I interviewed rapper T.I. for Artist Direct. We got talking about mixtapes and T.I. had this to say:
“I think people would like to hear more from the artist before they invest themselves and their money into the entire CD. They want to make sure that the artists are worth the $13 or $14 they are spending. The consumers have been misled so many times with someone having a hit single and thinking there’s an entire album that’s just as good and hot. You get shammed that way. The mixtape gives you an idea of what to expect.”
Read the rest of my T.I. interview over at Artist Direct.