Another post from Fast Company related to the music business (The Arts) reveals two things:
1 – the music business is RIPE for change as evidenced by the fact that it’s being talked about everywhere.
2 – Talked about may not be the right word because even this article (like me) is critical of the music industries ability to see opportunity when it comes along.
By the way, the opportunity is to post every music video ever made on YouTube. Why would you NOT want your video on the hottest place on the planet?
As I’ve said here, here and here, there is radical change going on in the music industry (in all of The Arts for that matter). And in those posts, I’ve stated my belief that the traditional music industry businesses have totally missed the boat. This leaves a giant void that will be filled by anyone who figures out the next music business model. I personally think there will be many, many business models and I appear to not be alone.
At FC Now, (the blog of Fast Company magazine), Danielle Sacks asks if brands are the new record lables.
“Check it out. In the past few years, Toyota Scion launched its own
hip-hop record label. Starbucks co-produced and exclusively broke the
band Antigone Rising. Retailers from Old Navy to Restoration Hardware
are hawking their own brand of CDs and game developers like
Take2Interactive are licensing hundreds of songs for videogames, giving
indie artists the opportunity to reel in some cash and insert their
music directly into the ears of teenage boys everywhere.”
You bring the talent and they bring the money
In a broad general sense there are two things needed for a successful music career: great music and people. This is why musicians sought contracts with record companies. By signing a deal, they were immediately given access to millions and millions of people at the end of vast networks of marketing (print ads, radio play, TV, movies, touring deals, etc.), production (recording studios and manufacturing plants for records, tapes and CDs) and distribution (wholesalers, relationships with stores, record clubs, etc. and radio play, TV, etc., etc.). Artists got an expectant audience lined up waiting for what the company brought to them next. Record companies were masters at creating and sustaining the attention of the audience through their channels, but…..
Now that music is digital information that can be moved anywhere for zero cost and the market of music lovers is scattered in a million directions (the music companies lost control of their audience, so they split), the whole equation has changed. Which brings us back to Miss Sacks. By its very definition, a brand is all about people, and perhaps more than ever before, people want to be entertained. So it’s the logical perfect marriage to join artists with brands.
What are you saying when you talk about yourself? When you talk about what you do? Are you saying anything worth hearing? More importantly, are you saying anything worth acting upon?
Words matter. And if you’ve been able to get the attention of someone important – someone who might hire you to play, sing, write, produce, etc, – you better make sure your words say more than “I play drums” (I’m using my former self as an example, just substitute drums with what you do). Now that I’ve written that, I’m sure you understand that saying “I play drums” to someone in the arts is like saying “Hi, I breathe”. If you say things like this too, consider that your listener immediately envisions hundreds of thousands of other drummers in the world and you immediatly become lost among them all. In short, you make yourself forgettable.
Check out this fish tale from Seth for more insight:
“It’s like the apocryphal story about the fish store. “Well, of course
the fish is fresh. You’re not going to sell me old fish, are you?” and
“Of course it’s ‘here’. Where else would you be selling the fish?” and
finally, “We know it’s fish. We can smell it!”"
I heard once that the drummer Alex Van Halen says he hits things for a living. That’s far more explicit, entertaining and memorable than “I play drums” (it may also be more truthful). Since he’s already said that, I don’t recommend you print it on business cards, but it is a good conversation starter and there are millions of others.
Think about what you can say that make a difference in the mind of your listener. As I continue to say about most things, It doesn’t take much to stand out from the crowd. It can be as simple as I play reggae drums. By adding one word, you’ve eliminated most other drummers from the other person’s mind. What can you do get rid of them all and make that person remember you?
Think about it.
Just saying a quick hello to the awesome and talented group that I hang with these days. I’m fortunate to be involved with an artistic and supportive community of folks who continually push me to be better – as a writer, player, and most importantly, a person.
My question to my readers, and the folks mentioned above, is: are you taking full advantage of what’s around you? Are you using it as the encouragement it’s supposed to be, or are you negatively comparing yourself? I hope you’re not, because it’s not fair if you are. It’s not fair because you ALWAYS see the best of those around you, and the worst of yourself.
Think of it this way: Every morning, you get up with bad breath, pillow hair and a day’s growth of stubble somewhere on your body. THAT’S how you think of yourself each and every day. When you see other people, however, they ALWAYS have perfect hair, sweet smelling breath, and face (or long lovely legs) that are smooth as a baby’s – well, you know.
There’s no comparison. You’ll never win if that’s how you’re looking at yourself amidst the community you hang with. Don’t do it. Instead, know that you look hot too, and you’re NOT SUPPOSED to be them. You’re supposed to be YOU.
Just make sure you always, and I mean ALWAYS, work hard at being the best you you can be.
And yes, I said W-O-R-K…
