They’ve teamed up with Peer Group Media to form Major Label a ‘singles only’ record label where the artist maintains ownership of copyright, has full creative control and receives 100% of the royalty income through the sales of music via digital retail stores.
The idea is for the 700 street-savvy General Pants Co. staff to act as talent scouts, street teams and publicists for the label and its artists. The staff will seek out the next hot Australian acts and submit them to the Major Label music blog housed on the General Pants Co. website. Each month three acts will be chosen and their single will be available for streaming on the General Pants Co. website and available to purchase through selected online retailers including itunes, Nokia, Emusic and Amazon at a cost of $1.68.
Jethro Lyons, Brand Manager of General Pants Co. said “Major Label is about discovering up and coming hot new Australian acts and throwing them a lifeline. The program engages our staff and customers and puts General Pants Co. on the dance floor of the Australian music scene, which is an exciting place to be right now.”
The match between brands and music is a natural fit. Brands are continually exploring new ways to engage consumers and music, with the loyalty and passion it arouses is a viable medium. If General Pants Co. get this right they’ll garner much respect from their young customer basis.
That may not be as easy as it sounds.The Levity program was set up by Levi’s® with similar intentions, to assist emerging Australasian talent. Artists signed to short term deals included Mercy Arms and Cut Off Your Hands. The program according to former Marketing Manager Steve Williams, was seen as a long term investment for the brand but waned since its inception in 2007. Having had some involvement with Levi’s® during this time, I would suggest this may have been due to weak distribution channels and difficulty signing up artists
The Major Label initiative launches on 1st March 2010.
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