GrindEFX

Indie hip hop group Blue Scholars have made a very interesting, yet not that surprising, venture with Duck Down Records and Caffe Vita. Instead of going down the traditional route of signing to a record label and giving up all their rights and money like bands did 10 years ago (and unfortunately many still do today), Blue Scholars have effectively signed a record label to them.

The band have hired independent hip hop label Duck Down Records to handle the marketing for several of their upcoming projects, including a 5-song EP titled “OOF!” being released on 25th August. They have also struck a unique partnership with Caffe Vita Coffee Roasting Co., who will act as a sponsor and also manage the local distribution.

This is a great move by Blue Scholars, they don’t need to hand over the majority of the equity and control to take their product to market, what they have done instead is enlisted the services of professionals who can help them in certain areas.

Here’s a quote from the press release:

The sales and distribution model developed by the group for their upcoming releases will allow them to maintain complete ownership of their music and total control over how it is marketed, sold, and even given away. Instead of signing a standard artist/record label deal, Blue Scholars hired the label Duck Down to run point on marketing for all of their upcoming releases.

I predict that we’re going to see a lot more deals like this in the near future, as more and more artists start to realise that they don’t need to sign to a record label in order to reach their fans.

Hypebot said:

This kind of deal acknowledges the reality that an artist can probably only take a project so far without assembling a team to help them. But hiring a team, which in a traditional record deal is achieved by giving up the majority of equity and control, still costs money.

The Blue Scholars found a sponsor/partner in Caffe Vita. Established artists like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails can self-finance releases. Others use touring income.  Jill Solbule went to her fans for financing; and Metric used a a combination of a Canadian arts grants and their own money to pay for an extensive team.

The Duck Down deal with The Blue Scholars is another example that in the new music industry there is no single way to release a record. The need to put together a team and pay for it are both essentials, but after that who makes up the team and how they are compensated are only limited by the imagination and resources of the participants.