Sound of the underground

Another newspaper offers free music

What?: Capital 95.8 and free newspaper thelondonpaper have partnered up to become the new sponsors of busking sites across the London Underground network. The new £1M deal sees the companies replacing previous sponsors Carling.

They are planning to raise greater awareness of busking in order to target 15 -35-year-old Londoners. The Ear To The Underground campaign will give them access to over 30 busking sites across the Tube network. A dedicated website has been set up giving information on the buskers involved and where they can be found. The buskers are not paid for their involvement.

So what?: Deriders of the Prince CD giveaway in the Mail On Sunday commented on the fact that some readers were being given music they hadn’t actually requested. It’s as if they were being musically spammed.

In an age of Last.fm and greater consumer cherry-picking of content, it seems ironic that Capital Radio should take to the streets with a basic push marketing strategy like this. People want choice when it comes to music and they want it when its convenient to them.

The campaign does offer up something more tangible than standard tube poster advertising. However, its success hangs
heavily on the quality of the artists involved.

Free music doesn’t always translate into good music.

www.buskear.com