From McDonalds to Airbnb, all around companies are trying to market themselves through artists. Sometimes, it takes unusual forms. Such is the case for UBS, who partnered with Rico Love to host songcraft sessions at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville.
Art and money have been associated since the beginning of time. From Gaius Maecenas to the Medici family to Heineken, the wealthy have always sought to support the arts, whether to help develop culture, avoid taxes, market themselves, or otherwise.
As Adewale Ogunleye, UBS’s Executive Director and Head of Sports and Entertainment, puts it, “There’s an obligation [for big companies] to hold the hands of these creatives. A lot of them don’t want to focus on anything but making music. If you partner with the wrong team of people, they can take advantage of your passion for music and your lack of passion for anything else.”
Rico himself thinks that companies collaborating with artists more closely is “the future. I think what’s going to happen is brands are going to just start buying into artists, partnering with artists … Record companies are just banks anyway. Just lending you money to try to see how well you’ll do. And if you do well, then you pay them back. And if you don’t, then you take it as a loss. But it’s the same as a bank.”
UBS Feat. Rico Love Song-crafting Sessions
The event itself, which UBS and Rico hosted, was quite an exciting experience. People got a chance to learn song-crafting, while Rico got a chance to teach, which, according to the artist, is his “favorite part of life.”
“I’ve been doing this songcraft for a few years now, and it’s something I’m super passionate about,” Rico explains. “It’s really about interacting with new artists, new writers, new producers, giving them perspective on songwriting, not necessarily teaching them my secrets if you will, but it’s more about giving them different perspective and idea of how they can approach songwriting.”
All these points raise an essential question. Is the commercialization of art a positive or a harmful process for the culture?
On the one hand, many artists get a chance to receive financial help or achieve new levels of fame through public events, music festivals, art exhibitions, etc.
On the other hand, there is always a chance that your sponsor will start demanding more than their brand promotion and start interfering with the artist’s agenda. Sometimes, it takes downright nasty forms, like in the aforementioned Heineken case, but even without controversies, working with brands can become complicated. The best idea would probably be to tread carefully and ensure you don’t give up too much of your creative freedom.
UBS seems okay, though, especially considering that Adewale Ogunleye has been “a good friend of [Rico] for many years,” according to the artist.
Written by Nikita Serdiuk | IG: @nikitasrdk | Twitter: @nktserdiuk
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