Hip Hop Mixtapes: The Dilemna between free exposure and giving away music freely as a means of promotion has plagued the Music industry since the day Radio first started playing their songs freely on the air.
When looking for New Hip Hop Music fans often search out Hot Mixtapes
Because of this, Mixtapes offer music artists the opportunity to get tons of exposure they wouldn't find otherwise. Many of todays Hip Hop artists utilize mixtapes as a form of radio exposure for the streets.
Mixtapes give artists street credibility and expand their fanbase. they expose the artists to tons of otherwise unreachable listeners, transforming many into new Fans. The Record companies figured this out long ago, and send their latest music to many DJs in attempts to get "put on" in the Clubs on the Radio and on as many hot mixtapes as possible.
When radio first started playing songs on the air the record executives considered Radio to be a competitor, a threat that took away from record sales. Now they realize the viral effect constant listening has on their consumers and are more than willing to pay for airplay.
With Mixtapes emerging as a large marketing avenue, The industry is torn, many executives see mixtapes as a great marketing tool. Some executives however feel they are a potential threat to record sales. The dilemna is the same one plaguing the music industry when it comes to free music downloads. Does the exposure and promotion they generate bring in enough money to justify giving the music away?
Though mixtapes have been around for several decades and were partly responsible in creating and growing one of the music industries largest succesful genres, Hip Hop Music, Mixtapes and DJs still haven't gained the full respect from the music industry and have even recieved some recent backlash from the RIAA.
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