If the shoe fits

Stocking up on music

What?: Footwear and clothing retailer Steve Madden is to launch Steve Madden Music, which will spotlight a recording artist every couple of months. First up is singer/songwriter Katy Perry, whose live in-store performance will be broadcast to 70 stores. A free download will also be given to customers who spend an as-yet-undisclosed amount. Perry’s debut album and the video for ‘I Kissed a Girl’ will play across all stores for the month-long promotion. Next in line is R&B singer Little Jackie.

“The music business is very parallel to the shoe business,” states a grammatically-confused Steve Madden. “They’re after the same girl that we’re after. Even the mindset of trying to make a hit shoe or a hit record is the same.”

So what?: “I figured if Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Russell Simmons could get into my business, then I could go into theirs,” said Madden; questionable role models, but a fair sentiment. Now we’re all for the total music experience, but we feel fashion still has some way to go to meld its fairly disparate parts (endorsement, in-store music, artist- designed ranges) all together as one unifying whole. With music now mimicking fashion– as it becomes increasingly seasonal – it’s time to make more of those in-store playlists.

“Providing an artist development format for emerging artists, an in-store experience, and streaming technology brings entertainment distribution to new heights. Combing new ideas with great products is what keeps females entertained.”
Suzanne Burge-Taylor, CEO, Femaleadvertising.com

www.stevemaddenmusic.com