One of the most buzzed artists this year is The Weeknd. They are a mysterious Toronto group who have created a tremendous amount of buzz in a short time. They have played live rarely - just announced their first date outside Toronto - are supposedly working with Drake, and have released two mixtapes in less than six months. Thing is, both of those mixtapes were released for free on their website. I have downloaded both and think they are good - at least worth checking out. The thing I find most interesting is that except for the couple of live dates and maybe working with Drake, these guys have yet to get paid. There is no talk of a record deal and they have given away their music. So despite being critically acclaimed, relatively popular and hyped like crazy, they haven't actually turned this into an occupation. AND this fact is rarely mentioned in the press they get. This is how much the music industry has changed. I guess the upside is that the acclaim, acceptance of peers and actual music made have become the criteria for success. Rather than say, the money.
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