I've been away from the Apple Beam Blog for a while but something triggered a wave of
inspiration. A friend told me about an article today telling the story of an unsigned band from Seattle who were paid £250k to call themselves The BuyStock.net Band.
This is unbelievable for several reason.
Firstly they are unsigned, I could almost imagine a corporate company paying a hugely successful touring band huge sums to change their name, but a new unsigned band?
Secondly, the 'sponsor' is a website platform build to enable anyone to buy stock, you know investor type stuff. That has nothing to do with music at all.
Thirdly, this was done on eBay. The band, who had only recorded one song by the way, put a listing on eBay and secured a bid of £251,100 from BuyStock.net.
This has to be the biggest step towards super branding that I have ever seen. What's next, someone with the Coca Cola logo tattooed on their face? You know how in futuristic films, there is advertising on the pavement and buildings and holograms asking if you would like to purchase the latest health insurance .. we've just moved a step closer to that!
But let's get some perspective.
Before my mind runs off into the future, let's look at the merits of this deal. The fact that the sponsor is not in the music business is a huge positive. It means the chances of musicians securing funding has just increased substantially. There is no reason why businesses of different types can't fuel one another.
The band from Seattle are unsigned. How often do you hear of unsigned bands getting paid? That is refreshing!
And finally, is it so bad that bands are moving towards a more corporate sponsor existence? Maybe it makes them look less genuine, but so long as the music is still from the heart who cared what banner they have behind them on stage. I guess only time will tell how far this goes but hopefully musicians and sponsors can get a perfect balance that works for everyone, including the fans.
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