Brit-Nig catches up
with UK born Ghanaian Mark Arhin, owner of an exciting new, and extremely
innovative music promotion company. Here’s what he has to say…
Y: Hi Mark, can you sum
up who you are in one sentence?
M: I am a man who seeks ways to establish his
beliefs.
Y: Where does your
passion for music derive from?
M: Since I was a child music was the rhythm of our
excitement, music symbolised joy and inspiration. It’s what governed my
emotions and thought patterns.
Y: Do you have a
favourite genre of music?
M: Although I grew up listening to different types
of music I would find it hard to say that Hip-Hop wasn’t my favourite
genre. It was the genre I
identified my-self with as a child, it presented an outlet that doesn’t really
exists in the same manor with other genres. So for them reasons I couldn’t say
anything else but Hip-Hop.
Y: If you could go to one
artists or bands concert (alive or dead) who would it be and at which venue
(demolished or standing)?
M: Um, I don’t really have any specific love for a
particular venue, although a nice intimate one like Jazz café would be good. I
would probably like to see Fela Cuti perform the most. He is a man who truly
lived for his ideals, and out of the spirit of God he produced one of the most
influential music on earth to this day.
Y: How did your company
SuperLight come about and how long has it been established?
M: The initial idea for this type of company was
when I was about 15, I didn’t really understand how it would work but the
inspiration was sparked. Then while I was doing an internship at Virgin Unite
in 2010 the idea came back to me, but this time it was viable due to the
advancements of the internet. I then developed the idea for about a year and
officially established the company early 2012.
Y: What external support
did you get in the process to launching your own company?
M: I
joined the Princes Trust as I wanted to confirm my plan wasn’t just a
fairy tale. They had faith in me and confirmed to me that it could work, the
mentor they assigned me also helped me to be more specific and precise with the
company.
Y: Super Light’s
promotion package branches into different specialties such as recording,
graphics and photography, how important do you think this is in terms of an
artist’s success?
M: If you make music in order for people to hear,
then its essential that everything you do is done to the highest standard.
People mostly see with their eyes, therefore the same eyes that look at the
superstars are the same eyes judging you, at whatever level you are at. They
need to know you, feel you and see you in a clear precise way. That’s why
anyone we affiliate with provides innovative services that think out the box.
The recording studio must provide the highest levels of quality, otherwise how
can you expect potential fans to take you serious if you don’t even sound
serious yourself, they must hear you like they hear their favourites, your graphics have to be individual
otherwise you will melt into the crowd, and your photography needs to represent
more than your image, but the story behind your image. That’s how audiences
identify with anything, because it’s so clear to them. If you don’t sit outside
the box, then you won’t be seen.
Y: What’s in the pipeline
for SuperLight?
M: A very busy 2012, we have a very creative team
with a non-stop work ethic, we aim to establish ourselves as the go to brand
for any aspiring musician with an integral approach. Making music is about the
creation of the music way before the creation the gains.
Y: If one of the Brit-Nig
readers is interested in putting together a few singles with the help of your
promotion to see if music is their calling how could SL help them and how much
would it cost?
M: We would professionally deliver each song,
accompanied with a press release, promotional material, visuals and images to
our large database of music industry folk. Depending on the type of sound, we
would carefully select the most useful contacts with a personal approach.
Depending on how many singles they have, promotion would begin at £129.
Y: Which emerging artists
should we be keeping an ear out for?
M: Im going to talk about the Superlight Camp for
this one; we have Ceaser, Mosik, Maear, Ric*, Will Lite, and J Season, Mylz, Bleu and Tony Bones. They all
have music coming out this year and will 100% ignite change within the UK Music
scene.
Y: What tips would you
give people thinking about setting up a music related business in the current
economical climate?
M: Don’t think too big to fast, stick with your
initial idea and let it grow from there. Don’t try to be everything and
everyone at the same time. Utilise the talents of other people, these times are
about connecting with people. There is power in numbers and there is power in
unity. If you use the skills of other people, it will collectively provide a
stronger foundation for your business. Aim for the true spirit of communities at
current and don’t buy too much into the commercialised machine that you think
is the craze, it’s not, they just have the most money. If you look at the
industry over the last two years, and think about all the types of artists that
have caused a huge stir you will note that many of them have an organic appeal
to their audience they represent new energies and new ideals that the
mainstream labels are being forced to accommodate to because people no longer
believe in the machine.
Y: If not music, what
industry could you imagine yourself in?
M: Right now, I think I would be in construction
back in Africa, most likely Ghana.
Y: Thanks Mark, any final
words?
M: Yeah, the best words of advice I can give is
that everything you do should be for a real spiritually connected purpose, the
money, clothes, adventures and partying are just things you do along the way. I
say that so boldly because if you don’t live for your true purpose, your life just goes round in circles as
you keep searching for something to fill its void, enjoy the journey and don’t
get to distracted.
Keep up to date with
SuperLight Music:
Twitter: @SuperLightMusic
Facebook: www.facebook.com/superlightmusic
Website: www.superlightmusic.com Call: 0208 123 3095
