The alternative band Ok Go has done it before with their breakout video Here It Goes Again, a video which should hit 50 million views in the next few days with traffic from this new song. And in the video above, you can see they’ve done it again. Exactly to what extent remains to be seen, but still, a less-than-household-name band gets 2.5 million+ views on YouTube in 3 frickin’ days and you better be paying attention. They aren’t doing it by making sure the artists’ faces are clearly recognizable. Or recreating the story of the song on screen. They did it – TWICE – by creating something unexpected and compelling and fun. They worried less about the literal takeaway and more about what the video told the viewer about the band: they are creative, smart, different, fun and I like them. » Read the rest of this entry «
The New Model Is Not Your Problem
March 1st, 2010 § 3
Whether you are in music, art or pretty much any industry, all the magazines and “experts” are talking about the “new model” and how the “old model is dead.” Guess what? The old model didn’t work that well for most folks anyway. Yes, social media is out there. And there are a million options for websites, PR, distribution, and everything else. The bad news: No one has built the new model yet. Worse news: One model may not be the new model. » Read the rest of this entry «
There Is No Formula
January 5th, 2010 § 0
This is a little bold, but I believe it’s an absolute truth: If anyone tells you that you need to do a certain set of things in order to be successful in music, there is a 99.9% chance that they are dead wrong. There isn’t one formula, there are a million. And yours is yours alone. Because it is based on the brand you are trying to create, who your audience is, what you are & ARE NOT good at and what kind of career you are trying to build. Put simply, you do not HAVE to blog. You do not HAVE to do Twitter. You absolutely do not HAVE to share the intimate details of your everyday life. Jack White does it differently than Taylor Swift who does it differently than Tim McGraw who does it differently than Dave Barnes or Katie Herzig (in photo above). Or The Avett Brothers. Or Beyonce. Or Alicia Keys. Or The Black Keys, for that matter. And that’s because they have different priorities, different music and different audiences. So they each should – and do – have a different plan. » Read the rest of this entry «
Does Network TV Matter Anymore?
December 4th, 2009 § 0
An interesting article in the New York Times asks if the business model behind network television is irreparably broken. It’s a good question. But it got me wondering something bigger. Something I never thought would cross my mind: Does it even matter?
In the article they refer to the General Electric’s sale of NBC and its affiliated cable networks to Comcast (a deal that has since closed) and point out that the cable networks – USA, SyFy, Bravo & CNBC – are worth more than NBC, the pillar of broadcast media itself. And I literally thought, “Why wouldn’t they be worth more?” and then I thought, “Wow. Did I just think that?” » Read the rest of this entry «
Sponsors & Music, Part 2: The Good News
November 17th, 2009 § 0
A few days ago, I wrote the first part of this topic. And a few people (like Jason) were a little bit…umm… anxious to get to the second part, AKA, the good news. So let’s get to the things you can do to increase your chances of getting a deal: » Read the rest of this entry «
Your Music + Their Pics… It’s A Good Thing
November 11th, 2009 § 2
There is an article over at CNET called “Music industry bows to point-and-shoot cameras”. And the gist of it is this: The smart people in the industry are finally figuring out that this is something they can’t control anymore. And the value in that control was pretty minimal anyway and in some cases it created a negative, anti-fan experience. So you may as well let people do what they’re gonna do and try to leverage it. » Read the rest of this entry «
Instant Concert Recordings. It’s All In There. Forever.
November 7th, 2009 § 3
According to this article on CNET, EMI is launching something they’re calling Abbey Road Live (which is a pretty bizarre name, but I won’t get into the naming issues). The idea has been around for a while, but they are the first major to get on board. Basically, they record the concert, mix it on the spot and you can leave with a CD or flash drive for roughly $20. You can also stream or download from home later. I have mixed thoughts about it. The fan in me wants to say it’s the perfect souvenir. But… » Read the rest of this entry «
Sponsors & Music, Part 1: Hold On A Sec…
November 2nd, 2009 § 1
We’ve all heard the story: CD sales are dwindling but sponsorships and placement in movies and TV are going save us all. But here’s the thing: it just isn’t that simple. And that savior isn’t coming. The music business has changed forever, but so has sponsorship. And even placement. There MAY HAVE BEEN a very, very short period where corporate sponsorships were easy money. Maybe. But if it did exist, it’s gone now. There are several reasons for this: » Read the rest of this entry «
eBooks & Magazines. Has anyone in publishing been paying any attention at all for the past decade?
October 25th, 2009 § 0
I’ve been looking into ebooks lately. It’s interesting to me personally because I’d love to read more, but i just don’t do it. And when technology or a gadget is involved, I tend to give it more attention (stupid, but honest). But it’s also fascinating to see the category take off like it is with no real defined standards regarding formats, features, pricing, etc. I know, I know, this is the race to see who wins. But it’s all happening just like it did in music and like it’s happening now in movies and television. But the publishing industry doesn’t seem to want to learn anything from the idiots in the music business and movie studios who tried to fight the technology. Guess what, digital is here. Connectivity and easy sharing is here. You have three options: 1. Try to control it with DRM and limiting access in order to hang onto your traditional business model. 2. Try to slowly evolve your model so when the tidal wave truly hits, you can stay afloat. 3. Blow it up and pioneer the next model. » Read the rest of this entry «
POLL: Musicians On The Web
September 28th, 2009 § 0
I’m curious to hear what platform you are using for your website. There are a lot of options out there, but I can’t see that any one in particular is catching on. So it has me curious about what people on a budget are doing. Are you just letting your MySpace serve as home or are you going all out with a custom site? Please vote in the poll below and leave me a comment with any details you can about how you like it, what other services you use (BandCamp, ArtistData, etc.) and just general thoughts. Thanks.