I've listened to mixtapes and i'm very familiar with them, but...?!
Question: What's the purpose of them? Where'd they originate?
Answers: What's the purpose of them? Where'd they originate?
The point of mixtapes is mainly promotion get your music out cheap without paying industry price for promotions.Also for underground rappers its how you make all your money without a label getting a piece if you sell only 10,000 units at 5 dollars that's 50,000 all for you and cost to make mixtapes depending on if you pay for studio time or not wont cost you more then 5,000 on artwork promo. and units.
For unknown unsigned artist: To get your name out there so people will kno who you are.
For signed artist: Promotion. Of their album or theirselves. Sometimes they put leaked tracks on mixtapes