Bad publicity for Brands in the music industry



Lil Wayne with a blunt and a gun sign 



Is there really such thing as “any publicity is good publicity” in the music industry? I think not. This is because artists, especially those who are prominent, are seen as role models by some of their fans. Whenever artists are associated with negativity, some of their fans (young children) will think it is “cool”, so that would make them bad role models. Sometimes bad publicity can ruin an artist’s image or reputation in a way that they lose interest in the artist. Hence I say bad publicity is not good for an artist’s or a brand’s image.

Lira

  It is much easier for a brand with a good PR strategy to avoid bad publicity. It helps artists maintain a good image in the public’s eyes which makes them good role models for the youth. I don’t recall an artist like Lira being associated with negative publicity like twitter fights or any bad comments she said about other artists on television. She is one of the artists who most young children look up to. This is because she has always kept a good image in the South African music industry. Artists who maintain a good image last longer than artists with a bad image, that’s a fact.

 

SA artists as brands

 

PRO-KID performing in Grahamstown EC

Over the years, the South African music industry has grown rapidly. The hiphop industry is one of the SA music genres that have seen a major growth in recent years. I have seen artists move from performing in the streets to performing in stadiums. I believe that behind every artist there has to be a proper marketing strategy. In this day and age, musicians don’t only make money from making music and performances; most of their money is made through endorsements. Hiphop artists like ‘PRO’ have made multiple hits in his life time. He recently received an endorsement with ‘Fish Eagle’.

We might always see the artist performing on the stage, but there are people who work behind the scenes with the purpose of improving these artists as brands. Most musicians are successful because they executed their marketing strategies perfectly. All thanks to their PR/ marketing departments who make them prominent brands. It is clear that they would not be where they are without them. I personally think musicians do need to have strategic ways of improving their brands in order to last longer in the industry, either that, or you will never makie it.