Is Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes a Scam? Decide for Yourself.
01 March 2024 by GaetanoCoast 2 Coast Mixtapes (or Lil Fats, Inc.) is a running a deceptive business model that utilizes a slick combination of social media advertising, outbound marketing, email marketing, direct sales, and branding.
All these parts working together in perfect harmony allow for the model to succeed. In this article, I’m going to breakdown its components and reveal exactly how it all works.
Over the past month, I’ve been talking to artists, songwriters, producers, DJ’s and industry insiders who are all too familiar with the operation. In fact, I’ve even talked to a few artists who have been through their showcase and promo system. While most of them preferred to remain anonymous, I’ll be deriving specific examples and stories that support my conclusions.
COAST 2 COAST ADVERTISING TRICKS
This all started because I became really annoyed with their social media advertising.
At first, I’d see their ads on occasion, but then I started seeing them almost daily.
Pay attention to the wording. RAPPERS WANTED! (Said no one ever). They even went as far to say “Sign Up Now For Your Chance To Perform On Tour.” This is extremely misleading, as they are not presenting real touring opportunities.
What they are doing is driving from state to state, renting out low budget banquet halls / bars, and packing their showcases full with as many artists as they can. Last time I checked, a tour is when an artist performs a series of concerts to fans, not other unsigned artists who have zero intention of supporting their music, buying merch, subscribing to their mailing list, etc.
THIS IS A FAKE MUSIC TOUR
THIS IS DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING
It was clear that this type of messaging was making an impact. Just browse through the huge list of comments on their ads.
Clueless amateurs are eating it up like candy. I had to do something, so I wrote a post about music industry schemes that still exploit unsigned artists.
The post ended up getting a lot of attention after it was picked up as a guest post for Digital Music News.
THEY SENT ME LETTERS FROM A FAKE LAWYER
Apparently, they’re pretty pissed that I exposed the jig. Unfortunately, my previous article only scratched the surface of things, and didn’t provide sufficient explanation behind what they are really doing, and why their service is not adding real value to those who choose to pay for it. This time around, I’ve got specifics, which you’ll see as you continue to read the article.
As far as me calling them “scummy” – that is my opinion based on what I know about their business model and other artist complaints that have come to surface. It is really no different than writing a negative review on yelp. How can a lawyer try to bully me for that?
RIPOFF REPORT EXAMPLE
There are a ton of these out there. If Coast 2 Coast is asking their lawyer to come after me, then they should go after every single person who posted a negative review online too.
If you have a business, prepare to get reviewed online by consumers and press. If you’re doing questionable business, and consumers rise by pointing light to what’s going on, then its time to rethink how ethical your practice is.
Instead – Coast 2 Coast is relying on their lawyers to squash any and all opposition.
By the way, this is the dude charging you $300 to perform one song. What’s wrong with this picture? He’s a rapper himself. Gotta wonder why he hasn’t used his touring service to put himself on the map. Oh yeah, that’s right, he realized he can make more money by presenting misleading opportunities than rapping.
DEFINITION OF A SCAM
Let’s start by looking at what the word “scam” is defined by.
I want you to focus on the words, fraud & trick. That is exactly what Coast 2 Coast is doing. They have found a loop hole in the system that allows them to profit off of a service that does not deliver what it promises. In fact, they are very good at painting a picture of legitimacy.
One thing Coast 2 Coast, and services like it are notorious for – they pay off known artists with a strong buzz to co-sign or host their Mixtape series.
We all know that 2 Chainz was successful long before 2012, due to his own hard work and timing. After numerous features with Lil Wayne and others from 2007, he gained additional momentum by releasing 2 of his own Mixtapes – Codeine Withdrawl & Codeine Cowboy. Coast 2 Coast then used that pre-existing momentum and framed it as their own in this suggestive video.
Why is this so crucial for C2C? Well, to be specific, they target amateur level artists who do not know any better, and it works. Coast 2 Coast has mastered the art of appealing to easy prey. I’ll dive deeper into this soon.
THEY ARE EXPOSED ON GOOGLE
Google’s auto-suggest is a predictive modeling keyword feature that accurately reflects what other people are searching for on the web. As Google can tell you, people are definitely searching for “Coast 2 Coast scam.” In fact, I was curious to know exactly how many people are searching for that query, so I popped it into Google’s Keyword Planner.
You might not think 30 monthly searches is a lot.
But what if based on this information, we assume that 30 indie rappers end up performing in their showcase every month, on average.
30 x $300 = $9,000 <<<— That means they’re probably making $9,000 per show.
That’s a quick $9,000 in monthly recurring revenue, on average, which is just peanuts compared to how much they are probably making in reality.
At this point, you’re probably wondering where that figure of $300 came from. Well, it’s the fee you’ll have to pay if you want to perform ONE SONG at a Coast 2 Coast showcase.
Instead of ridiculously wasting $300 to perform one song, you could spend that money more efficiently and get a high quality video produced for yourself, such as this one:
MORE PEOPLE EXPOSING THE SCAM
This artist “won” a spot to perform on Coast 2 Coast Live, but was required to pay a fee of $300. She then got a very unflattering email urging her to “lock in” her performance slot with a deposit of $150.
BlackLuck, a Cleveland born M.C., went and set up a profile on Coast 2 Coast’s website, but then realized that there was a performance fee required, so he never went forward with submitting. Since then, he says that he constantly gets promotional sales driven emails from Coast 2 Coast.
When he responded to one of their emails, explaining that he was all too aware of what their motives are, he got this response.
THEY ACCEPT EVERYONE WITHOUT EVEN CHECKING
I was extremely curious to see how the selection process works, so I decided to submit for a showcase myself. To be bold, I used a Gucci Mane track, renamed the title of it to something else (to see if they’d actually listen) and then submitted for their upcoming Atlanta Showcase. Within 48 hours, I was selected.
Wow, better get my $150 deposit ready!
This confirms what I originally knew but wanted to prove – they accept everyone & anyone without even researching who they are. They’re looking for volume. Churn in, churn out.
THEY TRIED TO USE MEEK MILL
Yep, they did. If you didn’t already know, Coast 2 Coast pays well known artists for drops and co-signs. That’s one of the techniques they use to try and prove legitimacy to their doubters.
Here’s how it went down. They paid Meek for a drop, but took it too far and claimed that he co-signed one of their Mixtapes. Then, they slapped Meek’s picture on one of their Mixtape covers and had the nerve to advertise it on World Star, a very influential high traffic site that would clearly appeal to some of the types of artists they are targeting.
HOW MUCH MONEY DOES COAST 2 COAST MAKE?
This show had a 32 artist line up. Impressive. Let’s do the math on that.
32 x $300 = $9,600
Notice how closely that aligns with the estimate made based on our Google numbers from earlier. Let’s take it a step further now.
Let’s assume on average, they’re making $9,600 per showcase. Their showcase schedule shows that they host, on average, 30 showcases per month. Let’s do the math on that one.
30 x $9,600 = $288,000 <<<— They could potentially be making $288,000 a month. Yikes.
I think you get the picture. I don’t even want to think about what they’re pulling in yearly. Let’s move on.
THEY ARE SCAMMING 16 YEAR OLD HIGH SCHOOL KIDS
This is 16 year old, $lim Tuc, out of Tucson, Arizona. He’s a sophomore in high school, and earns a modest wage by working at Kentucky Fried Chicken after class, and also on weekends. When he’s not in school or working at KFC, he’s writing lyrics and practicing his rhymes. Tuc was one of the geo-targeted Facebook users that came across Coast 2 Coast’s sponsored Ad. Tuc was quick to act and submitted for an upcoming Arizona showcase.
Within 48 hours of his submission, he was accepted to the showcase and spent one week of wages at KFC to put down a $150 deposit, locking his performance slot. Tuc was reasonably excited at this point, and took his excitement to social media.
After getting warned about C2C from conversations on Twitter, he did his own due diligence and decided to withdraw from the showcase. He’s currently in the process of asking C2C to refund his deposit, but is uncertain as to whether they’ll give it back or not.
Tuc realized he would have driven 2 hours each way, had to cough up another $150 at the door, and then cover all his traveling expenses. All of this on a school night by the way.
THE JUDGES ARE FAKE
For every one like Tuc, there are hundreds (if not thousands more) who will fall for the same thing. It’s not like these kids from small towns ever have a real chance at making it as a top rapper.
Here’s where he would have performed at… Are you fucking kidding me?
Here’s who he would have performed for… who the fuck are these people?
I’ll admit that I have seen an occasional label A&R as a judge panelist for their showcase, but here’s what kids like $lim Tuc are too inexperienced to understand:
The label A&R’s who are panelists for these events are only there because they are getting paid. Furthermore, most of them have no real decision making power. They are simply playing a part in the story, and everyone gets to go home happy. Except the artists.
Furthermore, I should say SHAME on you label A&R’s and DJ’s who participate in these events. You’re an accomplice, guilty of contributing to selling empty dreams and shallow promises to artists who don’t know any better.
THEY’VE BEEN SCAMMING FOR YEARS
I’ve been breaking down how the showcases work, but what about the Mixtape promo? Turns out they’ve been at this for quite some time. (Since the Myspace days, whoa).
How about we take a look at a mass email spam that LIL FATS himself would send out to random artists on Myspace, badgering them for for an upfront total of $475.
What’s even more disturbing is the great lengths at which he goes to prove legitimacy (read the last highlighted sentence), all while maintaining the pressure for an upfront PayPal or Western Union transfer.
HOW THEY TRICK INDEPENDENT RAPPERS
As far as I see it, there’s only 2 sides to this war. Either you’re for exploiting artists, or you’re not. Why am I so passionate about this? Because I’m an artist first and foremost. I love music. I love art. It nauseating to accept the fact that these industry rapists are molesting us.
I’m already anticipating it now, there’s going to be a TON of backlash at this article. Don’t think that Coast 2 Coast is the only service provider out there running this type of operation, because they aren’t. In fact, there are dozens of others. Many of those folks who are involved with similar operations to C2C are wolves in sheep’s clothing, and they are connected to you right now via your own social networks, whether you know it or not.
Here’s what some of the most common rebuttals to this piece will be:
- How do you expect to get fans to invest in your brand, if you won’t?
- Artists just want everything for free these days.
- Apple is one of the most valuable brands in the world. They still spend millions promoting the iPhone, what makes you think you can build a brand for free?
- Artists have unrealistic expectations. They should know that Coast 2 Coast is just providing access to the industry, its up to artists to use the resources properly.
- Paying to meet with top level executives has been around for decades in other industries, and is still common practice. Music industry is no different.
- This dude is just pushing his personal brand.
- This article is too one sided, and makes a lot of assumptions.
I can tell you right now that most people (not all) who make these types of comments are completely choosing to miss the point, because they are on the industry side and are involved in some type of similar operation.
I’m in no way shape or form saying that indie artists shouldn’t be investing in themselves. However, what I am saying – Is that if you are going to invest in yourself, it needs to be a smart and well-informed decision. Nothing that has been influenced by gimmicky social advertising, or shallow promises.
As far as me pushing my personal brand, where throughout this article have you heard me shamelessly plug you to my music? I’m an artist, for artists. If you choose to check out my music beyond here, then cool, and I thank you. But my primary goal throughout all of this is to spread and share FREE knowledge of the industry that I’ve acquired over my 8+ years of experience dealing with sharks and shady characters who are just looking to make a quick buck.
Related Read: Check out the best recording studios in NYC.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Don’t be a statistic. Do your research. There are no shortcuts. Don’t spam. Don’t pay for blog post placements. Don’t pay for links. Don’t pay to perform. Don’t pay for anything other than your own artist development, personal branding, web marketing, education, musical training, videos, content strategy, images, and assets. Please understand that grassroots marketing and amazing quality online content, over time, will attract those who need to find you.
“Be the flame that attracts the moth, not the moth that chases the flame.”
– Giacomo Casanova.
[…] 2 Coast used promises to lure money from aspiring, inexperienced young artists. That involved follow-up interviews with a number of rappers who either were participating, previously participated, or canceled their participation with Coast […]
I have always wondered exactly what this site really does {C2C}? I always thought that this site just had good connections with big hip hop blogs and that’s how they build buzz for hip hop artists.
Your submission of that Gucci Mane Track and selection is absolutely scandalous and backs up your investigation. This is a great piece of investigation journalism, I’m well impressed. Looking forward to more blog post related to this.
Not to mention, Meek Mill himself said that C2C is BULL. I think that means #nuffsaid
I think it exposes the Scams of the music industry.
@Anna – Definitely exposes this one. Thanks for your comment.
[…] later documented by DiNardi, Google’s top Auto-Complete around ‘Coast 2 Coast’ is […]
I’ve Enjoyed the Opportunities Coast2Coast has given me!!💋
Leave em alone🤩
IMMA STARR
2021
Los Angeles area
I totally agree with this post…however what I do t agree with is where the writer says dont pay for blog placement? So…. These blogs ( that do numbers,XXL,siccness,wethewest,jackthriller, DubCNN,etc) aren’t blogging about ANYONE mentioned in this ad If these artists were to hire a publisict how would he/she get the artist music to the blogs ,DJs,online shows,LEGITIMATE mixtapes? Oh these platforms are just giving out free services? I think not. #samecloth
@Joe Blakk – Thanks for your comment bro. In some cases – it is worth paying for blog placement. XXL, This Is 50, etc. It’s really no different than paying for Ads, but the difference is that these are authoritative sources with a chance that you will likely gain some real fans as a result of them discovering your music on these platforms. Where as C2C – you’re performing in a room full of other rappers who are competing against you, not there to support.
i disagree with the article…. Ive been rocking with Coast 2 Coast a couple years now i have only performed at 2 event BUT the win was worth way more then that 300$ my hotel room was paid for 4 nights in Miami Florida i was in their magazine, i was on their Mixtape they also provided video promo services, The convention was very informative there ACTUALLY was real industry Djs, Models, Artist etc This industry is a hustle in its own. For $150 your given 40 tickets to sale @10$ …that means after saling 15 tickets you already have the $150 for the door and if your smart enough to do what i did your going to sale merch of some sort with those tickets to make your money back and have an audience that is there attending the event to support YOU!! The experience was excellent and well organized and this is coming from an artist that is NOT an armature falling for the trap! I do agree that they are making a shit load of money off of their services but isn’t that the point in starting your own business…. the revenue??? I salute lil Fats and the Coast 2 Coast team for their continued success and being a plug to the industry for indie artist. i am still connected with the Dj’s and artist that where involved and as a team they have all in some way helped me further my career, i have labels calling, celebs watching, and my fans and brand are growing SINCE my first Coast 2 Coast event in 2014…. i even made it to NYC for an exec meeting with Def Jam and all though that had nothing to do with Coast 2 Coast, the recognition came AFTER i won their showcase!! every one has an opinion but im speaking #FactsOnly and after this article id still Rock with Coast 2 Coast!!
-Ms. Triggz
@Latesha Triggs – How much did they pay you to comment that? Lol. Nah, but honestly you totally missed the point of this whole article. You should go back and re-read the part that says there are no REAL success stories. And the so called “plug to the industry” that you glorified is nothing more than Coast 2 Coast paying off A&R’s, Judges, Hot 97 DJ’s, and artists like 2 chainz to mention and co-sign them. Not real opportunities though.
coast 2 coast didn’t pay off any one for MY PLUG to the industry!! you should re-read my post… as stated my success has nothing to do with Coast 2 Coast nor did they have to pay me to speak my mind. i clearly stated all the moves that im making SINCE my performance threw coast 2 coast! your POINT in this article was that they are a scam and are not giving artist back the services they promise CLEARLY because you stated it several times…. so where is the point that im missing again???
Triggs, you won at Coast 2 Coast and yet you only got 600 views on your YouTube vid. If you think C2C actually helped you, it really didn’t. Hate to say it but you’re still a nobody (and I know nobody’s when I see them, I’m still a nobody too, right there with ya). Getting a BMI and a free trip to Miami doesn’t change that. C2C is not worth anybody’s money – when you’re done getting a high off of the attention you got from your C2C experience you’ll realize that this article is true, and you’re gonna get back to square 1, which is nowhere. You ain’t no Remy Ma LOL
@Mz. Triggz – Check my credits. How do you think I got to produce & write songs for Ryan Leslie, Shaggy, Bobby V, Musiq Soulchild. You think I ever PAID? NO. I worked hard and built organic relationships and shined off pure talent. That’s what you no name no talent rappers don’t get. You think you can pay your way to the top. Keep paying $300 to perform one song and see where that gets you. Have a nice day =)
no need to check your credits… i could name mines but that’s beyond the point. lol RNS any ways i didn’t have to pay to write any of my song either sir i am a registered songwriter, yes im BMI certified so im actually PAID for my work. this response make no since in regard to my post lol you just THOUGHT you’d be able to sound important to a “no name, no talent rapper” HA but ill let you have your moment by all means i mean this is your desperate for attention blog right… get it in #salute
I honestly feel bad that you were this bamboozled, with ur 0 monthly listeners. Guess the coast 2 coast hype didn’t last too long lol
They are a scam… whoever did that last post that Ms. Triggs is a retard… lol what is “armature” i googled you by the way and nothing came up… so you are a scam too… c2c is a scam if anything people need to invest themselves. you want to make a difference put some money in production… drop some dope lyrics… print up 100k cds put the work out there… it dont have to be 100k at one time it could be 5k at a time… it could be over several projects but put 100k cds out there that’ll get you some buzz especially if its hot and you got some videos to go with some of the songs… Get your music business right get registered and copyrighted… thats where you start… the internet is cool but get in the streets… the streets is where its at… you need to make friends with all the club djs in your city… and if you can get in with the radio djs then make them your best friends too… take over your hometown and the rest will be history… Peace btw Ms Triggs is a joke…
RR
@RR – Yeah Ms Triggs has some hard life lessons to be learned. I thank you for your comment and agree with your suggestion of a grassroots “build from the ground up” approach. Good insights my friend, and thank you for reading.
GOOGLE MS. TRIGGZ spell it correct or GOOGLE MY ALBUM #TROUBLE THAT MADE IT TO DEF JAM (WITH OUT COAST 2 COAST!!) TRUST ME IM NOT HARD TO FIND
You got a great point, RR. I admire your comment there. It’s true – you know Eminem and 50 cent both were noticed because they got hundreds of copies of their mixtape and just handed it out on the streets. You may or may not get the attention of Aftermath studios (that’s a stretch), but you WILL get LISTENERS. ONE PIECE OF IMPORTANT INFO – know the difference between an “audio cd” (a CD you can pop into a CD player or car and listen to) and a “DATA CD” (A CD you can only listen to when you plug it into a computer and download the content to your desktop or iTunes). I suggest making your CD Campaign with AUDIO CD’s, so people take the CD, go to their car, pop it in, and listen to your DOPE music!!!
This post is just a bunch of slander. I’ve done multiple shows with Coast 2 Coast in different cities and I’ve gained so much from the experience. Beyond anything, I’ve gained stage presence. I’ve always feared performing in front of people and I broke the ice in the perfect environment. I got a shit ton of feed back from people in the audience and the judges which has tremendously helped me with my music today, C2C NEVER promised me a record deal. I think that’s what people get confused with this service. I went into this for the experience and NETWORKING. Also, I’ve been able to perform in different cities which is awesome in itself. Through the shows I linked with both DJ’s and producers, and I know how DJ’s in other cities playing my music. People want hand outs, this is not what they promise nor give. I’m still rocking with Coast 2 Coast and you should probably do a show first before you put a bunch of slander on a service that has truly benefited artist like myself.
Send us links to your music & C2C performance, we’d like to check that out real quick.
I specifically didn’t state my personal info on here because this post isn’t about me. It’s about the service you’re claiming to be a fraud. Was only here to state my story. You guys putting other people down because they’re not famous yet is wrong and doesn’t prove your point about C2C… and you shouldn’t be quite the critic when no one has heard of you yourself. The only reason your name popped up was due to this post, being why you’re blasting it everywhere. Keep pushing, we all need a hustle.
But the post is about you. You don’t care about the negative experience everyone else faced from this – you only care about kissing C2C’s arse. I bet you were paid to do so. It won’t work, kiddo. Sorry!!!
LOL Nobody on this comment section who believes this is a scam cares about the “fame” aspect – it’s EVERYTHING ELSE DUDE! IT IS A LAME COMPANY THAT PROVIDES LAME SHOWS, they blow every promise out of proportion and keep the money without really offering what they say they’d offer. And you’re lack of being able to show us you actually performed just makes you seem like a C2C sheep, obeying their little orders… Everyone who went there knows it’s a scam. Your complaints are being washed up every minute by people who know the truth and won’t stand for a scam like this. The BBB needs to shut C2C down for good. Get over it.
Yes, I’d love to see your “performance” that probably never happened because you’re hired by C2C to talk SH**. We see you, kid. O.O
You wanna keep paying $300 to perform one song in front of an audience that doesn’t care about you? Be my guest. You linked with what DJ’s? DJ’s nobody knows of or cares about… And guess what, you still had to pay. I have judges from C2C who reached out willing to corroborate that the whole thing is a scam and that they were paid off. Its a joke and they’re getting rich off sheep like you. Get real.
AMEN!!!!!!! I couldn’t agree more with you G!
This article is everything!!!! Speaking from an artist who has a lot under her belt, I’ve witnessed the scam happen to an ex in person! He was/is a rapper and he actually has legit credits so they told him they would give him “special privilege” but when we got to Miami, they said he couldn’t perform unless he paid the $150 like everyone else… Now the crazy part is that yes, there was a “headliner” who had an underground hit early 2000’s but all of the crowd were only people who were performing! No fans or even artists willing to give the next performer praise! The place wasn’t even a spectacular, sight to see, club.
My advice to all upcoming artists is this:
If you want experience of performing, get in on a showcase where you don’t have to pay for nothing.
-Tatiana Owens
Bro Honestly you can get the same experience performing at free open mics and poetry readings. Last weekend my bro went to an open mic in Oakland California he performed did well as we’re sitting there giving my little bro praise a woman with a hoodie walks up tells him she loved the performance woman needed up being Ledisi … Grammy award winning soul singer … don’t get scammed bro. Don’t pay $300 dollars for experience you pay that for exposure
And yet, I went there and the judges played the music so loud you couldnt’ network and couldn’t hear anybody perform. Not to mention there were maybe 50 people there total, that’s less than what I’ve seen at a BAR. Maybe you got lucky and it worked out, but it didn’t work out for the rest of us, so this article isn’t SLANDER – it’s the TRUTH. Nobody was expecting a hand-out, they were expecting the judges and DJ to take a professional approach and put the artist’s money to good use. They did NOT do that, and so in the end, it’s a scam no matter what way you look at it. Just a quick way to pick up artist’s money. I feel like this dude was hired by C2C to say that this post is slander because they’re panicking now that everyone is speaking out against this SCAM. LOL have fun paying out the @$$ for C2C. Not everybody has trust fund money they can spend as they wish. Some of us work hard for SCRAPS and pay money hoping it will help. If it doesn’t and it’s sabotaged, it’s a scam whether or not it happened to work out well for YOU. It’s not about YOU – it’s about everyone that was legit ripped off by this.
[…] 2 Coast Mixtapes,Yes It Is A Scam” a article that has surfaced on the internet witch details the inner working of the popular online artist recruiting company.Empty promises,false […]
Hey man I just wanted to say thanks for the informative article I was already hesitant about doing the showcase but thought it might be a good opportunity. Definitely not going to pay to perform for a scam artist but I got a free ticket to go so I’m still about to network if I go ha
@Nicholas – Dope man. Glad my article was able to help.
Good luck networking! DJ Fatboy likes to defean the crowd with his beat fetishism! You won’t be able to hear a single person speak, or perform! LOL but seriously, best of luck to you, man. Glad you didn’t fall for the scam, and I hope you make it far in life! Seriously!
C2C is not a SCAM, I noticed you keep talking about how much they charge to perform and how much money they’re making off artists that perform, have you ever went on the site and noticed how much money they have invested in it have you ever noticed the statistics on there they post every single website that they promote your product on so you don’t have to guess where you spending your money if you do business with them as far as on the website, what about the fact of the matter is they give you access to hundreds of DJs you can really benefit off that if you know what you’re doing so for example if they had 200 DJs that mean I had 200 DJs because I had all access to them phone numbers emails websites, the business is not just all about performing that’s just one aspect you don’t like but overall you can use it to your advantage if you know what you’re doing you could be a artist with no name no fans but if you get in the right place with a DJ then you could be on the front cover for just putting it hard work for them or have your songs on the tape the front covers everything though just saying performance ain’t the whole business
You can be the shark of the ocean or the fish of the ocean….scamming is in human nature (even with hardworking talented individuals). From slavery to the music industry. The question is what are YOU gonna do. Gaetano you are talented as shit and did SOME work in this game but if you put more of that shark edge on I’d bet you would be at least where Ryan has reached (he has definitely done some questionable business, I know personally. Look at that laptop situation for one). Just something to think about fam. I mean if that’s where you are trying to be, some singer/songwriters/musicians are happy with just music and some do want to get rich off it. At some point, all that wish to become legendary have some dark side to their story because it’s nearly impossible to play straight all the way through. I’m not saying any of this is right but again..shark or fish. You have to choose on this earth, that’s the culture we live in and as long as there is a top to the pyramid it will never change. Like Jay said…you can’t knock the hustle. Peace.
@Diddy – Thanks for your comment. Appreciate you taking the time to research me and what I’ve done. Yes, I’ve done SOME work as you’ve said. Ultimately though, I wrote this piece to raise awareness and further push my thought leadership. Ryan does the same thing… I decided to go with a bold approach and put a spotlight on an issue that has been bullying newcomers in the game for far too long.
This does not justify knowingly scamming innocent people who don’t have a lot of resources. It’s people who manage to justify it with there “that’s how the world works” schpeal that end up taking it too far. Just because people act that way does not mean they should, or that they should get away with it with no consequences. It’s fucked up, and I don’t blame anyone for falling for it. C2C took a lot of time and effort to make it look legitimate – that’s not anybody’s fault besides theirs. If they simply made it actually legit, it wouldn’t be an issue how much it costs. Just some food for thought….
I understand exposing them for not being clear, but who are you to tell anyone how they should or shouldn’t behave? Thats too far and seems you’re trying to control the will of people. For the people who has decided this is not what they are looking for, cool. But I’m sure there are people who read this and still paid the 300 for the opportunity to simply get on stage. Who are you to tell them they shouldn’t spend their money where they want simply because it didn’t perform to your expectation. I do not work for coast to coast, I just have a live and let live way of looking at it and understand that it may be worth 300 for some artist and thats their choice.
Thanks for your post, I just performed August 19 for coast2coast and me, including crowd was dumbfounded when I didn’t even place. I was the best and everyone knew it. Now I know why I didnt win and I’m glad. I did enjoy performing but I wasn’t picked because they saw I was a person not to be toyed with I am a serious artist. Thanks again and I will make sure to expose these con artists every chance I get
PS
My rap name is Jayda Pro plz check out my music it won’t disappoint
Thanks for reading, and I’m glad you found it helpful.
Yup, they really don’t judge by what they say they do. They say they judge by song quality and originality, but if you look at my first comment on this page, you’ll read about how the DJ played everyone’s beats so loudly you could not hear a single performer, no matter how hard they tried to project. In the end, they gave the win to a dude named “nemo” and a girl who did a strip routine for the audience. Originality? I don’t think so.
A close friend & very talented hip hop artist attended 2 seperate c2c nights in Camden London (he had the place going crazy) paying the equivalent to $300 each time. the 1st time he came 2nd & the 2nd time he came 1st, he met & exchanged numbers etc with other cool artists & has benefited in regards to performing live etc BUT the one thing he is still yet to receive is his winners flights to Miami, he’s emailed c2c a number of times & had zero back from them. He is right in what he has said & that is that he is a victim along with
All the other artists who have performed for c2c & had he been younger it would have had a massive negative impact on him & his future but luckily he isn’t a kid, he’s very positive & determined to get there one day & I believe he will, the stuff he writes & produces himself is amazing & all true from his experiences in life so far!! Your blog will be getting shared for definite & I hope in turn it prevents other up n coming artists from getting ripped off!! #goodworkbyyou
If you want to check out my friend he’s on face book & Twitter most of his stuff is on sound cloud he’s known as Haych Money (isaac achord) from Hemel Hempstead England
Some big Hip Hop is in Hemel Hempstead Emgland going by the name of Haych Money 🙂
Wow, thanks for sharing that info.
I wasted my $300.coast 2 coast was in Birmingham, Alabama.They didn’t make a whole lot of money,because there were only 6 entries.I knew it was a scam,but my daughter was determined to perform.The people that placed were Horrible.There were no celebrity judges, and I saw the DJ laughing as some the contestants performed.Not to mention,before the show someone called to remind you to bring ID,the remainder of your deposit,and suggested you make a donation.While there you have a person recording the audience, as if they are all excited.They make it look like there are lots of people in attendance, but actually its not.Coast 2 Coast you are taking/stealing from innocent people.I plan to contact an attorney to see if anything can be done about your deceptive practice of taking money from innocent people.People please stop falling for this SCAM!!!
Wow, very sorry to hear about your experience with them. Feel free to use this resource as a reference if you do end up getting an attorney.
I was to late reading this one they took 400 from my cousin to lock n his spot to meet with Atlantic record n cancelled the date prior to payment n won’t refund the money lmfao I think a lawyer or better yet the bbb should have a field day on em but what do I know
Wow that’s insane. You should have him contact me.
You can look up how to write a proper letter to the BBB – I have some experience dealing with the BBB. If you are able to send an “intelligent” sounding letter to them about all the things they did to scam you, you may have a CHANCE for the BBB to look into it. Most importantly, if you can get yourself and multiple other people to contact the BBB about this, and offer precise reasons why they should look into C2C and shut it down, they very well might. It’s a chance worth taking, I think. Hell, I’ll send them a letter, gladly.
[…] pay sketchy companies like Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes $300 to perform one […]
Hey – Just letting you know they have exported their scam to Australia now.
My boyfriend & another rap artist here in Sydney have been scammed by those jerks just today. We walked up to the venue and there was no one! Anything we can do?
Wow that is crazy. So sorry to hear about your experience. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the laws in Australia and I don’t think there is much that you can do 🙁
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do. There customer service rep is really rude and doesn’t care about the artists. I tried offering very constructive details on how the show went and how they can make it better, for the artist’s sake, and they kept sending PERSONAL JABS at me and my career, telling me it’s my fault it didn’t go well, and that I need to learn how the music industry works and deal with the consequences. So messed up… And if you speak out about their scam too much, like what happened with Gaetano, you may receive an email from their lawyer threatening to sue you. That does not mean you should stay quiet about this – it just means you should be strategic and detailed about how you speak out about this disgusting scam, and make sure you have people to back you up. (:
thanks for putting the spotlight on these scammers and making unaware artist they are being taken for a ride. I also was emailed something like this after seeing an ad on craigslist looking to place artist on a mixtape and showcase….. once i saw they were asking for money i knew it was too good to be true so i googled the service and came across your post….You indept break down and investigation is truely appreciated.
Thanks for reading man and glad you found it helpful. They post tons of ads on Craigslist because they know most people who search for opportunities on Craigslist are uninformed, over-zealous, and most likely to jump the gun without know what they are getting into.
[…] I even get to why this company is so scummy, I want to point out the word SPONSORED at the top of their AD. Yes, this is in fact an AD. I did […]
I really liked it. I just was called with someone from C2C tell’n me I had won a slot. I’ve been so excited, then I came across this page. Now my balloon is popped. I can’t believe that 16 yr old received the same invite. Then their are a few on here that seem to be happy w/C2C. I don’t know. The one thing that is for sure interesting is the quality of the place of show, & the fact that the site says you can send it Western Union. I was scammed before like that. Anyone that is big enough to do anything BIG for you, probably isn’t a guy having to run to Food Lion to pick up the transfer.
Dude, read my comment I left here. It is not a fair competition, and a huge waste of money. In my comment I list very detailed reasons why you do not want to waste your time and money on this. I mean, be my guest, but I promise that you WILL be disappointed with the results. You’re better off starting genuine relationships with other rappers to gain exposure. In fact, you’re better off doing nothing at all than you are signing up for Coast 2 Coast. Trust me – I WAS THERE.
What about the convention part? (The part after the artist performs and wins) Do they actually send people to Miami? What happens?
Why not pay for blog placement if your not a blog writer? I’m just wondering because I am a artist building out label and want to generate a buzz for an upcoming project giving a few writers a preview for review and ramp-tp. Do you think that’s a bad idea
Paying for blog placement is typically not a good strategy. You should be building relationships with the editors from the sites you wanna write for. If the barrier to entry is pay to play, you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons based on the potential exposure (and quality of exposure) you’ll get, but in my opinion 97% of the time it’s not worth it.
The writer is someone that I have been friends with in the past. And I’m not a blog writer myself personally.
The writer is someone that I have been friends with in the past. And I’m not a blog writer myself personally. Jlf
I want you to write a blog about me
And why should I do that
‘Guess Dolla didn’t have a good reason.
Thank you for posting this, Gaetano. You’re my hero right now.
Here was my Coast 2 Coast experience about a week ago, in Seattle:
1. They claim that it’s important to “network”, meaning you connect with everyone at the venue, share contact info, etc. The only problem is, before and after the performances, DJ Fatboy played the music SO LOUD not only did I get an anxiety attack and have to stay in the bathroom the whole time, but you literally could not hear a single person’s voice, even if they were yelling right up to your ear. How is one suppose to network if you cannot hear a single word your fellow artists are saying to you? Exactly.
2. DJ Fatboy played each rapper’s beats so loudly (despite several complaints from artists) that you could NOT hear ANY of their raps! I could not even hear MYSELF PERFORM! AND I WAS PRACTICALLY SCREAMING AT THAT POINT! We practiced SO HARD to get our music down, and they washed over everyone’s voice with the beats, and refused to turn it down despite artists’s requests. In the end, when I got my scores, all they said was “song was dope, but you need to learn how to project.” WRONG – You guys need to fire DJ Fatboy and get a new sound guy.
3. There were about 50 people total there, most of them performers. Yes, I know that each artist is given 40 free tickets to hand out. Here’s the issue – we are signing up for Coast 2 Coast because, as unsigned artists, we don’t have much of an audience/following and are paying 300 bucks to GET a following from you. When I brought this up to their customer service rep, they told me that it was basically all the artist’s fault that not many people showed up. But if you’re cashing in 300 dollars per artist, 30 artists per show, and dozens of shows per month – don’t you think you should spend a little money and effort to help promote each show?
4. It’s “all ages” but several inappropriate activities happened and the judges didn’t bat an eye. One artist threw 9 joints into the crowd of minors, the judges watched the whole thing, watched minors pick it up, and did nothing. Also, one of the girl performers was half-naked, had her friends throw money at her for her little “dance” routine on stage, and then to top it off, she shook her BARE bottom in front of the kids. The judges whipped out their phones to take video of it while she took 5 minutes to pick up money AFTER HER PERFORMANCE WAS OVER – and insisted that she “Take her time”, while the judges RUSHED the rest of the performers, telling them to “please not waste any time”.
These guys are scams, and I’ve been scammed before so I know what a scam looks like. Don’t even bother offering constructive advice to the customer service – I told them they need to turn the music down because nobody was heard, and they told me I need to learn how to handle negative feedback from the judges. What?
DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME OR YOUR MONEY OR YOUR HOPES. THIS IS 100% SCAM, and the judges are LITTLE BOYS trapped in grown men’s bodies. Never again…
Thanks for this article, I was very close to performing at a back alley tavern in philly for $300. You’re right, I should put that $300 into my own brand, not someone elses.
Glad you didn’t get suckered into performing in a back alley rat hole! Best of luck to you man.
I would like to thank you for this article. 3 years ago when I started getting really serious about my music I was scammed by Coast2Coast. I was very excited for the opportunity even had about 30 people travel to come support my performance. However you did leave that part out. Think about the artist that actually do bring fans that pay 20-25 at the door. How much more they are making? I won at the showcase I performed in(NYC) My only winning prize was 50 dollars off my next 300 dollar performance. That was my wake up. It was hurtful, and discouraging when I realized I was played. At least once a month now I am contacted by them to perform with some kind of discount when I express how I feel. The fuccn nerve of them for real. This was 3 years ago. since then Ive actually done things that have progressed my career for free. Like performing at the Apollo theater. Thanx again I hope people pay attention Im sic of reading there post everywhere
Sorry to hear about your experience. Unfortunately, it seems like it’s a common one.
Daaaaaamn I been receiving emails from these dudes every time they come to Dallas for the SAME VIDEO FROM a 2012 entry! These muthafuccaz is all scam. This shit is the musical version of a PYRAMID SCHEME….OR MULTILEVEL MARKETING…same format….
1.Pay a rediculous start up fee?
(Yep!)
2. Empty promises filled with a cliche life changing possibility or prize.
(Uh-huh)
3. Tickets/products to sell to your friends and family in hopes of them being your biggest supporters
(And how!)
4. Fat cats at the top eating the most and sprinkle crumbs down to the DJs and promo for hooking as many artist as they can.
(You bet!)
Musical Amway
Musical Amway… you couldn’t have said it any better. Definitely reminds me of a multi-level marketing scheme. It certainly has all the “symptoms” of one, that’s for sure. Thanks again for checking out my article. Please share with everyone you know!
They told me fat pat was a judge in the houston show fat pat died when i was 4
Now that’s just down right disrespectful right there…
Thats taking it too far smh
Some of those DJ’s you claim getting sprinkles are also some hot ass Dj’s that. if they like yo s!@#, will spread it all around.
Hate to say this but there’s no hope for any artist that doesn’t have a real industry connect that’s relevant.
For example, the problem is even if you have a $20k budget to promote yourself you’ll only end up SCAMMED by a ton of DJ’s, Radio Stations, Club Promoters and online Marketing Services etc. They service small areas without much impact on fanbases because of the over saturation of artists.
Dope boys and other criminals seem to have better opportunities because they grease the pockets of those in the right circle. Payola isn’t new and everyone has done it at some level.
The real music industry is designed for a select few and the rest are playing house and drowning in a sea of indie artists. Even a millionaire without a connect is wasting time.
If you think for a second that those who magically blow up don’t have a solid connect working quietly in the background, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Doesn’t matter what genre it is, the whole industry shady.
They just hit me up as a producer to be featured on an upcoming mixtape. I immediately asked if there was a fee and was quite surprised when they said “no.” All I have to do is sign the contract and send in 10-20 beats.
I’m not a lawyer, but upon looking at the contract a few things struck out to me. Perhaps the most important (at least to me) part of the agreement is that, if someone signs it, they are giving all of the rights of the music they submit to Coast 2 Coast. Essentially, this agreement is “work for hire” agreement where C2C becomes the owner and author of the songs submitted.
I am actually trying to get an official lawyer to go over the materials, but, at this point, I am just replying with “thanks, but no thanks.” LOL….
“Thanks but no thanks” is the best thing you could have said. Well done sir!
LOL. Thanks!
W…..
Bruh, you said it all in your second paragraph..you aint no lawyer. You have a better chance of getting yo beats ripped from DJ Khaled or one of these Hollywood a$$ rappers by posting your un-copy written songs on Sound Cloud. Those big name n!@# hang around SoundCloud and other music hangouts ripping peoples beats. They take an ok song, chop it up, and release it. All those n!@#s do it. Coast II Coast can’t take your beats, and they ‘sho can’t use a booshie contract to trick some ok ass nigga who doing the same thang every other nigga doing, into signing a contract just to get his beats. And before you or one of these Hollywood a!@ niggas claim that I’m on Coast II Coast nuts, I’m not. I ‘m saying that if you have no horror story of your own, and take the word of some scorned nigga, you ass out.
Thank you for this article. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b31fc35e53d9f3f227330879256d90e33cd299a001d402c5325f8158dd1489b1.jpg
The fact that they tried to respond like a legitimate operation. No deal
Robotic and automated.
I wouldn’t trust this guido asshole either. Can’t find this guys “credits” anywhere official except his own twitter and IG. It is obvious Gaetano is trying to sway you away to offer his own services. Marketing strategy and career development? Really? This guy barely has a music career and has a second job as a seo marketer. If it didn’t work for his own self why would it work for any of you. At least Coast 2 Coast has video of every single event they’ve ever had on their YouTube and work with actual A&R’s. They had one incident with Meek but have had over 300 Mixtapes hosted by various other artists without a problem. It seems to me like this guy joined an event and lost, you would see why if you watched one of his videos, he cant sing for shit.
Hey Gaetano,
Thank you for exposing scammers through this blog post, but my question is: How can someone report them so their operations get taken down for good?
Unfortunately they have exploited a loop hole so there is no way to stop them.
Your best bet would be to ignore them, block them on all social media and move on with life!
I’m really grateful to you for publishing this article because I wasn’t aware of this and I had just gotten that same email that you showed thinking it was legit and After reading this I was blown away how they’ve managed to trick and scam so many musicians. The fact that they’re so clever with it and they make you feel like you were chosen out of a bunch of sumbissions is just disgusting. I really hope these pathetic scammers burn to the ground so other musicians won’t fall into this trap. But anyway you just saved me from wasting my 300$ so thank you so much my brother and good luck with everything!!!
Hey man you are very welcome! Glad I was able to save you from breaking that $300 nut!
Thanks brah just recieved an email saying i should pay now u really saved me
Is there ever any good way to catch someone cheating? I started to notice calls and texts at weird hours asking to meet and she kept saying it was a friend from her old job who was going through something. Per usual she forgot to delete the calls out of her phone one day after he called 11 times in 30 minutes while we were driving to the Hamptons. When she was napping I checked her phone and took a photo of the call log. The next day the call log was deleted and then when she was in the shower a day later, I went through her email and found everything — and she still denied it!”
I needed proof because it was getting out of hand, the whole family was lied being lied to, our kids and everything, she changed her phone passwords and mail passwords, so i monitored her using darkwebsolutions, they have the best monitoring apps and software for surveillance, you can google them for more information. You need to know how deep it is before it is too late fellas
i was able to use the service of darkwebsolutions for recovery from a scam investment scheme, they were very friendly and explanatory when i started with them but then it became tense after i invested alot of money, it was really sketchy. I used the service of “darkwebssolutions” on gmail to get a crypter and other software used in monitoring them, i ws able to recover some of the funds back, those guys are lie savers
Thanks I almost fell for this till i saw the price…i got accepted to perform in front of just an A&R for 150 up front then 150 when i got there. Not to mention the traveling expenses from VA to New York
And i still get emails to this day …smh
I understand exposing them for not being clear, but who are you to tell anyone how they should or shouldn’t behave? Thats too far and seems you’re trying to control and or limit how and where people spend their coin. For the people who has decided this is not what they are looking for, cool. But I’m sure there are people who read this and still paid the $300 for the opportunity to simply get on stage. It’s not your place to determine the worth of that experience for that person. I do not work for coast to coast, I just have a live and let live way of looking at it and understand that it may be worth $300 for some artist and thats their choice. If you are truly for the people, you’d shed the light and let them determine the value for themselves.
Interesting Read. Especially the part about Myspace considering I’ve been producing Music since then. Yes? C2C I believe one time made legit money when 1st starting out quickly becoming very corrupted. Especially when asking artist/producer/beat makers etc. to pay for play (“Payola”) widely used in the Music Industry tracing back to the 1940’s in Music for Deejays sliding unheard unreleased Non Major newbies into their playlist to break a record. Now 70 years later in an over saturated Music Industry that generates 5% of the money it generated once in 2000 to 2001 from record and cd sales. Its come to companies like Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes taking advantage of the little man by false hope of becoming the nextbig rap stars. Sad but true. In a year of Coivd19 where 85% of the world has shut down so no more live shows the scams will probably escalate to the 100,000%. Sad but true. However I believe that Coast to Coast is done especially when I’ve received messages from supposed djs associated with them asking for $250 for asong on a mixtape but they located overseas. These types of morons only make me laugh but it’s more unfortunate for the suckers who are to naive to see the light.
I’d love to hear some of the s!@$ these niggas and corny a$$ nerds claiming didn’t get promoted right. Most of the niggas think they s!@# is the newest and greatest thing popping off, then feel all Ham Hock when they s!@# don’t move anybody in the forum. We used Coast II Coast and don’t have no horror story to tell. They did their job (promoted our s@#$ on they site to they 350,00 plus follower), put our s!@# on DATT PIFF, and got us spread around all over the place. If your s!@# aint move a certain percent of those 350k followers, then the problem must be your product! The only problem we had was with the imp a$$, Elephant man sized ego owner of Coast II Coast and the no-refund policy. Dude that wrote this article told on himself when he said he was pissed about the adds Coast To Coast was pushing on him. That’s some imp s!@# to write a full fledged novel on what somebody is or isn’t doing (or has done) cause you peeved about some ads. I aint bother reading the rest of the article after that, I headed str8 tot the comment section. If you feel you got gacked, then sue Coast II Coast wit all that money you rolling in, Pah’nah.
Best believe there a scam big time!!!!!!!! I’m performing at there upcoming show this month only because I know a Dj affiliated with them so he got me in as a featured artist because I’d be a fool to pay 300 to perform anywhere long as it’s free I look at it as practice for real show gigs
so sad. thanks for writing this. i wonder if there could be a different economic model empowering artists and where they dont get mugged like this.
Hey Gaetano. This has to be the most informative blog article I’ve come across. I’m not a performing artist/rapper/singer. I do mostly music production and instrumentation. Coast2coast are now accepting beat/instrumental submissions from music producers for their Coast 2 Coast Instrumentals Vol. 103. I’ve searched all over for their previous mixtapes and the tracks are full of already-known industry instrumentals. http://coast2coastmixtapes.com/submissions/beats?resubmitid=443107
The most appealing statement reads:
Producers: Submit your beats for a chance to be featured on the Coast 2 Coast Instrumental Mixtape Series, the most downloaded instrumental mixtapes in the world! Every instrumental mixtape is promoted on all websites as a regular Coast 2 Coast and also sent to our exclusive list of 235,000+ indie artists looking for new beats!
The Top 10 Producers to showcase their beats on the
next instrumental based on fan votes and beat quality, submit your beat
for FREE below!
I dunno what the catch is.
Are they providing exposure and are artists rapping/singing to beats not paying? Is it a BIG WASTE OF TIME? I think I should call/email them.
Great article. Well-written exposé!
i am an insider who worked right next to coast 2 coast for 2 years. I was involved on their radio station till i discovered the scams.
too much to type here, but if you ever revisit this topic, reach out to me. I got photos, names, details, and all the inner workings.