incentives to put all that junk inside your trunk
4/14/2007
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By now, I'm sure that most of you have already seen Alanis Morrisette's send-up of the Black Eyed Peas' My Humps. That YouTube version alone has been viewed more than 5 million times.
I was wondering about incentives and motivation in the music industry. Why would Alanis put the time and money into making a spoof like that? Will it help her sell more CDs, convince more people to show up at her concerts, or get her more tv appearances? I doubt it. And unlike, say Weird Al, who made money selling albums of his parodies, I doubt she's planning any polka-themed remixes of today's hottest hits.
So why bother? All the payoff necessary comes in the form of a butt-shaped cake and being called a "genius" by the original artist. Sometimes non-monetary incentives are more important than getting paid (but try explaining that to the Wu Tang). Now, if Alanis releases a hit album where she slows down "Baby got Back" and "Ice, Ice Baby", then nevermind.
I was wondering about incentives and motivation in the music industry. Why would Alanis put the time and money into making a spoof like that? Will it help her sell more CDs, convince more people to show up at her concerts, or get her more tv appearances? I doubt it. And unlike, say Weird Al, who made money selling albums of his parodies, I doubt she's planning any polka-themed remixes of today's hottest hits.
So why bother? All the payoff necessary comes in the form of a butt-shaped cake and being called a "genius" by the original artist. Sometimes non-monetary incentives are more important than getting paid (but try explaining that to the Wu Tang). Now, if Alanis releases a hit album where she slows down "Baby got Back" and "Ice, Ice Baby", then nevermind.
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