Music across borders: communication in the industry

African music http://www2.mytruspot.com/ranking.php?mode=blog&message_id=1963&row_template=blogs.tpl

The African music scene has picked up pace over the years as artist from other continents are taking an interest in collaborating with African artists. Since Nigerian based dance artist D'Banj signed a record deal with Good music (Kanye wests recording label) a year ago there has been an increase in the probability of successful African artists. Tumi from Tumi and the volume is also an African artist who managed to break in the UK market by signing under Sony BMG. The internet has made it possible for artists to exchange music across vast borders in the world. events such as the world cup which happened in South Africa in 2010 has also given our international competitors a good perspective about travel to Africa. The PR that has been in effect in North Africa is amazing because artists are blowing up and breaking through as international artists.

(D'Banj wins big at the mtv awards. image source: en.wikipedia.org)

Collaborations http://www.konfidence.org/

American/senegalesse singer and songwriter Akon has made sure that Konvict music (his music recording label) caters for African artists by demolishing stereotypes such as a music industry that is no longer focused on a racial, economic and social sphere. The Konfidence campaign "pronounced with a k" was established to help poverty affected children in Africa as a result of good collaboration between artists in the world. The PR and communication implications of having collaborating artist through out the world is also made possible by an increase in African tourism marketing and advertising. since the world cup we have seen countless amounts of artist travel to Africa for concerts social upliftment and good will. The corporate identity that has been created around the African scene is at its peak through out the years.

(Senegal born, American raised artist "Akon" addressing children at the Konfidence project.image source: http://www.konfidence.org/ )

Moving forward: branding african music

Coca-Cola has been in the process of creating a revolution when it comes to promoting African artists. open happiness was a campaign started to help create a unique sound that no one has ever heard. the campaign has made it their number one priority to bring different artist together from different genre's of music to participate in a benefit song that will mark the sound of Coca-Cola. African artists are expected to join the frenzy and contribute to their sound to bring about a completely new way of breaking musical boundaries. Somalian born artist K'naan is also featured in the company's future plans. 

Musicians and events

Beyonce at the sports awards (http://www.citypress.co.za/Entertainment/News/Beyonce-Mbalula-backtracks-20120624)

There has been much debate about beyonce performing at the South African sports awards earlier this year. The American R&B singer and actress was said to be paid close to 11 million rand as a fee for performing at the annual ceremony at the South African sports awards in Johannesburg South Africa. much can not be said as the minister of sports and recreation has denied such a statement. The singer was rumoured to have been promised a significant amount of money to perform at the banquet. No one really knows about what the PR company in charge of the event sent to the media but the communication implications of this mix up has left the South African music (and PR) industry in negative light not only about the event but also about the communications and PR perspective in the country. 

(Beyonce Knowles as she poses for an issue for cosmopolitan magazine image source: cosmopolitan.com)

South African musicians and the industry http://www.kasitimes.co.za/tag/musicians/

Proper recording labels in South Africa lack effective PR and communication skills as many talented musicians in South Africa are not given the opportunity to perform at luxurious events like the sports awards. The main problem in this is the fact that they do not possess the proper coverage that they solely deserve as artists. The industry lacks creativity as bands like the parlotones are only likely to get booked at a few venues inside their own country. Its also saddening that they do not get recognised when it comes to performing at events like the SA sports awards ceremony. Having to even mention an international artist and paying over millions for one to perform at an event hosted by the government should spike a debate around the state of the music industry in South Africa. The music industry can not be held responsible but further improvement is needed to promote our local artists in South Africa to grow the PR and music industry that we have in our country. Unions should be formed to help establish talent and to also maintain and grow that talent.

(One of South Africa's most successful rock bands "the parlotones" image source: themuseinmusic.com)

  

Communication error Part 1: has music lost its meaning?

(http://www.harberherald.com/opinion/2011/02/21/music-has-lost-its-meaning/)

In the age of highly packaged artists by recording labels the music industry has seen change over the decades. Artists like Michael Jackson, Sade, Whitney Houston and many more have in the past been expressing themselves in the most emotional way they could by making music that kept people talking and made politicians think about key matters that affect the world. Musicians in the past connected with their audience in a special way that broke down racial segregation, economic stereotypes and political incentives. The music was a key priority in the entertainment industry and was made in such a way that artists could get on stage and perform with props or highly flashing an expensive visual effects.

(image source:transparentproductions.org- the compact disc revolution)

The 21^st Century artist (http://blog.mi.edu/post/21st-Century-Changes-in-the-Music-Industry-What-they-mean-for-Independent-Artists.aspx)

The 21^st Century artist is a concept which states the fundamental state of mind of a modern day musician. This concept describes how musicians have changed due to the interconnectedness of the world in relation to global telecommunications. This type of musician had to think about their ever increasing worldwide fan base. Musicians had to start expanding their music to cross over boundaries and to reach a specific goal. in the past music could only reach the world wide market through 2 mediums ( TV and radio) which made it difficult for people in unequal countries to access the music in time. But today music is everywhere you go thus making it a challenge to compete for the spot light.

(image source:guardian.co.uk- Elivis presley, one of the greatest rockstar of all time) 

Hollywood (http://suite101.com/article/hollywoods-negative-impact-on-society-a300145)

Each and every musician wants time for themselves to break in the spotlight and begin their highlight reel of success but because its easy becoming a star these days in Hollywood recording labels are advertising their artists just so they can stay a step ahead of the rest. Gimmicks are made and music ends up not being of good quality. The new wave artists of this generation have no clear understanding of super stardom success and rely on PR to sell copies. This is a controversial conversation that is yet to be discussed further more...

Corporate identity: Uncle Russ makes his way to SA

Russell Simmons (http://www.biography.com/people/russell-simmons-307186)

Corporate identity is vital in hip-hop and in the music industry. Born in Queens New York USA, Russell Simmons has managed to be one of the biggest moguls in the entertainment industry. Starting in his early 20’s Russell made sure that he put his foot print on all the upcoming musicians of his time ranging from Run DMC, the Beastie boys and LL cool j. But that did not stop him from expanding his brand. Russell Simmons was a revolutionist who saw an opportunity in the violent type of music called hip-hop “at that time”. Wanting to establish his mark as a respectable brand in the industry he and his friend Rick Rubin founded Def Jam recordings which would be in the forefront of the urban culture cult of the 90’s.

(Russell Simmons wearing his clothing line -phat farm- image source: starscolor.com)

Russell Simmons as a force of success (http://www.inc.com/articles/201109/russell-simmons-interview.html)

As an entrepreneur in this age of music and entertainment, organisations have to consistently renew themselves as an attempt to stay relevant. Taking corporate identity to the next level Russell Simmons aka Uncle Rush has made sure to be a step ahead of his competition by building a communications firm and clothing label called Phat farm, investing in Reebok, Run athletic, magazine publications and many more. CI has played a very big part of his career because he created platforms of business which revolve around him making him a visionary, idealist, philanthropist and role model to the youth who grew up like him.

(Russell Simmons in central park meditating. image source:wellandgoodnyc.com)

 

Russell Simmons trip to SA (http://www.stopblooddiamonds.org/russell-simmons.asp)

Uncle Rush is engaging on an expedition in South Africa and Botswana that will see him strengthen the development of the diamond trade industry to help educate and equip African’s with skills to maintain growth in their economic situation. Simmons will also be giving aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity of a lifetime at the small ceremony hosted by Destiny magazine where he will say a few words of inspiration to the fortunate few that make it to the gala event. This event will be taking place on September at the Sandton Hilton hotel and will also feature a performance by Tumi and the volume.       

Biggest trends in music

The information highway and digital PR (http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1900054,00.html)

This term is highly controversial because in music the growth of the web (web 2.0) has resulted in a more accessible industry. The internet has made it possible for people to get exposure in the simplest and cheapest way possible. Youtube has made it possible for artists to showcase their talent globally without having to pay companies a fortune. Pr is being used to handle an artist’s image and brand today because today record labels are not seen as big liabilities to have in the music industry. Artists would rather get their music out by using internet infrastructure such as, facebook, I tunes, twitter and many more. Because of the internets structure, artists can become their own record labels and grow their fan base before they can actually settle down for an agreement.

(image source:funkifiedentertainment.wordpress.com- the i POD revolutionized music)

Music downloads age (http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1900054,00.html)

As the world becomes smaller it globalizes. More and more people find it easier to download their music then to actually purchase it. The I-tunes installation application has made music broader by making it a mechanism of free choice. This could also work as a disadvantage to artists who intend on selling millions of copies. Nowadays people are not constraint to buying a full album when they could download a song they like for absolutely next to nothing. Because CD sales are not dependable anymore, artists have to rely on music concerts and gigs to survive. The download trend in music has sparked another trend which sees artists travel around the world performing. Lets also not forget that the internet made it possible for that artist to reach his/hers maximum fan base potential, by performing into cyber space.

(image source: liljaxe.com- what new york might look like in the future of tv)

The future of TV (http://www.cnbc.com/id/47102632/)

The digital age started with the radio which was said to be theatre for the mind and crossed over to audiovisual communication in the form of television which would spark the telecommunications revolution forever. The concept of the future of TV solely means that in the next years to come every source of digital communication or internet structure is going to be converted in your TV. This might see the dawn of a new age in the music industry as Youtube has plans of unleashing 100 channels in the next 5 years (or even less). But this debate will widely be regarded as the biggest shift in the industry not only in music but also in PR. 

The Sprite uncontainable tour

The Sprite uncontainable tour competition

Sprite has always been in the fore front when it comes to branding itself in the hip hop culture http://www.spice4life.co.za/content/sprite-unleashed-nationwide-hip-hop-talent-search. This time they have taken it a little step forward by introducing their corporate social investment technique by bringing in conscious hip hop legend Talib Kweli for the Sprite uncontainable tour which will go on between June and July. What Sprite wants to accomplish with this is to make sure that they uplift the disadvantaged talented youth across South Africa in the areas of rapping, Graffiti and break dancing.

(the sprite uncontainable hip hop branded logo.image source cheka.com)

                                               

The competition

http://cheka.co.za/tag/sprite-uncontainable/ The uncontainable tour hopes to embark on a journey across South Africa in all major cities including Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The competition challenges contestants in three areas of hip hop which are Graffiti, Rapping and B-boy dancing. Every city will have its own competition before moving to the ultimate battle where they will compete for a trip to the uncontainable fest in New York. The winner will also win a mentorship programme with Talib Kweli in which they will have an opportunity to brush their skills in their given field of talent.

(Talib kweli performing in new york. image source: cheka.com) 

Sprite’s CSI technique

In this case sprite is engaging in a CSI attempt to establish trust within their market. They want the target audience to feel cared for. Sprite giving back to the communities that consume their product is a way of boosting the brands morale and credibility amongst its audience. Sprite is also giving the winner an opportunity to star in music video collaboration at the end of the year. Sprite has also used a very good strategy in choosing a panel of judges who are born and bred in the African continent e.g. Mernoly Simba (Angola) from masters of rhythm, Falko (South Africa) the renowned graffiti artist and Reason (South Africa) the award winning rapper. 

Music and branding Part 2: Forbes Richest Rappers 2012

Becoming a musician means that you work hard to strive and grow your brand to stand out from the rest of the crowd. In Part 1 we saw how branding in music can play a vital role in fusing fashion with music when artist form a cult following amongst their fans in an effort to sustain and maintain dominance in the music industry. In Part 2 we look at the 5 wealthiest and most prominent brands in Rap music.

1. Sean “Diddy” Combs

Net worth as of April 2012: $550 million

Besides making music Diddy has branded his empire through his record label “Bad Boy” and from his luxurious clothing label Sean John. He has also invested in an alcohol (vodka) beverage called Ciroc. He has proved to be a triple threat (an actor, a singer and a self made business man).

(P.Diddy at the Grammy's- image source: hiphoplead.com)    

2. Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter

Net worth as of April 2012: $460 million

If your life has not been studied and taught as a University course yet then its wise to take tips from this man. Jay-Z has managed to literally own shares in a Basketball team called the New Jersey Nets in the NBA and to sign a 10-year $150 million live nation deal since 2008. The artist smartly merged his music career with his love of sport and fashion when he sold hip hop label Rocawear for $204 million in 2007.

(Jay-Z -image source: hiphoparchive.org)

3. Andre “DR Dre” Young

Net worth as of April 2012: $260 million

If you have seen giant colourful headphones anywhere in the city it’s probably DR Dre’s beats earphone range which has reaped in millions of dollars for the rapper, Super producer and Aftermath record label owner which has jump started big names like Eminem, 50 cent and Snoop Dogg. In August last year he sold 50% of his earphone company to HTC for 191 million pounds.

(DR Dre- image source: animaajes.nl) 

4. Bryan “Birdman” Williams

Net worth as of April 2012: $125 million

The New Orleans born Cash Money records co-founder Birdman AKA stunner has made his fair share of millions by managing music’s biggest stars including the likes of Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and Drake. He has also signed a $30 million distribution deal with universal in the 90’s.

(Birdman- image source: hiphoparchive.org) 

5. Curtis “50 cent” Jackson

Net worth as of April 2012: $110 million

50 cent sold his upcoming vitamin water company to Coca-Cola a few years ago and never looked back. This mogul has made it big by acting gigs, videogames, books, wireless earphones and hip hop’s classic G-unit clothing label. The 9 bullet survivor has since splurged in buying Mike Tyson’s house and classic automobiles. 

(50 cent- image source: animaajes.nl)