|
|
| Disc
Makers' Fast Forward e-Newsletter |
|
The
Birth of Perreo using niche marketing to create a new musical genre |
Take quick look at your CD collection. How many of those artists do
you think found success after their first performance or CD release?
Not many, right? We didn't think so. Now let's say you're an independent
musician or record label owner with a fairly new genre of music that
you're trying to promote. The steps toward success seem fairly straightforward.
You find talent (unless you're the artist, of course), write some
songs, record them, manufacture CDs, release them to the public, buy
a few ads and promote a few performances. After that, your work is
done, right? Wrong.
As many in the music business will attest, what seems like "the hard
part," writing, recording, manufacturing — is actually the part
the artist or label has under control. What there isn't much precedent
for is what is done with product once it's complete — especially
within a niche, or newer genre. Many independent musicians and labels
find themselves sitting on boxes full of copies of their release thinking,
"How am I gonna move these things?"
One need only look as far as Puerto Rico to find out. Diamond Music
is an independent label specializing in a relatively new genre of
music commonly called "perreo." Perreo is a seamless mixture of hip-hop
beats, dancehall reggae-style chatting and latin rhythms that's very
quickly picking up steam in its native country. Named for the dance
that accompanies the music, perreo's street-level immediacy and everyday
themes have fostered a young-adult audience eager for new releases
to reach dance clubs. "The music has the kind of popularity it does
because it reflects our actual reality," says Ivan Joy of Diamond
Music. "I would say it's something real that lives in us."
Still, the music didn't jump into people's hands. It needed to be
pushed. At first, Diamond Music and other purveyors of perreo like
One Star Entertainment, Playground Records and White Lion didn't have
the means to market their releases the way major labels are able to.
TV, radio, print, and even a lot of online media outlets were much
too expensive. The music had to be brought directly to its earliest
supporters — the people in the clubs. "I am from the neighborhood
this music comes from," says Joy. "This is the kind of music they
liked and wanted so I picked up whatever was out there that I knew
my people would love."
Diamond Music booked small parties and concerts and promoted its artists
there. Nicky Jam of White Lion says, "We actually took the time in
concerts to announce other productions we were working on." Quick
moments during performances could be used as free advertising to a
rabid audience.
Eventually, the events became bigger as more and more CDs were sold.
This allowed for more traditional marketing and the perreo boom jumped
ahead. "My marketing methods now have been through video, radio, magazines
and special reports like this one," says Pedro Brito of Playground
Records.
This type of inside-out marketing where the product is promoted inside
the audience first, then gradually spread outward is something many
successful independent artists have built careers on. Since June of
2002, Diamond Music has manufactured more than 150,000 CDs. "It's
become a way for us to express our feelings about every thing that
surrounds us," Jam says. "Its attitude almost makes the music anti-establishment."
The success of perreo along with its independent nature make it a
target, though. Piracy is a major issue plaguing independent musicians.
In an age when a CD burner and a photocopier can create an illegal
cottage industry within a few hours, honest artists and labels can
suffer. The Latin music industry is trying to deter piracy by using
alternate packaging for their releases, such as Digipaks. Because
jewel box inserts and traycards are printed using paper stock, they
are easier to make copies of than digipaks. Digipaks require board
stock with a glued plastic tray and work-intensive packaging that
simply can't be faked. Although the music industry is on the cusp
of encoding copy-protection data onto replicated CDs, the technology
isn't widespread yet. Artists are taking every precaution until that
time is reached. "All of my releases have been done in Digipaks,"
says Joy. "I love to impress my people with them and it's more difficult
for piracy."
The independent spirit is still with perreo and those that work to
keep it going. Jam stresses that the threat of piracy will not affect
him. "It's true that it's more difficult for people to pirate Digipaks,"
he says. "But I prefer jewel boxes. Since everybody's doing Digipaks,
I'll do the contrary." It's that attitude that will keep popular music
going in new directions and reaching new audiences in the future.
|
|
|
Print
this page
