I’m finally getting around to this early October article in the New York Times about the Converse sneaker company and their new Converse Rubber Tracks community-based recording studio project. The company is building a recording space in Brooklyn that will be available at no cost to musicians wanting to record their work (subject to an application process).
Converse obviously has brand value on their minds, but their deal with the selected musicians is rather free of strings (the musicians retain the rights to their recordings and their music, they’re not required to share their recordings in Converse commercials, and Converse won’t tell them how or what to record). Of course, Converse will encourage the bands to share their stories and their process through social media, and will include the Converse website as a central place to share.
It’s rather a lot like the patronage system of the Renaissance, where artists associated with wealthy individuals and institutions for commissions, resources, money, and prestige. And, just like now, those patrons had all sorts of reasons (including, but not exclusive to, a love for the art) for sharing their largesse.
While Converse claims little control over the selected musicians, they certainly control the selection process. It will be interesting to see who and how they pick.
(Thanks, Tag, for the link.)
