Take for example the MTV video music awards. There were countless people involved in the making of these music videos… the director, editor, cinematographer, etc… and yet the musicians themselves, who usually barely have any part in the making of the video but simply show up on set for a few days to perform their song, accept the award. Why? Because the general public simply doesn’t care about the director, the cinematographer, the editor… and MTV knows the ratings wouldn’t be nearly as high if they actually had the people who deserved the award coming up to accept it.

But why is society this way? In a day and age where more than ever we are challenging the status quo and asking WHY about just about any injustice we see in society, Invisible Artists has chosen to make our voice heard as well. In our research we have found simple answers to our questions, that propose a not-so-shocking revelation that there is a gross inequality in income vs. amount of work in the arts & entertainment industries. Most people are already aware of this, but nobody has ever launched a movement of this size to try and change that situation, utilizing new advancements in free marketing and promotion to there fullest potential.

Answering the WHY is simple. Back in the early days of cinema, when movies were just starting to take off and make huge profits, studios realized if they used the same actor or actress that had been in a previous hit movie, they had built up a fan following that would automatically see that new movie they appeared in, and would generate more buzz, simply for having their face & name on the movie posters. Emphasis there on FACE and NAME. Good actresses and actors would hire agents, and their name became a commodity that there was high demand for. Everyone wanted their name on their posters, because along with the name came the knowledge and trust that they would deliver a good acting performance and generate buzz for the movie from already having a fan following.

This same face/name recognition caught on in sports, music, modeling, and other professions where there was a name associated with the product. Actors, musicians, athletes – all the “work” they do is credited directly to them. They are all uniquely branded products, being sold by their agents based on their experience and skill level. Where they have a skill to sell that is no different than the skill it takes to be a master painter, a visionary director or a innovative graphic designer… these artist at the top of their game make about 10 times less than actors and musicians at the top of theirs.

Again, it’s easy to see why… just look at the few visual artists who have broken through the mold. Annie Lebovitz. Shepard Fairy. Bob Ross. Andy Warhol… there aren’t many visual artists who are household names in America or throughout the world who are alive or who haven’t been dead for more than a century. What did they do that was different than other visual arts that made them so successful in the mainstream, and not just in art culture and circles? They branded their name. They made their name, and their unique product, a commodity that was in demand. Almost every great thing they did had their name proudly displayed on it, and people knew who created it.

Twenty years ago if you saw a painting hanging up in a building somewhere and you fell in love with it and wanted to buy a piece from the same artist, chances are even if you could read the signature on the piece the chances of you being able to find their work anywhere, or buy it, were very slim. However if you saw a poster of a new album from a band, or heard their song on the radio, you could easily walk into a music store and find their album, and unless you were very poor chances are you could afford to purchase it.

Some forms of art have simply never been as easy to market and sell as others… until now. The internet is a total game changer. It simply hasn’t been utilized to it’s full potential in this market. Many websites have tried on a smaller scale, and succeed in their niche markets. Threadless.com for t-shirts, deviantart.com for art prints, Etsy.com for homemade goods and crafts. Nobody has tried to launch a campaign for ALL visual art though. What if there was an iTunes not just for music and movies… but for ART as well?! Why not?