Redtone Records

REDTONE RECORDS IS AS A NONPROFIT, COMMUNITY-BASED RECORD LABEL AND RECORDING STUDIO THAT PROVIDES FREE, PROFESSIONAL MUSIC AND VIDEO PRODUCTION TO CULTURAL ARTISTS WITH POSITIVE MESSAGES. WE HAVE A SPECIFIC FOCUS ON PRESERVING AND PROMOTING VARIOUS FORMS OF TRADITIONAL AND ROOTS MUSIC FROM AROUND THE WORLD. ADDITIONALLY WE WILL BE CONDUCTING REGULAR YOUTH SONGWRITING COMPETITIONS, INCENTIVIZING POSITIVE LYRICAL CONTENT FROM YOUNG, ASPIRING, COMMUNITY ARTISTS. OUR ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: IDENTIFYING AND RECRUITING ARTISTS, BOTH LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY; SUBSIDIZING TRAVEL AND LODGING EXPENSES FOR ARTIST RESIDENCIES WHEN APPLICABLE; OPERATING A COMMUNITY-BASED RECORDING STUDIO; PRODUCING MUSIC AND VIDEO; HOSTING AND PROMOTING CONCERTS, FESTIVALS AND SIMILAR ACTIVITIES; PURSUING SONG PLACEMENTS IN TV, FILM, ADVERTISING, ETC.; MARKETING AND PROMOTION OF REDTONE ARTISTS; SUBMITTING REDTONE PRODUCTIONS TO MAJOR ARTISTS FOR POSSIBLE PROGRAM REVENUE TO FUND REDTONE ACTIVITIES. REDTONE'S MISSIO

IN 2021, WE WERE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY BUILD UPON OUR MOMENTUM FROM 2020. COVID STILL HAD A BIG IMPACT ON LIVE MUSIC IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR. INSTEAD WE DID SEVERAL LIVESTREAM CONCERTS FOR VIRTUAL AUDIENCES, SOMETHING WE HAD NEVER ATTEMPTED BEFORE. THESE VIRTUAL CONCERTS ENDED UP BEING A GREAT WAY TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR OUR LABEL AND OUR ARTISTS, AND TO PROMOTE OUR MUSIC AND MESSAGE TO A WIDER (EVEN GLOBAL) AUDIENCE. WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO CONTINUE OUR EAST PALO ALTO MUSIC IN THE PARK WORKSHOPS FEATURING CONGOLESE DANCE ACCOMPANIED BY LIVE MUSIC FEATURING NIGERIAN AND CONGOLESE/CONGOLESE AMERICAN ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS. IN THE SUMMER WE HAD OUR FIRST OFFICIAL TOUR DATES WITH OUR LEAD ARTIST MIKO MARKS. THIS WAS A SIGNIFICANT MOVE IN RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT REDTONE ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ATTRACTING MORE SUPPORTERS. THESE TOUR DATES WERE FOLLOWED BY MIKOS OFFICIAL SHOWCASE AT AMERICANAFEST IN NASHVILLE, A VERY SIGNIFICANT INVITATION AND PERFORMANCE RESULTING FROM THE SUCCESS OF MIKOS ALBUM OUR COUNTRY WHICH WE RELEASED IN MARCH. IN ADDITION TO OUR COUNTRY, WE RELEASED KIAZI MALONGAS ALBUM TEMBO KIA NGOMA, AND THEN QUICKLY PRODUCED AND RELEASED A FOLLOW UP ALBUM FOR MIKO CALLED RACE RECORDS BECAUSE OUR COUNTRY WAS GETTING SO MUCH ATTENTION IN THE PRESS AND MUSIC INDUSTRY. MIKOS LISTENING AUDIENCE ON SPOTIFY ALONE GREW FROM 30,000 MONTHLY LISTENERS IN 2020 TO OVER 100,000 MONTHLY LISTENERS IN 2021. THE RAPID SUCCESS OF MIKOS MUSIC MEANT THAT WE EMPHASIZED OUR FOCUS ON HER MUSIC SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE YEAR IN ORDER TO KEEP MOMENTUM BUILDING. WE DEEPENED THE RELATIONSHIP WITH BROOKLYN BASEMENT RECORDS, THE NASHVILLE MARKETING AND PR TEAM WE HAD BEGUN WORKING WITH IN 2020. WE BEGAN WORKING WITH A NATIONAL BOOKING AGENT FOR MIKO AS WELL, AND HELPED MIKO FIND A MANAGER, ALL OF WHICH RESULTED IN MAJOR GROWTH FOR HER AND INCREASED ATTENTION AND SUPPORT FOR REDTONE. ALONG WITH THE ALBUM RELEASES WE PRODUCED SEVERAL MUSIC VIDEOS TO FURTHER PROMOTE THE ARTISTS WERE SUPPORTING. WE INVESTED MORE HEAVILY IN MARKETING AND SUSTAINABILITY, CREATING OUR FIRST PROFESSIONAL FUNDRAISING VIDEO AND PITCH DECK. WE WORKED WITH TWO LOCAL DEVELOPERS IN PARTICULAR, HARVEST PROPERTIES AND THE SOBRATO ORGANIZATION, TO ALIGN THEIR EAST PALO ALTO DEVELOPMENT PLANS WITH REDTONES VISION FOR CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY PRESERVATION THROUGH THE ARTS. THE MUSIC AND ARTISTS WEVE BEEN PRODUCING, AND THE SUCCESS THEY BEGAN TO SHOW IN 2021, MADE A HUGE IMPACT ON THESE DEVELOPERS AND MADE THEM EAGER TO ALIGN WITH OUR VISION. WE WERE VERY ENCOURAGED BY OUR GROWTH IN 2021 AND FEEL THAT THE YEAR MOVED US CLOSER TO OUR OVERALL MISSION AND VISION IN SIGNIFICANT WAYS.