Zarou: Distributing free music builds a loyal fanbase to monetize later
Chris Zarou · Logic: Logic & Chris Zarou (2018) · Aug 16, 2021 · at 30:52
Chris Zarou, manager of hip-hop artist Logic and co-founder of Visionary Music Group, explains the strategic business model behind giving away mixtapes for free online.
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“I viewed that, putting out free music, as investing in the brand, right? As we were building an audience and a fan base that That was becoming more and more invested, and what that means is that they would later down the road, whenever we asked for it, spend the money, meaning, oh, we're gonna put out our first, you know, project for sale, or hey, we're gonna put up a tour for the first time. Will you spend 12 dollars to come see me in San Diego? Hey, we're selling t-shirts for 20 dollars. So I, that's how I viewed it. We were essentially monetizing free music.”
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