In the enigmatic year of 2020, the key to success is innovation. As the coronavirus continues to force cancellations of live entertainment worldwide, concert promotors are thinking outside the box in hopes of keeping up the momentum of engaging hard-won audiences.
“We didn’t know when we could do live music again. We wanted to find a way to get music to people and keep the brand relevant while showcasing local, regional and national talent.”- Paul Reder
Like an endless number of events, the popular Bass Camp Festival V scheduled for July 25 to 26 at Hard Rock Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nev., was scrapped in light of safety concerns. In its place, Bass Camp on the Beach will be host a July 25 livestream from festival president Paul Reder’s backyard in Zephyr Cove, Nev., featuring Autograf, Dack Janiels, Wenzday, Fluencee, Esper, Sleepless Kid and Roger That.
LISTEN to “Count on You”
Yet rather than sit on their hands, festival organizers decided to take a bold step in a new direction by founding a record label under the festival name. Bass Camp Music released its first single on June 18.
Bass Camp on the Beach livestream
July 25 | basscampfest.live
4:20-5 p.m. | Roger That! (disco and Indie dance)
5-5:30 p.m. | Sleepless Kid
5:30-6 p.m. | Esper
6-6:30 p.m. | Fluencee
6:30-7 p.m. | Wenzday
7-7:30p.m. | Dack Janiels
7:30-8:30 p.m. | Autograf
The summer hit “Count on You” by Sleepless Kid and Headlands is an energizing mix of deep house and dance pop designed to brighten your day. Within two weeks of its release, the track had amassed more then 30,000 plays on Spotify and was trending upwards.
“We needed to do something right after we were shut down,” says Reder. “We cancelled 12 regional shows and two festivals. We didn’t know when we could do live music again. We wanted to find a way to get music to people and keep the brand relevant while showcasing local, regional and national talent.”
Reder joined forces with Create Music Group and hired marketing consultant Cody Harvey to help build a record label featuring small- to medium-level artists that he knows long-time Bass Camp fans will love.
“It’s mostly the sounds that we have an audience for from the festival,” says Reder. “Deep house to bass house, trap, dubstep and midtempo. Music is the No. 1 deciding factor. We have to believe in it. We’re at the point now where we are proving ourselves as a label.”
As a veteran industry insider who’s worked with mega-stars including Gareth Emery, Tory Lanez and Tekashi 6ix9ine, Harvey knows a thing or two about getting people to listen.
“First of all, the music has to be good,” he says. “Then you have to know the playlists you are targeting. It’s all about having the right audience for distribution.”
That’s where Bass Camp has an advantage.
“I think something that makes us really unique is the fanbase, and how in tune we are with what the audience likes. I think we’re on the right path. We have a good ear and solid plan,” Harvey says.
The label released two-track EP “Mayhem” by Los Angeles DJ and producer Fluencee on July 13 and plans to follow that up with a five-track EP by French prodigy Esper on Aug. 21. Unlike other musical genres where popular trends linger for a year or two, EDM tastes evolve every three to six months. As a result, most artists focus on releasing singles or EPs rather than full-length albums.
“By the time with you’re done with your album, it’s probably stale before the album comes out,” says Harvey. “EDM artists are really quick to release music. These days you can create a track, send it to a distributor and release it within a week or two.”
While EDM still isn’t as big as hip-hop, country, pop and rock, its purveyors are increasingly finding themselves crossing boundaries to collaborate with artists from all backgrounds. Take, for example, Lady Gaga’s 2020 hit album “Chromatica,” which features well-known EDM artists such as Axwell, Tchami, Madeon and Skrillex.
“That’s the great part of EDM,” says Harvey. “It’s kind of the glue of all genres. It tends to be a leader of what happens next.”
With the entire music industry up in the air, forming the label has given Bass Camp a sense of purpose and energy in uncertain times.
“Our hope is to bring awareness of the Bass Camp Festival brand itself, as well as the new artists,” says Reder. “Not knowing where the industry is going as far as live performance is concerned, our main goal is to get great tracks into the hands of the Bass Camp fans and beyond. Without live performance, this is going to be a great source for people to find entertainment value in music. And it will be exciting for fans to see that artist live once we’re allowed to produce shows again.” | basscampfest.com
