Lately, every time I talk to an artist about achieving “success” (whatever that is these days) we inevitably end up talking less about the music business and more about the startup business. Which, initially, seems to terrify everyone. After all, change is scary. And creating change for yourself, a potentially lonely endeavor, can be even scarier. The trick then, is to convert said fear into excitement (as touchy-feely as this may sound) and to once and for all leave the laissez-faire milquetoast-you at the door.
Let’s start with a crash course in gonzo CEO-dom. Because although we’ve previously discussed the idea of “artist as entrepreneur,” breaking away from old-model ideals like getting signed, getting radio play, hiring a publicist, a manager, a booking agent, etc. requires a little nudge… call it inspiration. Hence, recommended reading:
1. Guy Kawasaki, The Art of the Start: I’ve mentioned him before. A bear-bones, layman’s-terms, step-by-step guide of how to kickstart/restart your career. For a quick preview, check out his “real bio.” Direct. Witty. No Bullshit.
2. Tim Ferris, The 4-Hour Workweek: Um, who doesn’t want a 4-hour workweek? Entrepreneurial irreverence and real-life application. As soon as I finished reading it, I read it again.
3. Donald Passman, All You Need to Know About the Music Business: Long and boring but with the least legalese-jargon possible. Mandatory for obvious reasons. Make sure you get the most recent edition.
Once you’ve read at least the first two (the Passman will take forever and you’ll probably only want to read it in small doses), do what they tell you to: take their ideas and make them your own, a.k.a. stealing.
Remember, only three things matter. YOU (your music, i.e. your product), your FANS (your core customers), and how you CONNECT with them. (Connection begets power, power begets profit, yada, yada, yada)
Recent inspiring examples of Connection:
1. Prince covering Radiohead: Not only is this cover freaking unreal but it allows him to cut across genres and generations, thereby reaching more potential FANS. I actually got goosebumps.
2. Tom Waits on ?: Quintessential Waits. PEHDTSCKJMBA! Hell yes. Let’s hope he makes T-shirts of that because true FANS will buy them.
Continuing with Connection, Myspace is for musicians and fans, for sure. But LinkedIn is your new best friend. And you thought it was just for businesspeople… it is, i.e. YOU. Who you know, who you know, who you know.
Think of it like this. Everyone’s a potential FAN, (read: dollar-sign). Not only do fans actually buy your music, if you connect with them, they’re more likely to tell other people about it, thus creating buzz. And buzz creates more FANS and eventually, more $$.
FANS (People Who Give You Money) + Connection = People Who Work for YOU for Free
Recent inspiring examples of FANS (i.e. People Who Work for YOU for Free):
1. SleeveFace: It’s cool, it’s artistic. It’s free publicity for all those albums.
2. Rock ‘n Roll Stories: FANS are so inventive! Again, cool, artistic. Real. More free publicity.
Aren’t these the kind of people you want working for YOU?
Be the ball, baby, be the ball.
© Outlandos MusicTM 2008
Tags: CUT THROUGH THE NOISE, KATE BRADLEY, MASOKO SOCIAL, OUTLANDOS MUSIC —
5/12/08
Categories: CUT THROUGH THE NOISE • KATE BRADLEY • MASOKO SOCIAL • OUTLANDOS MUSIC
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