROJECTS AND MESSAGES AND COMMENTS FROM MY FANS. THAT’S MY FAVOURITE PART. I’M STILL TRYING TO GET THE HANG OF FACEBOOK BUT SNOCAP.COM IS WHERE I SELL MY STUFF AND OFCOURSE ITUNES. I’M VERY NEW TO REVERBNATION. I SIGNED UP MAYBE 2 WEEKS NOW. YOUTUBE IS THE MASTER. IT’S LIKE AN ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF STUFF. BUT I PUT MY STUFF EVERYWHERE BY DESIGN. “DEM AGO TYAD FI SI MI FACE” I HAVE SO MUCH MUSIC RELEASED THAT HAS NEVER BEEN HEARD PLUS THE NEW STUFF AND I INTEND GIVE ACCESS TO THEM IN EVERY WAY I CAN .

 

SC: You have your own label, your own studio….do you use Macs or PCs?

DK: MAC BABY !!! FOREVER. LAPTOP AND DESKTOP. I USE PRO-TOOLS FOR MY MUSIC AND FIND IT WORKS THE BEST WITH A MAC. IT’S FUNNY U ASK BECAUSE JUST THE OTHER DAY I NEEDED TO GET SOMETHING DONE THAT ONLY A PC COULD DO SO I HAD TO LEAVE MY HOUSE AND GO TO THE LIBRARY TO DO IT. IT SUCKED BUT I GET NO VIRUSES OR SPAM ON MY MAC AND WHO’D MISS THAT. IT’S MORE EXPENSIVE BUT WORTH IT IN THE END. THEY HAVE THE MACs THAT CAN BE A SPLIT BETWEEN BOTH BUT U CAN GET A VIRUS ON THE PC SIDE AND THATS SCARY WHEN U HAVE PRECIOUS MUSIC ON YOUR COMPUTER PLUS I DON’T LIKE THAT DOUBLE DIPPING IT’S EITHER THIS or THAT FOR ME..LOL….

 

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