From what I understand the traditional record industry is 'going down the shitter' because people don't buy records any more. Instead, they use the internet to steal albums, mp3s, and youtubes viddies. Some New York Times article just 'profiled' the state of the modern music industry, and how so many lifestylebrands are trying to appeal to young adults by 'curating mp3s' / funding buzzbands / helping artists 2 'create art.' Really tried to make it seem like they are 'saving the music industry', and helping artists to 'do what they love--create mp3s.'

Do u buy into brands as the new record labels? I thought blogs were the new record labels [via the opinion of a pseudo-progressive journalist in 2k7]. Might have to start a brand to re-establish my position as a 'tastemaker'/'sharer' of music.

Here is the 'opening' hook, where they tell u that Converse is buying a studio space, and they are going to let bands record in there 2 seem 'kewl' with consumers.

RIGHT now it is just a shell, the peeling remnant of an old dry cleaner on a graffiti-covered block in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. But soon the 5,200-square-foot space will be transformed into a sleek new recording studio in the heart of the underground-rock capital. And in the latest twist in pop’s relationship with Madison Avenue, the struggling bands making music there will already be encountering corporate America: the studio is being built by Converse, which will let them record free.

A shoe company giving away studio time might seem peculiar. But with its new project, Converse — whose sneakers have been worn by generations of bands, from the Ramones to the Strokes — wants to become a patron of the rock arts. The company is not alone: lifestyle brands are becoming the new record labels.

Good think I am in a chillwave, lofi, bedroom-recordings based artist, and Converse can't really help my band.

Wonder if it is 'worth it' to record at Converse studios. Wonder if a 'recording studio' is a good investment by Converse, or if they should just 'open up a new sweatshop' in the same space in Brooklyn.

Seems like brands are just starting to buy the rights to albums instead of wasting money on tv/internet ads. Every time a relevant MP3 is released, a blog is forced to mention the name of the brand. Seems like they are 'winning' even if no1 really cares, the brand doesn't resonate with consumers, and every1 is just picking up some free MP3s.

Looking to infiltrate the lives of their customers on an ever deeper cultural level, they are starting imprints, scouting for talent and writing checks for nearly every line item on a band’s budget. And as the traditional record industry crumbles, plenty of musicians are welcoming these new rock ’n’ roll Medici.

Apparently, real record labels suck/take all of a band's money anyways, so buzzbands would rather just do a 'one and done' deal with a brand that has more money to pay them, and does't view them as some sort of 'golden calf' that they have to keep milking for 5-10 years, stealing money from it on the reg.

Artists and talent managers say that the music deals offered by brands can be fairer and more favorable than traditional label contracts. These days major labels want bands to sign so-called 360 or extended-rights agreements, which give the label a piece of nearly every dollar a band makes, from concerts to merchandise. On the other hand, most brands offer short-term deals with few strings.

Here is Best Coast being all defensive, and saying she hasn't sold out/isn't stupid 4 taking huge dollars from brands.

Ms. Cosentino’s band has existed for barely a year, but she is already a branding vet. Well before she signed a proper record deal, with the small label Mexican Summer, she released a single through a boutique headphone company. And when Converse asked her to collaborate with the rapper Kid Cudi and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend on a song that would be given away on its Web site, she didn’t hesitate. “It was an amazing opportunity,” she said by phone recently from a gig in Iowa. “If I said no it would have been stupid.”

Makes sense that she took a $500 gift card from Taco Bell [link].
Do bands just not make that much money so it is impossible to 'say no' when some1 just wants to give them money without claiming too much ownership over them? Are companies just 'cooking the books', investing in abstract goods + services to offer buzzbands, and not really doing much to help their brand?

Here is some 'expert' dude saying why brands are doing this record label bullshit.

“Indie-inflected music serves as a kind of Trojan horse,” Mr. Rabinowitz said. “Consumers feel they are discovering something that they believe to be cool and gaining admittance to a more refined social clique.”

Here's something I didn't know, Motel 6 offers free rooms to buzzbands:

Motel 6’s Rock Yourself to Sleep program, for example, gives free rooms to touring groups.

Might 'go on tour' and just show up at random Motel 6 locations, and say to the dude at the front desk, "Hi, I'd like the buzzband room. It is the 1 with the jacuzzi/whirlpool tub."

Seems like life as a buzzband is rlly lucrative.

They interviewed the CEO / CFO / CTO of Pitchfork, and he was all like, "Consumers need to effing question these brands instead of just taking their mp3s for free. So many companies doing shady ass shit, eff em all. U can't blind us with free MP3s."

Chris Kaskie, the president of the music Web site Pitchfork, noted a lack of debate about the implications of bands’ working with brands. When Nike makes a cool mix-tape, he said, there is little comment in the indie-rock world about the company’s labor practices, which have drawn criticism in the past.

“Young bands are growing up in a culture where there’s less off that discussion happening, less of those underlying issues being addressed,” Mr. Kaskie said. “But the experiment that these bands are doing is important to see where it goes.”

From what I understand, Mountain Dew, Converse, Nike, and Taco Bell are all created in sweatshops and hire 3rd world labor to create their products.

Are lifestyle brands saving the music industry?
Do consumers really 'respond' to this type of marketing?
Have u bought Converse / Mountain Dew / Taco Bell since they teamed up with ur favourite buzzbands?
Is this the type of thing that just 'gets the name of ur product written on a blog' and makes brands feel 'young' even though they are sorta just running in place?
Are buzzbands 'abusing' brands that have large budgets?
Is 'music' even supposed 2 make money?
Are brands 'saving' the music industry, or is this just some marketing fad that they will realize has lost them too much money/didn't return any finite results?
Should all these brands just buy a commercial during the Super Bowl instead of this buzzband bloggy crap?
Do yall h8 the blogosphere?
Should all blogs boycott mp3s that are commissioned by brands?
What brand will be the next to launch a 'record label' 2 appeal 2 alts?
Should HIPSTER RUNOFF hire a buzzband to write an mp3 just to get 'mad coverage' from other blogs?
Should BP release the next Vampire Weekend/AnCo album to 'get on the good side' of the blogosphere and re-brand after the oil spill?
Should I buy a Scion, wear my Converse, and wash down my Taco Bell with some Mountain Dew 2 prove I <3 buzzbands?

Green Label Sound

Record Label, Meme

GLS is the record label of Mountain Dew. They pay a buzzband to write an MP3, then release it to blogs in order to get buzz.

Lists: record label, companies that are trying to reach alternative markets

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