Web Ink Now

Summer music series: What YOU can learn from the music business

I'm a huge live music fan.

I've got a database where I keep a record each live show I've seen starting with the first two gigs I caught as a teenager in May 1976: The Ramones at New Canaan High School(!) and Aerosmith with Ted Nugent at Madison Square Garden -- to my latest show, Beirut with Lady Lamb and the Beekeeper at the State Theater in Portland, ME on Friday night. I shoot photos at some shows.

Yes, I am a live music geek. I have 436 listings in my database now.

I've seen some epic shows: Bob Marley's last concert, Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden, Frank Zappa on Halloween, the Clash, Muddy Waters, Talking Heads.

Since the summer music season is here in North America, with lots of outdoor shows, I thought it would be fitting to have a week of blog posts, videos, and other content with the loose theme of music.

Summer Music Series

• Monday: What YOU can learn from the music business. People are passionate about music. How can you tap into that passion?
• Tuesday: Do what you love. I interview Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart to learn what has kept him pushing his work forward for more than 50 years.
• Wednesday: How music fans support nonprofits and causes. Draws on an interview with Andy Bernstein, executive director of HeadCount.
• Thursday: Always move forward. I write about the Gathering of the Vibes music festival and how it moves music forward. Includes an article I wrote for Huffington Post and a video with quotes from Perry Farrel, Elvis Costello, Wavy Gravy, and Ken Hays.
• Friday: How brands engage with live music fans. I interview rock photographer Jay Blakesberg and we explore how to tap into music fans and the bands themselves to promote your work.

Learning from the music business

I'm always thinking about the similarities between the music business and my business.

Indeed there are many things that every business can learn from the good and the bad in the music world.

What can you learn from the music business?

In the old days, music was dominated by record labels and the only way that people were exposed to new music was on the radio.

Today, control is in the hands of the artists who can publish anywhere they like while free content on the Web (YouTube videos, Facebook pages, music downloads, blogs, Twitter feeds and the like) serve to expose people to new music.

Are you embracing the changes in your industry? Or are you wishing that you could turn the clock back to the good old days?

I’ve built my business by following intently what's going on in the music world and drawing parallels to what I do.

I "tour": I’ve averaged 50 gigs (speeches) a year for the past 4 years or so. A few months ago I did a 4-country European swing with a few domestic U.S. dates thrown in and before that was a 3-city, 12-gig tour of Australia.

I create "albums": I’ve published 7 books and have produced another 5 in my New Rules of Social Media book series written by other authors in the past decade.

Yeah, there are differences – I speak during the day. The lights are on in the room. Nearly everyone is stone cold sober. But most of what I do is strikingly similar to the music world.

How the music business helped me

Perseverance: Speak free anywhere someone will have you to build experience and a fan base. If you’re not prepared to do hundreds of free or nearly free gigs forget it because you’ll never get good enough. You need those 10,000 hours.

Motivation: It ain't the money. A dollar or two a book as a royalty and little or no speaking fees when you start out? Shoot, you might as well keep the day job at the big corporation.

Creative outlet: I wish I could be a rock star but I have no musical ability. Yet most weeks I am given the gift of a stage with a few hundred or 1,000 people in the audience. What an amazing opportunity to be creative. It’s like a drug. No, the stage is better than a drug.

Interact with fans: Hang out with the audience after the gig. Stay as long as it takes to trade business cards, pose for a photo, and sign books for everyone who waits.

Create tons of content: Besides the books, you gotta blog and do videos, and interact on social networks. Free content drives paid content and the fan base drives bookings, especially those lucrative corporate gigs. For example, I took an idea from the Beastie Boys and Radiohead and made a crowdsourced video of a speech earlier this year but took it further by layering on top of that a few hundred live tweets. This video serves to help me get even more bookings around the world. And the idea came from the music world.

Outlets: A business book author can self publish, go with an Indie publisher, or go with a major. I've done all three. Of my seven books, the last four have been published by Wiley, the largest business book publisher in the US. Why? It’s not money. I could make more self-publishing. The reason I go with a major is all about distribution. I walked into a bookstore in Amsterdam a few months ago. My books were stocked in both English and Dutch language versions. It is nearly impossible to do that by self-publishing.

How to make it: Work your butt off. Take the gig. Get on the plane. Blog like crazy. Release another book. Do the media interviews. Why do business speakers like Seth Godin and Tom Peters continually tour? They love it. Why do they succeed? They work hard. They give their core fans lots of new material via their blogs. They're quoted in the business press.

Like some of the hard working classic rock acts, I hope to do this into my 70s or longer. But to do that, I know that I need to keep up the pace now.

I have been so fortunate to have learned from the music business. I never would have been able to do what I do if I had not been a live music fan since I was a teenager, seeing a few shows a month for decades.

Everywhere I look there is something for YOU to learn from what is happening in the music business (both the good and the bad).

I've learned a ton. So can you.

Advice to students about getting a great first marketing job

After my speech at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of university students spending the summer as interns at Microsoft.

I provided some advice to the students about getting a great first marketing job. We discussed the difference between "digital natives" and "digital immigrants" and what that means for students looking for work (who are all natives). We talked a bit about the importance of personal branding. And I also provide a specific response to interviewers who say that Facebook is not allowed in the workplace.

Part of the discussion was filmed and I offer it here.

(Note that the video hosting service chosen by Microsoft Student starts with a short advertisement.)

Direct link to the video here.

Owning awareness vs just renting it

How do you generate awareness for your business or your ideas?

Do you rent awareness?

Renting awareness involves paying money to reach somebody else's audience. There are many ways to pay for awareness such as:

• Google AdWords and other search engine ad schemes where you rent keyword and phrase result placement.
• Banner ads which you rent on a per impression basis.
• Content syndication services such as online news release distribution that you buy on a one-off basis.
• Renting tradeshow booth space for a few days.
• Services like Groupon where you rent a day's email sponsorship for your offer to a targeted audience.

Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with renting awareness, just like there is nothing wrong with renting a car. However, you've got to keep on continually paying. If you stop paying, your awareness immediately goes to zero.

The alternative is to own awareness.

• Own the natural search engine result for your important phrases by creating content that people link to.
• Own a blog or YouTube channel that people talk about and share with others on social networks.
• Create an online media room for your newsworthy content.
• Become a thought leader and speak at conferences (if you get really good they may even pay you!).
• Have your own email newsletter.

I'm not advocating an either / or position here.

For most businesses, a both / and strategy is likely best. For example, I own the car that I use at home but I rent a car when in another city.

Similarly, the vast majority of my awareness is generated through my ownership of my own ideas and the content that educates about them. However, I still rent. For example, when I have a new book out, I work with my publisher, Wiley, to run sponsorships to raise awareness of the new book. I also pay to publish news releases through the news release distribution services.

Owning takes more time and requires different strategies than renting. But once you own something of value, it pays off for a long time. The business results can be staggeringly impressive too.

So what's the right ratio?

If more than 50% of your awareness comes from rentals, I'd say you've got to step up strategies to ownership. As a general rule, I'd say most businesses should aim for 75% ownership or better (but this is just a number I made up).

What do you think? Is ownership always better? What's the right ratio?

Hat tip to my friend Brian Halligan, CEO of HubSpot (and my co-author of our book Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead) for the spark of the idea for this post.

Image 1: Shutterstock \ Henryk Sadura
Image 2: Shutterstock \ Denis and Yulia Pogostins

Long overdue blog redesign

I've been blogging since 2004 with essentially the same blog design.

I tweaked my blog here and there over the years, but it had more or less been the same since the beginning.

Back in the early days of blogs, everyone said a blog should be 800 pixels wide “so it can fit all computer screens.” I made the fonts very small. I had three columns - the left and the right were navigation and links - but this meant that the main content was very scrunched up in the middle.

My friend Doug Eymer and I worked on the new design and released it this weekend. We freshened it all up, went to two columns, and made everything easier to read.

In addition, the blog is more consistent with all my other content (all designed by Doug) such as my ebooks, my site, my iPhone & iPad applications, and my TV site.

One thing I regret is naming my blog Web Ink Now. The blog name is not a one I am fond of and it is not a brand that people know. People know the blog I write as "David Meerman Scott's blog." I wish I had just used my name for my blog and its URL. Oh well, I've got too much Search Engine juice to change.

Next, over the coming months, we’re going to re-work my main site.

Over the past 8 years, I've learned that I've got to keep evolving - both my brand and my content. Technology changes. The best way to deliver content evolves. My interests morph. But my blog lives on as an essential way for me to communicate.

Charlie Sheen and his stage

I caught the Charlie Sheen Violent Torpedo of Truth show last night in Boston. I was eager to check him out live because I have been fascinated with how he has used social media. I wrote about his amazing use of content (videos & Twitter) and how he has mainstream media talking about him: Why Charlie Sheen matters

I watched his show as a professional speaker. I'm someone who knows what it's like to be given a stage for an hour or more. I know the feeling of walking out in front of more than 1,000 people.

It is an incredible gift to be given a stage. People take time out of their day to hear what you have to say (and sometimes pay money too). The gift of an audience should never be taken lightly.

Once you're given a stage, you need to deliver. It is not easy.

I see a lot of bad presentations on the speaking circuit. Bestselling authors who think they deserve the stage and do not craft a speech. CEOs who talk incessantly about their company’s stupid products. An Olympian who thinks showing a few video clips from the race is enough.

What would Charlie Sheen do with his stage?

Sheen could have gone the standup comedy route but he did not.

Sheen could have gone the professional speaker route and delivered a well-crafted speech with a story arc while providing his audience with motivation to act. But he did not.

Sheen sort of hosted a variety show. It sort of worked in places. In others it fell flat.

It worked best when Charlie Sheen was being Charlie Sheen.

He led off by coming out from the back of the room boxer style, with security around him. The entire audience was on its feet. This was a good opener.

He delivered his now famous one-liners often, throwing "Winning" "Tiger Blood" and "Trolls" around a lot. This was good because it got the audience on his side. Give 'em what they want.

Early on, he turned his TelePrompTer around so we could see it. (It displayed "How do you like Boston?") He then went on a mini-rant about how "These TelePrompTers are the electronic tools of trolls." I thought that was hysterical.

"How do you guys feel to be on the drug called Charlie Sheen – Now you know what I feel like! I'm like this all the time!" This line got a cheer.

He lost much of the audience when he spent about 20 minutes hosting a "contest" to find "the third goddess" to add to his harem. A dozen women were invited up on stage (I think at least three were plants). Each had a short moment with the man himself as he asked why she should be goddess number 3. The audience voted by cheering who was the best.

The intermission was fascinating. His YouTube video Charlie Sheen: The Unedited Version played on the big screen. It was kinda cool actually – the virtual Charlie Sheen in the form of his own YouTube video serving as entertainment during the intermission to his live show. Fortunately the video and the intermission were short.

The second half dragged because Sheen took a series of inane questions from the audience. As any professional speaker knows, when you open it up for questions, people can say anything.

Rather than "dealing with the question" as a politician would and just riffing in any way he wants, he actually tried to answer the dumb questions.

I did like how he took a photo of the audience and had a helper tweet it out live. Nice.

Bottom Line:

As a standup artist, Charlie Sheen stinks.

As a motivational speaker, Charlie Sheen stinks even more.

As the host of a variety show, Charlie sheen is terrible.

But Charlie Sheen is damned good at being Charlie Sheen and that's what I paid for so I was satisfied. I’m glad I went.

I'm convinced that Sheen is enjoying himself immensely during this process. He has the media hanging on his every word and millions of supporters. So who is #Winning?

Seth Godin channels the Grateful Dead to launch his new book Poke the Box

"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"

I've been a Seth Godin fan for more than a decade and have read every one of his books at the earliest possible moment. Seth has an uncanny ability to channel what I'm thinking into a neat package so I can reflect.

That's certainly true with his new book Poke the Box which I loved.

In this video, we discussed how to manage fear and how to embrace failure. These are two things I try to do and it is always great to be given a "poke" or a swift kick in the pants as the book does.

Guess what? You don't need permission!

Towards the end, we also talk about the similarities between the Grateful Dead's marketing and the marketing for Seth's new Domino Project, the publisher of the book (watch the video and then see below).

Direct link to the video interview here.

The Domino Project, publishers of Poke the Box is an independent publishing imprint founded by Seth and powered by Amazon.

For the past several of his books (including Tribes, Linchpin, and The Dip) Seth had been publishing with mainstream publisher Portfolio.

Seth says The Domino Project is an opportunity to publish "idea manifestos" committed to readers, rather than being bookstore friendly. It’s named after the domino effect--where one powerful idea spreads down the line, pushing from person to person.

"I have two audacious goals," Seth says. "I want to change the people who read (not enough do) and I want to change the way books are published (they're too hard to find and spread). I honestly believe that a book can change a mind like nothing else, and that’s our focus. To help anyone to do work they’re proud of and to make a difference."

I was fascinated by the parallels of The Domino Project and the launch of Poke the Box to Grateful Dead style business models and marketing techniques.

Seth is a fellow Deadhead.

• The Grateful Dead started their own label (like Seth).
• The Grateful Dead gives away tons of content for free (like Seth).
• The Grateful Dead gave amazing live performances (like Seth).
• The Grateful Dead has deluxe special editions (like Seth).

Early this Year, the Grateful Dead announce a special Europe 72 box set containing every song they played live during their 1972 Europe tour. The 72 CD set sold out all 7,200 copies at $450 each. Hey! This is music that you can get for free on the Web!

Seth is doing the same thing with a limited edition $75.00 deluxe version of Poke the Box (that I happily own).

Why in the world would anyone pay $450 or $75 for something they can get for much less or even for free? Indeed. We can all can learn from Seth and from the Dead.

Becoming a change agent

Becoming a change agent at your company or with your clients is tough. There is always risk when you challenge the entrenched status quo.

But the rewards for being a recognized pioneer can be tremendous.

We are going through a communications revolution no different than when the telephone first entered the workplace a century ago.

Many people tell me that they have bosses who are just plain resistant to change. Or fearful. Or stubborn. Or all three.

Or it's the PR department, the HR people, or the lawyers who say "no".

Amazingly, a huge number of companies still block employee access to social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

That's crazy. Imagine blocking the telephone? Or the fax machine? Or email?

If you work for a company that is not engaging its marketplace in the ways that buyers demand, I think you have three choices:

1. You can become a change agent.

This is difficult but potentially very rewarding. The role of change agent comes with risks because the entrenched powers will fight you.

In 2002, I was fired from my job as VP of Marketing at a division of the Thomson Corporation partly because I was a vocal advocate for new marketing in a business that was in love with direct mail and tradeshows.

While you risk getting sacked, if you successfully bring a company into the world of modern communications, you have potential to be promoted, get a raise, and become a hero.

2. You can live with the status quo.

There's nothing inherently wrong with living with what others tell you to do and not challenging what you know to be wrong. When you’ve got a family and obligations, particularly in a tough economy, putting your livelihood at risk may not be the right thing. But you will take an emotional toll.

Can you live with yourself if you're ducking into the restroom to hide in a stall with a mobile so you can update your social sites?

3. You may want to find another job.

I know people who have decided to leave companies solely because of the draconian social networking policies. They choose to leave a company where they have friends, have worked for years, and whose products they love.

In a particularly radical move, I know some who have quit without another job lined up. Many of those people have started their own thing and most have succeeded.

You've got a choice.

You can become an agent of change. The rewards can be great, but so are the risks.

Image: Shutterstock / grafvision

Transforming your business and yourself in 2011

With the New Year comes an opportunity to transform your business. This is especially true if you run a small business or are a sole proprietor.

You don't have to accept the label others have put on you. You don't have to limit your company by a label like "B2B" or "auto industry." Forget terms like lawyer, consultant, writer, singer, graphic designer.

What interests you? What do you love to do? Why not make that part of your work too!

Maybe you can generate a new revenue source. Maybe you can spruce up your personal brand. Certainly you can have more fun!

I've morphed many times. I worked on a bond trading desk. I acted in Japanese television commercials. I was Asia Marketing Director for Knight-Ridder, at the time one of the largest newspaper companies in the world. I was a VP marketing at several technology companies. I was a marketing consultant. Now I write books and am a marketing speaker and run full-day seminars on marketing.

Cliff Pollan transformed a company that used to offer a video channel by creating a new company name and a new business focus. Now VisibleGains provides marketers an easy way to create engaging and interactive video as a lead generation tool.

Doug Eymer is a terrific designer. He created my ebooks, site, blog masthead and much more. Doug recently transformed into a comedy writer by publishing the hilarious Tiny Mind Gazette. "Suburban Legends: Defined, Debunked + DeMythtified."

Grant Griffiths is a former Kansas lawyer. His blog was so instrumental in driving business his way that he now focuses on helping people Blog for Profit and become Home Office Warriors.

One of my favorite examples of transformation is country music artist Billy Dean. With twelve albums and eleven top 10 Billboard country chart singles over his eighteen-year career, Billy is a star.

Billy has transformed himself many times.

He started Billy Dean Writers Block Professional Songwriting Collaborative where, along with other award winning songwriters, he will critique songs and share inside tips on how to write a hit.

His Song Sessions is an interactive workshop designed to transform a staff of any size into a creative and powerful songwriting team. The goal of the Song Session is to capture what the company does and why it exists in a song.

He accepts song commissions to help organizations build a brand image. Here's a Ryder Cup example.

I had an opportunity to meet Billy backstage at a Boston area concert in late December. He was touring with Kenny Rogers and my friend John DiPietro introduced us. (John is also a man who has transformed many times. For example, here is his Motorhome blog.)

I spoke with Billy about Agritainment, a way for family farmers to find new revenue as tourist attractions.

Direct link to Billy Dean video.

With the New Year comes opportunity for you. How can you get out of your rut and create something new and interesting?

Corn Maze image Shutterstock / Alita Bobrov

Why social media is like exercise

The second most common question I get at my talks is: "How do you find the time to do all this social media stuff?" People want to know how to find time to blog, tweet, produce videos, and create valuable online content.

(BTW – the number one question I get during Q&A is: "What is the ROI of social media?" But that's another story.

I've found that: "Finding the time to participate in social media" is just like exercise – you need to make it an important part of your life. If it is important to you, you don't even think about it anymore. It just is.

You have a choice.

You can choose to exercise regularly in order to stay fit. The only effective way is when exercise becomes part of your routine. Some people like fitness clubs. Others enjoy running outdoors or dance or kickboxing. But in all cases, success comes from making it an important part of your life and routine.

I enjoy 45 minutes on an elliptical trainer every morning that I'm home. Sometimes the hotel I'm staying at has a machine and I jump on that too. Been at it for more than a decade.

I get up early, around 4:00 most mornings, and do my training in the family room while watching recordings of the late-night television shows from the evening before. I don't even think about "finding the time" because it is a very important part of my life.

Same with participating in social networks and creating online content - it becomes part of your life.

In my case, I do about 100 blog posts a year and maybe 30 videos. I comment on thousands of blogs. Most years I write a free ebook. And I'm on forums, chat rooms, Twitter, and Facebook.

Many people are surprised when I say that I probably spend about six hours a week on social media - about the same amount of time I spend exercising. I don't even think about it. It's important, so I do it. And I can't really say how I "fit it in". It's mainly in micro-bursts of one or five minutes throughout the day.

I recommend that you don't even try to "find the time to create content and participate in social media." You'll fail. Just like "finding the time to exercise" leads to failure and wasted money on health club memberships.

Instead, make exercise and social media important parts of your life.

Bonus idea

If you still cannot fit exercise and social media into your life, cut out television completely. You will be amazed at how much time you free up.

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UPDATE Jan 20, 2011 - Social Media Chad extended this riff on his blog. Check it out.

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Image: Shutterstock / Zurijeta

Beyond Viral

Kevin Nalty is a video genius. His videos have been seen over 160 million times on YouTube alone.

When I watch his videos like Mall Pranks, which has been seen 7 million times I just shake my head in amazement that someone who was recently Marketing Director at Merck & Company could create such stuff.

Nalts as he’s known to his many fans has just released a new book called Beyond Viral which is part of my New Rules of Social Media book series.

Beyond Viral is about how to Attract Customers, Promote Your Brand, and Make Money with Online Video. Whether you’re a CEO, marketer, agency leader, or entrepreneur, Beyond Viral will provide actionable ideas and plans that can save you from the many pitfalls and help you market successfully via online video. Consider it four years of intensive practice – as a marketer and entertainer – packed into one book.

In fact when I sat down with the manuscript, I read it in one sitting.

I laughed. A lot.

But I learned a lot too.

Don’t expect this to read like your typical business book. Beyond Viral is written by a guy who manages to be taken seriously by major corporate clients... when he’s not secretly videotaping people’s reactions to him crawling through airports, pratfalling in the snow, or having fake panic attacks in NYC cabs. Check out the Best of Nalts video playlist.

Here was a guy who could generate more YouTube views in the time it takes to walk around the block than I had amassed in my entire life. But Kevin is about much more than just doing silly videos like his Farting in Public (now seen more than eleven million times).

His perspective as both a YouTube celebrity and a marketing professional gives him a unique perspective on what works and what doesn’t in the uncharted waters of viral videos. I knew Kevin would be the best person on the planet to write a book about using video to attract customers, promote brands, and make money. I am thrilled he agreed to write this book.

Beyond Viral official site.