In a move designed to fill the void created by the Recording Industry Association of America's crackdown on the formidable business of mix CDs, Universal Music Enterprises is trying its hand at legal mixes.
The company has created a series titled "Lethal Squad Mixtapes," expected to sell at retail for $5 to $6. But it's unclear whether a corporate take on the grassroots idea of mixes--compilations, usually of copyrighted songs from other sources--will wash.
"I'm excited to see them do something different," said Thuy Ngo, vice president at Irvine, Calif., music wholesaler Super D. "But it's like they're a day late and a dollar short: after the RIAA cracked down, all of us stopped carrying mix tapes."
The mix business was a lucrative market in which labels, artists and DJs--DJ Whoo Kid and DJ Drama key among them--boosted their brands with CDs that were sold via the Internet, on the street and in brick-and-mortar retailers. But after the federal government arrested DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon, a hip-hop DJ and producer, on racketeering charges in January, the industry ground to a halt.
Since then, mix releases have been sporadic. And though mixes were a proven way to break out new artists like Young Jeezy, labels still view them as piracy when they're for sale and include unlicensed music.
"How ironic," DJ Drama said of Universal's plans. "I guess they've realized just how important mix tapes are."
The initial "Lethal Squad Mixtapes: Dose #1," mixed by Washington newcomer DJ Bear Herron, was released quietly July 13 and includes tracks by established stars such as Fabolous and Kanye West and lesser-knowns such as Young Chris and Jae Ellis. It has sold only 5,800 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "Lethal Squad Mixtapes: Dose #2" is slated for September and will be mixed by Bear and Washington radio DJ Quiksilva.
"It's a good idea, but you need the underground credibility, and nobody knows the DJ on it," one chain buyer said.
"The DJ situation will play itself out," UME executive vice president and general manager Mike Davis said. "If one really works, we're going to stick with him."
But some indie stores contacted by Billboard seemed unaware that the tape is even out. Both Gus Joannides, who owns urban-oriented Sound City in Astoria, N.Y., and Skippy White, who owns a store bearing his name in Boston, said they hadn't heard of the tape's existence. Both also reported that none of their customers had come in asking for it--a usual indicator of a mix's word-of-mouth awareness.
But Joannides applauded the concept, if not the execution. Of tracks included on the disc, "half the stuff is current, and half is past, and there are a couple of things that are now well-known," he said. "But I am glad that Universal is trying to shake the boat up and get mix tapes back in the store."
