“Selling Out” Taken To New Levels: The Evolving Relationship Between Brands, Artists, and Record Labels

Storm Gloor
University of Colorado Denver

Abstract

Producers and consumers connect through a process that is directly tied to technology; as technology changes, the norms that constitute a healthy producer-consumer relationship changes. For instance, listening to music in the 1960s was a standalone event, a process that fostered deep, personal relationships between artists and their fans. Thus, when artists attached themselves to advertising campaigns, their fans viewed them as ‘selling out.’ In 2008, however, technology has far surpassed the physical limitations of the 1960s. Listening to music is no longer a primarily stand-alone event, but rather one that is tacked onto other daily activities. Thus, fans no longer view artists attaching themselves to advertising campaigns as simply ‘selling out,’ but as part of a larger, almost expected, process. This development in the entertainment industry has echoed throughout various mediums. From radio to video games, entertainment has become the bait and advertisement the hook. Thus, with seemingly endless lures to choose from, the consumer has taken on a far more powerful role. If consumers do not want an advertisement’s message, the message is gone. Therefore, advertising campaigns must continue to balance a complex relationship between artists and their fans.

Keywords: music marketing, promotion, advertisement, public relations, music licensing

Gloor, Storm. ““Selling Out” Taken To New Levels: The Evolving Relationship Between Brands, Artists, and Record Labels.” Journal of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association 8, no. 1 (2008): 29-48.  https://doi.org/10.25101/8.2

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