Product or Service?

Music is a product, right?

Wrong.

Music is now a service. The song, sold by way of ANY store, doesn't really matter. It's what happens once you buy it that matters.

I'm listening to You Give Love A Bad Name (Bon Jovi) as I write this. I never bought this song, but I have listened to it 15 times writing this blog because it performs a service; it fires me up.

We HAVE to stop thinking of music as a product. Let's find new ways to make music a service. How do we give listeners the emotions they want quicker, easier, and more effectively? And how do we get them to pick OUR emotional catalyst over the others?

That's the new direction. I'll race ya.

Servant Leadership. Permission Marketing. Create a Vacuum.

Psalm 62:1-2

Free Candy

Free candy is fun, right? Who doesn't take free candy? Especially if it is your favorite kind.

So what if the free candy helped you make a friend?

-"Hey, I got some free Snickers! Want one?"
-"Thanks bro, I appreciate it! What do you do?"
-"I'm an artist. You like jazz/fusion? Here's a free album!"
-"Sweet dude, thanks!"

Would you go see the show of the artist who gave you the candy? Would you make a remark about the album if it was 'remarkable?' Would you Instagram and tweet a picture of the cool album cover next to the candy?

I would. Every day of the week.

http://www.sethgodin.com/permission/thanks.asp


Servant Leadership. Permission Marketing. Create a Vacuum.

Psalm 62:1-2

Day Trading

Why do we swap the extended for the instant? The delayed for the immediate?

Are we that microwave'd of a society? In a world where connection is the greatest asset businesses have, and the most powerful force for promoting new music, why do we settle for the immediate?

Seth Godin wrote in his blog recently "In the connection economy, the thoughtful, patient, mature and modern approach wins out. Because connection is built on trust and generosity, not on snark and short-term wins."

Let's apply this to the music business, which happens to be a business that thrives off of connections and their apparent authenticity. Why would we celebrate the surface-level coffee conversation we had with an executive as a victory in networking? When they begin to confide their problems in you, that is a victory because that opens the door for you to innovate for their benefit...and eventually yours. Do not expect them to give you something, like a job. Try to give them something, like a solution. That will CREATE you a job.

Why do we day-trade instead of invest for the long-term? Invest in human capital, people are worth your time and authenticity and vulnerability.

-Garrison

Servant Leadership. Permission Marketing. Create a Vacuum.

 

Psalm 62:1-2

Built To Assist - Easter Eggs

I am sure you all are familiar with the term 'easter eggs.' White, oval breakfast food turned objects of pursuit by your adorable eight-year old niece on Easter, or projectiles subsequently smashed against your house by the angsty local teenager who didn't get invited to the egg hunt.

In this case, I am actually referring to the finding of something, not necessarily an egg. In the video game culture, gamers refer to bonus items or activities that have to be discovered in each scene as 'easter eggs.' They help the player deviate from the scenario for short a time to keep the playing interesting and earn helpful bonuses. It gives the gamer a moment of unexpected challenge that isn't detrimental to the overall result of their performance in the game.

In day to day life, it is the bonus question on the test. It is the opportunity for a safety in American football. It is the opportunity to teach your little boy how to air up his bike tire.

These actionable bonuses are everywhere in the music business. Wherever you are in your career, looking for the additional tasks and pursuing them, despite the additional labor, will undoubtedly benefit your client and paint you as cool-headed over-achiever.

Never let additional labor or challenge from your colleagues dissuade you from pursuing an obscure, yet potentially profitable opportunity. Be comfortable changing the plan, and having the ability to seal a deal at a moments notice is nothing to spit at.

Servant Leadership. Permission Marketing. Create a Vacuum.

Psalm 62:1-2

Built To Assist - Comfortable Ambiguity

In the music industry, you may never have a real job, 9am-5pm. Are you ok with that?

If not, you might want to look into another career.

Because that is exactly what this industry is: a commitment to career-lifestyle that encompasses every corner of your life.

No other industry is this way. So how do we, as humans who crave consistency, survive and thrive?

You have to do your work for a bigger purpose. Music cannot be your all in all. It will never fulfill you. Personally, I am a Christian, so I believe that I should do everything I do for others and, in turn, to turn recognition for success back to God and His grace in my life.

I would recommend this way of thriving. But, for many people, they work for their children's futures, philanthropic purposes, or the satisfaction of fully serving others. As long as you keep your eye on something above simply music, something more glorious and divine-purposed, you will always have fuel in the tank and be comfortable with the ambiguity of our particular industry.

Because, then and only then, success that is normally defined by money, stature, or finite means will hold no allure for you. You will see the purity in labor.

 

Servant Leadership. Permission Marketing. Create a vacuum.

Psalm 62:1-2