Why Young Artists Give Albums Away fo...

Why Young Artists Give Albums Away for Free

Originally published on Youthradio.org, the premier source for youth generated news throughout the globe.

By: Brandon McFarland

Last week, Inglewood based hip hop duo U-N-I released their debut album -- not a mixtape, but the album, for free online! The album is entitled A Love Supreme. Not since the Cool Kids
has there been a decent representation of true students of hip hop, and
an even better representation of LA's youth scene that doesn't involve
gangs. Good beats, dope rhymes, and (most importantly) lyrical style
and skill. Plus a video on MTV2, and an XL rating in XXL magazine. So why are U-N-I choosing to be unsigned to any major label? And why give the album away?

People sitting on their couches watching artists on MTV and BET
simply don't get an accurate portrayal of what life is like for most
up-and-coming musicians. Long gone are the days when a record label
would take a talented "nobody," make a good record (good to the artist,
NOT just the label), come up with some dough for promotion, offer a
little artist development, and BAM! super stardom. These days, you have
to make your own career. That means maintaining a constant presence on
all the social networks like Myspace, Facebook, Twitter etc., getting
chummy with the big fish in the blogosphere, and having your own blog
or vodcast/vlog.

But even if artists find the magic formula to get their music to
wide audiences, the chances that someone will BUY their music is slim
and grim. Today's online savvy fan must be able to buy into the
lifestyle that breeds the kind of art you make. The ring tone rap era
that flourished in 2007 with Soulja Boy's "Crank That" is fading away.
Over the years, artists have come up with clever ways to package their
albums as more of a memento, based on inserts and packaging, like
cassettes or USB wristbands. And then there's the hope that if fans
like the music then they will go out to see a show or buy a T-shirt.

In a perfect world you can just make your music and the people who
like it...buy it. But the reality is that music is virtually free
because people can get it if they want it. The strategy is making sure
your fan base is large enough for you to sell out shows. For
independent artists there is no use in mentioning stadiums.

Brook D'Leau said that the people don't want a 'hit'. They just want whatever you got. That same week Waajeed told me that he loves art. But he's a fan of Warhol. In other words, it's about high art for commerce. Wise words from two well respected music producers and major influences on my own musical career.
Two different schools of thought. Waajeed has played the hip
hop/r&b producer game for over a decade now, while Brook's group J*Davey has a major label album on Warner Bros. that is still not on the shelves.

It all boils down to why you make music. Do you do it for the love or the money? In a vimeo post about A Love Supreme,
YO (one half of U-N-I) said "The feeling I have right now is truly
amazing. To see when we first started in this little den off Crenshaw
and 80th recording 'till like three o'clock in the morning with no
jobs. Go home [to] moms cursing at me like 'You're doing this but
you're not making any money!' and I tell her I understand it's dumb but
I just love it." Only time will tell whether U-N-I's motives will
remain pure as they gain more popularity and better record deal offers.

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