I’m excited about all of them, but this one in particular stands out because of the creative freedom I have been given to execute the campaign.

We also recently launched BloggerMusicPool.com. It’s just a soft-launch for now, so we’re not going all-in as of yet, however we are sending periodic updates of some of our client projects and plan to launch the full service by year’s end.

@meghan – My first pet (my only pet ever actually) was a goldfish. I bought it when I was about 10 (I think) and didn’t have a fishtank so I ended up using this big round candy jar/jug and decided to name him Jughead lol.

@dj l – Honestly, I have no idea. He’s a talented cat though so I believe he’s got a bright future ahead of him. I wish him and his team the best of luck.

@G – Good questions. I think it’s a little difficult to predict who will be the biggest breakout artists for the remainder of the year, however if Jay-Z goes ahead and releases more original material, like he’s announced, then he’s guaranteed one of the top spots, based on his rep alone.

I also think Drake is going to continue with his current hype for the rest of the year. A lot of people changed their opinions due to the reception of the “Best I Ever Had” video, but that alone will not be a major roadblock, at all. Even if he doesn’t put out any new material of his own, he’s already guaranteed rotation and visibility due to his current collaborations with Mary J Blige & Jamie Foxx, plus his upcoming collaborations, including Jay-Z much-hyped next single.

Like I said, it’s a little difficult to predict, but those are 2 of my picks, at the moment.

Regarding what change I see due to Michael Jackson’s loss – I believe some artists will begin to step their game up and work on creating more timeless music and possibly more “genre-less” music, that has wide crossover appeal (not the same “crossover appeal” that most labels try to push right now).

I also believe certain artists will begin to step up their live performances, dance routines & video direction. However… and this is a big however, I don’t know just how far this change will go. An artist can feel a certain way, but if it’s not what’s currently in the market, the labels will discourage it because they want “safe” releases to ensure their ROI. And with rapidly declining budgets, projects are unlikely to receive the required budgets to “do more”.

Michael Jackson’s influence has already been such a major impact on the entire musical landscape, I believe most of his influence on current artist has already been seen, however a few may begin stepping it up even more now.

And regarding, if I see a certain artist stepping up because of Michael’s loss – I think his R&B/Pop “protégés” may be more motivated and get more support from their labels right now, however the one artist who stands out in mind is Chris Brown.

His return to the spotlight is obviously much debated, however I think due to the public’s mourning of Michael Jackson, I think the general audience may be more welcoming to Chris Brown’s return.

But let me be clear, I don’t think it’s right for anybody to “take advantage” of a death, however I think the emotional climate will become more forgiving and will allow Chris Brown to resurrect his career.

@everyone – Thank you for all your questions and for participating in my second segment of Freestyle Blogging! I appreciate it and look forward to the next one.

R.I.P Michael Jackson

As for which blogs are my favourite – I have a TON! lol. I’m a fan of all the blogs in my links section in the sidebar (which reminds me, I need to update that to add a few of the new favs).

@jinxy – Thanks for your comment, although you may have missed the beginning of my post when I stated that I was bringing back a segment I did last year – http://moearora.com/blog/2008/04/freestyle-blogging-1/.

I originally did this in April 2008. Even then, I never claimed it to be original – I actually linked to the blog post that inspired me to incorporate this idea into my blog. Read that post and check the links in it for reference.

Reading is essential. Try it out :)

@moearora Minnie Riperton is my favorite artist of all time

– Posted using Chat Catcher

*Looks like I need to fix the Facebook Connect settings

@Muna – *jumps up on Oprah’s couch* MY ONE AND ONLY’S NICKNAME IS “JALEB”! I want everybody to know that I love her and only her! lol

He’s simply the best. Ever.

He will truly be missed.

I decided to go make it full-time and ended up going to school for Music Production & Audio Engineering. That was my real start in the music business. As I was doing that, I became obsessed with the business side of things; who was doing what, how they did it, how I believe it could be done better, etc.

After a while, I couldn’t ignore it – so I decided to make the transition into the business side of things. Even though it has it’s downsides, I still wouldn’t rather be doing anything else.