What is RethinkPopMusic?

RethinkPopMusic is a company devised and operated by young music industry professionals that are fed up with the exploitation of artists and an industry-wide lack of innovation. The music industry is currently presided over by oblivious executives and a business model based on album sales. The first was record sold in 1909 and while every aspect of pop culture has changed since, the music industry does few things differently. Therefore, we started RethinkPopMusic, but what’s so different about us?

In short, RethinkPopMusic is a multiplatform initiative that will introduce “unaffiliated” musicians to consumer brands, film, television and numerous other facets of pop culture. While shedding light on creative devises to market your music, artists associated with RethinkPopMusic will develop perpetual and mutually beneficial relationships with each other. Furthermore, artists who work with RethinkPopMusic will never have to participate in the old system where record labels wrestle away creative control. How do record labels steal creative control?

When you sign to a record label they basically purchase a stake in the band. Therefore, they become an investor. Labels decide who producers your album, the sound of the music, the clothes you wear, and the image you project to the public. Labels also spend millions of dollars on marketing campaigns that consist of purchasing billboards, commercials, video/radio airplay and magazines reviews/articles… and yes, they “purchase” all of these. And after millions they expect to recoup through your album sales.

However, album sales have plummeted and record labels are losing money exponentially. Many thought that sales would increase once piracy was contained, more money was spent on “new media” marketing and online stores became readily available. At RethinkPopMusic we knew that this would not work. First, piracy is far from contained. The “new media” is actually the same marketing platforms (just with a .com) that have already lost their legitimacy (The Hills Cast made the cover of Rolling Stone). And as for online stores, despite the multimillion dollar marketing initiatives exposing artists to the consumer, distribution deals often limit the availability of content and force the consumer to have multiple subscriptions.

The model is broken and that is why we need to “RethinkPopMusic”. Choosing “Pop” as the “Music” to “Rethink” has nothing to do with sound. Technically, Pop is not a genre of music, but rather the ability to appeal to the masses. Pop simply refers to “popular.” Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Radiohead can all be categorized as Pop. However, this notion would have many fans in fits because Pop Music stereotyped as talentless puppets strung to their label masters. Thus our goal is to RethinkPopMusic and this stereotype.

Pop music was an artistic platform comparable to painting, photography or filmmaking before major labels had a vested financial interests. It was the album sales of such early innovative artists that gave these companies the money to form giant corporations and monopolize the industry. Nevertheless, all artists who work with RethinkPopMusic will have access to a point of purchase on our artist page free of charge, contract or any obligation. Instead, RethinkPopMusic will shift the business model to innovative partnerships that link consumer products with film and live events. Artists will find that we hold the key to successfully “make a living making music.” Whether it’s a concert series sponsored by a consumer product or a movie scene featuring a popular single, multifaceted live experiences are the future of music.