Revive the Mixtape!

As one of the world’s top music distribution companies, we’ve been around the block long enough to feel nostalgic about a few musical mementos we rarely see this day and age. Technological innovation is amazing, sure! Hitclips, 8-tracks, boom boxes so big you had to carry them on your shoulder – all relics of eras in music we were ready to say goodbye to. But certain vestiges were already perfect even though they weren’t today’s idea of “modern.”  Some things, even though they’re not perfect, don’t need to be improved upon. Case in point: the mixtape. 

The physical, corporal, hard-copy mixtape – be it cassette or a freshly burned CD – is heading the way of the dodo. Because while the concept of a shared compilation is alive and well, mix tapes are being elbowed-out of popularity by their sleeker and sexier replacement, the playlist. Kids today carefully drag-and-drop SongCast artists into their iTunes and Spotify playlist, click “share” and instantly send your band’s music to all their friends. And as an artist, that’s great! The easier it is to share, the more ears hear your music. And this type of consumer motivation and word-of-mouth zeal that is absolutely essential to the success of any musician or group. The drive to share, because the consumer feels the raw content is so valuable it deserves a messenger, is necessary to invoke if you’re going to make it big.

But the mixtape mentality is slightly different than the digital sharing of music. Because physical mixtapes pack a punch that playlists simply don’t; a physical mixtape composed with thought and care and handed along to another person (and then perhaps another) makes an impact on the music consumer that is almost impossible to create any other way. Because it’s a physical object, the listener’s “ownership” of your music is more tangible.

What’s more, when a person hears your song on a mixtape and loves it, they investigate the source on their own and the discovery sparks intrigue. This is much different from receiving an iTunes playlist or Spotify compilation you enjoy; as it creates a bit more of a challenge (and a personal impact) than clicking an artist’s name and downloading an album or a few songs. Granted, you profit- but in the long term, any artist should prefer a listener with a more personal connection to the music.

So join us – revive the mixtape! Because music distribution companies like us are made of people, just like you. And just like you, we want more mixtapes.