Using the Mixtape Model for New Music Marketing

30Sep09

So, allow me to set some context.  First, I am from New Jersey and I love hip hop so mixtapes are as familiar to me as tacos are to most others.  I understand that in some regions of the world and with some genres of music, mixtapes are foreign.  Sort of like hearing about putting mayonnaise on French fries, you believe it exists but you’ve never seen it yourself.  For those of you not familiar with mixtapes they are basically compilation albums with music from many different artists.  What gives them character is the mixtape host and DJ.  The DJ and or host add their personal touch by adding in mixing, interludes, sound effects and random shout outs in all sorts of fashions thought the album.  Imagine the “Wow, That’s What I Call Music” compilation cd’s with Ryan Seacrest shouting out his boys on top of a Miley Cyrus record.  

I bought my first mixtape on 125th Street in Harlem, NY in August and the year was 1993.  I remember clear as day.  The purchase was from a random street vendor (& movie bootlegger).  The tape was titled “DJ S&S 7/93”.  The title was just as simple as that, and it was the best mixtape ever!  It was the first time I heard “Protect Ya Neck” from Wu Tang and the first time I heard “Deep Cover” from Snoop Dogg.  And to this day, these tapes break new music from unknown artists to a massive audience.  Now, I bought the tape knowing that there were a few popular artists that I knew of were on it.  But the benefit was discovering the unknown stuff while enjoying the known artists.  And from there, I found more and more places to get my mixtape fix.

And there is something to be said about the marketing power of mixtapes.  Not convinced? Well, take rapper 50 cent.  He on many occasions has stated that he first received buzz and then attention from labels and the public alike from having his music placed on mixtapes.  And to this day, he uses mixtapes consistently to create buzz around new projects. And the lists of mainstream (urban) artist who have followed that same model goes on and on.  Now I admit, the only genres of music that I have heard in this format are Hip Hop, R&B, Reggae and House.  That is not to say that having a Rock mixtape isn’t possible or it would not make sense.  But to date, I personally have not yet heard one in the same format as the urban style ones. 

By using readily available online tools, unknown artists from any genre now have the ability to create and distribute their own mixtapes.  The power in marketing in this medium is that your content is embedded with popular and highly sought after content. 

So to use this model, first gather a list of songs that are from popular artists that have a similar sound or genre as your music.  Then create a play list embedding your stuff in with theirs.  And now its time to take that compilation to market.  You cannot sell it because not all songs belong to you but you can display those songs for free.  Just create an account with iTunes and load your play list as a podcast.  Be sure to tag the title of the podcast with names of popular artists.  Or if you really want to get creative, create a song with the instrumental from a popular artist.  Format the song title using the well known artist’s name. (ex. “mysongname_ft._kanye_west.mp3)  Then add this song to any file sharing service and watch your downloads grow from people doing searches for Kanye West but actually finding your music. 

Please note, this technique I believe will help raise awareness of your music but it alone may not drive sales of your stuff unless you somehow provide directions on how or where to purchase it. I have not yet conducted a sound test of this theory so I will publish my findings as soon as I conduct and conclude a valid test.

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