Toby Benson Of Complete Control On Remix Swaps
#SXSW
Two questions for Toby Benson of Complete Control Management. Clients include Tiesto, Shuttle, Body Language.
Hypebot: What do you consider the most promising creative use of social media for you artists?
Toby: Absolutely it's with remix swaps. Its all about the relationships/friendships these artists create with other artists. Once the remix is created I am able to partner with the other management teams and take the remix and via any blog aggregator shop the remix exclusives to blog to find the best way to crosspolinate different demographics.
Hypebot: How would this strategy apply to non-electronic acts?
Toby: It would apply the same way when one rock band covers another. The artist can seek out relationships that expand their fanbase and both groups benefit from each others fans being exposed.
Photo: Toby Benson and Lee Anderson of AM Only.
Destroys the old days when everyone had enough talent to create their own music and not ride on the Promo tails of someone else….I do respect some re-mixes of some songs…but after producing 8c.d.’soon to be 9 and about 120 songs produced or more believe that if you are a true artist and are creative….you should shine on your own.
Dan Krzykwa(singer/programmer/producer)-the Dance/Techno band…..
“Madcap Syndrome”
http://www.madcapsyndrome.com
Writing grreat music is FAR from being an automatic ticket to sucess in the music industry. I’ve seen far too many awesome local bands play to empty rooms and eventually break up and dissappear because they had no idea of how to promote themselves.
If you have become a succesful professional musician without doing any covers or remixes, great, congratulations, seriously! However for everyone else I say grab EVERY possible opportunity with both hands, you never know which one (or which 10 incrementally) is going to get you to the next level on the exposure ladder.
I think this mentality is flawed. I could as easily say “This artist is just copying the same old 12-tone system.” Every work of art is built upon the shoulders of those who came before him even if it is a negation of a past trend, each piece is a modulation of a previously established system. Good art is often based upon the presentation of interesting ideas through a language that the audience understands. The recycled medium through which that idea is expressed may simply be a tonal system and an instrument created by another artist (in reality, the stealing is always more closely linked than this) or it may be even more closely based on a specific work so that the connection is distinctly recongized by the artist and the audience (a remix). “Every artist steals, the good ones don’t get caught.”…or in the case of remixes, its so good that no one cares.