A couple of solid articles by Paul Resnikoff of Digital Music News reporting last week from SXSW that have caught my attention…
The first, Rock Brand 2.0, explores how Artists forge powerful and profitable relationships with brands. Because the music industry is not the best industry at understanding it’s consumers, this means deemphasizing the artistic elements of the music for a moment, and shifting towards more concrete demographic details in terms of what the Artist is offering the brand partnership.
It’s interesting to me that the article is from the perspective of the Artist pitching themselves to the brand, and not the other way around. I am assuming this is all happening from within the major label system with a conglomerate of decision makers acting on behalf of the Artist. I would have thought the brands would be chasing the Artist.
The second, The Games People Play, highlights the gaming industry as an unparalleled promotional platform for up-and-coming bands. In March of last year, video game developer Electronic Arts formed a collaborative venture with Nettwerk Music Group called Artwerk Music, and started signing, distributing, and promoting artists on its own.
Not really a record label, Artwerk is a next-generation music publisher that goes way beyond video games. It’s an aggressive, proactive publisher that delivers master recordings, film and TV synch deals, advertising placements and distribution. The sentiment is that album sales don’t matter anymore, from a publisher’s point of view - cross-platform global song placement does.
But according to Steven Schnur, worldwide executive of Music and Marketing for Electronic Arts, apparently the total licensing amounts paid to Artists are still “mostly modest” and “you won’t make your yearly nut from a gaming license,” he advises.
Rock Brand 2.0: What Advertisers Really Want — Digital Music News
The Games People Play (And the Bands That Play With Them) — Digital Music News
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Now playing: The Teenagers - Streets Of Paris
via FoxyTunes
