It is true that there are still many bands selling an
important number of copies at the present time. But when it comes to album
sales in Latin America, and specifically in Venezuela, piracy comes into play
as a nightmare for artists. It damages severely every party involved. Artists
don’t get the reward they deserve after an expensive hard-working ride, fans
apparently get the product at a ridiculous (almost zero) cost illegally, and
the whole disc supply chain is impacted. Additionally, there is an ethical
reason behind in terms of musicians and recording industry’s work valuation.
Why somebody would pay for a shirt from a recognized brand, and not for copied
one? Isn’t it the same case for music?
Guaco's last album release video, in partnership with the journal "El Nacional"
In
this situation there are two paths to take and, sometimes, both paths might be
taken simultaneously. First, copyright laws need to become stricter and an
obvious supervision has to be applied. Second, reinvention enters into thegame. One of the first important steps done in Venezuela to fight against
piracy consists of offering fans original recordings at lower prices. The way
this can be done is by constituting strategic partnerships with other
businesses such as written press. Newspapers have a solid and fairly stable
demand that normally grows as a result of big impact news. A win-winrelationship has been established between bands and newspapers, to offer fans
the possibility to buy a new released disc for a reduced price. By only buying the newspaper, fans can have a
coupon that gives them the right to acquire new album releases for, sometimes,
half of the price you would find in stores. This way the newspaper will
increase its demand and sales during a promotional period of time, and the band
will guarantee the original product sales and a strong marketing campaign.
So, why would you buy a pirate album, when you can find it
at low prices and having bonus artistic material and the original perfect sound
quality at low prices?
Where someone sees problems, others see opportunities… think
outside the box!
Guaco's "Escultura" releasing flyer (Partnership with "El Nacional")
Photos courtesy of: www.tuguayaba.com, http://ow.ly/i/aQ9G/original.
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