The inner-office debate over the value and potential cost of music continues to rage on. But in the course of discussion, one particular point seems to hold the key to the argument: when is a product a product? The argument was made that music, as a non-physical product, has no inherent expense therefore it should merit no cost. Similarly, as the distribution is instantaneous and repeatable...
Brainless Marketing 101
So, previously I talked about respecting your users. In essence, the bombardment of advertising messages, and overall noise on the web is astounding. Again, while everything thinks they’re a genius, and entitled to share their musings with you, only a few of us truly are. And yes, I sense the irony in my previous statement. That being said, I had an interesting occurrence this weekend...
RockGeek Fact of the Day #420
The Worth of Music
There was a rather heated discussion yesterday between two individuals: 1. A brilliant marketing mind with years of experience in the music industry (me…) 2. A co-op student toiling partially under the whim and wisdom of the aforementioned brilliant marketing mind. The discussion centered around the topic of products, value, and power. Specifically: is a digital item an actual product...
Respectivize
Respectivize. What? Huh? I’m tired of incentivizing the userbase, and I’m beginning to think that it doesn’t work. Instead, it’s time to focus on respect rather than incentives. In the long run, respect goes a lot further. Here’s an example: A little while ago I worked with a company that found the road to profitability and enormous profits all stemmed from getting a...
Let the River Run Dry?
Reprinted from the New York Times – 10/11/09 Broken trust, men misbehaving, women trying to recover — these sound like themes pulled from a Carly Simon song. Maybe from all of Carly Simon’s songs. But this time Ms. Simon was telling a story about her most recent record, a 2008 Brazilian-tinged album called “This Kind of Love”. She had signed with Hear Music, the...
Savor the experience…
Last Friday, I had the extreme pleasure of being a dinner guest at Boston’s Oak Room. It’s a steakhouse in the classic tradition that fusses over every detail, serves the highest quality cuisine, and charges its patrons accordingly. As dining goes, it’s fantastic. But what really got me to thinking was the overall experience — how it kept me thoroughly contented and...
Happy Birthday, John …
What price for loyalty?
Just days after my 21st birthday, I found out that I’d be starting an internship in radio. And along with learning a lot of outdated skills (does anyone broadcast/record/edit on 1/4 inch tape?), I learned one that has continually served me well: loyalty. So many of my friends jump from job to job, searching out huge paychecks, and essentially selling their souls in the name of simply moving...
Beware the Guru
I’ve worked with multiple startups. They’re exciting, and the potential for growth, opportunity, and massive fame and fortune is always dangling right in front of you and (usually…) just out of reach. Success, therefore, becomes infinitely more meaningful, and helps keep the ego fully fed. Good stuff, indeed. In this startup environment, the one role that always perturbed me is...