March 23, 2004

Okay Party People, When I Say Product, You Say Placement!

Funny little story from SxSW, courtesy of the Creative Commons blog.

Call and Response
My most vivid memory from South by Southwest:

Thursday night in Austin, TX, USA, MSN threw a party across the street from the convention center. It was in a spare warehouse space, like a rave or fly-by-night underground party, but the fancy lighting, free drinks, and imported-looking crowd (L.A.) all said Big Bucks. The women checking the guest list looked as if they might moonlight on The Price is Right. The event was planned, from what I could gather, as a buzz-builder for MSN's big move into the iTunes-style content business.

When I came in, the crowd -- around two hundred, I'd guess -- had gathered around the stage where legendary DJ Grandmaster Flash was in the middle of a set...

...after a compelling tweak of the bassline in Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," Grandmaster Flash cut the music and prepared the crowd for some call-and-response. It was old-school audience participation time. He'd play a hook, then cut the music, and the crowd would shout an answer in time with the song.

The call?

The chorus of "Good Times," a 1979 disco classic whose bassline Grandmaster's labelmates, the Sugarhill Gang, lifted for their single "Rapper's Delight" -- probably one of the top few most famous hip-hop songs ever, and one of the very first.

The response?

When I do this, said Grandmaster Flash, playing the vocal "Good Times," then dropping the volume, everyone yell "MSN."

People in the audience looked at each other.

Got it? he said into the microphone, Good times -- MSN! Good times -- MSN! Got it? Here we go.

A few people booed. The DJ played a few rounds of the vocal, then cut the volume.

Grandmaster Flash, and about a dozen audience members, shouted "MSN!"

A few scattered boos followed. Flash tried to rally the crowd. He played the call again: Good Times . . . Good Times . . . And the music cut out again -- the audience's turn.

This time they responded. But they didn't say "MSN."

What did they say? I asked the couple in front of me.

They said, 'Bulls--t,' the couple said, laughing. I asked my friends. They heard the same thing.

After a couple more such calls and responses, Grandmaster Flash went back to the regular show, and right away the crowd threw its hands in the air and danced again as if none of it had ever happened.

I don't really blame Grandmaster Flash. Or MSN for that matter. It's all just business.

Whether it's smart business is another story. And whether the stunt's layer upon layer of irony was intended or accidental is simply a mystery.

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Also notable while we're on their page, CC's new music sharing license.

Posted by jsmooth995 at March 23, 2004 2:55 AM

Comments

WOW. This shows that Flash has to earn money like anyone else. That's business, alright. Pretty pathetic attempt by Microsoft's people.

Posted by: METALFACE at March 23, 2004 8:53 AM

That's absolutely bizarre. Like something out of an adman's conception of cutting-edge. I hope Flash did come up with the call-and-response, hope that he was being ironic.

So amazing... I wonder if the Grandmaster ever thought he'd wind up as featured entertainment for one of the largest corporations going.

Posted by: Brad at March 23, 2004 12:11 PM

Reminds me of seeing the Coup and the X-ecutioners on the Sobe� Adreneline Rush Tour or whatever the fuck it was called. In between sets of black people rapping about communism, they played fucking snowboarding and windsurfing (windsurfing!??!) movies and tried to sell everyone $5 bottles of iced tea. The second time the screen came down in front of the stage the bottles started flying at it. Later, Boots got into it with the local alternative weekly on whether or not he'd sold out. I guess in Boots' world PepsiCo and Agit-Prop can work together but regardless the revolution did not get sparked and the iced-tea merch didn't sell very well. KRS-One slinging Sprite is one thing (at least there wasn't any windsurfing involved) but this case of the classic story of corparations co-opting and commodifiying avant-garde art didn't work out for anyone involved. I like Snapple and dead prez better anyway. And all due praises and respect to GM Flash, but I'd rather listen to Afrika Baambaata.

Posted by: Jumbo at March 23, 2004 4:08 PM

i think a broken flash record would be sharp enuf to slit my wrists, right?

it's all downhill from here

Posted by: tiger vomitt at March 23, 2004 11:34 PM

Too many marketing people are out of touch with reality. How did Grandmaster Flash think this would fly? Did he underestimate the crowd?

Posted by: leftcoastchic at March 24, 2004 3:00 PM

Now I'm curious; exactly how much cash does it take Grandmaster Flash to utterly sell-out, and completely embarrass himself in an act of corporate whoring? How much would it cost other rappers? Sounds like a premise for an interesting Jackass-style prank reality show. I know I'd watch.

Posted by: Mickey at March 24, 2004 6:36 PM

Jay, I'm sure you know more about Flash than me, but I can't help but wonder how someone could POSSIBLY do that, unprovoked, completely by choice, and not realize the outcome.

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