AGYU teamed up with Wheel it Studios co-founder Beny Esguerra, Joseph Hersco (aka J Rebel) of leadership and mentorship program Concrete Warriors 4, and Latin hip hop artist Esco to deliver a music rollout crash course for emerging artists. The program was a hands-on opportunity to learn and implement a music marketing campaign, engaging a cohort from Wheel it Studios’ series of compilation albums to promote Tdot Fiesta, their latest collective album.

Designed and co-facilitated by Esguerra and Esco with assistance from Allyson Adley, AGYU education and community engagement coordinator, this eight-week intensive program taught participants how to generate cover art using the AI app Midjourney and video content using the AI App Runway. Workshops explored music distribution, including how to upload your music to DistroKid, a platform to disseminate music through online stores and streaming services. The program also featured Executive Director Barry Rooke and Marketing Outreach Coordinator Eloisa Veliz from the National Campus and Community Radio Association speaking about the benefits of uploading music to !earshot Distro, a national database of music that is searchable and downloadable to over 10,000 community and campus radio station staff and programmers.

Facilitators mentored participants in media outreach practices, demonstrating how to create an electronic press kit using Canva and how to produce captivating short form content using the video editor CapCut. With the guidance and support of our educators, participants learned how to publicize their music to radio, television, print, and media journalists. This entailed working closely with participants, one-on-one, in writing press releases and artist biographies as well as teaching them how to produce different kinds of social media content, including the importance of direct messaging as a marketing strategy to cultivate a distinctive social media presence. Participants honed their promotional skills by engaging in hands-on activities, such as pitching their new singles to playlist curators, in an effort to build a dedicated fan base and marketing network.

The artists who participated in the program included Heavenly Jade, Heavy Steve, Lo, POTD, Pudgegawd, Rezmade, Rose, S!sha, Tracey Kayy, and Txnic (click on the linked names for results of their participation in the program).

BIOS:

Beny Esguerra arrived as a child to Tkaronto (Toronto) from Bacatá (Bogotá, Colombia) as a political refugee with his parents, cultural workers and human rights activists. Today, he is an award winning multi-instrumentalist/producer, spoken-word poet, arts educator, and community worker. In 2021, he was chosen as the recipient of the 2020 Ontario Arts Foundation Arts Educator Award. Most recently, his songs from the 2022 JUNO nominated album Northside Kuisi have been nominated for collaboration of the year at the 2022 International Indigenous Hip Hop Music Awards and won the international Music to Life’s Hope Rises II social justice songwriting contest. He is co-founder of Wheel it Studios, which is an initiative of Esguerra’s New Tradition Music .

Joseph Hersco, more commonly known as J-Rebel within the hip hop community, has been B boying since the age of fourteen. He is a member of the top Canadian break-dancing crew known as the Supernaturalz. J-Rebel’s love for hip hop culture and B boying transcends the dance floor, extending to his roles as mentor, teacher, and DJ. J-Rebel’s life’s work for the past 15 years has included implementing hip hop leadership-mentorship and educational programs for urban BIPOC youth within the Toronto District School Board. His community programs engage youth in critical thinking and artistic development by incorporating hip hop’s core elements, history, and culture, employing B boying/B girling, graffiti art, DJing/production, and MCing to explore complex social justice issues with young people in schools and beyond the classroom.

Esco is a young urban artist from Toronto known for his genre-blending music which mixes Latin urban, hip hop, melodic trap, and dance. Starting his music journey at 15, he debuted in 2021 and has performed at iconic Toronto venues such as the Rivoli and Dundas Square. Inspired by his Cuban-Salvadoran roots and Rexdale’s vibrant streets, Esco’s music combines traditional Latin melodies with contemporary beats. Always evolving, he aims to leave a mark on the global music scene with his captivating performances and memorable songs.

Please check out the Wheel It Studios 5th album, Tdot Fiesta, on bandcamp.

Watch the Tdot Fiesta music video on Youtube.