Hot off a showcase at Las Vegas’ Amplify music festival, we took a moment to chat with trueAnthem artist Ultraviolet Sound as they made their way to San Diego. This “Freak 4 the Beat” tour has UVS on the road with fellow So Cal band Electric Valentine, who they plan to release a collaborative EP with trueAnthem this fall. Unlike artists of previous years, the band isn’t slacking off in between dates. Instead, they’re packing in recording work at their favorite studios like Vegas’ “Odds On” and perfecting tracks on their mobile rigs. The gang took a break to give us their latest feelings on UVS’ Adidas sponsored widget release and promoting music with the trueAnthem model.
tA: Why trueAnthem?
UVS: The basic concept is genius--bands can now make a living on their art. I get my music for free, finding it online, downloading...Everyone wants to be able to do this. They filled in the missing piece for us. Within 90 days we had 50,000 downloads with our first sponsor Initium Eyewear. I don’t think we could have gotten that exposure on our own. With the state of the music business, this was the obvious choice. To be able to still be paid and provide free downloads for the fans, we just jumped right on it.
tA: How did you release your music before trueAnthem?
UVS: For our first EP, we tried selling on our own. We weren’t able to get it out to as many people as we have with trueAnthem. Before that, I was signed to a major label…spent three years of my life making a record, and then having the label closing and never being able to release it. I got a little bit more careful about my future endeavors. trueAnthem seemed ideal. It’s the way music is going.
tA: Do you feel like you took anything good away from the major label relationship?
UVS: I met Joanna (trueAnthem Chief Creative Officer), who brought us in to trueAnthem. I also wrote with a lot of the top songwriters out there. But I felt like the label had a lot of artists to manage and some fell by the wayside. It made me cautious about record labels in general.
tA: Why were you not cautious about trueAnthem?
UVS: The concept is amazing. They’ve found a way to pay the artist. And you can still be in charge of your own destiny. You can still spread your music across the Internet for free, and you’re getting paid. It seems like common sense.
tA: How did you feel about inserting audio ads into your songs?
UVS: Initially, we were nervous and didn’t want to annoy the fan with an ad. After we got hooked up with such a dope brand our perspective changed a little and we were excited about the concept—we could give away our whole album for free....what else can you ask for!
We started getting creative with the ads and having fun with it…making them more of a genuine shout out rather than a corporate vibe. It doesn't have to be robotic and boring. We didn't get negative feedback, and actually had people responding positively. It's a way to actually speak to the fans—we want to thank Adidas for helping us put the album out for free. It gives us another connection with the fan. They get to hear Sarah's voice.
tA: How has it changed your revenue?
UVS: The amount of downloads that we have gotten so far through trueAnthem has been amazing. I don't think we could have done that on iTunes alone. And it works with our other publicity. When we were featured on Perez Hilton, two million people were exposed to us, and then had the opportunity to get our record for free.
We've found people still want to buy the music without the ad. On iTunes, you might just buy your favorite song. On trueAnthem, you hear them all. Then a lot of true fans can still go buy the songs. You have options: you can download it for free with the ad, then go back and buy it without.
tA: What have you done before trueAnthem to get your music out there that didn’t work?
UVS: Mostly selling it on our MySpace and at shows...which works but not even close to the level that tA does. With trueAnthem, you don't have all the middlemen and politics. We like selling it off MySpace, right off our page, but the reality is only a hard-core fan is going to spend the eight bucks to get it. trueAnthem is the only company that has really taken action in getting us out there.
tA: What about trueAnthem has surprised you?
UVS: Our widget really is viral. It does actually keep spreading from the one original one. The technology…how it allows the music gets passed through people, through the widget. There was nothing like this we could try in the past, other than “preview the album, click here to buy now”. Only some of the people would actually find our music.
tA: So why Adidas as a sponsor?
UVS: Why not? They are the most classic brand ever. Especially with music. I’ve been wearing it since I was little. Sarah’s first concert was Beastie Boys and Madonna in 1986 and we all love Adidas. I think everybody in hip-hop was sporting Adidas in the 80s.
tA: Are there other brands you’d like to work with?
UVS: We really love American apparel and music brands like Gibson. But Adidas was just us.
tA: Tell me more about the music video you are doing with in collaboration with them.
UVS: We are doing a video with OCD with a lot of dancing. We're filming all our friends across the country…in LA, NY, Vegas…dancing. Adidas is going to hook up all the dancers with gear. We're giving the fans a really fun video to watch that will also available on trueAnthem for free download.
tA: What would you say to people who dislike the audio ads?
UVS: I would just say to that person…you have full right to feel it’s annoying. But I would ask that person: Do you like downloading music for free? And they might say, “no I like to buy my music.” Then I would tell them, great trueAnthem sells it too, without the ads. Other people are annoyed because they want the music for free. I would ask them what they do for a living. They say, “I cut hair”…how would they feel if I asked them to come to my house and cut my hair for free? People are used to getting music for free, so they’re annoyed that there is a four second ad. But they can buy it without the ad if they like the music.
tA: One blogger wrote, trueAnthem is “next nail in the music labels’ coffins.” What’s your reaction to that statement?
UVS: Labels have been screwing over artists forever…what comes around goes around. In the way that the world is evolving, with music and artists taking it into their hands to reach the fans, I think trueAnthem is maybe a couple of nails in there. That is, only in regards that the major label business model stays the same. If their business model was great, and artists were getting what they want and fans were getting what they want, there would be no trueAnthem.
tA: Tell me more about how they paired you with Adidas. Was it like a matchmaking process? Did you consider other brands?
UVS: Yeah. We told them we want a brand that we can connect with, that our fans would get why we teamed up with that brand. Joanna knows our music really well so we just trust her. The staff there get it…that the fan and the band go together with the brand. For the band to feel good about it, the band wants to know that the brand is something they can relate to. If they said Michelin Tires is going to sponsor your album, we’d say no. But Adidas is awesome and I rock Adidas all the time. If the ad is going to lead into the music it should be something the artist is passionate about. trueAnthem understands what the band’s fan base is. They analyze the band’s demographic well and find a brand that would make it work.
tA: What specific feedback have you received from fans on the ads?
UVS: Even if our fans appreciate getting it for free, they are wondering if it will be available without the ads. People are willing to pay for it without the ads--the true fans. The point is making those fans.
We’ve gotten a few negative emails. But whenever you’re doing something cutting edge and revolutionary, there are always haters. For the most part, the numbers really show that it’s successful. 95% seem to like it. For the other 5%--maybe those people have a problem, and the problem is not the ads!
tA: Do you see any downsides to the trueAnthem model? Do you think it’s selling out?
UVS: I don't think there's such a thing as "selling out" anymore. Back in the day, the label, artist or company or whatever would try to change you for your paycheck. Now, it's just smart--A. cause we want to make a living and B. cause we want to get some exposure. If you're an artist just for the sake of art and don't want to make any money, then you'd be selling out. But if you want to make art and make a living, it's different. Artists who license their music aren't selling out. It's not selling out. It's being successful, which is great.
We knew people would complain about the ads. We got spoiled with so much free music, free downloads. Now, we have this new model.
tA: Do you aspire to be on a traditional label again?
UVS: There is no telling what opportunities will come. We definitely want to continue putting records out with trueAnthem and continue to do a lot of touring. We know that it can still be beneficial to be with a label depending on the specific deal. We aren't ruling out any options.
tA: How can you envision the trueAnthem model working for well-established acts coming off a label?
UVS: If you have a huge fan base, trueAnthem helps you put out your records directly to your fans and be in control through the whole thing. You connect with your fans and they all get it for free. No one has to worry about that marketing.
If you’re someone like Nine Inch Nails or Radiohead, you’re giving out your album for free anyway. Pay what you want is pretty much the same thing as free. Trent Reznor wrote an article about his release…the vast majority got it for free. You have to question--is exposure more important than selling albums? It’s more important to get people to listen…to get 100,000 people to listen to you music than sell 10,000 albums. If I were a big artist, I would do it. Hillary Duff might leave her record label…if she were on trueAnthem, she would sell and have more creative control.
tA: Before working with trueAnthem, were you guys able to sustain yourselves with you music sales?
UVS: No. Definitely not. The band has been together two years. I imagine it would take about that amount of time to really begin to sustain yourself. But trueAnthem just made it happen. We aren't all buying houses now or anything, but we're excited about the future. It only builds and gets bigger from here.
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