Lately we’ve gotten a ton of calls from potential clients wanting to work with us. And there’s nothing we love more than clients who want to pay us tons of money. Unfortunately, client expectations often exceed things like … reality. Here’s an example: Client calls in, says they need to make more money from their music. I ask them to send along links to their website...
Then what?
When you work with musicians, lots of fun things happen. At the outset, the excitement is palpable — so many cool things you’re going to do, so many great ideas, and that new album is going to catapult the artist into the stratosphere. A few months later though, it’s not all that. As a marketing guy, you’ve done everything you said you would, and there’s a solid...
Enough already!
SXSWhatever
I held off on writing a SXSW post because everybody else is. Who wants to be a sheep, right? When March rolls around, every musician and music industry hack starts frothing at the mouth. SXSW is a big ol’ schmoozefest accompanied by bbq. All things considered, it’s right up my professional alley. I’ve attended SXSW a bunch of times in the past as a rep from whatever company I...
The Pleasure-Dome
Pretty much everyone knows the story of Kubla Khan. It starts out, “In Xanadu did Kublai Khan A stately Pleasure-Dome decree, Where Alph, the sacred river ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea.” Some know it from the intro to Citizen Kane, others were forces to read Coleridge in college. Regardless, it’s one of the most famous poems of the last few...
Marketing by the numbers
Working with musicians, you hear a lot of “oh no, my fans would HATE that …” Venues do it too. And managers often assume an understanding of what their artists like or dislike. On nearly every count, they’re wrong. This is never more apparent than the world of technology. Last night, I saw a grandmother proudly pull out her iPad to show off pictures of her...
Social Media Marketing: 5 Reasons Why It’s NOT For You
This post was written by David Ginsburg of Hector Solutions… Over the weekend, (weekend is a vague term in the 24/7 world of social media) I was speaking with a colleague handling the PR for a mutual account regarding the importance of sticking to the content strategy laid out at the onset of said client’s new social media marketing program. We had launched the program just three...
Things I learned from a stripper…
OK, maybe stripper isn’t exactly the right word. I think “dancer” is the preferred terminology. Either way, I spent a couple weeks in southern Florida, and the cast of characters I encountered were a unique bunch. One in particular, a young gentleman named Blake, taught me a lot about his chosen profession, and the lessons learned are surprisingly adaptable to musicians...
Next phase, new wave, dance craze, anyways …
Here’s the thing. I’m not that old. I’m far from 40, and I continually decline the chance to dine anyplace offering an early bird special. I like to go places, do things, and I refuse to watch Matlock. The Internet has made huge parts of my career possible, but yet, I’m continually finding myself drawn to the “old school” way of getting things done. My friends...
Breaking the 11th Commandment
As I watch my partners and competitors engage in battles of marketing will, I’m amused by the way they turn the super strategic, high level actions into their own raison d’etre. The belief seems to be that creating these massive partnerships, awesome viral campaigns, and strategic alliances will help you even when your basic product is horribly flawed. I’m thinking we need Moses...