With music channels such as BET and MTV showing more reality shows and less music videos, Def Jam is thinking about taking its artists to the movies. The label experimented with the concept in July by placing Rihanna‘s single “Disturbia” in theaters as a preview to promote her album Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded. Now Jeff Straughn, Def Jam‘s VP of strategic marketing, has ideas of getting artists like Rick Ross and Young Jeezy on the big screen too.
“We could put a Young Jeezy in front of a movie like The Dark Knight or some other R-rated or urban leaning movie,”Straughn tells Billboard magazine. “Then we might put Duffy in front of an Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Ultimately we want to take a variety of content and sprinkle it across the right screens.”
In the past, Def Jam has been accused of unethical business tactics such as buying copies of their artist’s albums to boost sales figures [click to read]. The iconic label recently endured criticism for blurring the line between artistry and advertising. Jermaine Dupri, president of Def Jam‘s parent company Island Records, has an exclusive deal with Proctor & Gamble to head TAG Records [click to read]. Longtime Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam artist Memphis Bleek also took his share of heat for his foray into the health and beauty products world after appearing in an advertisement for the women’s shampoo line Garnier Fructis. Even Nas, who has been a notoriously reluctant pitchman, secured a deal with Fila [click to read] before the release of his album Untitled. Straughn didn’t comment on the backlash from either campaign, but added that movie previews are just one of many options.
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“It doesn’t just end with movies,” says Straughn. “There are other venues on the sports league side that in the next year you may be hearing about us doing business with, things that make a lot of sense and build more on what we’re doing now.”
