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Tips to the Artist(s)
Aug. 2001 |
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Is wrapping your company car the way to go in
2001? Well this is our subject for the month, as well as advertisement in general. Most indie labels have little to no budget, most commonly referred to as a "shoe-string budget". And although, they (indies) may not have a budget to compete with the majors, the budget they do have is often misspent. There are certain things to consider when releasing an album and of course the budget is the main thing. The budget should be the 1st thing inked up. After all, you must know what you need to do, how much it will cost to do it, and how much of the amount, you already have. Having a budget allows you to clearly see what you can and can't do. For example, MC Just Got Started realized his budget was on $15,000. In that budget he must record the album and market it. Off the back, he realizes that duplicating a minimum of 1,000 CDs is gonna eat up at least $1,250, and pre-production will still cost at least $1,000 even though he makes most of his own beats, and has no featured guest. He still has to get the cover designed, and come up with a marketing plan that will work for him. It is obvious that he doesn't have enough $$$ to go nationwide yet, so it's best that he doesn't worry about promoting to markets that he will not be selling in. A cheap video will cost him at least $5,000 and will absorb a 1/3 of his budget- Basically not worth it. And getting magazine ads in every magazine can run you about $40,000 which is definitely out of his budget. So what you must do, is cater to your pockets. Make 10,000 fliers for a little over $500 dollars and start with your hometown and your surrounding cities. Make you a few posters that you can go sniping with at Kinkos for a few more hundred. |
All this brings us to asking, "Is wrapping
your company car the way to go in 2001?" My answer personally is yes. That is unless your budget is under $5,000 and even then you can get a portion of your car wrapped or add a sticker to it. After all, any magazine that is really worth advertising in is gonna cost you at least $1,200 for a full page ad. (This is cheap compared to Source & XXL whose pricing are at least 8 times that.) That page will only last 30-60 days, and will only be visible to those who subscribe to the magazine. The average car or mini van will cost you about $2,500- $3,200 to wrap entirely. So for basically the same amount as getting 2 full page ads in a cheap but effective mag, you can use your car to advertise. It will be seen by as many people as you make it visible to and will last a minimum of a year unless you get into an accident. Furthermore, it will let people know that you are serious about your music. Everybody and they mommas, and they momma's mommas are rapping nowadays. But everyone's not serious enough to get their vehicles tattooed. So in a sense, you will stand out. And standing out is key in the industry. So there's my input. If you have something you wish to add to this conversation or you would like to add something to September's Tips to the Artist, feel free to send us an e-mail. Of course, it must be reviewed and must make a strong, and significant point about the entertainment industry. Chow . |
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