March 13, 2014 The Art of the Mixtape: A-Z Breakdown
The Art of the Mixtape. In this new music era mixtapes are a huge part of the hip-hop and r&b genre. Recently, I’ve seen and heard a lot of questions posed about mixtapes through word of mouth, blogs and social networking platforms. Questions like what’s the difference between an album and mixtape? And, why do rappers release mixtapes? The truth is there is no one reason but these days as far as the fan is concerned most albums are basically free albums.
Here’s my quick A-Z Breakdown. In the old days, a mixtape was a DJ mix where DJs would not only showcase their work, but also break new records and they often re-mixed songs and mix matched popular vocals to beats from other popular current hits.
Fast-forward to todays fast pace consumers demand market. In order to understand the mixtape you have to understand the recording process. To mass-produce, distribute and market an album on a national, let alone a worldwide level, it takes a boatload of money. Someone has to foot the bill. Before a label, distributor, sponsor or investor puts up this kind of money; they need to believe on paper they will see a return in their investment.