i3 - January/February 2020 - 45

FUBU:

THE FUTURE OF
MUSIC RADIO

Top: Celebrating FUBU, the
new name in urban radio.
Bottom: FUBU Radio
Co-founder Keith Perrin

By Mike Johns

UBU, the brand founded by
Daymond John, J. Alexander
Martin, Keith Perrin and Carlton Brown,
started as a hat company based out of
Hollis, Queens, New York. FUBU (For Us
By Us) became a fashion staple during the
1990s streetwear scene. By the early
2000s, the brand had permeated the
global mainstream. Although the company pulled out of U.S. markets, FUBU
has managed to stay afloat thanks to international licenses in China, Japan, Korea,
Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
Now enter FUBU Radio, the new name
in urban radio. Launched in 2015, the
online radio platform offers hip hop, R&B
and "infotainment" news content. Keith
Perrin, co-founder of FUBU and president of FUBU Radio, is a man on a mission. Having launched FUBU Radio, the
brand has secured major distribution
deals with iHeartRadio and radio powerhouse Entercom. Gen Z music fans have
embraced the digital format and prefer
the increased interactivity and personalization of digital services like Pandora
and Spotify. Luckily, from its mobile app
to distribution partnerships, FUBU is
accessible at any time. Today's listeners
have access to unlimited choices for audio
in podcasts and music, and FUBU Radio
meets listeners' demand.
I had the privilege to sit down with Keith
Perrin to discuss FUBU Radio, radio's
changing role in the American musical
diet, and the sources and effects of that
change - on music, on radio and on us.

C TA . t e c h / i 3

What is the
'why?' behind
FUBU Radio?

FUBU as a brand has
always been more about
the culture and not just
clothing. We felt it was
more of a movement
and we decided to
expand the brand by
branching off to different mediums. We felt
that this platform would
be a way to put out
music and programming that benefited our
culture but also educated in ways that terrestrial radio didn't. We
now have a say in what
issues affect our culture
and can address them
how we feel they need
to be addressed.

What separates
FUBU Radio from
other brands such
as Apple, Spotify
or Deezer?

FUBU Radio is a 24-hour
terrestrial format radio
station that streams
online. FUBU RADIO
has DJs and on-air personalities that listeners
can relate to and interact with on air, on social
media and in person.
Apple, Spotify and

Deezer are streaming
companies that house
playlists, their audiences built out of frustration of hearing the
same songs or not
hearing a song they
used to enjoy on their
local radio station. Our
business model is not
the same.

How has hip hop
changed since
FUBU's inception?

Hip hop has changed
dramatically since we
formed FUBU back in
1992. Back then the
record labels groomed
their artists by providing
an A&R to help the artists put out the best
product. Social media
also wasn't available, so
you had to get out and
touch the people in
many ways. Now artists
are required to have high
social media numbers
before they are even
given a chance to sign
with a major record
label. 360 deals were
also unheard of back
then and artists were
knocking down the

record labels' doors to
get a deal. These days an
artist would rather go
independent than give
the labels full control of
their brand and finances.

Has terrestrial
radio changed?

Yes. They have
enhanced their brands
by adopting streaming
as a platform to stay
connected to their audience outside of the car.
What hasn't changed is
their programming.
Terrestrial programmers still have no control over what they
program and some are
still stuck in the past
when it comes to
programming.

What does the
future hold for
FUBU?

We have a brand that is
known and respected
worldwide. We are
building an empire that
includes hotels, TV,
radio, mobile stores
and clothing. We have
just signed deals in
Africa, Europe and
have major retail
launches in 2020.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020

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i3 - January/February 2020

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