Does soundclick cheapen your brand?
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Zonic
New member
I love stories like this... NIKE has a similar story.
Yeah, I always find it enjoyable to analyse successful businesses marketing strategies.
Just to make it clear by the way... Haagen Dazs still make sure not to distribute their product range through "low priced/discount" stores as it would be a confusion in regards to their brand image and message. However, as their market has grown, they have made themselves more available.
Producers on SC doesn't necessarily means they have a C-grade beats, but in my opinion that is true majority of the time and I agree. You will find very few producers on SC that got grade A beats. Producers like Dj Mustard and Pharrell Williams are beyond our public SC category. If you compare the quality of their beats vs most of the SC beats it sounds different. Here's the difference:
Grade A beats run through SSL console and the mixing engineers are top notch - Tony Maserati, Dave Pensado, Manny Marroquin, Serban Ghenea etc. How do I know this? Well, I can't speak for everyone but I did some emailing (can't tell in main thread who but if you pm me I can) and that's the answer that was given to me.
Grade A beats run through SSL console and the mixing engineers are top notch - Tony Maserati, Dave Pensado, Manny Marroquin, Serban Ghenea etc. How do I know this? Well, I can't speak for everyone but I did some emailing (can't tell in main thread who but if you pm me I can) and that's the answer that was given to me.
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wildinout8
Moderator
DJ Mustard makes Grade A beats? His beats sound like the drunk girls at my college parties when they're like, "You have a keyboard?? I've never played one before...I'll press some keys!"
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A lot of reasons. People make music in different ways. People may have more "integrity" than DJ Mustard. They make more complicated music. Etc etc.
At the end of the day, music is about tastes and opinions!
Wildinout8 and I are purely stating that we don't rate Mustard as a "grade A" producer. You do.
At the end of the day, music is about tastes and opinions!
Wildinout8 and I are purely stating that we don't rate Mustard as a "grade A" producer. You do.
DJ Mustard beats is the same. There are no different ways. Just a lot of imitator trying to sound like him but aren't even close. The videos I posted are spot on though. That's what I meant by grade A beats. Beats that are beyond public catalog like Soundclick. They got those sound that separate from the amateur. I don't care if its Dj Mustard beats or Tyga beats or whatever genre it is. I know how grade A beat sound like vs amatuer beats. That's my point.
That's the most ignorant thing I've ever seen posted on this forum.
If you're selling music, you have a brand. If you're operating as a business, you need to follow the principles of business.
And thats the most ironic thing Ive seen.
He is right.
His comment is a little bit of reality that rarely makes it into threads like this.
You know what a brand needs? Quality.
Next weeks thread; "Do I need to have any actual good tracks to build my brand? Do I need any tracks at all..?"
Get real folks.
How many dollars have to be created by something for it to be called 'a brand'?
LOL at the ironic bit.
You don't have to make money to brand something. One of the origins of the word meant you stuck a hot metal signature iron to show which farm your livestock belonged too. So in other words, you can brand yourself, it's more often than not, an intangible element of your company as a whole.
You're right a brand does need quality, but the rest of your argument is very poor. How can you say you don't have a brand when you have your Soundcloud up with music on it, under your brand name (I assume) trying to sell music?
If you're running a business, which any producer is attempting to do by selling beats/music, you must market...
And to market, one must brand.
To say anything else, is ignorant and ill-advised.
My argument is very poor?
That must be more irony.
They were not branding the cattle for fun or to look cool.
It was so they did not get stolen. i.e. For money.
The brand itself is intangible, "non profitable", but its existence is 100% to drive profitability.
Sure, a brand could exist without the concept of profit behind it, but then, why? Why would the effort, and PR bs, be put out there for no return? If it were all about 'the art', then why would energy be wasted elsewhere?
Ok, so now its about money.
I never said that one should market without a brand.
What Im saying is that one should not brand a product that is not marketable.
It is worse than a waste of time. It poisons anything you might do in the future that actually is marketable, and takes time away from learning to create quality product.
Again; Cart, horse....
To market, one needs to have marketable product, first.
What is the use of branding crap? Again; It is worse than a waste of time.
No one gives a shit to see a brand 'grow' or 'mature'. No one is sticking around to see if you happen to make good stuff.
Do the growing and learning at home, and brand yourself when you have quality on lock.
To say anything other than that, is either immature or delusional.
I will admit that unfortunately, there is a tiny but fast growing speck of sad truth to the idea that marketing is more important than product. i.e. In say, thirty years, there might not be actual 'art' any more, and the opposite of what I am saying might be totally true. But, if the creative world was not headed that way, there would be absolutely zero point to be made in favor of the concept.
That must be more irony.
They were not branding the cattle for fun or to look cool.
It was so they did not get stolen. i.e. For money.
The brand itself is intangible, "non profitable", but its existence is 100% to drive profitability.
Sure, a brand could exist without the concept of profit behind it, but then, why? Why would the effort, and PR bs, be put out there for no return? If it were all about 'the art', then why would energy be wasted elsewhere?
Ok, so now its about money.
I never said that one should market without a brand.
What Im saying is that one should not brand a product that is not marketable.
It is worse than a waste of time. It poisons anything you might do in the future that actually is marketable, and takes time away from learning to create quality product.
Again; Cart, horse....
To market, one needs to have marketable product, first.
What is the use of branding crap? Again; It is worse than a waste of time.
No one gives a shit to see a brand 'grow' or 'mature'. No one is sticking around to see if you happen to make good stuff.
Do the growing and learning at home, and brand yourself when you have quality on lock.
To say anything other than that, is either immature or delusional.
I will admit that unfortunately, there is a tiny but fast growing speck of sad truth to the idea that marketing is more important than product. i.e. In say, thirty years, there might not be actual 'art' any more, and the opposite of what I am saying might be totally true. But, if the creative world was not headed that way, there would be absolutely zero point to be made in favor of the concept.
I love it when people put words in my mouth.
I never said it wasn't about profit. I said branding IS BUSINESS. The very basic principle of business is to make a profit.
When I said "you don't need to be making money to brand" is true. You can be in debt as a business, you still need to brand for you to even have a message. These producers don't need to be making money to have a brand.
The first question about business not being for profit is irrelevant - you either misunderstood what I said, or you're purposefully putting words in my mouth. In every circumstance, any enterprise is looking to profit. Either through monetary means, social, etc.
Now you're asking the question of what is a marketable product, essentially. Can you tell me that?
Why isn't the business model of selling beats for cheap marketable, exactly? How do you know by selling such a small time product doesn't lead to bigger things? You don't know the very business model these producers might have. They may see it as stepping stone... They might just surprise you.
Do you realise some companies purposefully sell a product they can't make money on, to try and push units of another product in their portfolio? It's called loss-leading.
Furthermore, can I just point something out to you... The very essence of setting a price for your product IS BRANDING.
You're selling music right? You have a brand. Arguing against that is very, very foolish.
It's fantastic you're taking the original argument down the path to the way the market is. That's not branding per se, that's marketing. Branding is very much a smaller element to it all, and I won't be discussing the broader aspects of marketing...
Only because I can imagine you'll have some form of anti-capitalist rant hidden inside about marketing which will argue against the very principles of how the world turns no matter who you are.
I probably won't be replying to your next reply... I suggest you read up on the 4Ps of marketing. And Dear God, before you say marketing isn't important to a business... It's probably the most important function as it ties in with everything you do. Even outside business, you're marketing yourself everyday. You're branding yourself.
Wearing the clothes you wear... Guess what? BRANDING. Also, you're wearing those clothes for a profit. Not a monetary profit, but an advantage of style over someone else, or whatever your reasoning is. Cause it's fair trade clothing, whatever...
Anyway, when I post a blog post on the 4Ps, I'll make sure to leave a link... And you can read it then.
Cheers,
Jordan
P.S. I agree with the bit about growing at home. You know, learning how to make quality beats, etc... But I thought we were talking about producers who were ready to enter the marketplace, hence the topic of branding ever came up.
P.P.S Marketing is more important than the product. If you have a product, on it's own - it won't sell. Only until you market it, will you ever have a, in your words, marketable product.
I never said it wasn't about profit. I said branding IS BUSINESS. The very basic principle of business is to make a profit.
When I said "you don't need to be making money to brand" is true. You can be in debt as a business, you still need to brand for you to even have a message. These producers don't need to be making money to have a brand.
The first question about business not being for profit is irrelevant - you either misunderstood what I said, or you're purposefully putting words in my mouth. In every circumstance, any enterprise is looking to profit. Either through monetary means, social, etc.
Now you're asking the question of what is a marketable product, essentially. Can you tell me that?
Why isn't the business model of selling beats for cheap marketable, exactly? How do you know by selling such a small time product doesn't lead to bigger things? You don't know the very business model these producers might have. They may see it as stepping stone... They might just surprise you.
Do you realise some companies purposefully sell a product they can't make money on, to try and push units of another product in their portfolio? It's called loss-leading.
Furthermore, can I just point something out to you... The very essence of setting a price for your product IS BRANDING.
You're selling music right? You have a brand. Arguing against that is very, very foolish.
It's fantastic you're taking the original argument down the path to the way the market is. That's not branding per se, that's marketing. Branding is very much a smaller element to it all, and I won't be discussing the broader aspects of marketing...
Only because I can imagine you'll have some form of anti-capitalist rant hidden inside about marketing which will argue against the very principles of how the world turns no matter who you are.
I probably won't be replying to your next reply... I suggest you read up on the 4Ps of marketing. And Dear God, before you say marketing isn't important to a business... It's probably the most important function as it ties in with everything you do. Even outside business, you're marketing yourself everyday. You're branding yourself.
Wearing the clothes you wear... Guess what? BRANDING. Also, you're wearing those clothes for a profit. Not a monetary profit, but an advantage of style over someone else, or whatever your reasoning is. Cause it's fair trade clothing, whatever...
Anyway, when I post a blog post on the 4Ps, I'll make sure to leave a link... And you can read it then.
Cheers,
Jordan
P.S. I agree with the bit about growing at home. You know, learning how to make quality beats, etc... But I thought we were talking about producers who were ready to enter the marketplace, hence the topic of branding ever came up.
P.P.S Marketing is more important than the product. If you have a product, on it's own - it won't sell. Only until you market it, will you ever have a, in your words, marketable product.
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wildinout8
Moderator
Bottom line - too many people have a "brand" and a fancy logo, but don't know how to make a melody, a chord progression or a beat that doesn't sound like a rejected trap beat Mannie Fresh made back in '98. Spend less time pirating synths and being a MIDI musician with a "brand" and actually respect the craft.
A brand isn't a brand unless it has Value - otherwise, you're just some cat that makes beat loops and Youtube videos smokin blunts.
A brand isn't a brand unless it has Value - otherwise, you're just some cat that makes beat loops and Youtube videos smokin blunts.