The recording industry and grassroots marketing: from street teams to flash mobs

New media have changed the relationship between the recording industry and fans. The Internet allows fans to share copyrighted music in p2p and Web 2.0 platforms. The recording industry has reacted mainly with ‘prohibitionist’ strategies, while cultural scholars argue that a ‘collaborationist’ approach is needed with the aim of creating an ‘affective economy’. In this paper, I describe the strategies of the major labels to create a fanbase of grassroots promoters. During an ethnographic research project, I identified different forms of grassroots marketing (‘street team’, ‘flash mob’, and ‘mission’). I argue that labels try to harness ‘participative stardom’: a ‘music star’ is created thanks to transmedia strategies (online presence and TV appearances during media events and talent shows), then labels outsource promotional activities to fans, rewarding them with branded products and the opportunity to meet artists.