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Wednesday, July 26 05:03 AM |
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Thighmaster's AKA Ad Inventory Is A Disaster.
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AKA, the online music network of suburban Hip-Hop exploiter Steve Rifkind and exercise video king Stu Hirsh pawned its ad inventory off to UBO, another content network site with no advertisers and no ad sales force. Instead of paying advertisements, all the affiliates sites are getting banners for UBO properties. There are going to be a lot of affiliate sites expecting to be getting paid for all these ad impressions.
AKA aggregates content from several sites in order to position it self as a music portal. They have expanded from only hip-hop, to covering Dance, Latin, Rock and Pop as well. Any website could become an AKA network affiliate, even advertiser friendly sites like Kicking It With Brad (http://bradfischetti.iscute.com) and RapScene (http://www.rapscene.com). They also provide hosting and community tools such as empty chat rooms and sparsely inhabited bulletin boards, our favorite boards are the in Rock section which is completely devoid of any activity, like a Hookt party.
AKA reps use promises of high CPM's and SRC goodie bags to gain potential affiliates confidence and convince them to run banners ads on their sites. They are also invited to turn their domain names over to Stu Hirsh, who has a penchant for cyber squatting.
We've included a step by step checklist of how to convince a website to enter the fold:
[How To Be A AKA Affiliate Rep]
AKA requires that affiliates sign a contract that binds them to AKA even if their site gets funding or gets acquired. They would have to keep running AKA banners for the duration of the 2-year contract, they would also have to continue to provide AKA with their traffic numbers so that AKA can artificially inflate its Media Metrix numbers. You can check out the contract here:
[How To Make your Site A Billboard For UBO]
For UBO, controlling the ad inventory of the AKA is great. They get to rotate Hairweb and Othervision ads on AKA affiliate sites. Adam Kidron has publicly stated his desire to turn UBO into the "Urban Doubleclick" in a desperate effort to generate some revenue. Trying to turn a pure web-play content site into an advertising network should be interesting. Meanwhile, AKA and its network affiliates are the guinea pigs on which he is testing out this new method of losing money online.The question that remains is that someone has to pay out those promised CPM's. That money isn't coming from paying sponsors, so what revenue stream is going to foot that bill? Most likely from Buns Of Steel or bootlegged Nas CD's.
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You know Stuart Hirsch has a great buisness plan when he's offering sites SRC goody bags. What did the bags contain? Free Air? |
The only King that Stuart Hirsch's name should be associated with is Burger King |
Stuart should start practicing what he preaches and use some of those exercise videos! |
Hot damn ho, here we go again! Not "Kicking It With Brad"! Aye dios mio.
UBO is AKA is SOHH. All we need is for UBO to "acquire" Platform.net - then we can have one huge, homogenous dot com.
Steve Rifkind is kind of cute, though.
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hahaha I love you Crispus! Way to go! Thanks for using the Tip I sent you, I knew it wouldn't be in vain! If you all look back at my postings, I noticed this awhile ago! Good deal Crispy!
Lawrence |
all that needs to be said
http://dontblow.com
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Hey yall not to change the subject but brothers and sisters,
I have been fired from 360 Hip Hop. I won't lie y'all. It was cuz Andrea Duncan and Serena Kim said I was sexually harrising them. They filed a report and my boy Selly had to act, or the company would be open to a lawsuit (under Federal laws against harrisment). So I don't have a job right now. I wish I could've stopped all my shit about the Dream Team. I used to tell everyone to live spiritually and what goes around comes around but I also kept fucking up and mistreating my female employees. So now I don't have a job. Does anyone want to hire me? Especially since I've been banned from the source and vibe and others and everyone knows I'm the drunk who puked in DMX's Jeep while on assignment and now got kicked out of 360 for bothering my fly ladies? |
maybe someone on this site will know the answer to this question....
Who is the IMCO- Internet Music Corporation? Because one of AKA reps emailed me a while back wanting me to make one of my sites a member of their network, and on the top of the contract it says "Agreement between Internet Music Corporation, (“IMCO”), the parent corporation of aka.com, llc..." However this so called IMCO does not even have a website and if they have one they are not trying to let anyone see it because I could not find anything about this company that is the parent company of AKA. Fortunately, for my site and the brand I am trying to build I did not join this network because i did not like the exclusivity clause, nor did I like the fact that I could not find ANY info on this parent company (Internet Music Corporation)...if anyone knows anything about them just post it, I would be interested to know ( how does a company that calls themselves the "Internet Music Corporation" not a have a website, seems a little fishy to me)? Any positive feedback would be helpful..peace. |
MUSIC IS MOVE AS FAST AS TIME SOME HOLD . SITE ARE MOVING IN AND OUT !!!!!I WISH EVERYBOBY LUCK (CHECK OUT KNEE DEEP INC. WWW.MP3.COM/KDI ) |
MUSIC IS MOVE AS FAST AS TIME SO HOLD ON . SITE ARE MOVING IN AND OUT !!!!!I WISH EVERYBOBY LUCK (CHECK OUT KNEE DEEP INC. WWW.MP3.COM/KDI ) |
If anyone cares, I got an inside scoop as to how aka pays for their ads....Here is the deal...from a source that is in with AKA, they contacted their affiliates, and told them they would pay the sites a whopping $150.00 per month, no matter how low their traffic was. If they got more traffic, then of course they are to be paid more. I think that AKA or UBO will be the next to close up shop, or merge together.
Lawrence |
Damn MatuCana! Sex is restricted on my work imac - I'm DYING to know what dontblow.com could be...
Any clues? |
Phiberoptik...here's some 'fo on AKA.COM...
Smith, Michael
mismith@AKA.COM
A. Kamau & Associates, LLC
3765 Motor Avenue, Suite 362
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(323)222-6897 (FAX) (323)222-0654
That's just their registrant info...
Why does Urban Expose remind me of the old school Wu Tang forum at TheDSC.com?
MJ a/k/a Wise Intelligent Queen |
It's a dumb-ass URL they got anyway. They need to off-load that joint to some Kappas to "generate some revenue." |
Yo Phiberoptik...
IMCO seems to be a fake parent company. If you look at the "how to make your site a billboard for ubo" you'll again see references to IMCO.
Aside from the Internet Music Company not having a website, or at least one that anyone of the usual (and unusual) search engines can find on the web, there seems to be no mention of them anywhere (except in the aforementioned contract).
They have no (read - I could not find any) trademarks, copyrights, patents, phone numbers, news about them, anything, anywhere..... The are not on the web, in a phone book, in government or commercial search engines... Cerebro cannot even get a read on 'em. What does that mean?
They are fugazi!!!!!
Clouteuos Minimus |
exactly...B Cool , thats seems like the case because i could not find any information on them on the web or in other venues print publications or otherwise. IMCO is probably just some kind of conglomerate company probably that owns all of these same web entities that we bash...i mean critically analyze on this site...who knows... |
This site has me HOOKED. But you guys are so tired. It seems like UBO is
making YOU the money. Don't you have any other dirt on other companies
besides UBO. You need to pay attention to your own funding and never mind
UBO. And don't even think that I work for them,,,,,I'm just a fan...
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Everyone that posts, lets crash this motherfucker!!!!!!
==========================
Thursday, July 27, 2000
Location:
Shake, Rattle and Soul
t h u r s d a y s
@
CHAELRA
330 West 38th Street
BTW. 8th & 9th Avenues
NYC
featuring >Dj Qool Marv & Dj GoldFinger
Doors open: 7 PM
no cover before 10:00 PM
'Urban Box Office Network (UBO) is a next generation media company that
provides a unique on and off-line cultural and commercial platform for the
Urban Mindset. UBO defines the Urban Mindset as a global community that
shares common interests in music, arts, sports, and fashion and establishes
trends for the emerging worldwide market.'
http//www/ubo.net
Powered by:
HighLights new york
Black Diamonds Entertainment
RedEvents
UBO |
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Name:
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Clout:
375 |
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Company:
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well whos down |
Much needed article here. Is it possible that this IMCO parent company will provide some sort of "safety net" for these companies should one decide to fold. For instance, if AKA winds up owing wopping sums of money to sites and can't pay them off (perish the thought), and then UBO wants to buy a controlling share of AKA, UBO will inherit these outstanding debts. However, if this company, IMCO, steps in and says that AKA was operating outside of their limitations, they may be able to cancelt their debts and sell the company without fuss to UBO. This is just very hypothetical.
Also, this is very "wiseguy-esque". A parent company with no hard whereabouts? No staff? No legitimacy? Often, the mob builds up businesses with the intent to fail, so theit ill-gotten gains can be laundered more efficiently. Hmmmnnnnnnnnn???? Where did the AKA seed money come from? All from Hirsh and Rifind? Perhaps some other sources? Perhaps some sources that would care to remain silent?
Let's crash this party that LJ is hollering about. The security will probably be tight at the party though. They will be patting people down, but they won't be looking for weapons, only recording devices. Who's turning federal witness against these guys?????? lol |
Bl;ack Diamond always has bullshit door drama. Chaelra is a pretty small space. Sounds pretty bad. |
Myer Emco and IMCO are pretty much the same company. Except Myer Emco is the parent company. IMCO is its twisted sister. Go to www.quietriot.com |
Digital Divide Pioneer, Darien Dash
Chairman and CEO of DME Interactive Holdings, Inc.
Addresses Shareowners
New York, NY - Thursday, July 27, 2000
For Immediate Release -
On behalf of DME Interactive, I wanted to extend a special thanks to all our shareholders for their patience and support as we continue to progress our long-term mission of providing the hardware and software infrastructure for the minority community.
Over the past several months, since the important joint venture agreement with America On-Line, we have been extremely active in lobbying key corporate entities, government agencies, business, political and clerical leaders, as well as numerous individuals in the entertainment profession to gain credibility for our mission. I am pleased to say that we are receiving widespread support and that our company is viewed as a committed and capable business enterprise. We are well on course to accomplishing the enormous task of bridging the digital divide, while providing more than acceptable returns to our shareholders.
Our company is not just paying lip service to bridging the divide. We fully intend to provide a comprehensive range of hardware and service options that will ensure that each and every family or individual that wants a computer, an internet connection, a browser, and most importantly, meaningful content from the Places of Color (POC) portal, can and will have that opportunity. When POC is released in the very near-term, our competitors will be awestruck by the comprehensiveness of our agreements with box manufacturers, credit financers, distribution agents, ISP and browser entities, content providers and advertisers, as well as the artistry and creativity of our own staff in developing POC!
Based on the enormous response we have already received from our potential subscribers, I can assure you that our biggest near-term problem will be to ensure that our logistics capabilities can match the anticipated demand, as the minority community and others finally get connected through POC to the Web. Over the past several months, we have been steadily increasing the stress on our delivery and customer service organizations through a ramped program of system orders. We are trying to diminish the growing pains associated with the POC rollout, but we remain pragmatic that there will be problems that will have to be effectively managed in dealing with the demand avalanche.
The collapse of technology stocks, particularly in the “dot.com” arena, placed an unexpected burden on our company in our efforts to secure necessary POC funding. We went from a period of numerous firms jockeying for the opportunity to meet our needs, to a more realistic environment where potential financiers were showing serious interest, but wanted results and returns beforehand. This shakeout period forced us to re-examine our overheads, and we have done so by eliminating staff and office redundancies, and by lowering salaries and bonuses. While the sudden shift in the economic winds has been painful, the end result is a more cohesive company structure and business plan. I am pleased to report that the amount of funding required for POC has been sharply reduced and that we are nearing completion in obtaining the funds that are needed.
The next several months should be an exciting time, beginning with the emergence of POC into the national discourse. The rollout will be accompanied by a series of advertising initiatives, using readily recognizable personalities throughout the entertainment industry, and an exhaustive array of proven marketing techniques and media forms. Recognizing and respecting our competition, we will also be releasing details of our numerous partnership agreements only at the appropriate time in the POC rollout environment.
Hopefully, the tone of this letter has renewed your enthusiasm for the important social implications of our corporate mission. I am tremendously excited that we have developed a strategy that will both bridge the divide and provide enormous shareholder value. I regret that our rapidly evolving business strategies could not be communicated to you earlier. However, we have responded well to the realities of the moment, and you will be proud and enriched by what ultimately will be accomplished.
Sincerely,
Darien Dash
Chairman and CEO
DME Interactive Holdings, Inc.
www.dmeinteractive.com
PR Contact: Shareowner Relations Contact:
Nicole A. Slavitt Tom Ryan
DME Interactive Holdings, Inc. ICR Inc.
212-422-6600 x. 157 203-222-9013
Info@dmeinteractive.com
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Not sure why that DME press release wound up in this strain of messages, but it is very interesting.
Oh my, the heat is really on Darien, huh?
If everthing is just fine and dandy with them, why did they fire half of the POC staff a few short months ago? Why do they keep delaying the launch?
Better yet, how come they will have to be vacating the nice new Wall St. area offices before the end of the summer? They only moved ion a few months ago!
Even better, how come they fire all the smart, competent, and contributing members of their staff, but they continue to keep around dead weight in the office. They need to stop running that place like a damn record label. |
How come you say how come? I likeded the way you said that though. |
I like how they've now moved into a "realistic environment" where the cash-happy VCs can't be bamboozled anymore, and may actually be demanding "results and returns" for all the dough they been flinging at ole boy.
I'm waiting for that upcoming UBO/360/DME merger, and I want to see how exactly the resulting conglomerate will be folded into one globe-spanning, white-owned behemoth. Penny stock muthafuckas... |
Jacobson, you jewish bastard! you are going to get yours! you think its sweet that you can take 75% of my company, doo doo bandit inc, and then come on here and talk about aka.com! well, wait til i see you in the streets...its on.
"jews run it, niggas run around in it."
ras kass
and if you think i'm playing jacobson, you are wrong as Slavery! muthaF.
doo doo bandit
"shittin' on you and you dont even know it." |
i hope volume.com dies... them cats got pooped on by the doo doo bandit already. |
miranda jigga jane - dont blow is a site for the herbs and what not...
sex is secondary on that site.
word! |
To Doo Doo Bandit:
Mabey you should take a laxitive and let it all out. What are you talking about, what did Jacobsen do to you and what does it have to do with AKA? Which UBO site do you work for and why did you poop on Volume?
To XJZ:
You should get 50 clout points for that post. Its very revealing as to the kind of trouble Darrien is in. I wish the brother well he talks a good game in al the articles and interviews I've seen him do. But from the overly upbeat tone of the letter and the obvious attempt to rally support for POC I'm gonna guess that he is on the verge of losing out.
Artisha
art4short
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AKA sucks. I personally dealt with Stu Hirsch and he is a putz. So is Weiner, Rifkind, and the rest of those clowns. SMM is cool though. figure it out. |
Sorry to get off the subject BUT there is too much talent around here to not try and tap into it.
I'm looking for constructive ideas and partners to help me reshape my site, BLACKMUSIC.COM into a strong urban destination.
I hope to begin reviving the site in the next few weeks.
Please email me at brian@blackmusic.com
Thanks.
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DOES ANYONE THINK RIFKIND EVEN CARES?
I'M SURE HE COULD GIVE A FLYING F*CK EVEN THOUGH YOU USED A GOOD PHOTO OF HIM.
BYE AKKKA!!!
PEACE OUT>>>>>>>FORWARD...
I'LL HOLLA.
LET'S KEEP IT MACKING.
MAYBE HE WILL HAVE STU HIRSH, "SIPPIN' ON SOME S'SYSURP. |
Gee, the site sounds like its some slimy, cheap scam.. |
u guyz r all assholes. Don't u have anything of substance to do at the JOB?--Oh yeah that's right, u ain't got no JOB so this is your life! Quit it, it sucks! |
Fuck AKA. Those fools bite my Hip-Hop Trivia questions in their dome teasers section, every chance they get. In addition, the answers to their questions are often incorrect or incomplete. They are straight up WACK!
Peep the real at www.unknownentertainment.com
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You guys say all this stuff, but where is the damn evidence? This stuff is libelious. PROVE what you're saying. |
RE: AKA | Slavemasters of the Hip-Hop Cyber world!
I think that it is very disturbing how AKA takes over the prominent banner space of it's affiliates in order for them to become members. How can a upcoming or new site ever grow or operate it's own banner space if it has no control of it? If anything, it's like peeps getting down with the internet to do their thing, hooking up their own piece of web, to only to jump right back in slavery with someone in control of their own shit. I would never ever become an affiliate of AKA.
Besides, they flipped the script when they changed from hip-hop to all types of music. I thought that they were real an all about hip-hop? Yeah right! I remember getting their 8 page contract via the web. I had just got my domain and it wasn't even up yet, however they sent me a email saying that my site would be a great addition to the AKA Network. My site wasn't even up! I didn't have nothing on it! It was a blank white screen when you typed in the URL! C'mon now! Now that is what you call desparate measures in an effort to get members. I probably could of had bo-bo on the site and they would have put me on.
In terms of AKA.COM's affiliate 8-page contract.........................................................................................................................I looks just like a artists contract drafted by Jerry Heller (remember him, NWA's first attorney?). After reading it, I had the urgent need to contact an attorney ASAP. After considering it, it wasn't worth the expense and time of hiring a lawyer. After reading more and more, I felt that this AKA.COM company in essence was setting me up to legally snatch my domain name right before my eyes. I was in total fear, but the contents of the contract is no joke.
No way in hell could I ever take the chance, but indeed that AKA.Com affiliate contract is no joke and it basically gives them the full right to to control a portion of your banner space and to run their banners on your site. That's pure robbery and most companies who look for advertising already know the 411 on AKA and that's why they probably aren't getting the variety of advertisers that you would expect (i.e. honda, Jeep, Motorola, Mecca, Fubu, Johnson & Johnson, coca-cola, peps, mountain dew, bet, vibe, etc). It's all the same stuff.
From what I have heard from a reliable source is that AKA.COM charges about $3,000 to run a banner through their network. This is all based on a CPM package of $25.00 per 1,000 impressions. They ask that you purchase about 100 sets of these ($25.00 per 1000 impression) packages in order to run your banner on their network. That rate is unafforbable to probably 95% of the sites that are on AKA.
This is crazy when you add the math up. In summary, if your an affiliate you get nothing out of the deal.....zilch! If anything, they need to be running their affiliates banners for a change instead of the same old shit.
I am just so over this. To me this is highway robbery and it's ashame that these new people and their added sites are not knowing. People see the site all plugged up on Russell Simmons OMBTV show and start running for the "Yes Massah" (master).
I have recently found a new site that I feel has potential in becoming a major hip-hop portal that is the total opposite of what AKA.Com is all about, and they actually help other hip-hop websites and you don't even have to be binded to a contract or even become a member.
The site is called HIPHOPDIRECTORY.COM and indeed it looks dope and doesn't have all the time killing flash stuff. From what I have researched, since the site I think launched a couple of weeks ago, is that they have the cheapest banner rates in the business and they don't seems as if they have any close intention of becoming affiliated with anyone. I can appreciate a new leader in the hip-hop arena. They seem as if they have their own agenda and it seems very organized.
They even display their banner rates online and boast in having the best banner rates in the industry. It's like they're giving it away. With 368X60 pixel banners going for $10 and I think $100 without any binding agreement you cannot go wrong. Thank God for a new player in this stagnent yet spoiled hip-hop arena.
If this company keeps it's focus intact....as it seems they already have, their is no question that this company has the domain name and the structure to become one of the most influential players in the game even beyond AKA. If I was in their shoes, I guess I wouldn't want to be affiliated with no one. They don't need to I guess, cause the company name speaks for itself.
It seems like they (HIPHOPDIRECTORY.COM) have their shit together for the long haul. I have nothing but respect for such companies on the web that are all about really supporting the hip-hop cause and not exploiting it.
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Stuart Hersch though he was big willy when he did the deal with UBO, gettin a nice cash advance (to pay for his $200/day car service) and thinkning that UBO would do all the work and AKA would keep raking in the $$$ month after month....
WRONG AGAIN, STUART - YOU DUMB FAT FUCK. . .
basically what happens is that UBO now gets to advertise for their own sites across AKA and all 700+ affiliate sites. And since they arent selling this ad space to an advertiser, they dont owe any CPM $$ to aka or their affiliates. .
it all turns out to be DIRT CHEAP online advertising for UBO across one of their arch rivals (AKA) and on all of the affiliate sites that AKA worked so hard to sign. Yes, AKA has now become the UBO advertising network, just a huge billboard for UBO. . . AKA loses, their affiliates lose, and score one for UBO. . .
good job, Stu, how does it feel to be a failure? |
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