PART TWO: Future of Malaysian music on Mp3
By NG KHAI LEE
I summarised what others have said in Part One. Part Two is my personal take.
I hope Zainal Abidin’s decision to sell his music exclusively online will serve as a signal of things to come, a harbinger that the music industry will recognise the need to contemporise, collaborate and save our music industry.
Of course it is a long shot, but it is a start.
I recognise the risks Zainal Abidin is taking, but I suspect his focus is not on album sales as potential rewards.
Because of his unexpected move, Zainal is now closely watched by industry observers and the media. It has gotten him a lot of publicity, more than the usual, “I have a new album, I promise it will be fresh!”
His moves did attract criticism, but some marketers say that there is no such thing as “bad publicity.” It is better than no publicity.
And this is a lot of good, fresh publicity for someone who needs it.
Like Madonna, Zainal is a veteran in the music industry. Both their music careers are at the “Mature” stage of the Product Life Cycle. At this stage, advertising does not help sales as much. The only way to sell more records is to reinvent and reintroduce “the product” (in this case, Zainal Abidin and his music), repositioning himself as “new” in his old fanbase, and capturing new fans.
This is not new in the local music industry.
A good example of this was when Madonna kissed Britney Spears. It made the younger crowd, who loved Britney, love Madonna too. Since Zainal Abidin kissing Mawi wouldn’t work in Malaysia, we have the Malaysian reality television show “Mentor,” and veteran-newcomer collaborations.
By selling his music online, Zainal Abidin is positioning himself as an enduring pioneer, instead of an aging artiste.
He brings with him much-needed innovation in our dreary music industry. The fact that he is championing this cause has already put him in the limelight. Music buyers who hardly know him, will hear of him soon.
I commend his courage.
He could be a champion or a martyr, as this could end up a flop. If his strategy backfires, it could affect his back-catalogue and future efforts. And Zainal could be ruined.
But with his courage in executing this strategic move, he has already won my respect. His long-term marketing orientation reflects his ability to think ahead. And I might just buy his album!
—
NG KHAI LEE is the Web developer and promotions manager of theCICAK. He fights for the Malaysian music scene with a Bazooka. See it in action, or visit his site.
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