Puff Daddy, New Music industry, 360 deals, Ancillary earnings etc.

If you're smart you're probably thininking . . . but but but puff daddy - I mean uhhh just "Diddy" - is a commercial sell out rapper and I’m a serious songwriter with integrity who’s authentic!!! Or something. Well good. on. you.

So then you understand the crisis of credibility that the advertising industry is facing right now and their desperate need to connect their message in the most subtle and nuanced of ways with . . . you guessed it. Something authentic.

No, you don’t have to endorse “dolphin killers detergent” so I don’t want to hear anybody bleating about “selling out”. if you’re “doing it for the love” then go do it and quit whining about only playing to 12 people and how christmas will be hard this year. sheesh.

I’ve never been a huge fan of his material or anything but the guy knows how to get paid – something of a current preoccupation for musicians currently working part time jobs or looking after their kids.

Also big bad bob is right to chastise Gene Simmons for saying he can’t be bothered making an album if he can’t get paid. Prince, Radiohead, The Eagles . . . have certainly landed on their feet.

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2007/11/19/more-eagles/

Bob's also had another go at Jay Z for his prehistoric decision to not allow his album to be broken up for sale as singles online. The argument maybe that Jay Z's had 10 no. 1 albums and he can do what he likes, but if you're not Jay Z . . . don't try this foolishness at home. It's about access people. Make it accessible. Become a star. Then we'll worry about the cash later.

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2007/11/20/jermaine-dupri-on-the-huffington-post/


Over to the piece on the diddymeister . . .


While the music business continues its downward spiral, the latest talk among label executives is revolving around so-called 360 deals: ventures designed to give them a piece of all the revenues that come an artist's way.

Executives say monetizing and sharing in every aspect of a performer's career--from recording and publishing to movies, merchandising and endorsement deals--could make up for losses in record sales. But critics argue that the strategy is just another way for the majors to take money out of an artist's pocket.

When this reporter sat down for a recent interview with Sean "Diddy" Combs, one of music's biggest voices and a leading architect of the concept of artist as brand, he expressed a few reservations about the record industry's latest magic bullet.

"Right now, everyone just says this brand-building concept out of their mouths so easily, claiming it's revolutionizing the industry," he says. "But it takes a certain type of superstar who understands at all times what it takes to be in the middle of a 360 situation. This is not going to solve the labels' problem."

Brand bonanza

The hip-hop mogul knows whereof he speaks. He has been so successful at building brands outside of music that fashion, fragrances, restaurants, television and film production, and now vodka collectively make up the lion's share of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group's approximately $500 million in annual sales. Music accounts for just $100 million, according to industry estimates.

Mr. Combs' focus on building an urban lifestyle empire began more than a decade ago, even before he became a huge name on the music scene.

"He created a movement, and he's carried that over into everything he's done in the branding space," says Rob Stone, a former colleague of Mr. Combs' at Arista Records. He now heads Cornerstone Promotion, which specializes in leveraging music to market consumer products.

"Early on, I made a 360 deal with myself," Mr. Combs says. "What separates me is that I always had a blueprint to be a lifestyle brand. The things people are talking about doing now I already did. I always wanted to diversify."

Building his brands didn't come easily. Artists interested in exploring branding and endorsement opportunities need to do their homework, be selective and have a passion for the products they are touting, says Mr. Combs.

Becoming a business

"You have to become and understand the business you take on," he says. A towering poster in Times Square of Mr. Combs, decked out in clothing from his eponymous Sean John line, says it all.

Mr. Combs demonstrates his commitment to the products under his umbrella with the latest addition to his roster of luxury products: Ciroc, a premium vodka that he's marketing in partnership with distributor Diageo. He plans to be hands-on in developing the liquor's marketing campaign.

"This is not about me just throwing a couple of parties and sticking Ciroc in a music video," he says.

Of course, music still matters to Mr. Combs.

"Music is that thing that makes [my products] sexy and edgy and gives me that direct connection to the consumer," says Mr. Combs. "It's an endorsement of how cool my brand is."



See what Puffy's saying? He's only making %20 of his earn of the music he sells. He's leveraging his rock star status to sell 400 mill worth of other stuff that people who won't pay for music WILL pay for.


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