A friend of mine writes a blog on his area of expertise. He writes a lot, and is (perhaps) better than I am in SEO and SMO practices. In fact, he’s making a pretty solid living simply through his sites, blogs, and activities. Another friend writes a blog that’s specific to his/her industry, and most likely full of valuable industry knowledge based upon years of experience. My problem:...
What, why, and so what…
Over the last few days, I’ve been wondering about what we say. Admittedly that’s a wide, open-ended type statement. But think about how you say what you say. Do you actually take the time to choose the word that’s most applicable, or the most industry-pleasing? Do you ramble on and on about “music discovery” or “SMO” or “SEO” without actually...
Here a Beatle, There a Beatle …
Judging from this week’s media hype, 9/09/09 is the next coming of the Beatles. The folks at Harmonix are releasing RockBand: Beatles Edition, and all things Beatle are flooding the market. I just got back from Blockbuster, where you can pick up Bealtes Monopoly, Beatles Trivial Pursuit, and pre-order your copy of Beatles RockBand. They’re (naturally) also featuring Beatle titles...
But interns are free, right?
I was poking around on Craigslist this morning, and alongside a sweet deal on a Rhodes, I noticed that roughly 60% of the marketing job listings were for internships. None of which offered pay, temp-to-perm opportunities, or really any promises beyond “something great for your resume.” This got me to thinking, who benefits by hiring interns? In most settings, interns are there for the...
You are what you …
I’ve been watching a few scenarios unfold from the sidelines. Without being directly involved, it’s fascinating to sit back and watch people tick. In particular, I’m amazed to see how people present themselves. Quite often, they have no idea what they’re saying, what messages they send, or how those messages are perceived. The biggest lead-in to this entire scenario is...
How Not to Write a (Music) Blog
Lots of folks will tell you how to do things. In fact, everyone probably prides themselves on being an expert on something. I’d rather spin things a little bit and tell you what NOT to do. You see, folks that cover the music industry are even more compelled to prove their expert status. Maybe it’s a desire to serve, or maybe it’s simply an inflated sense of self. Honestly...
Kooper on Napster
This is a column by Al Kooper for EQ Magazine back in 2001. I wanna start off by saying I chose the music business back in 1958 to express myself and to make a living. I’ve shared apartments with rodents (the furry and fleshy kind) in New York City, and I’ve rented houses in Los Angeles that Ringo moved into when I vacated. It’s been a bumpy, crazy ride. I’ve been cheated...
Evolving the model – Marketing 102
When I sit down with potential clients and companies, I almost never go in with a set agenda. It’s impossible to have a “one size fits all” style proposal or product. And I make a point, in that first meeting, to do more listening than talking. Let them tell you what they’re looking for so you can make the appropriate pitch afterwards. This is hardly a new-fangled idea...
Navigating the two way street
I just got off the phone with a recruiter. His client is looking for a Director of Marketing who understands SMO. His test, in determining whose candidacy deserves to move forward, is to simply ask them to explain what SMO is. This is hardly a revolutionary technique, but what’s interesting is how people break out the ten cent words to explain two cent ideas. The underlying challenge, which...
The end of an error … never challenge the listeners.
No less than 8 different people called to let me know that WBCN was going off the air. In a move calculated on a P&L sheet and nowhere else, one of Rock’s flagship stations (41 years of broadcasting …) has been running essentially on fumes for the last 5 years, and since it’s hard to sell advertising on stations with no listeners, something had to be done. I get that. Radio...