Despite being primarily known as a musical genius, Deadmau5 also leads the music industry in marketing. The Canadian electronic music artist Joel Zimmerman is known as Deadmau5, pronounced "dead mouse". Zimmerman broke into the scene and has lasted with his “Mau5head”—a headpiece he wears in all of his live shows.
In addition to his unique sound, the Mau5head makes him instantly identifiable visually. This gives him an advantage over other electronic artists who are strictly identifiable by sound—which can be confused easily. Branding in music isn’t as big as in other industries, but Deadmau5 is setting the example for artists to follow. The “Mau5head” works just like a company symbol—like the Target Bullseye or the Aflac Duck.
Zimmerman does not stop there, however, as he reaches audiences in unique ways. Like other musicians, he communicates with fans via Facebook and Twitter. Through these social media outlets, he announces live performances from his house via webcam. This gives fans the opportunity to see how Zimmerman composes songs from start to finish—something music fans have yet to be able to do.
Also, Deadmau5 has recently begun promoting the speaker system by Sonos. This is not only showcased on the Sonos website, but on the header of Deadmau5.com as well. This inverse relationship is unique in that a musician’s website typically does not promote products (Dr. Dre’s website does not even promote Beats by Dre on the front page).
Recordings of his live performances and festivals are also available through Movies on Demand through Time Warner Cable. This gives Zimmerman yet another media outlet to broaden his fan base.
With Deadmau5 leading the reigns, it seems that artists can only follow his path in marketing, if they can keep up.
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