#WATTBA and Music’s Silent Takeover
Before I begin, I sent this to a list of “media” outlets, but I figured why not just share this with the world myself. This is NOT a Drake x Future think piece. This is about a disrupt in an entire energy that is happening overnight. Datpiff launched in 2005 quickly rose to being one of the top media outlets for new mixtapes. It opened the door more fans to get their hands on more artists music, as well as to discover new artists. As it solidified itself as being a premiere place to download mixtapes, it also because the authority in the mixtape world. If you wanted your mixtape to be heard or to have notoriety it had to be premiered on Datpiff.
The overall idea of this write up is to show how the release of #WATTBA changed the mixtape industry forever which as of 9/22 has had over 500,000 buys not streams, that’s purchases from a mixtape. Even in the past year, billboard has added mixtapes to be included when scoring the most played albums/songs. Understand, this is not a Drake THINK PEICE, however I will say the boy is hip-hop’s greatest marketer. He knows how to leverage his options which makes everything he does seem like he is on a lifetime scholarship.
If you didn’t have an apple products or weren’t subscribe to MUSIC you missed the first time an entire mixtape was broadcasted over the airwaves to over 74.5 million devices to experience at the same time. And to add insult to injury if you didn’t have any apple products you didn’t have access to purchase nor stream the mixtape…not an album, not an EP or LP, a mixtape. Artists can now be paid for streams from their mixtape, which could translate into the purchase of their mixtape, something which isn’t currently available on such a large scale like MUSIC offers. This changes so many industries, and I have written more to go along with the submission which includes graphics and analytics to show the change within that industry.For the first part of the series I will be interviewing MICK to get his perspective on the shift in music.
How did you first get into hosting mixtapes?
MICK: Growing up, there were artists that I liked that weren’t getting enough exposure. I had some buzz as a deejay, and thought it would be good to combine forces. A win/win.
Do you still believe releasing a mixtape is important in this current musical climate?
MICK: Absolutely. But really, an album is a mixtape these days. Mixtapes got as good as albums. Some albums got as “bad” as mixtapes, also. There really is no difference now. Drake’s mixtapes are released like albums. Surprise albums behave like mixtapes. And they all live in your iPhone next to each other.
Does hosting a mixtape benefit the artists as much as the DJ?
MICK: Depends. It can benefit one or the other more. But in a perfect synergy, it benefits both parties.
Do you believe the start of mixtapes being released on MUSIC will be better for everyone attached to the project through streaming?
MICK: It depends. Mixtapes on Apple will have to be legal and cleared. And less freestyles and samples. That totally limits the creativity and spontaneity of the culture.
What do you see the future (no pun intended) of mixtapes going?
MICK: I think in general, mixtape culture showed artists its okay to just make music and put it out. And say fuck the red tape. I see this attitude becoming even more prominent in the future.
More attention is being placed on the DJ again in comparison to the producer and artist, do you think that will be a permanent shift?
MICK: Yes. Totally. We have been the tastemakers for decades. It’s nice to finally see this shift.
Some of the greatest producers started out as DJs, have you thought about venturing out into that area of music?
MICK: I have but for me, its moreso of a time constraint as I have lots of other things going on. That said, to me, producing to me is most fun in a Quincy Jones or Puffy masterplan / broad strokes / creative process version of it. That’s where I do my best, anyways. Using my brain to make projects better.
Originally published at www.krysdash.com on October 15, 2015.
