What happens?
People tend get more what?
It’s a question worth asking whether you’re the boss or you’re thinking about working for one.
Similarly, in music terms…
If you’re the artist, you dictate the energy of the entire crew. It doesn’t matter if you want this responsibility or not. You’re the boss. And the things that happen when you come around point toward what’s happening when you’re not around.
I always liked the uptempo stuff. I’d be bummed when a band’s new album wasn’t all uptempo but it made me like the handful that were.
Surround the uptempo with a couple of down tempo songs and the uptempo is sure to stick out.
Just like Stanley and pretzel day on The Office. Pretzel day is better because all the other days of the year aren’t pretzel day. A pretzel isn’t that great but when it’s only one day a year…
Scarcity is a fun tool to play with.
It doesn’t matter how good you are at the notes. The bubble gum pop act of the moment sells way more tickets than the symphony orchestra.
It’s about connection. Connection sells tickets.
That’s why a hit can be so important. A hit connects. It binds a moment in time and culture with a significant number of people (usually within a certain age range). And people carry that with them forever. Yes they carry the song itself…but it’s the connection that’s powerful.
This is not an excuse to release junk and just rely on your charming smile.
It’s an invitation to see what the music is for.
Reading the sheet music is not the same as listening to the album.
Listening to the book is not the same as reading it.
And of course an email exchange is not the same as a conversation.
Once again, the medium is the message. Different risks, different benefits, different level of commitment.
When you order the salad with chicken you’re hoping for a lot of chicken. The lettuce and tomatoes are necessary for making it a salad, and the dressing and cheese certainly add to the flavor.
So when you open the to-go box and there’s a lot of chicken you’re happy and it’s worth remembering for next time.
But what about the restaurant selling the salad?
The chicken is by far the most expensive thing on the salad. So if they put on a little less chicken, but charge the same price, they make a lot more money.
You see the tension. More chicken is more happy customers. Less chicken is more money (at least in the short term)…But at what point will it go from a great salad to a mediocre salad in the minds of your customers? And when it does will it be too late?
I went to Bruno Mars last night. His show is top of the top. The elite tier.
The stadium might not be available to you. The fire and giant screens might not be possible in the venues you play. And you might not yet have the budget for confetti cannons.
But his level of intentionality is available to you. You can decide to build a show with purpose. To have an arc and a narrative. To make catchy transitions. To change the chords in the second verse. To add a smile at just the right moment. Extend a musical section. Turn up the drama. Turn up the heart.
If you want to be a stadium act some day it helps to start preparing like one.