March’s blog post of the month comes from Mike Tunnicliffe’s piece in Adweek. This article describes how advertisers may be the new viable vehicle of distribution for musicians.  By striking deals to include music in commercials and the like musicians are able to both (1) get paid and (2) get exposure.

His examples:

• The world’s largest consumer brands company formed a record label: Procter & Gamble/Def Jam’s Tag Records, to help break new urban acts through its advertising.

• Bacardi partnered with British Dance Act, Groove Armada, to build a global marketing strategy based around music.

• Red Bull and Levi’s set up labels and studios to help create and break new music.

An excerpt:

Music is more alive than ever, consumers are listening to more music than ever before, artists are interacting and building bonds with fans across multiple platforms, digital distribution is enabling artists to get their music out to fans for a fraction of the cost of traditional methods, and brands and other alternative marketing partners are being embraced as the new patrons of artists and music. So, yes, it may be the end of the traditional music business as we know it, but for those willing to embrace change it’s the start of a brand new paradigm in the entertainment and brand-marketing worlds.

Full Article