The Year of the Ear is Upon Us, Apparently
On night three of SXSW Music, Mike Will Made-It rocked ACL Live with a showcase aimed at putting the spotlight on his Ear Drummers Records lineup and unveiling a marketing campaign called “Year of the Ear.”
SXSW is where the music industry year starts, full of big announcements from tech companies unveiling new gadgets, streaming services offering new features, and of course record labels and their artists setting the tone for their new releases and asserting their position in the game.
On night three of SXSW Music, in an attempt at the latter, Mike Will Made-It rocked ACL Live at Moody Theatre in Austin, TX with a showcase aimed at putting the spotlight on his Ear Drummers Records lineup and unveiling a marketing campaign called “Year of the Ear.”
Sound corny? Given that Disneyland had a campaign in 2012 of the same name, it probably should. However, Mike Will Made-It has never been one to duck away from making corny marketing techniques work in his favor.
He was the creative force behind Mylie Cyrus’ exploitation of hip hop culture in her double platinum selling Bangerz. He brought the laughably childish Rae Sremmurd – who he named after his record label (Rae Sremmurd is Ear Drummers spelled backward) -- to the top of the charts in 2015, and has kept them there for the past three years, developing them into a credible act in the realm of club friendly rap music.
He’s leaning the full weight of his hit making abilities into his lineup with solo releases from Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmy, as well as his emerging signees Lil Rico, Shotta Spence, Eearz, and Trouble, all scheduled for 2018 releases.
Friday night’s event put Mike’s grand scheme in front of a crowd of almost 3,000 potential customers and the reception was great. What Mike Will has provided with the power of his brand is an opportunity for his new artists to rock a crowd of people unfamiliar with them individually, but have heard their singles somewhere along the line via recommended search engines on YouTube, Pandora, etc while listening to his more well-known artists.
Showmanship was front and center however, especially with Eearz and Shotta Spence. Both are lesser known rappers with a more underground sound than the rest of Ear Drummers’ roster, and they utilized the tried and true trick of getting in the crowd with the people to get them hyped and keep them engaged. Shotta Spence even threw a stack of dollar bills into the crowd, which surprisingly didn’t turn into a riot.
If Mike Will can consistently make a hit is not up for debate, but what time will tell is whether the memory of flying dollar bills and mosh pits will make “The Year of the Ear” as epic as its showcase did. He’s casting a large net hoping to reel in loyal fans based on Rae Sremmurd’s success. This strategy is as old as Def Jam, and honestly disappointing to see in 2018, but if anyone can use kitsch to turn a profit in modern hip hop it’s Mike Will Made-It, so it’s a story worth keeping track of.
Can't Miss Events At SXSW 2018
The world’s biggest music industry conference and festival, SXSW, is going down this week in Austin, TX and DCWS will be there for the action!
The world’s biggest music industry conference and festival, SXSW, is going down this week in Austin, TX and DCWS will be there for the action! Everything and anything having to do with music happens at SXSW, and the event sets the pace for the whole year in the industry. From revealing breakthrough technologies, to surprise performances by A$AP Rocky and Drake, SXSW is an opportunity for everyone in the music ecosystem to come together to show off what they’ve got in store for the coming year.
If you’re attending SXSW, you’re guaranteed to get three things if you do it right: free food, free drinks, and spontaneous run-ins with your favorite music stars. With everything popping off all over the city of Austin, it’s pretty much impossible to catch everything, but if you make your way to these events, we promise you that you’ll get at least one of the three mentioned perks per location.
March 14 – 16, 1501 East 7th St.
This is the SXSW party of myth and legend. The one where Amy Winehouse performed her only show ever in Austin, TX. The one where Kanye West jumped on stage out of nowhere. The one where only couple years ago, Drake made a surprise stage appearance.
This year is heavy on rising talent, featuring SOB X BRE, Now, Now, YBN Nahmir, and Soccer Mommy.
The only way to get into this event is via Fader’s private RSVP link, even if you have a badge, but if you don’t even know where to start to gain access to that, it might not be too late to get one by subscribing to their email list. If you’re going to be hitting the streets of Austin this week, politely asking a venue staffer before the night starts, who you can talk to for the list has been effective in previous years.
It may sound like hoops to jump through, but if any event is worth the jumping, it’s this one.
Bud Light X The Roots & Friends Jam Session
March 17, Fair Market, 8 p.m.
This has become an annual thing starting in 2016 when The Roots brought legend after legend to the stage to jam, from Too $hort, to Big Boi, to Naughty By Nature, and more, all in a small capacity intimate bar setting. The energy was raw fun, so it’s an absolute treat for the fans that they’ve been keeping it going every year. This year The Roots will be joined by Ludacris, and Raleigh, NC’s very own Rapsody, along with a variety of other musical acts. Get here early, because the line gets extremely deep.
TBA
Events hosted by SXSW Takeover feature lineups that are crammed with hip hop’s biggest names and rising stars. Past years’ showcasing artists included Ghostface Killa w/ MF Doom, Travis Scott, Flatbush Zombies, DJ Mustard, Dave East, Rapsody, and Lil Wayne. SXSW Takeover has yet to release their lineup, but their social media handles @sxswtakeover are worth a follow if your hitting SXSW or if you’re watching from afar.
Saturday, March 17 10AM – 4PM, Stubb’s BBQ (open to the public)
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 3PM – 10PM, 1102 East Cesar Chavez St. (Badges Only)
If you’re looking for free food and free drinks, this is the day party to hit up. Rachel’s whipping up fresh Tex-Mex street food munchies like nachos and “queso on the cobb” for attendees which will probably be far better than the free food offerings at other SXSW day parties. Action Bronson has been known to consistently pop up at this one (go figure). This year the main event on Saturday is headlined by Salt-N-Pepa. Get there early because even if you have a badge, it’s almost impossible to get into this one if you arrive right when the gates open.
Italy @ SXSW Returns to Austin with Two Official Showcases
The annual Italy @ SXSW delegation returns to Austin for its 5th year in a row with a groundbreaking live music initiative...
The annual Italy @ SXSW delegation returns to Austin for its 5th year in a row with a groundbreaking live music initiative. This year the world's 9th largest music-market, Italy, goes bigger and better with the most well represented showing at South by Southwest Conference and Festivals, expanding to two nights of music.
Night one at Maggie Mae's Gibson Room on Thursday, March 15th includes indie-rocker Altre di B who have made appearances at last years' SXSW and Primavera Sound and eclectic avant-garde act Denis the Night & The Panic Party whose latest record charted in the top 20 in Italy and was No.1 Electronic album on iTunes Italy and in SE Asia. Also showcasing is electro-psych act Sonars, winners of the nationally renowned Arezzo Wave competition 2016, a feat which led to their performance at Europavox Festival in France and Eurosonic, where also Italian-Swiss-Colombian extravagant pop talent Joan Thiele gave a praised performance this January, now back at SXSW ‘18. Additional support comes from lo-fi garage rock heroes The Jackson Pollock, and out of the Roman underground the mystical, acid-soaked psychedelic rock of Weird Bloom.
Night two at Stephen F's Bar on Friday, March 16th will feature a more acoustic-themed billing with Napoli's folk post-rock troubadour Blindur, Correggio's Violetta Zironi who takes inspiration from the great traditions of Americana icons like Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton, as well as acclaimed Roman singer-songwriter Wrongonyou. Internationally praised Fabrizio Cammarata from Palermo, Sicily presents the new album 'Of Shadows' with his uniquely romantic interpretation of indie-folk that has led him to play alongside Ben Harper, Iron & Wine, and Patti Smith. Youtube folk-sensation Damien McFly closes out the intimate yet diverse Friday night.
Daytime showcases will take place on the Italy @ SXSW Trade Show Stand (1625 in the Austin Convention Center) with a range of acts including Christaux + Bruno Bellissimo. The stand will also host an Italian-International Networking-Meetup Tuesday, March 13th at 3 pm. Additionally, Italian Interactive B2B meetings will be taking place on the stand with both music start-ups Tactile Robots and Adam’s Hands.
Italy @ SXSW is powered and produced by ITA - Italian Trade Association and FIMI Italian Music Industry Federation with the support of IME Italia Music Export (powered by SIAE)
