Perhaps the most fascinating story to hit the music industry since Radiohead digitally released In Rainbows over the internet for whatever price you want to pay, is the news that British big-beat duo Groove Armada have signed an exclusive deal with Bacardi B-Live, the musical affiliate of spirits brand Bacardi. The groundbreaking deal gives Bacardi the rights over Groove Armada’s live shows, new recordings, as well as their TV and radio appearances.

While Bacardi have been commissioning music all over the world for the past couple of years through their Bacardi B-Live sets, signing a band on an exclusive contract is clearly taking things a step further.

Yet what Bacardi are doing isn’t exactly as groundbreaking as it initially sounds. Global brands have often looked to musicians to cement their status as a “cool” product; the only difference is that in the current climate of struggling labels and plummeting music industry profits, the interdependence between brands and bands has been ever-increasing, as all sorts of new methods have been used in an attempt to reinvigorate the industry.

Many bands have ditched the middle-men (their labels) in order to connect directly with their fans. Before Radiohead, Prince had been releasing his music online for years, and no one these days is immune from the influence that Myspace has over the fall and rise of new bands.

Mainstream labels like Universal and Sony BMG have increasingly been relying on online sales, but when it is easier to sit at home and download new albums before they even hit the digital shelves of the iTunes music store, this appears to only be a short-term fix to a long-term problem. Hence the emergence of specialty labels that are attempting to satiate the demand of consumers that view an album release as something more than a collection of sounds that can be easily downloaded at little or no cost.

Cue the vinyl-only label Isomorph Records, an independent label set up by London designer, illustrator and entrepreneur Kate Moross. Isomorph is the world’s first art-driven record label, producing killer sleeves, bespoke vinyl and highly-designed limited edition runs. High production print processes create a specific aesthetic with value, that, as Moross puts it, is “like a series of artist prints that you can listen to.”

Isomorph Records taps into a niche market, and as the music industry travels through these un-chartered waters, many well-known brands that you wouldn’t normally associate with music are being presented with a unique opportunity to join the industry. If you think Bacardi signing Groove Armada is a tad peculiar, then take a deep breath, because National Geographic have recently released a music label under the not so original title of Nat Geo Music. And the list doesn’t finish there.

In late 2008, the all too sugary soft drink brand Mountain Dew started up a music “label” called Green Label Sound, which is solely based on single releases that can be downloaded for free on the accompanying website. Thus far, Chicago hip-hoppers The Cool Kids and Brooklyn duo Matt and Kim have released singles through the label. Yet all of this raises a couple of pressing questions: Are these artists just “selling out” to make a quick buck? And what exactly are bands and brands getting out of these deals?

By the current looks of things, only time will provide an answer. However, is signing to a brand “selling out” any more than signing to a major label. Since selling rum, soft drinks or magazines has absolutely nothing to do with selling records, artists may actually be allowed more of a creative license than with the more traditional method of signing on with a major label where record executives often push their own ideas upon artists.

Furthermore, in the case of Groove Armada, their deal with Bacardi ultimately means that their music reaches a broader audience, as they are penciled in to play at all of the upcoming Bacardi B-Live festivals, with their sets being filmed by Bacardi and released online. This may actually turn out to be a profitable career move, as with the collapse of album sales, touring has been the main source of income for many bands.

The other major source of income has been merchandising. So, who knows, we may soon see Groove Armada branded Bacardi rum. I mean, weirder things have happened; just last week I purchased a collar for my dog from the merchandise stall during a gig.

For many at least, close ties between bands and brands is potentially beneficial, as it provides brands with valuable marketing endorsements and bands with a non-restrictive environment to tour and release their music with.

Yet, how unrestrictive this environment turns out to be is as yet unclear. Close ties between corporate brands and artists could prove to be far from beneficial if these same brands start to use their artists for marketing strategies that the artists disagree with, yet are forced to endorse through contractual agreements. One only has to look at the latest James Bond film to see an example of corporate-artist ties turning sour. The White Stripes recorded the theme song for the film, yet the song was used – to the ire of front man Jack White – prior to the release of the film in a Coke advertisement without the permission of the artists involved.

Either way, the signs are clearly pointing away from the more traditional format of artists signing to labels, and if these new methods of releasing music proves to be successful in the long-term, then we could see a situation in the next couple of years where the only artists that sign on to major labels are the kind of artists that rely more on crafty record executives than musical talent to sell their albums.

Ben Cohen