Your Music and People

Marketing is an extension of your art. Business is just as creative as music.

Marketing means being considerate. Focus on others. See yourself from their point of view. Being weird is considerate.

All opportunities come from people.

The way you present your art, and what people know about it, completely changes how they perceive it.

Marketing is the final extension of your art.

My favorite times in life started with a “see what happens” approach. Let’s see what happens if I run my vocals through my guitar pedals. Let’s see what happens if I invite that famous producer out to lunch.

Let’s see what happens if I call that radio station to ask their advice. It’s actually impossible to fail if your only mission was to see what happens! “This is a test. This is only a test.”

Restrictions will set you free Someone says, “Write me a piece of music. Anything. No restrictions. Go!” You’re stumped. It’s the blank page syndrome. Instead, someone says, “Write me a piece of music using only a flute, ukulele, and this toy piano. You can only use the notes D, E, and B. It has to start quiet, get louder, then end quietly. Go!” Aha! Now that’s an inspiring challenge!

You can use this approach for business, too.

Whenever you’re feeling uninspired or unmotivated, use creative restrictions to set you free.

Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones said he tries to write lyrics that are like listening in to someone else’s phone conversation — where you don’t know the context and don’t get the references, so it draws you in deeper, trying to understand. To do this, he first writes down everything he wants to say, then he crosses out every other line, and writes the song using only what’s left.

Once something is explained, it stops captivating your curiosity.

Make mystery in and around your music.

I wanted to be considerate and give them something different. So we bought 500 black envelopes, 500 sheets of brown paper, 500 alien head stickers, and 500 huge red labels that said “CONFIDENTIAL! DO NOT OPEN FOR ANY REASON”. We did a mail-merge to the 500 program directors at 500 college radio stations, so that each one got a personalized printed letter that said this: Dear __name__, You don’t know me, but I live in the bushes behind your station. I have been here for 12 years, and your station has saved my life many times over. The music that you play has kept me going through my darkest of days and for this I owe you everything. So I must tell you that a man named Captain T found me in the gutter yesterday, and he taught me about what is really going on with the government cover-ups, and what really happened down there in Area 51 with the aliens. This man has a message that you have to get out to the world, because people need to know the truth!!! Signed, the man in the bushes, looking through your window right now.

We took each letter out to the backyard and rubbed it in dirt, then crumpled it up. Then we put the crumpled letter and CD into each black envelope, sealed it with an alien head sticker, and finally covered it with the huge label that said “CONFIDENTIAL! DO NOT OPEN FOR ANY REASON”. And that’s what we mailed to each radio station.

“Marketing” just means being considerate Don’t confuse the word “marketing” with advertising, announcing, spamming, or giving away branded crap.

Marketing means making it easy for people to notice you, relate to you, remember you, and tell their friends about you.

Marketing means listening for what people need, and creating something surprisingly tailored for them.

Marketing means getting to know people, making a deeper connection, and keeping in touch.

Constantly ask what they really want

Before I interact with people, I ask myself this question: “What do they really want?” Like if I’m writing someone an email, I ask, “Why are they really reading this email?” If I’m contacting an agent, I ask, “Why are they really doing this job?” If I’m about to perform a show, I ask, “What are they really hoping to get from a night out at a concert?” Thinking of everything from the other person’s point of view is one of the best things you can do in life. Be what they want. And maybe they’ll be what you want, too.

Confidence attracts, but vulnerability endears.

First, prepare the most succinct version of your reason for contacting someone. Make it so short that if the person only has 30 seconds to talk, you could communicate your point, ask your question, and get the answer.

Edit your emails down to a few sentences. But always give a link to more information, so they can check it out if they have time.

Some hate texting. Some hate calls. Some hate video. Some hate it all. Just keep track of their preference for future use.

Have you heard of rejection therapy? It’s a challenge — kind of a game — where you make it your mission to get rejected by someone every day.

as soon as you get momentum, you’ll completely sabotage your success if you keep trying to do everything yourself. Instead, learn to use others’ hands. Be like a film director. It’s your vision. You decide how things are done. You direct your team on what to do. You don’t do everything yourself.

Someone sees you carrying a guitar and asks, “What kind of music do you play?” You say, “There’s no way to describe it. You just have to check it out. We’re playing next Thursday night at 11. You should come.” Imagine reversing the situation: You meet a man that says he’s running a small business. You ask what his company does. He says, “There’s no way to describe it. You just have to check it out. We’re open next Thursday for just one hour. You should come.”

People always love a memorable melody. You can’t know what instrumentation or

People always want an emotional connection.

Writing lots of songs increases your chances of writing a hit.