Young Audiences, Young Artist willing

Perhaps the most controversial pairing occurred at the Grammy Awards, when John performed live with Eminem, the white rap superstar, known for songs that outrage a majority of people at any given time. The announced duet shocked fans and outraged several of the gay rights groups that had heralded John as one of their celebrity supporters. In a press release, John said, “I’m a big fan of his music, and I said I would be delighted to [sing with him].” John, who dismisses some of the seriousness of the lyrics and chooses to see the humor that Eminem says is the core of his music, adds, “If I thought for one minute that he was [hateful], I wouldn’t do it.” So why would he perform with Eminem, knowing that many fans would protest? Perhaps it was his admiration for a young artist willing to go against the grain of acceptability to impact the culture. Perhaps it was to help create dialog about topics that still divide society.

Perhaps it was showing tolerance for differing opinions. Or perhaps it was a little bit of all of these plus the enormous publicity value from everything that goes along with a professional alliance with the hottest music act to hit young audiences in the past decade. This type of cobranding strategy has also worked well for Carlos Santana; he has teamed up with Rob Thomas, lead singer of Matchbox Twenty, and most recently with Vanessa Carlton, the 2002 newcomer who was up for her first Grammy in 2003.

Another motivator for John may be the positioning that goes along with recognizing new talent and appreciating where a new artist is destined to go in the next few years. If fans see Elton John as a visionary in discovering and performing with groundbreaking talent, doesn’t that position his brand as cool, relevant, and groundbreaking as well-an approach that has worked well for Quincy Jones and Prince. Regardless of why he performed with Eminem, rest assured that the effect on the Elton John brand was considered before he agreed to do it.