Last week while on the London Tube I picked up a copy of free morning newspaper The Metro to find out that it is the latest brand to launch its own unsigned band competition, called On-line & On-Tour 2008, under the strap-line – create, listen, be discovered. Yet another offering that gives us, the humble music fan, a chance to choose the next big thing! Oh, spare me please.
I’ve almost lost count of number of branded unsigned music initiatives in the music space over the last few years. With the majority of brands offering variation on one of two basic themes - MySpace and the ‘Battle Of The Bands’ contest. Or if we are really lucky, a bit of both!
While most brands have learned that they can gain real competitive advantage and standout by ziging when their competitors zag, it seems that when it comes to music that an awful lot of brands are happy to play follow the leader.
So why am I so cynical? The record industry’s success rates is at best roughly 1 in 10 artists managing to recoup the investment put into them. But how many of us could name a artist that has had any level of success from one of these sort of initiatives? Um, I’m struggling too.
However, what I’m not suggesting is that brands stop playing in the unsigned space. If anything this sort of grass routes community-based marketing activity should be encouraged. But maybe part of the problem is that too many brands and their agencies seem to be using MySpace as the yardstick. Although in reality it is may not offer unsigned bands much more than the often much-maligned Battle Of The Bands contest.
I spotted a really insightful response on how effective MySpace is for unsigned artists on a post to an article about the new MySpace music store, by dotcom industry commentator, Om Malik.
Ampbuzz said “People are getting tired of logging in and out of services (such as MySpace) setting up friends, inviting people to join them and what not, so as a band (I have 2 band pages on MySpace) what I find is that the “friends” that you amass are usually just other bands.”
So as I’ve always suspected the majority of people who check out unsigned bands, be it online or at unsigned competitions, are more often than not, other unsigned artists. And not the people they really want to attract, music fans.
citizensound says:
Brands are in many ways are very similar to record companies in that they can offer artists the three things the most need - investment, marketing and distribution, but on a scale that record companies could only dream of. Now is the time for brave brands to enter into the unsigned space and really make a difference.
