The Straight Dope on the Rawkus 50
Posted by Justin Boland on Jan 06, 2008 | 16 comments
The Official Story
RAWKUS RECORDS will consolidate the cumulative fanbases in the interests of the co-operative. As one of hip hop’s most trusted brands, RAWKUS, will select 50 members ideally suited represent our logo and to work together.
In addition to the RAWKUS 50’s comprehensive myspace marketing strategy, RAWKUS RECORDS will provide the following opportunities:
* National Full Page Print Campaigns Trusted Hip Hop Magazines
* National INTERNET marketing and promotion
* Sponsored NY and LA SHOW for the RAWKUS 50 to perform
* Blog and Podcast hosting, marketing and promotion
Two things: I admire the spin control of calling Rawkus “one of hip hop’s most trusted brands” right up front like that. Problems? What problems? That kind of aggresively fake PR is definitely taking a cue from White House press releases.
I also find it hilarious that someone would advertise, proudly, with a straight face, having a “comprehensive myspace marketing strategy.” Yeah, don’t we all. They cost about $50 and you feed them keywords and let them add people automatically while you go do something else. Just to make it all sound even more painful, they go on to advertise “National INTERNET marketing and promotion” like it was just translated from the original Chinese.
Social Networking, Dood
So basically, Rawkus did a big talent contest and started an online label with the 50 winners. They got ahold of a lot of excellent unknowns like Atllas and established underground monsters like Protoman. It’s quite a lineup.
The key question is who benefits more from this relationship? Is it the artists who get a unified brand to promote themselves? Or is it the Rawkus label, that gets credibility, grassroots promotion, and a huge catalog of online albums?
In addition to the cool logo with the razor blade, Rawkus has another trick up their sleeve—a social networking site for underground hip hop, My.Rawkus. Having a built-in audience through onsite social network is a dope concept, in theory. Of course, there’s no point in promoting your art to a bunch of other artists who are all promoting themselves, too. (It does provide a perfect visual metaphor for hip hop as a whole, though.) Recently, Rawkus has started solving that, bringing quality blogs onboard to get traffic and search. This has clearly brought on a lot of new members who are signing up in order to comment on the content.
I know all this because Humpasaur Jones has an account there.
The Benefits for Artists
I’m not going to argue that Rawkus 50 is a scam or a hustle. It is and it’s not. It does offer some very real benefits to the artists on the roster. I can assure you from firsthand experience, digital distribution is a bitch to do right. Professional and reliable online sales involves a nightmare amount of back-end work that is totally invisible to the user.
Rawkus is providing everyone on the roster with professional and reliable online sales. I wish I could at least say they did this right, but…well, check out their catalog. It’s a list of Amazon and iTunes links. So Rawkus isn’t actually adding any value here, either. Everyone on the Rawkus 50—in fact, everyone reading this—can get their album on Amazon and iTunes. Check out TuneCore, who do this on much more generous terms: $20 per album per year for hosting and maintenance.
Remember, with iTunes, having a label involved is no small matter. It makes a 48% difference in your royalty payments!
However, hustle is hustle is hustle. I can’t hate on Rawkus 50 as an operation, it’s full of talented artists and they’re going to make 2008 a more interesting place. Most importantly, everyone on the roster is free to pursue contracts with other labels and deals with other companies.
From an interview with Uganda/Illinois rapper Krukid, who explains the setup like this:
The thing is Rawkus understands that the record industry is evolving, while major industry is dying. Is coming to a process where things have to evolve. And right now on the ground level, the music that’s really moving is the music people feel.
There’s a difference between an artist who’s on TV with a video out, and a dude that actually gets on stage and can actually rock a crowd, rock a show. Half of these dudes can’t rock a show. Half these dudes can’t hold their breath long enough to rock a show. I mean we could get into so many things on that. But like cats underground, like Murs, like rappers who have their own festivals. The touring artists are the ones that actually put there time in and go out there. You actually have to go out and people feel you so you actually have a support.
Those are the cats that just started to get respect right now. Common just got number one spot for his album. What Rawkus is doing is basically supporting them dudes that could actually rock a show, and allowing them to use their name in that manner, and helping artists to support each other, because most of the people in my city don’t know 49 of these cats.
So through a process like this, it builds a name, so is like a push kind of thing. Brian and Jarret are doing a beautiful thing with that, the camaraderie of the artists are beautiful. I’ve already done a couple shows with artists. Rawkus is helping to push a movement that has already started.
Bidness Sense
Slopfunkdust is the guy who went through all of the submissions for the Rawkus 50 contest. (Which must have been an absurdly huge undertaking.) In his interview with Onetwoonetwo, he let a very critical point slip out:
Slopfunkdust: if you look at CD sales… They definitely aren’t what they use to be. Digital distro is where it’s going to be at soon.
The Rawkus 50 could be viewed as a cynical attempt to use their leftover brand recognition in order to lock down a quality digital catalog at an insanely low cost. It’s also a valuable digital catalog…an investment. All the artists on the Rawkus 50 are young and busy, and unless they change their names, Rawkus has over 50 people working full-time to promote their products, regardless of wether or not Rawkus continues, or even starts, to pay them.
But looking at Rawkus 50 like that is selling the artists short—it will become whatever they make it. Everyone on board already had a strong career, and that will not change in 2008.
Total Hick Ignorance.
Of course, this is all total hick ignorance, patched together from online research. I’ve talked to a number of artists on the Rawkus 50, but never asked them too many specific questions about the business end. If anyone reading this has experience they’d want to share—or if anyone from Rawkus thinks I’m full of shit—let a mammal know.
16 Comments
1 Dragonfish Killswitch says...
So when are you droppin the World Around 50 yo?
Word
Thanks for the quality info, dig your new get-up
Blessings
DF
Posted at 5:49 a.m. on January 7, 2008
2 TheProtege says...
I want to thank you for writting such an insight and well thought post because my group Phenetiks is apart of the Rawkus 50.
Our experience from this campaign has been a positive one. If your an underground hip hop head, then you know the resume Rawkus brings to the table. And you were probably influenced by the music they put out in earlier years.
The grind for an unsigned/independent artist is a constant uphill battle that takes its toll and can even make the most talented fold under pressure. Even though there is a lot of work that the 50 have to put into making this campaign work for them, personally I dont think its anything different from what a dedicated musician is used to.
What helps is that Rawkus does have a recognizable name worldwide as well as a deep fan base. One of the most important things in marketing yourself as an artist is finding the right market. Phenetiks cant sell its music to a Brittany Spears fan or even get a listen. But we are now being presented to a large underground following that is at the least willing seek new innovative acts and search for real hip hop.
Thats a lot of sweat off our backs, we dont have to work as hard to find people who want to listen to the kind of music we do.
Of course Rawkus has a lot to gain but at the end of the day its still the music industry. So you gotta be content with a little give and take. If someone wants to give you a little take it and work with it.
peace
Posted at 11:21 p.m. on January 7, 2008
3 Conscious says...
Rawkus has nothing to loose with this. But as usual artists once again aren't getting acclimated with business and learning what the hell is going on with this new wave of technology. The end all is you'll only go as far as you push yourself to go. Waiting for any company to make you rich is just not gonna work. Realizing that there is money to made from your music beyond record selling is key. Learn something about music licensing folks... That's one avenue. Everyone is mad at ringtone rappers. What about getting some of that ringtone money...? There are a lot of opportunities available but you will stay ignorant as long as you avoid doing any research and building serious relationships with people that can put real money in your pockets.
Posted at 1:48 a.m. on January 8, 2008
4 Krukid says...
very well assesed observation, my dude. more on this later.
-krukid-
Posted at 6:35 p.m. on January 8, 2008
5 slopfunkdust says...
this is a good read... the only negative thing about this blog i can speak on is that i didn't "slip" in that interview... my statement is common knowledge... shit, you even had a chart that you probably found on images.google.com. lol facts are easy to find, especially online.
its a win / win situation in my eyes. rawkus gets their digital catalog and the artist gets a bigger outlet then they could do on their own.
i dont know about you, but i dont have $5,000 to spend on full page color ad's in the source, xxl, waxpoetics or the money to pay a publicist and in addition, getting banner ad placement out the ass.
not to mention artists are not locked into a long term / multi album contract AND they get to keep 100% of any physical sales...
if i was trying to get my foot in the door, i'd be all over this.
p.s. this rawkus 50 campaign did so well we're doing it again this year...
so get ya weight up and get at me!
Posted at 7:19 p.m. on January 9, 2008
6 Justin Boland says...
Thanks very much for speaking on it.
I only meant that your comment was a "slip" in terms of making the overall strategy more clear: that the catalog was an investment in the future of Rawkus as a business, not just a brand. And I definitely agreed that it's a win/win situation-I only questioned who was winning more.
What you're offering is definitely a more evolved and equitable contract than anything a major label would put on the table.
Posted at 11:31 p.m. on January 9, 2008
7 Quan Solo says...
Wait a second.. if you're doing another campaign this year, doesn't that just reduce the value of the existing Rawkus 50 by effectively knocking them off the list? Or do you intend to turn it into "The Rawkus 100" and continue to give them all the same level of support? Just want some clarification, because it sounds like the O.G. 50 get the short end of the stick with that deal.
Posted at 3:16 p.m. on January 10, 2008
8 JeffroDigi says...
This sounds cool but you always gotta look at things with a skeptical eye. The opressed usually never want freedom for all, they just want to be the oppressor when the rules change.
Posted at 4:49 p.m. on January 10, 2008
9 Bling Finger says...
That's an interesting point you bring up Quan. There's no question in my mind that having another Rawkus 50 will dilute the brands of the original 50 once they are yesterday's news and no longer promoted by Rawkus.
Personally I haven't trusted Rawkus since the late 90's when all hell broke loose and albums I was dying for never came out.
El-P of Def Jux on Rawkus:
I don't know what's up with the "new" Rawkus, but I'd definitely be weary if I was going to get into bed with them anytime soon.
Posted at 3:59 p.m. on January 11, 2008
10 SPAN PHLY says...
I would definately not call it a scam, I am a member of the Rawkus 50 and being selected gave my music career a major boost. The exposure has really started kicking in now that it has been distributed and it is being pushed hard world wide...
big ups to Slop and the rest of the guys at Rawkus for a successful launch...
Posted at 3:11 a.m. on January 13, 2008
11 Monstrous says...
So how come none of these dudes on Rawkus will just answer the fucking question about what the terms of the contract are? Span Phly, you're getting a "major boost"-what does that mean? Can you measure that, can you define that?
I dig what you're doing with this site, people need non-bullshit advice, there's too much of these dudes just pretending they're doing alright. We're all getting ripped off, and you dudes think you're playing your cards smart but you're just making the problem worse. I sell $75 of merch on average at shows. I'd like to double that. I'd like to see people have a real discussion about how to do that. Instead of talking like they've made it, none of us made it, even Talib Kweli is broke and stressed out. Just venting. Thanks.
Posted at 6:47 a.m. on January 15, 2008
12 TheProtege says...
Maybe none of these Rawkus 50 dudes want you in their personal buisness. Who the fuck are you to know the terms of my/our contract?Why you so concerned? Do you know what help means, Monstrous? Thats what we are getting.
Posted at 3:06 p.m. on January 18, 2008
13 Quandary says...
Monstrous, if you take a look back at the chain of comments you'll see a couple of the Rawkus 50 cats have already been kind enough to offer a little insight into the situation. On top of that, I understand that Justin is in the process of lining up some interviews with a few of them, so with any luck we'll get a more in-depth run down pretty soon.
I understand your frustration, but no one here is "talking like they've made it." All I've seen is cats saying Rawkus has offered them much-needed tools to ease the promotional process. And Protege, in Monstrous' defense, I think he's just looking for some help, too; he just wants to know what Rawkus is doing for you that works, in the hopes that he might be able to apply it to his own career. That's all any of us is here for.
Audible Hype shouldn't be a place to vent or get bent out of shape. This is a place to talk about our individual experiences and use our collective knowledge to find newer, more effective ways to approach the music business.
Posted at 5:36 p.m. on January 18, 2008
14 Justin Boland says...
Personally, I think contracts should be open source. The taboo about discussing money is very weird. Why wouldn't you want people to know the terms of your contracts?
Although Monstrous was venting, I think it's pretty reasonable to ask what exactly "help" means. It benefits everyone in the underground.
Posted at 11:25 p.m. on January 23, 2008
15 slopfunkdust says...
there are new artists that pop up every year... just cause you're hot today doesn't mean you'll be that tomorrow. im always looking for good music and there are a lot of artists that should of been in the 50, but couldn't for their own reasons. the original 50 are the OG's and always will be.
and Bling Finger, the fact that you're quoting El-P is retarded. you should quote his public apology for making false statements about rawkus and that he was pissed cause the founders posted a pic of him, mr. underground till the day i die, with puff daddy holding up a stick of old spice deodorant... sellin' out to corporate america and trying to save face with his fans...
Posted at 2:53 p.m. on March 28, 2008
16 Bling Finger says...
El-P's follow-up MySpace blog post, with postscript:
Looks like he apologized big time there. And don't talk to me about selling out either I just visited your site with your U.S. Army ads all over the place. Even better than selling out to corporate America is selling out your fans to the military-industrial complex. Ever thought about what you're doing putting their ads on your site?
Posted at 3:34 p.m. on March 28, 2008