The Fine Art of Pissing People Off
It has always amazed me that the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.” And while there are quieter, more deserving people in need of help or praise, there may in fact be more to gain by squeaking…
It’s 2009 and boy are my arms tired …
Now that we’re into a new year, and most people have already made and/or broken their resolutions, I wanted to address a l’il issue that bugs me. For those who know me, this isn’t the following:…
Dirty Secrets of the Music Industry
There’ve been a few posts floating around on various blogs about how to be successful in (today’s) music industry. But there have been far more posts bitching and moaning about the horrors of the industry. My…
The Death of Idealism
Lately, as we march deeper into the nastiness of recession, I’ve seen those whom I consider good people become less than honorable. The fear of many things -mostly financial- has whittled away their sense of idealism,…
Recession Marketing and You!
Recently the nice folks at Hubspot actually came up with something useful. They offered a free webinar on “Marketing During a Recession.” For those of you who are unaware, the U.S. economy is going down faster…
Something amazingly good
Bruce sang that there were “57 channels and nothing on.” Back then, he wasn’t far off. But the good folks at Comcast have found a way to trump that by nearly ten-fold. Then, when the despair…
Teach me something, please!
The music business is crazy, unpredictable, volatile, and often revolutionary. I understand that, and despite the insanity, I can’t think of another industry I’d be suited to work in. The happiest periods in my career came…
Bad Marketing 101: CampusCompare
Every now and then, I wonder how/why companies make the decisions they do. A while back, I had interviewed with the folks at CampusCompare. Their concept was to allow students to input their own statistical info…
And he found brown m&ms in the bowl…
In an odd way, I think he did the right thing. In the world of music, massaging the ego is usually lesson one. There is an eminent Russian conductor encamped at a private home in Brookline,…
Where’s my bailout?
While reading the paper this morning – and yes, it was an actual newspaper, not a website – I saw an article explaining that the major automakers were in desperate need of their own government bailout….
Own your shit.
Recently, a company operating in the music discovery space laid off about 1/3 of its team. Their reasoning was that since the economy is going downhill faster than a greased bowling ball, there’s gotta be some…
The Master of Duh
Yesterday, I was invited to attend an extra-special songwriting clinic at Berklee. The guest-lecturer was an alum named John Mayer. Maybe you’ve heard of him? We were classmates together for one very brief class, in one…
The slippery sliding slope of personal decency
As cool and hip as I claim to be, at core I’m still a geeky political nerd. I follow the elections, make damn sure I vote, and I even pay attention to state and local races….
The slippery sliding slope of personal decency
As cool and hip as I claim to be, at core I’m still a geeky political nerd. I follow the elections, make damn sure I vote, and I even pay attention to state and local races….
An early Thanksgiving
Today I took a pretty bold step even by my standards. After a gentle prodding from a former coworker, and after having had a series of insufferable bosses/VPs/CEOs, I acted on the best advice I’ve gotten…
An early Thanksgiving
Today I took a pretty bold step even by my standards. After a gentle prodding from a former coworker, and after having had a series of insufferable bosses/VPs/CEOs, I acted on the best advice I’ve gotten…
A Long Distance Dedication (Snuggles the Dog)
OK, so this has been around for a bunch of years, but it’s still fascinating to listen to. Kasey Casem voiced American Top 40 for roughly 1,000 years. He was considered the consummate radio professional. Then…
A Long Distance Dedication (Snuggles the Dog)
OK, so this has been around for a bunch of years, but it’s still fascinating to listen to. Kasey Casem voiced American Top 40 for roughly 1,000 years. He was considered the consummate radio professional. Then…
Cynicism is earned.
Despite what others may tell you, I’m the eternal optimist. The glass is always half full, and anybody can become President of the United States if they study hard and eat their Wheaties. I prefer to…
Cynicism is earned.
Despite what others may tell you, I’m the eternal optimist. The glass is always half full, and anybody can become President of the United States if they study hard and eat their Wheaties. I prefer to…
Hello Reality!
I got a message the other day from one of my clients. I had submitted a marketing plan which met existing budget, staff, and timeline limitations. Admittedly, it wasn’t the most exciting and groundbreaking campaign, but…
Hello Reality!
I got a message the other day from one of my clients. I had submitted a marketing plan which met existing budget, staff, and timeline limitations. Admittedly, it wasn’t the most exciting and groundbreaking campaign, but…
Dorothy Parker lives on – sort of.
Criticism, in its best and worst form lives on. The late, great Dorothy Parker wrote some of the finest, including: “This not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force”…
Dorothy Parker lives on – sort of.
Criticism, in its best and worst form lives on. The late, great Dorothy Parker wrote some of the finest, including: “This not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force”…
What aren’t you telling me?
I’ve noticed a growing trend in online music sites. They’re free, FREE, FREEEEEE for everyone, and they’re gonna make all kinds of money for artists. How is this possible, and if it’s such a great deal,…
Wow! A good idea …
In my haste to race back into town yesterday, I didn’t notice the yellow “you need gas” light until it became a blinking yellow “you need gas NOW” light.” Looking for the nearest gas station, I…
Anything you can do, I can do better…
I work in marketing. It’s what I do. A long time ago, I realized that I’m pretty good at “reading” people, figuring out what motivates them, and being able to focus that understanding toward promoting a…
But what’s it actually worth?
This morning, I had breakfast at a local diner. My brain doesn’t really move too fast in the morning, and the slow act of reading a newspaper, sipping my coffee, and having a couple eggs ‘n’…
Finally …
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Ben & Jerry’s has done it again: Hoping to honor rocker Elton John before his first-ever Vermont performance, Vermont’s crazy-cool confectioner has whipped up a flavor just for him — “Goodbye Yellow…
Stand Up Philosophers …
For your consideration, the following classic exchange: Unemployment Office Person: “Name and occupation?” Comicus: “Comicus, Stand-up Philosopher.” Unemployment Office Person: “A what?” Comicus: “A Stand-up Philosopher. I coalesce the vapors of daily life and produce anecdotes…
The Good Guy Network
It’s a pretty simple concept, and one I alluded to before, good guys do things for good guys. Nothing more, nothing less. Somehow though, this basic tenet of doing business has become lost in the current…
Conscience matters – who knew … ?
About a month ago, I decided that it was time to test the independent waters. Instead of just going after another job, with another company, where invariably I was a mid-sized cog on the corporate wheel,…
Thornton Mellon anyone …?
There’s an old expression: “Those who can – do. Those who can’t – teach.” I’m not entirely sure how true it is, but I’m noticing a rather alarming trend. It seems like people used to want…
Desperation time…?
To paraphrase Mr Lennon, “I’m sick and tired of hearing things/From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics/All I want is the truth…” There are SO many companies trying to “help” musicians today, that’s just sickening. When you did…
Ethics Shmethics.
Today is a day that Bostonians have been waiting 20 years for: Celtics/Lakers tickets go on sale for the 2008 NBA Finals. At 2 PM, fans everywhere queued up online, at ticket sellers, and on the…
My symbolic trip to McCarthyism…
“Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator…. You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” In this example, I was the lad. And…
But it’s free …
Yay for Radiohead! Yay for NIN! Yay for the millions of other people who gave their music away for free. Free is good, free is easy, free is … well, free. Wait a minute. Is it…
Social Networking? Just go DO stuff!
The big trend across music and people and seemingly life itself is “social networking sites.” You know, MySpace, Facebook, and a million others. The theory is that since you can’t meet, find, or keep friends in…
Anthemic Rock – or a lack thereof…
Yesterday evening, I went to an NFL game at [Big Corporate Sponsor] Stadium. Alongside the $8 beers, and the $7 hot dogs, I noticed that the music predates many of the attendees. This got me to…