Record labels don’t always have a smooth relationship with music artists. If a band chooses to release their music using alternative means, one of the most common assumptions is a) that their music wasn’t good enough to get them signed by a label or b) that they were difficult for labels to get along with. For established 20-year music veterans De La Soul, neither was the case. Releasing on iTunes tomorrow, De La Soul has partnered with Nike to bring us the “Are You in?: Nike+ Original Run,” 44-minute workout LP. This marks the return of the hip-hop trio to the music scene after a break of 5 years.
The album, part of Nike’s SportMusic range of music, is yet another example of the brand’s complete dedication to constantly reinventing themselves. Marketers have ventured into branded music before, but the SportMusic albums are different because they sell for $9.99 each, making them a revenue stream of their own accord. De La Soul have admitted to being approached by other brands, but say they went with Nike because they shared a common approach to the project. The group especially appreciated the fact that they were able to get feedback from Nike Plus runners. In their words:
[With Nike] it’s more like a mesh of the minds and a mesh of the creative aspect of things. I think Nike approaches this on a creative level just as much as on a business level. And I think that’s what’s cool about it. We sit down with an objective and try to accomplish it. The objective of a record label is just selling records. I think they could almost care less about the creative aspect of it. So this is cool, you’ve got a company that creates. They design, they actually focus on an audience, and I think that’s what De La is about as well. It’s not what labels are about.
[Via AdAge]
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