Todd Mangatal - todd@ariousmusic.us

Greetings On Line Family

It's a time of Celebration here at the Arious Entertainment Group.  

A little under a month ago Susan and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary, and it's amazing how fast time flies.  Since our passion is Caribbean music it was really a blessing to be able to spend our 25th Anniversary in Trinidad two weeks before Carnival; (which is one of the main markets for Caribbean music other than Jamaica.)  The entire country was filled with music from every car, rum shop and home, it was music...music...music everywhere.  This was truly a wonderful experience!!!

One question I always get from people is: "how have you all stayed married for so long, and seem so happy?" Well, we are truly happy; and as far as staying together, that has not been a difficult achievement.  

First of all, before you decide to take the step of marriage you must make a friend, and once you become friends the rest is easy.  When you do decide to get married you must understand what marriage is; and the simplest way for me to explain this is: MARRIAGE IS A PARTNERSHIP!  Like any partnership there are ups and downs, disagreements and compromises; but it's very important to have the same goals, and life visions.  It's just that simple!  

To further explain, just like in a business partnership you must have a plan and both parties must be in agreement with that plan.  Consequently, in a marriage you must have a LIFE PLAN.  When I say "life" I don't mean 1 month or 1 year or even 5 years, it must be a life long plan (according the vows "till death do us part".)  This is a plan of what you want out of your lives, one that suits your dreams and desires.  It could be as simple as: we are going to work 9-5 for 40 years, raise a family, and retire in Florida; or it could be something as big as we are going to build a multi-national company that employs thousands, enriches the lives of many, as well as change the world for the better.  The latter is our life plan!

Another question I always get is: why do we always hang out together?  That's simple also!  We are friends, partners, and we have a plan.  Part of our plan and passion is music and the business of music (mainly Caribbean music;) and bringing Caribbean music and culture to the mainstream.  So most of the times when we are hanging out, we are not just hanging out for fun; it's business, research and education - which are all necessary elements to building a strong solid foundation for our larger goals.  [Not only do we have to create a place in the music business, we really have to create an entire industry, because Caribbean music is not as organized and developed as the mainstream music markets. This is why it's important and takes time to build a foundation. Additionally, the mainstream music industry is going through changes because of the constant development of new technology.]

We'll talk more about marriage some other time.  Just remember it's a partnership and a friendship, and you must have a plan.  Keep in mind trust and respect is very important, and you both must be going in the same direction as you work and build (together) on your plan!

This weekend, we are celebrating 3 important milestones in our business development. The first and most important is my 45th birthday, because without me none of this other stuff would be possible.

The second is the 7th Anniversary of this/our AEG weekly E-Newsletter, which reaches over 35,000 people worldwide.  Honestly, it's very hard to believe 7 years have gone by so fast.  

As I reflect back to the beginning (7 years ago) I remember so clearly when we realized we needed a better way to promote events, music and artists.  Back then we used to do most of our promotions through flyers, print ads, and radio, which was very time consuming and expensive.  This was also a time when the internet was starting to become a part of most of our lives (nothing like it is today).  With the internet in its infancy, we knew it would be an innovative, cost effective and easy way to improve and advance our services and business.  I must say it was great to get in on the ground floor of this cyber boom, which has engulfed all of our lives today. 

As we researched this new innovation I thought it would be best to create an on-line community, or family as I like to call it.  This was the birth of this AEG E-Newsletter. Basically, we started to promote events using the internet through our weekly E-Newsletter, which was something that was really needed in the Caribbean community, because there won't many specific communication options to promote events of a Caribbean nature.  Yes, we had community oriented radio; which was mainly on public radio and didn't offer many advertising opportunities.  Thus, this on-line community was a great idea and THE answer.  After starting, I quickly realized why there were only community oriented radio programs and a few other media outlets that targeted the Caribbean community.  And that was: Caribbean promoters didn't like to spend money to promote their events, artists and concerts; and with this mindset it would be impossible to support commercial Caribbean radio stations and other media outlets. 

As we progressed, we realized there were a lot of issues in the community (as a whole) that needed to be addressed; so in addition to information and event reviews, we added a commentary section onto our weekly e-newsletter to address many of the important issues that had been plaguing our community.

Needless-to-say, this has not been easy, because unfortunately people like Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck and others can speak their mind and opinions and get richer, but we on the other hand lose friends and are hated when we express our opinion.  Be mindful our comments has never been meant to be hateful or to tear down, only to create thoughts and inspire serious discussions; which in-turn will strengthen and build a stronger Community. 

For the first few years, I wrote the commentaries myself, and it got to the point where it seemed every week all I was talking about was the violence in the community (who got killed, shot, robbed, etc.) which sickened me.  Most importantly, the direction the music was going in was starting to disappoint and aggravate me.  As a result, my comments and observations got too "deep", and sometimes angry.  Actually, my anger was apparent through my writing.  Therefore, we decided it would be a "good thing" for me to take a break, and try to find answers and solutions to these problems.  

This is where the importance of a strong partner who shares your goals, dreams and ambitions come in.  Therefore, Susan stepped into my shoes and has "held it down" for a long while.  I'm sure many of you enjoy and look forward to her weekly commentary and the information she shares (sometimes controversial, sometimes fun, but always informative.)

This break gave me the time to focus on other ideas that could build upon what we already accomplished through our Arious on-line community (network).  When I envisioned this on-line community, I had envisioned an interactive community where all the members of the network would be able to communicate and interact with each another. You would not only see our opinions on issues, but the opinions of the masses. Which is strength!!!  

Additionally, with the free time I had, I began developing our MySpace page, which has grown in members/friends to pretty close to 10,000.  For us this was a great introduction to social networks and a wonderful learning experience.  I soon realized this is what I had in mind for our Arious On-line community all along.  

As we evolved and continued developing, out of nowhere Facebook took the world by storm, and what started as a social network for college students began to absorb everyone.  I'm sure most of you, if not all of you who are reading this right now has a Facebook account; and many times during the day and night you are like me - constantly checking your Facebook page, and the status of your friends on your network.  (Just like you used to check your messages on your voicemail or answering machine.)  This has really brought the world closer together...don't you think?

The third thing we are celebrating this weekend is the 1st Anniversary of the creation of our targeted Caribbean Social Network - www.mycaribbean.us.

A little over a year ago after dealing with Myspace and Facebook, I was absolutely certain and strongly felt: (1) the need to create a social network targeted specifically to the Caribbean Community; (2) one that would bring the Caribbean Communities around the world closer together; and (3) one that not only would allow its members to be interactive within their circle of friends (in cyber space,) but one that would be assessable on the "ground" in communities with regional outlets to support and promote their network, and those on the network.  

Indeed, this was the premise in which www.mycaribbean.us was created, produced and developed.  I spent lots of hours making the thoughts and ideas I had for www.mycaribbean.us a reality.  After mentally and financially committing to this project/venture everything began falling into place; such as the layout, color scheme, themes, topics, features, etc.  Now we feel comfortable with the upward mobile track we are on with this exciting network.  As for the growth, it is steady and at a consistent rate - not too fast; which we feel is good, and which has allowed us the opportunity to experiment with all the features.

We are hopeful many of you see the vision we have for this targeted social network and build on it.  Those of you who have taken the first step to join, you are our foundation and we appreciate having you.  Our slogan is: MAKE IT YOURS, and now that you are a part of the network it is time for everyone to familiarize themselves with all the features it has to offer and MAKE IT YOURS! 

Additionally, www.mycaribbean.us is a great communications tool, and it is imperative for you to become interactive on the network, which is one of the many reasons of its creation and its success.  No matter what your goals and interests are, you can build your own targeted network within www.mycaribbean.us.  

Undoubtedly, many of you have opinions and ideas to express, products to expose, and events to promote.  Therefore, with (1) The "Blog" feature (an ideal place where you can share information and your thoughts daily/weekly/etc. with your network,) and a place those on the network are able to comment on your blog.  (2).  The "Forum" feature is another place to express yourself, share information, make statements and ask questions. Here you can also discuss important issues that are of interest to you and the community. (3) The "Chat" is a fun place (private or public).  (4) The "Event" section is real cool when you need to expose your event.  There you can post your event which is visible on the main page, and is shared with the entire network.  This can also be used as a tool to invite people to your event/s on and off the network.  (5) As for your page "MyPage" you can set it up to your liking, design it which ever way you please.  You can add your pictures and your favorite videos and music.  (6) The "Oovoo video Chat" is the one feature I am most excited about, and the one I have had the most fun with.  With Oovoo you can talk and view up to 6 people/friends through a live video chat (as long as you have a Webcam and a microphone on your computer.)

I can keep going on and on about www.mycaribbean.us, but I will stop here so you can explore it yourself!  Additionally, it is truly important for you to share it with your friends and family.  Oops, I almost forgot to tell you the best part of this social network, which is:  IT IS ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!

If you have not yet joined www.mycaribbean.us yet, we urge you to do so right away. 

I invite you once again to join us this weekend as we celebrate all of these milestones, at our first official event since we started 7 years ago.  It's funny we have advertised and promoted lots of events for others, but we have never taken the time to do our own.  Undeniably...now is the time!   Therefore, we are hopeful you would come out and meet, greet, mingle and share your ideas on how we can make the Arious Entertainment Group and www.mycaribbean.us a driving force in the mainstream market, the music, the uplifting and creation of a strong music business and a unified Caribbean as a whole.

So...Join us this Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at the Crossroads Restaurant, 4103 Baltimore Avenue, Bladensburg, Maryland from 6pm to 10 pm.   

If you really care about the Caribbean and the advancement of the Caribbean Community I am certain you will join us as we build this dream.

SEE YOU ON SUNDAY!!!!    

If you would like to make a comment directly to me you can reach me at todd@ariousmusic.us.  If you are coming to celebrate with us this Sunday, hit me up at that e-mail and let me know, so I can meet and spend some time chatting with you on Sunday.  Additionally, if you are interested in exposing your business, product, service or event through advertising on our Weekly E-Newsletter or on www.mycaribbean.us let me know, so we can discuss the possibilities.  Most importantly, if you see our vision for www.mycaribbean.us, and you would like to invest, you can contact me as well todd@ariousmusic.us. 

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ARIOUS GREETINGS

Very Special  Birthday Greetings to my favorite person, my soul mate, my heart, and my very best friend Todd!

Very Special Birthday Greetings To Herman Samuel-3/1/09; Dwayne and Jannette - Our friends from www.mycaribbean.us;

Zita from Zanzibar-OTW; Gillian; Brownskin Chinee from T&T (3/1/09); Artie (3/2/09); Danny; as well as Gerry, Maria, Dexter, Gabby and Jelisa

From all of us here at Arious we hope your special day is/will be filled with lots of joy!!!!

Happy Birthday to All Our MySpace Friends (too many to list individually)  To Stop In and give us a "shout" on our Mypace site & Thanks to all our friends on Myspace for all the nice comments!

 Happy birthday to all our other friends on Facebook, Twitter and all our friends at Hi5

Thanks to the many who have sent me e-mails in response to my past E-Newsletters and lots of important information to use for our future E-Newsletters.  Most importantly, we thank you for your encouraging words!  

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Until Next Week, Take Good Care and Have a lovely weekend!