Brand Unexpectedness

As a person whose loses interest quickly, I always appreciate a good surprise. Learning how to capture an audience’s attention is great, but learning how to keep it is better.

As an artist, you should always push the boundaries of your artistry to keep your audience engaged. I’m not suggesting that you go to extreme lengths to do it, but you should keep it fresh. Suppose you’re a new pop singer who just got signed to a recording contract with a very well respected Hip-Hop legend. You can sing, dance, and dabble in a little acting from time to time. You just so happen to look like every other Pop star out right now (fairly attractive, good physique, and a decent sound), how do you attract an audience and then keep them engaged? Both are very good questions, the first answer has to do with image and sound. If you look like every other typical Pop star ever to touch the music industry, you have to work to create an image that sets you a part. Focus on the things that are unique to you. How many brunette Pop stars have you ever seen? Not many because the tradition has always been blonde is better. Create an image that goes against the grain of what people are used to seeing. Now that your image is created, define a sound that challenges the conventions of Pop music. Will the lyrical content be the force that drives your brand of Pop music or will it be the production? Madonna, throughout her career, has been a master of keeping her image and sound fresh. She was able to keep her audience’s attention by constantly changing. I know what you’re thinking, but shouldn’t an artist’s brand be consistent? Yes, but there is such a thing as consistent spontaneity. For instance, Lil’ Kim’s brand was outrageous and sexy. Every time you saw her at an event, she may have looked differently but her outrageous sexiness remained. Same with Lady Gaga, she’s consistently eccentric with her image and you hardly ever see her look the same.

Keeping an audience’s attention is simple: create music that reflects their lifestyle. If the music is relevant to their life, they’ll keep listening. Mary J. Blige’s audience has grown with her and her music reflects this growth. Her lyrical ideas are more mature and therefore appeal to her core audience. She may appear on records with new artists just to keep her brand in the minds of the younger generation, but she’s not making music that appeals to a younger generation specifically. To make music that your audience will relate to you have to know your audience.

 

Knowledge is Power!

 

Most musicians rely on their managers, lawyers, publicists, business managers, and anybody else to handle their own business. The savvy musician knows that it is far better to create by their own hand than rely on someone else’s. Today’s industry is much more conducive to the creation of vertically integrated entertainment companies created by independent musicians but many independent musicians are still finding comfort in having someone else do all the work. Newsflash! No one can take care of your business better than you can. If that means you need to actually read music industry books, get out the house and network with folks you don’t know, or even pay attention to a blogger who desperately wants to help build you build your music brand (shameless plug), in addition to performing and creating music, then that’s what you need to do. People will tell you that you need a team to help you and yes this is true but who will this team work for? They’ll work for you the artist. How can you know what each team member’s role is if you don’t know the business? How will you know if what they’re charging you is a customary percentage of your earnings? How, how, how? I’m not saying you need to be a master of every single aspect of the industry, that would be way too much work for you. What I am saying is that you should have some semblance and understanding of the general rules and procedures of the music business. Once you’ve gotten your foundation underneath you, then you hire experts.

 

Backwards Marketing

When you know the destination, its easier to create a path to get there. Given the nature of the kind of brand commentary provided on this site, this notion seems very counterintuitive but for some artists this is a likely alternative when creating a marketing plan. In fact, this approach allows you to explore all outlandish and inconceivable possibilities related to marketing yourself to success. Let’s say you decide you want to be a Pop style recording artist and your goal is to be the highest selling male Pop star of all time. You have the destination, now you must create a realistic plan to achieve that goal. Realistically you’ll probably need a very effective and well connected team of people around you including a manager, publicist, major label backing or funding from another source, a producer, songwriters, band, background singers, and so on. Now, you may not have access to any of the people or titles just mentioned but don’t let that discourage you. The point is to get you to think about what you need in order to get where you’re trying to go. Start with the most unlikely situation possible (highest selling male Pop star of all time) and then scale down the idea until it fits what you’re actually trying to do. You’ll realize that what you really want to do is actually more achievable and this idea will become the basis of your marketing plan. It’s similar to the Leo Burnett adage “when you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”

 

You will Never Find Success in the Music Business If You…

Do not educate yourself entirely in the ways and happenings of the music industry.

Only do music for profit.

Don’t know who you are and why you matter as an artist.

Only rap or sing about bullshit!

Don’t create music that connects to real life situations your audience have or may endure.

Don’t know how to conduct yourself professionally. Included but not limited to how you dress, speak, whether you do what you say you’re going to, etc.

Your music sucks! (Notice this is the last thing, if you practice anything long enough you get good at it)

 

Brand Communication

 

As a new artist, it is your job to promote your music to as many people as possible. Why? Because you figure that promoting your music will either gain more professional opportunities or generate sales. If your promotion is able to do both, that’s even better. So how do you introduce a new musical product to the world? There’s no simple answer. No two artists are, or should be, marketed the same way. First, because it confuses the audience. Secondly, it’s unnecessary. Before any artist conceptualizes a general marketing plan, they have to address the following questions: 1) What type of audience does my music speak to? What kind of person do I (the artist) represent? 2) What is this audience’s current beliefs, attitudes, and feelings about music? How are they typically introduced to music (through social networking, through mixtape sites, etc.)? The first question deals with developing an artist’s brand, to find the answers to the second question you have to conduct some research. (Google is the best place to start researching anything.) The answers you develop to these two questions are the foundation to your entire marketing plan. What comes next in your marketing plan is the elaboration of these two questions. Once you determine what your core audience’s beliefs, attitudes, and feelings are then you subvert them. [Quick side note: branding, in the general sense, deals with positioning. What brands do you think of first when you think of detergent, car insurance, or cosmetics? Those brands you named are positioned in your mind as important or more important than their competitors that's why you remember them.] Music branding, especially for a new artist, deals with positioning your music as better than or more attractive than your competition to your consumer. You (the artist) are taking their (the consumer’s) current musical positioning roster and inserting your music. The ultimate goal is to become positioned within the top 3-5 recalls of an individual from your core audience.  You have to change the consumer’s belief and attitude toward your music, that’s where the hard work starts. Why should a consumer listen to your music? What makes your music good enough? This answer is your unique selling proposition (USP) and is the core of your brand.

Let’s look at this concept in a real life example. One of the artists I currently listen to is Nipsey Hussle. He is a Los Angeles based rapper who also happens to be from one of the largest Crip gangs in the city. His unique selling proposition (USP) is that he’s a real nigga from the streets that raps about his real life struggles, triumphs, and setbacks. His core audience are those he represents, people who similarly find themselves in precarious social, financial, and sometimes legal situations. What makes his music good enough? The way in which Nipsey approaches his artistry and the mastery of balance between production and content makes for good music. He is successful and will continue to be successful as long as he speaks to his core audience.

There are plenty of other examples to highlight, but the core message is the same: Who are you as an artist? Who do you represent? If you can clearly answer these two questions, you are a million steps ahead of your competition and on your way to your own success.

 

Brand and Culture

Most, if not nearly all, iconic brands are born out of a very specific and sometimes culturally tumultuous time period. Rock legends The Grateful Dead watched their brand of musical counterculture grow in popularity during the 1960s at the height of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement. Hip-hop giants N.W.A. became the voice of a generation, expressing the discontent and frustration of young black males after the 1992 Los Angeles riots. These musical brands are memorable because of the three key things: 1) Their music was the voice of people whose concerns were previously un-represented, 2) The cultural climate was conducive to their unique brand/style of music, 3) The music was good. Good music does not always equate to a good brand. If N.W.A.’s music were released today, it would seem a little pretentious and almost overbearing to even its core audience.

One of the best examples of the link between musical success and cultural climate is Motown and The Supremes. I had the privilege to study and research Motown’s impact on the modern industry and analyze the cultural happenings that affected Motown’s success. Below is a snippet of my findings.

The term crossover in and of itself implies racial distinction.  African-American artists were considered crossover successes if they were able to place on both the Rhythm & Blues (R&B) and Popular (Pop) charts.  African-American artists typically placed only on the R&B charts because “the term R&B was used as a catchall for a host of contemporary forms of black music during the time period” (Rhythm and Blues, 2010, para.2).  White artists, on the other hand, were expected to chart on the Pop charts and did not need to place on the R&B charts in order to be successful (Burnim & Maultsby, 2006, p.440).  African-American artists crossed over into the mainstream, while White artists were already considered mainstream (Burnim & Maultsby, 2006, p.440).

The embodiment of the idea of crossover comes in the form of a young man named Berry Gordy.  A boxer and Army veteran, Gordy began his first music venture after returning from Korea (Ballton, 1980, p.180).  He opened a record store that carried jazz recordings from artists like Stan Kenton, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk (Ballton, 1980, p.180).  In 1953, the store closed and Gordy eventually took a job on the “assembly line at the Ford plant” in Detroit (Ballton, 1980, p.180).  His dream of music success never died. Gordy worked at the plant during the day and wrote songs in his off time.  He was able to secure a publishing contract but became discouraged when his publisher “refused to pay him the thousand dollars he owed him” (Ballton, 1980, p.180).  In 1959, Gordy quit his job at the Ford plant and borrowed $800 from his family to start his own record label. Gordy was “determined to promote his own songs and to provide an honest outlet for other talented writers” (Ballton, 1980, p.180).

Eventually named Motown, from the city Gordy had grown up in, Detroit aka Motor Town (Burnim & Maultsby, 2006, p.434), this small record label defied 1960s racial politics by crafting music that all “people could relate to”, and mastered the balancing act of combining “urban Detroit cool” with “an air of class and sophistication” (Burnim & Maultsby, 2006, p.432).

Gordy realized the importance of product uniqueness and wanted to be sensitive to America’s shifting racial climate.  Gordy also realized that a unique product needed to be coupled with a unique promotional strategy.  His promotional ideal was for all of his acts to “conform to an image of upwardly mobile blackness” (Warwick, 2007, p.158).  All Motown artists, including  male acts, took classes with an “image specialist” named Maxine Powell who stressed “elegance and grace” (Warwick, 2007, p.162).  Motown had talent. Its roster included R&B icons like Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Four Tops, The Temptations, and a young blind musical genius nicknamed “Little” Stevie Wonder.  Gordy understood the importance of having a diverse array of talent and felt that Motown artists “tapped musical tastes of people across racial, social, and cultural boundaries” (Burnim & Maultsby, 2006, p.439).  Motown, and its subsidiaries, handled all traditional aspects of record making including: recording the album, sales, promotion, and publishing.  The company also provided artist management, artist development, and touring opportunities (Burnim and Maultsby, 2006, p.434).

At the time of Motown’s founding, America was experiencing a great deal of racial tension.  The late 1950s and early 1960s saw African-Americans pushing for civil rights and integration (Asante, 1995, p.409).  In 1957, nine African-American students were the first to integrate Central High, a previously all White High School, in Little Rock, Arkansas (Asante, 1995, p.409).  This came after the United States Supreme Court-1953’s Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas-ruled that it was “unconstitutional” for schools to be racially segregated (Asante, 1995, p.409).  The day Central High School became integrated, Arkansas’s Governor was forced to call upon The National Guard to maintain order among students and detractors (Asante, 1995, p.409).  The 1960s brought African-Americans and Whites together as they performed “acts of civil disobedience” to promote the desegregation of public facilities, marched for Civil Rights, and held or promoted voter registration drives in Southern states (Asante, 1995, p.412).  These activists were often jailed or beaten and some even murdered (Asante, 1995, p.412).  In 1964, the Civil Rights Act became the 24th amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Asante, 1995, p.417).  Asante (1995) details the function of the Civil Rights Act.

The most far reaching civil rights legislation to date, this law strengthened previous civil rights acts;  outlawed devices such as the poll tax and literacy tests which were designed to keep African-Americans from voting;  outlawed discrimination in public places such as restaurants, hotels, and theaters; outlawed segregation in parks, stadiums, and swimming pools;  gave financial aid to all schools in the process of desegregation;  said that federal funds would be withheld from schools or programs that discriminated;  extended the life of the Civil Rights Commission for four more years;  prohibited discrimination by employers and unions;  prevented a federal court from sending a civil-rights case back to state or local courts;  established the Community Relations Service to arbitrate local race problems;  and provided the right of a jury trial of any case brought under the protection of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Asante, 1995, pp.417-418)

African-Americans simply wanted to realize their full acceptance into American ideals and dreams.  Gordy’s ideal was for all of his acts to “conform to this image of upwardly mobile blackness” (Warwick, 2007, p.158).

Motown Records was the first of its kind in many ways.  It was the first all black owned and operated record label that competed with “white owned companies at the national level” (Burnim & Maultsby, 2006, p.432).  By 1970, Motown’s promotional efforts had enabled the company to “gross more than $50 million dollars annually” (Low & Clift, 1981, p. 406).  The product uniqueness of Motown also achieved unprecedented commercial success, garnering over 83 #1 songs on both the R&B and Pop charts between 1959-1971 (Burnim & Maultsby, 2006, p.441).  Motown Records is infamous among music industry historians.  From its small start, revolutionary marketing tactics, and wonderfully made music, Motown and the “Motown sound” set the standard for crossover success.

Motown’s stand-out stars were The Supremes.  The Supremes adapted to the ideals set out by Gordy which were to combine “urban Detroit cool” with “an air of class and sophistication” (Burnim & Maultsby, 2006, p.432), and to achieve success by appealing to the “musical tastes of people across racial, social, and cultural boundaries” (Burnim & Maultsby, 2006, p.439).  The Supremes were a young group (original members Mary Wilson and Diana Ross were nineteen-years-old at the time of their first single, Florence Ballard was twenty) (Bianco, 1992, p.226), and were star pupils of Motown’s artist development program.  The Supremes studied “deportment and dance classes with Cholly Atkins”, took “coaching in singing and stage patter with Maurice King”, and attended “a finishing school run by ultra-respectable Maxine Powell” (Warwick, 2007, p.158).  Preparedness was the key to The Supremes crossover success.  Their instruction coupled with Gordy’s ideals gave them the tools to secure a non-African-American audience.  The Supremes produced twelve number #1 hit singles (all written and produced by the Holland-Dozier-Holland team), released over twenty albums between 1963-1970, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 1988 (Bianco, 1992, pp.227-229).

The historical context of the 1950s and 60s, set the stage for Motown’s inception and influenced the way it created and promoted its product (music).  This unique approach made Motown, its sound, and stand out artist, The Supremes, cultural staples of African-American idealism.

 

The Wonder of Janelle Monae

This week on my “Brand Your Music” column, I talk about how record labels have frequently used brand “formulas” to create success for new artists. Black R&B female singer brand formula’s are simple. If she’s cute and has a good shape, sex her up. If she’s eclectic make her alternative pop. If she’s naturally beautiful and writes her own songs, give her some incense, a live band, and make her an earth mother. Now, don’t get offended. I’m simply calling how I’ve seen the industry do it. What’s extraordinary to me are those artists who create their own brand formulas and take over the world, case in point, Janelle Monae. When you look at older pictures of her, you see a beautiful girl whose image could go in a few different directions. When she releases “Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase)” she’s a completely different person. Her creativity leads her to explore not only her lyrical craftsmanship but her image as well. She completely goes left field and creates a signature look which includes cultural remnants but is complementary to her music. The result is a genuinely unique brand that only applies to her.

Tip of the Day: Brand formulas, by themselves, don’t generate success. They must complement good music in order to be effective.