Can Red Bull Give Artists Wings?
On November 1st, Red Bull kicked off 30 Days in LA – the largest initiative to date in the second year of their Sound Select program geared towards launching new artists into the music industry. During the month long program, several middle of the road, yet buzzworthy indie musicians will take the stage along with a handful of under the radar artists Red Bull is hoping to break big. Hustle and Drone, Tapioca and the Flea, Wrestlers, DIANA,Bad Girlfriend and Avid Dancer are among those artists. Haven’t heard of them? Red Bull is on a mission to change that.
“The best way to describe it is to say we give you wings,” says Stephen Canfield, Red Bull's national culture marketing manager and one of Sound Select's primary chieftains. “Dietrich Mateschitz, the founder of the company, says that is the fundamental mission of the organization is to give wings to people and ideas and help them to do what they want to do. That's why this program exists — it's a fundamental part of the mission of the brand. It’s really about putting those artists first and doing something that's good for them.”
Thus, Sound Select will execute that mission by curating and executing upwards of 200 subsidized shows across 12 American cities where Sound Select members can enjoy the live music at the low cost of $3.00 per ticket.
While Red Bull is clearly convicted in their belief that Sound Select can be a launching pad for up and coming artists, there’s a lot of under the breath muttering going on. A prominent national promoter who declined speaking on record said, ““It's not that interesting. They booked bands already on tour at venues they would have played anyway.” Other critics wonder how realistic it is to expect headliners to create the draw necessary to effectively introduce new artists.
To the skeptics, Canfield replies, “There's been a lot of thought put into the project, on how to make the whole thing interesting from front to back. We want this to be something that celebrates the fans — that's a big part of it. It's simple things, like fans who show up for the openers will have access to free parking, and other things they'll learn about on the day of the show.”
Red Bull’s Sound Select has seen success slowly but surely in their efforts with artists like Chance The Rapper, Cherub, and Cemini Club, to name a few. While whether or not they have the resources and the stamina to truly break an artist into the industry is up for debate, Chris Swanson, co-founder of the Secret Label Group is pleased by what he’s seeing. “Its interesting when you have these big consumer brands doing this. Though it might seem a little goofy at first, like, 'Oh Mountain Dew is putting out this record, but they're injecting passion and visibility into a changing marketplace that can use it. As an independent label I think it's great.”
