Once you know where the artists and their fans ‘draw the line’, you then need to know where you can add value. Because in this day and age unless you add value to the music experience that you are creating (or buying into) you are unlikely to gain any real value from participating.

One of the most popular sectors for brands to play in at the moment is the Unsigned sector, no-doubt spurred on by the success of the Myspace brand. But how many of the brands playing in this space are delivering anything useful to the artists, or the fans?

Let’s take a look at Red Stripe’s Music Awards contest, as an example. What might a band want from entering such a competition? The expectation from these sort of competitions is usually some sort of record deal, lots of media exposure, the chance to play bigger and better venues to bigger and better audiences, and possibly some chart success.

The reality for the artist, however, is often very different.

Let’s look at last year’s Red Stripe winner’s, The Runners. It seems that almost one year on from winning the award, that their career has hardly moved on. They are back playing small and predominantly local venues. The media coverage they got from winning the award seems to have pretty much dissipated. While the band, who already had a record deal with a small UK indie label prior to winning the competition, have failed to capitalise on their ‘success’, with neither of their two singles to-date charting. Hardly the big leg-up I’m sure the band, and their label, were no-doubt hoping for.

The brand laudably claim that “the award is about championing grass roots music and we aim to offer a genuinely talented band a foot in the door of that great big sod known as the industry”. But sadly these sort of competitions rarely deliver on their initial promise. Ask any A&R man. It’s pretty true to say that few bands ever got signed from sending out unsolicited demo tapes, it’s also true to say that few bands got anywhere from winning a Battle Of The Bands style competition.

But often the issue is even more fundamental. We’ve spent a long time talking to unsigned bands and grass roots organisations that provide help to young musicians; and the things they really NEED are far simpler, and are often lot more beneficial than winning a competition.

Yet brands always seem to fail to ask the simplest of questions. How can we help?

Artists, be they unsigned or international stars, really shouldn’t see working with brands as some sort of necessary evil. Brands can help - be it investment, marketing or distribution. So talk to them and find out how you can genuinely help them achieve their goals. The solution could be far simpler than you’d think.

And once you get involved you can’t just drop everything and expect everyone to remain happy. Sony Bravia provided information on their website about Jose Gonzalez, who soundtracked their award-winning TV advert, but stopped updating it as soon as their new advert appeared.

One top UK manager summed it up best when he said:

Bands will sometimes work with brands for the money and the exposure. But these sorts of programmes usually don’t have a significant impact on building artist’s careers, and that’s why they don’t feel beholden to the Brand. Brands simply didn’t do enough to really impact on our attitude towards them.

When it comes to musicians, never ever make assumptions. Just because they are in a pop band, don’t assume that they won’t have ethics. And just because they are highly ethical, that they won’t get involved with brands. As the old saying goes, assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups!

Music is sensitive territory…

“There seems to me to be a great loss of integrity as far as I can see. But what the fuck do I know?” Lemmy from Motorhead

And just because some artists are prepared to work with brands…

“There is no such thing as selling out anymore, because there’s no opposite of selling out. If you have your song on a car commercial, it’s because your band needs to eat. It doesn’t mean what it used to mean. John Mayer

…doesn’t mean they’ll work with anyone.

“I was asked to endorse a hair spray, and it was the most soul-destroying thing. Record companies are trying to take all the money off the bands these days, so it forces you into selling yourself to those evil massive corporations”. Lily Allen

So why do brands get this sort of reaction from artists? The brand (or as likely their agency) made incorrect assumptions about the artist, which possibly went along the line of…

• She already had a fashion line ‘Lily Loves’ with New Look, and was therefore up for brand partnerships
• She’s a stylish girl, so she won’t have a problem endorsing a hair spray

Before you start making all sorts of assumptions you need to ask a very simple question of the artist ‘where do you draw the line‘? Lily, like all artists, know that not all brands are “evil massive corporations”. But when they act insensitively or inappropriately, which is sadly too often the case. it’s no surprise they get such bad rep from the artist they wanted to work with.

And remember just because some artists were once anti-brand, it doesn’t mean that they stay anti-brand forever. Like everyone, they have the right to change their mind:

“The Gap wanted us to be in a commercial and we said ‘No’ and everyone said, ‘Why not?’” he moaned. “People’s opinions about selling out seem to have changed over the years.” Jack White, The White Stripes in 2001

‘Jack White confirmed recently that he had accepted the offer from Coca-Cola to write a song specifically for a global campaign to be launched this summer, entitled ‘What Goes Around’.’ Jack White, The White Stripes in 2005

citizensound says:

Few brands ever seem to ask the artist up-front what their needs are, and where they personally draw the line - a simple concept that is key to both our philosophy and practise.

Last week myself I went to see Findlay Brown, at the Gladstone, a new pub/live music venue in South London.  

If you are wondering who Findlay is, you've probably heard his before music without knowing it. His song "Come Home" was the soundtrack for the Mastercard  ‘Priceless’ Christmas TV advert, which captured real people reuniting with their loved ones at the arrivals gate of Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The music for this TV ad campaign was pitched to Mastercard’s creative agency McCann Erickson by an independent sync company, via songwriter Findlay Brown’s manager. “I think the chorus from Come Home held some poignancy with the subject matter for the advert” claims Findlay.

Nobody ever says goodbye, but I don’t mind. Just come home. Come home"

A number of tracks were considered for the advert, “it was between me and Snow Patrol apparently, but I needed the exposure more than they did” he joked!

The advert, which has been used across the globe, was first used in 2006, and then again last Christmas.  “The use of the song definitely brought my music to a wider audience,” he said, “and although I got a small amount of ribbing from my friends for letting my music be used in an ad, most people thought it was a positive thing”. The awareness gained from the song being used in the advert had a significant impact, with a noticeable increase in the number of hits to his Myspace page and his official website over the last festive period. Findlay also found that when he played at last year’s music festivals, such as Glastonbury and the O2 Wireless Festival, that lots of people knew the words to the song, and were singing along to it! As a consequence of the advert’s success Come Home was released as a single by his label Peacefrog (also home to José González, whose track Heartbeats was used to great effect on the first Sony Bravia advert), which Findlay believes wouldn't have happened without the music appearing on the advert first. When he asked him if he would let his music be used again  for an advert he firmly stated that "It depends on what it was for. I wouldn't do anything for any cheese-based products, not even Dairy Lee".

(more…)

Now we know that the banks have wanted to be down with the kids as long as there have been students. Many of us can remember the scrum at freshers week to sign us up for our first bank account. And over the years one of the most popular hooks they’ve used to reach students has revolved around music – be they free record tokens or Walkman’s in my day, or downloads and MP3 players for today’s students. So after all those years of giving away music goodies what was it that persuaded Barclays Bank that they were ready to step-up their commitment in the music space by sponsoring nights at the Ministry Of Sound superclub in London? And to top it all there idea of sponsorship was to put up huge posters and banners around the club? I’m not sure who I’m more embarrassed for - the Ministry for taking the money, or the brand itself.

However, you would hope that even the most out-of-touch marketer would probably have guessed that Barclays attempts were likely to fall on deaf ideas. Yet plenty of brands still get it wrong, even though I’m sure they think they are getting it so so right.

How about Superdrug’s nail bar on a Double Decker Bus spotted at UK music festivals in 2006. “Girls like being pampered, and they like going to rock festivals. Result.” You can just see the meeting. So why were music fans going – nail-bar, rock festival, what, nah? Superdrug ‘Backstage’ was aimed at girls who wanted to glam up, be pampered, and even offered the opportunity to become a festival superstar via the Hairbrush Diva karaoke competition.

Had anyone involved in the brand ever been to a rock festival before? Especially somewhere like ‘T In The Park’. It’s in Scotland. It rains a lot. It can get very muddy. And if by chance it was really sunny, wouldn’t all those fair skinned Celts need factor 50 sunblock, not a pamper wagon?

citizensound says:

Music like any passion centre requires commitment from brands that wish to play in that space, be it a football or music.

And you don’t just get instant membership once you’ve joined the club. Few brands have the god given right to play in the music space - Levi’s and Jack Daniels are two rare brands that seem to just fit right in. But even if you are in that lucky position, you can still get it wrong.

If you want to join the club you not only need to show lots of commitment, but you at least need to try and be appropriate. And if by chance you get it wrong, learn by your mistakes. And remember it’s not only the artists who can take some persuading to get involved with brands. You also need to be aware that the fans can be even bigger critics, who unlike the artist aren’t getting paid to represent your brand!

This British act, released their multi-platinum debut album in 2006, spending almost half the year in the UK Top 20 album charts. They are an award-winning act, with a major European honour already under their belt’s. They have played a number of major festivals, and supported one of the biggest bands on the planet in 2006. They will release their sophomore album in 2008. We are looking, on their behalf, for a brand interested in partnering up with them on their next European tour.

So what can the band offer the brand?

This project is a great way for any brand to stake a claim in the music space on a pan-European basis, working with an exciting young and credible act, that has already started to build-up a strong presence across the continent. It is also an ideal start for any brand looking to understand how both bands and fans tick. Or a great way for an established brand in the music space to deepen their relationship with internationally-growing act.

So why does an award-winning act need a brands support? Fewer bands are receiving tour support from their record labels these days, especially when it’s abroad. Equally some bands are signed to different labels in different territories and find it hard to find a partner across a number of countries. Touring can be expensive business for any young band, especially when you want to put on a 'real' show. Brand support can help deliver a new and bigger audience for both brand and band.

We have a number of exciting music-based projects on the look out for brand partners. If you need some great ideas to help execute your music strategy, give us a call or drop us an email. We can help…

Let's face it; few music fans have ever preferred the CD booklet to the album sleeve. With CD sales continuing to drop, and downloads nowhere near replacing the shortfall in sales and revenues, could making the downloads more attractive to music fans help boost sales?

Fans have always wanted something special. Limited edition sleeves, picture discs, posters or a free 7" single have all been used by label marketers in the past to boost sales. So why is nobody trying the same tricks in the download space? In an increasingly crowded market could packaging be used to give your new release increased stand out? Would a more attractively packaged download encourage P2P downloaders to buy the real thing? After all, most download releases come with nothing more than a copy of the albums front cover. And as there's plenty of widgets that can get the cover art for you, hardly a problem. Wouldn't you think that someone would have looked at how to package a download, and to see if that was one way of making them more attractive?

Well, some labels think they may have the answer by producing a 'physical' product in the shape of a USB memory stick. Some of these little critters are really attractive (see these White Stripes examples, above). But what about the rest of the packaging? Is all we really want a flashy outer-casing? And once you have a few hundred of these pesky USB keys, how will fans use or display them? And importantly in this day and age, is it a particularly green way to release your music?

The second options to provide something for free with the download.

I finally got around to downloading LCD Soundsystem's excellent album of music to exercise to. Nike commissioned the piece entitled 45:33, which was initially only available to download from iTunes via the Nike+ website. And as with an increasing number of album releases on iTunes, it comes with a downloadable booklet. But that's where the problems start! The booklet is simply a PDF facsimile of the CD booklet. Fine you may think but, this has got to be be the most uninspiring piece of packaging I've ever seen. And it's not just this particular release. I've yet to see any digital booklet that looks like it has been designed for the computer rather than for a physical CD. And worst of all these booklets won't work on you iPod or MP3 player, which makes them virtually useless! 

citizensound says: 

It makes us wonder if labels still employed their own art departments, would download packaging have moved on? Would a new breed of digital artists and designers have been employed to develop exciting and innovative interactive packaging that added some real value to the listening experience?

Would something as simple as a karaoke functionality on the lyrics or an interactive gaming facility encourage younger music fans to pay for downloads, rather than bluetooth them from their mates in the playground?

And what do older fans like me want from this sort of packaging? In-the-studio footage of the album being recorded? Or access to technology (like U-MYX) that allows me to make my own mixes of my favourite tracks.

Let us know how what sort of packaging you would like to see attached to a music download…

Rolling Stone magazine, the venerable American music magazine,  hit it's fortieth anniversary in 2007. Like many 'old school' content businesses they are still struggling with what content to put online and what to save for the physical edition. So sadly all the quotes from their 'Future Of Music' feature in the 15th of November special issue of the magazine are not available online, although a few quotes they didn't use in the magazine are available here.

So for those of you who missed out on the article, here are a few choice quotes, which certainly give an interesting perspective on where artists head's are at right now. It seems that both record labels and brands need to work a lot harder on the relationship they have with artists… (more…)

Also on the Brands in Music Panel at In The City was Andrea Moore, Marketing Director of Levi’s UK. At a personal level, Andrea is passionate about music. At a business level, I believe that she has been involved in one of the most credible examples of Brands and Bands coming together over the last 10 years. So I asked her to relay the story of Levi's and the MC5 at the conference to demonstrate how a band can work with a brand to the benefit of all, including the fan… Levi’s back in 2002 was about to launch a range of limited edition Ts with Gary Grimshaw doing the designs. Gary was the man behind some of the iconic MC5 and Grateful Dead posters/album sleeves of the 60s. Well, this T with MC5 was designed, but Wayne Kramer of the MC5 heard about this and got upset that they were not consulted… Now most brands would get their lawyers on to it and go ‘oops, here’s a cheque’. Not Andrea. She talked to him and found out that Wayne really wanted to reform the MC5 (well the 3 of the 5 still with us). ‘So how can we help?’ was Andrea’s response. The outcome was the MC5 playing their first gig for over 20 years. When Wayne was first contacted, the guys were hardly on speaking terms let alone playing together. The gig was announced through the core fansites of MC5 and amongst those musicians who look up to their music. The three of them played the 100 Club in March 2003 with Lemmy, Dave Vanian, Mani and others in support. It was a special moment. I know I was there, and I have their scribbled set list as proof. After the gig, they started touring, their back catalogue was reissued and Wayne is often contacted for comment in many music mags. They are rightly more widely known than ever before. When a certain music magazine had a go at them for taking the brand $, Wayne hit back at his detractors.

When a certain music magazine had a go at them for taking the brand $, Wayne hit back with this statement:

If I declare myself to be a messenger of change, to protest what I know is wrong in the world or in myself, then actually be the person I represent myself to be, my critics seem to be compelled to needle me for not being downtrodden enough, not oppressed enough. There's a perverse thing going on here with critics and fans. It's especially peculiar to me that, when I was rotting in Federal Prison, the British music press revered me. Maybe they'd be happier if I'd never work again and be a glorious petrified legend. True to form, rather than step up to the plate this time and explore the decisions made by us, they tried to make us look bad. I would be disappointed if they didn't. It's predictable and it's cheap and it's their usual lazy journalism not backed up by any political ideology or theory one way or the other. It's about filling column inches with as little effort as possible, and they have a right to do so. It's as if we were accountable to a different standard that anyone else. If you shine a light on injustice, you can't have a nice, clean house?

This quote is still on their website, and you can read his full thoughts on the subject here.

As for the fans, there were people who travelled from Sweden, Japan and the States to that 100 Club gig, with the hope of getting in.

Given Jazz Summer's intense attack on record labels at the In The City conference, it was no mean feat by Marcus Engh of Sony BMG Europe to defend the label’s position robustly. With impeccable calmness, he stepped in to rain on Jazz’s parade. He referenced a host of deals that SonyBMG have constructed with brands where the artist AND the manager were appreciative of. Furthermore, he stressed that the band management see the label as partners who add immense value in such deals. Now this is getting complicated. Labels and Band Managers getting on and working together to secure brand partnerships for their acts. Each playing to their strengths. So that is a second business model that is working, one where label, artist and artist management get on fine. On a personal note, a big thank you to Marcus for stepping in at short notice and rushing up to Manchester to be with us. citizensound says:

It is all too easy to point the finger at record companies and say they are all at fault and they add nothing. The DIY panel we ran (see previous posts) demonstrated that even the most independent minded artist will still need certain skills around them to make it. And many artists stay with labels or want a deal with labels exactly because they believe that labels are better suited to delivering on these functions (under one roof) than anywhere else. Clearly there is a rise of alternative models though which are challenging the record labels to up their game. These models may not be new, but nevertheless are more readily available to the artist than ever before. As Ahmet Ethegun is for me one of the heroes of music, I have an issue with this black and white depiction of record labels. Of more interest is focussing on the right kind of people and skills that an artist needs, not what kind of company they work for.

Ian Grenfell, founder of Silentway Management, was also on the panel that citizensound ran at In The City this year. Representing such artists as Simply Red, Ian has distanced the artist from a major record label, with the artist having greater control (and responsibility) for their future success and development. So, with a little glint in his eye, he asked his fellow panellist Jazz Summers why his acts (such as The Verve) are still with labels, if he thinks record labels offer little for the artist. He suggested to Jazz that, rather than talk about how bad the labels are, Jazz should do as Ian has already done and build an alternative. Seems that Jazz has plans, so he might be following Ian’s lead on this one.

citizensound says:

Ian is a great example of the opportunity that exists in music right now. If the business model doesn’t fit, then go and work one out that does. Don’t wait for a book to be written or the government to legislate for it…DIY is more than making music it is making your own destiny. That is what Ian did. Just don't think it is easy. Also don't assume that all record labels offer little. For many artists and managers, labels offer immense service and support. It's not black and white.