12:45 Music, LLC

01/20/2023

NEW MUSIC ALERT!

"Mic Check" - Ace Meda4 & Rook Nass

COMING Friday, 1/27/23!

PRE SAVE/PRE ADD LINK
https://acemeda4rooknass.lnk.to/miccheck

Listen to content by Ace Meda4 & Rook Nass.

12/28/2022

For your house music consumption!

(Pardon the typo!) A year end REMIXED SAMPLED COVERED party mix featuring some of my favorites from this series.

11/09/2022

WHO WE BE -DJ CLB

One of the bigger challenges when you are trying to navigate the music industry independently is finding your audience. People make it sound easy. Post s**t, get followers they say. Well, it ain’t that simple. Not every follower will be a fan or supporter of your music (something I will talk about in more detail at another time). In truth, you are attempting to find multiple needles in multiple global haystacks, while competing with others that are digging in the same haystacks.

Then there is this. You need to attach identifiers to your music in a way that will allow people to determine if it is something they could vibe with BEFORE they have had a chance to hear the music. Genre is an example of an identifier. If I say a given song is in a genre that someone doesn’t generally like or listen to, there is a low probability that they will actually listen to the song. If the song is in a genre they do like, then we have to drill down several sub and sub-sub genres to have a chance of getting them to actually listen to the song.

Frequently we are asked, “who do they sound like?” Say the wrong artist, you’ve lost them. Say the right artist and they don’t hear it the way you do, you lost them. Say the artist doesn’t sound like anyone and you get boo-boo face from people.

We figure our best approach would be to align ourselves with a vibe and those that are living in that vibe. Since our song catalog is predominately rap and has a retro or throwback vibe by design, we think we our potential listeners are in the SirusXM Rock The Bells and SiriusXM Fly radio universe. This is where we think our music would most comfortably fit. This is the audience we will be courting.

We know who we be. We know where our audience hangs out. NOW, we gotta figure out a way to introduce ourselves. The saga continues …

10/22/2022

https://pitchfork.com/news/californias-rap-lyrics-bill-becomes-state-law/ =_pitchfork-bottom-recirc_60c407b9-77e6-4689-bb9e-b12e25bcd3ee_text2vec1

Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act in a virtual ceremony with Killer Mike, Meek Mill, E-40, and more

10/19/2022

This could be a different way to premier new videos and connect to your fanbase.

https://youtu.be/fF60ATzjdiQ

Concerto XL is an amazing new platform that allows all artists and bands to create their own FREE online arenas (using their existing videos) where fans can ...

10/13/2022

A story of a journey from young man to grown man...

"Destiny (Allers Blvd Mix)" - ROOK NASS

AVAILABLE ON YOUR FAVORITE STREAMING PLATFORM!

https://open.spotify.com/track/24PIeOiLvNfmHwMpeiwXjR?si=ZUQzghI3STG34zCpQjaVvA&utm_source=copy-link

09/29/2022

https://www.auditionsfree.com/2022/virtual-open-casting-call-for-the-voice/

Virtual Open Casting Call for The Voice 09/21/2022 1 Comment Tryout for The Voice 2022 / 2023! Do you love “The Voice?” Would you love to tryout for the hit singing competition reality series? If so, here is your shot an the Voice is accepting video auditions from people that would love to tryou...

09/28/2022

NEW MUSIC

"Destiny (Allers Blvd Mix)" - ROOK NASS

This is the story of a journey from young man to grown man.

LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE STREAMING PLATFORM!

https://open.spotify.com/track/24PIeOiLvNfmHwMpeiwXjR?si=ZUQzghI3STG34zCpQjaVvA&utm_source=copy-link

09/17/2022

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME AND YOU

I often find myself wondering this about other artists. Hip hop being perceived as a hyper-competitive space makes me consider; what is my place in it? Do I truly have something unique enough to say that there is space for me? Am I wrong for not wanting to compete? Hell, am I wrong for thinking quite the opposite; we should actually be working together?

I grew up on Bone Thugs, Rock-a-fella, Ruff Ryders, Bad Boy, Wu-Tang, etc, and seeing so many artists/ producers work together to create so much art was...no, IS inspiring to me. I'm not opposed to friendly rivalry, I mean, I love to try to one-up Rook or my nephew King Kai on anything we're on together, but I still want them to be successful with or without me. I'm not crazy for feeling like that... right?

09/06/2022

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/chicago-house-dj-lady-d-ron-carroll-interview-1235131542/

The pair play Chicago’s house-oriented ARC Festival this weekend (Sept. 2-4) on a lineup that also includes Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Nora En Pure and many more.

09/01/2022

MEANT TO BE

We haven’t had any personal music mentors that have already navigated their way to success through this ever changing digital, social media driven environment. To not have an insider to sometimes move us out of harm’s way or block us from going down an empty path adds extra miles to the journey. Yes, we have watched some grow from a distance, but their path seemed very specific to them and for them. I am sure there were things that could have been applicable to our journey, but from our vantage point it was difficult to see. There has been a lot of trial and a lot of errors but as things begin to unfold in a positive way, and they have been, it kinda feels like this is how it was meant to be.

08/31/2022

It feels good to have more days where I can just be DOIN' ME. I got THIS GROOVE going, this strong creativity vibe going. It feels like this is my path, my DESTINY as things seem to fall into place ...
.. to be continued.

08/15/2022

HATE ME NOW

If you went through my IG account, you would know that I am a huge fan of gaming, food, and anime. You would know I love to jump around to K-Pop music and make sushi. You know what you would be hard-pressed to figure out about me: the things I don’t like. It’s not that I am so nice and sunshiny that I don’t dislike anything, far from it actually. It’s just that I would rather share the things I think are dope than giving free views/clicks/listens to things I personally don’t enjoy.

How then will people know to avoid the bad things? Yeah, I can hear it from that one guy in the back that still doesn’t really get how the interwebs work. That’s the thing, isn’t it? If your timeline isn’t flooded with a thing, it becomes difficult to even know it exists. Many of you don’t even know what a “drama channel” is on YouTube because people in your circle don’t share them. You may not know who certain pop artists or rock bands are because that’s just not your wave. It works the same way within communities you actually care about. I currently live in a Tekashi-less world because I don’t search for it and no one I know or follow shares it. THAT, my dear reader, is how you make things go away. Not by listening to the song and commenting how much you dislike it, because you just gave them a listen and engagement. Not by watching the YouTube video and sharing it with your friends to make fun of it, because you just gave them a view and increased their reach. The correct answer is to turn your head like you don’t know ‘em.

TL;DR “the greatest insult an enemy can suffer is to be ignored” -paraphrased from Mass Effect 2, Warlord Okeer. Share what you love and ignore what you don’t.

08/10/2022

NEW MIX, NEW FORMAT!

https://www.mixcloud.com/DJCLB1245/30-minute-mix-1/

New 30 minute format for those that want a quick hit of house to go!

08/01/2022

LESSONS LEARNED

I’ll be the first to admit we get in our own way at times. Not in a willfully destructive way but more in a not moving out of our comfort zone kind of way. Shifting our brains from listening to music purely as consumers to listening as record execs or producers when needed has been an ongoing challenge. I ain’t gonna lie. Listening to rap these days for us can be a painful experience for a lot of preferential style reasons, but that is the music consumer in us talking. I personally stopped listening to rap altogether for a while. That was a mistake. We missed an opportunity to learn. We should have been dissecting the music, as execs and producers do, figuring out how to musically articulate our heavily 2000 influenced style in the context of what is musically relevant in the 2020s. Got it. Lesson learned.

07/15/2022

DON'T MAKE IT PERSONAL

I knew very little about Prince before he died. Off the top of my head, I can’t remember where Michael Jackson was from. I never saw DMX’s house and the thought of what it might look like never crossed my mind. None of these things mattered because their music was dope. I have a very straightforward transaction with artists; they provide the art, I provide the money. This does not entitle me to know about their relationships, their whereabouts, their kids, etc.

What I don’t understand about this world anymore is why/where the change happened. I get that YouTubers, Instagram influencers, and the like need to put themselves out there. That’s part of their grind. Why, then, does an artist who has already spent hours creating a product, released said product, and (hopefully) been paid for said product need to then share every detail about their personal life? I don’t care about Kanye and Kim’s relationship. I don’t need to hear about Blue Ivy unless she’s doing another feature on Jay’s next album. It doesn’t sway me one way or the other if your music doesn’t resonate with me. There are extreme cases like R. Kelly, but even then, if you really listened to his music and the songs he wrote for others, he was basically snitching on himself so it’s still really about the music at the end of the day.

TL;DR - Let’s let artists go back to giving us their art and keeping their personal lives personal.

07/06/2022

"IT IS WHAT IT IS" (Audius Mix) - ACE MEDA4

Stream exclusively on AUDIUS.CO

https://audius.co/acemeda4/it-is-what-it-is-audius-mix

When you're both wrong, but it is what it is...

07/01/2022

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

It has been said it takes 10 years to become an overnight sensation. I would add it takes even longer to become self-sustaining in the music industry. This journey has definitely taken longer than expected to be honest. So here we are, midway through 2022, a decade plus since the creation of 12:45 Music. We have made a lot of progress and it may not be seen in the form of social media follows or streams, but it’s there. 98% of our music catalog has NOT been heard yet and some of the tracks that have been heard are about to get flipped! Listen, we can’t claim to be a music content provider and not provide lots of music. We are going to increase our music output substantially over the next six months. There will be remixes. There will be instrumentals. There will be music across several genres. Crossing our fingers that some (if not all) will resonate with you. Let us know!

02/15/2022

Sometimes doing wrong feels right....
ACE MEDA4 - "IT IS WHAT IT IS"

Available on all your favorite streaming platforms.



https://youtu.be/ytwDkV0z0lM

The official lyric video for "IT IS WHAT IT IS" - ACE MEDA4Two wrongs don't make a right, but sometimes it just feels good....Written by: C. Bell & K. Medfor...

02/12/2022

Exposure means everything to an independent artist. Thank you Indienetwork

Hear "IT IS WHAT IT IS" at about 1:07:00 mark.

Also available on all your favorite streaming platforms.

12/22/2021

https://1245-music-merch.creator-spring.com/listing/hm-ambassador-drinkware?product=1565

12/02/2021

12:45 MUSIC MERCH
STORE WIDE SALE - 15% OFF
Use Code: HOLIDAY15
Valid: 12/2/2021

https://1245-music-merch.creator-spring.com/

10/05/2021

We had to pause and reflect. We took a hard look at what we were doing and how we went about our business.

The results of that period of reflection was clear:
- we needed to understand more
- we needed to listen more
- we needed to get better at everything.
- we needed to embrace that don't really fit in the current climate of our primary genre, hip hop.

We needed to evolve. Stay tuned.