I loved working in the music industry. As a musician, DJ and someone that was completely MAD about music, it was the perfect industry to launch my post-University career. The music industry is a fascinating business, and I believe that my experience working in it taught me (almost) everything I needed to know about marketing.
I worked for BMG in what I call the "third phase of the music industry" after CDs had replaced tapes, and tapes had replaced vinyl. I learned very early on that this was a business that was hell-bent on making money, and it was no mistake that popular albums from the 1960s and 1970s were bought three times, first on vinyl, then replaced with tapes for portability, and then CDs for superior quality.
Looking back, there were five key lessons that I learned during my time in the music industry.
Firstly, as much as you love music and "can't live without it", music isn't an essential purchase. You must want to buy it. Unlike food or shelter, music is something that you can live without buying. Therefore, marketing music is all about selling the experience, not just the product. You need to make sure that your marketing captures the emotion and connection that music creates.
Secondly, most music I was marketing wasn't created for the market. As a result, we had to market the music locally. We had to make sure that the music was accessible to people who might not have heard it before. This meant working with local radio stations, retailers, and concert promoters to get the music out there.
Thirdly, licensing is key. Allowing other labels and advertisers to license songs is lucrative, and owning the IP is a must. If you don't own the rights to a song, you can't control how it is used. This can lead to your music being used in ways that you don't approve of, or worse, being used by your competitors.
Fourthly, creating value out of thin air is essential. Record labels own the rights to thousands of back catalogue songs that literally gather dust on the shelf. I was tasked with creating albums and compilations so that these assets would return value to their owner, which cost nothing compared to finding, signing and developing a new artist. At one point in my quest for material to extract value from I stumbled across Prince Tui Teka in our catalogue and noticed that there was no definitive collection of all of his songs. So, I set about creating a modern and respectful double-disc collection. Growing up in a small city (Napier) in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, I knew that this would resonate with an audience that we didn't serve with our typical top 40 fare.
That being said, we used marketing and PR to our full advantage, engaging with Prince Tui Teka's widow, Missy, and his original producer Dalvanius Prime. With their blessing and Dalvanius joining me on breakfast TV, we launched Prince Tui Teka - The Greatest, a 45-hit two-CD celebration of an icon, and the response was unbelievable. Not only did the album reach #2 on the album charts but even caught the attention of Moby, who was touring New Zealand at the time. He could understand Eminem being #1, but he asked his local label team, "Who the f*ck is Prince Tui Teka?" The album went on to be certified Double-Platinum.
Fifthly, the music business is a business. As much as there is a romantic notion that it is a creative industry, the fact is that it is a business just like a toothpaste manufacturer. Hard decisions need to be made to ensure that the return on investment is made. We had to make hard decisions about the level of investment in local music versus promoting big stars such as Foo Fighters, Carlos Santana, and Elvis Presley, who could still churn out a #1 seller nearly 30 years after his death. It was ruthless, as once said by Hunter S. Thompson, "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
The music industry taught me a great deal about marketing. The industry's ever-changing landscape requires creative thinking and adaptability. Marketing music is unique because it is not an essential purchase, but rather a product, or even a feeling, people must want to buy. Furthermore, marketing music locally requires careful attention to the audience's preferences and cultural context. Lastly, licensing and owning the intellectual property of music is a must, and creating value out of thin air is possible by revisiting back catalogues and repurposing older songs. The lessons learned in the music industry can be applied to any industry that wants to emotionally connect with its audience and create meaningful, lasting relationships.
What did you learn when you were starting out that is still relevant in your career today?
