Puff Daddy
A handful of years ago Puff Daddy or P Diddy or Diddy came out with an album. The first single didn’t catch on and around that time I saw an interviewer ask him how the album was doing.
He said they decided to take the slow build approach but that this would be his biggest album yet.
Two things…
-An artist doesn’t typically go on a multi city media blitz to make everyone aware that they’re employing a slow build approach.
-The album has yet to blow up as of 2021.
I don’t think Puffy was taking the slow build approach. The first single failed to meet his expectations and so it looks better if he claims he didn’t have huge expectations to begin with.
It’s hard to measure a slow build.
It’s hard to create a firestorm.
Whatever you actual plan is for your single or album or video, be clear about it. Decide what success looks like and move in that direction. And if it doesn’t work, don't lie to us don't lie to yourself. Simply try again.
The Lost Genre
All new Hum Love playlist on Spotify and Apple.
This one is a little different. Although if you’ve been following along you’ll see the through line.
Powerpop. The lost genre. Not lost in the sense that it doesn’t know where it’s going…
Lost as in, it waits to be discovered. It’s never fully come to the forefront. It’s come close a couple times but never has garnered the mass appeal that its brilliance deserves.
The powerpop that was happening in the mid 90’s into the early 2000’s was a huge deal to me as a kid. And there’s a lot of good stuff from back then that I wanted to include on this playlist that hasn’t made it onto streaming services (The Semantics, Jon Brion, Arch Stanton, Heavy Sleeper).
But here’s a taste. If you know the genre you know there’s so much more good stuff. If you’re new to powerpop here’s a solid start.
Slight Adjustments
My formative elementary years were spent at a camp and conference center in the middle of Minnesota. Lots of outdoor activities. One of which was campfires.
My brothers and I made lots of fires, kept fires going, we were around lots of them, campfire donuts, smores, entire meals made over the campfire.
So now, years later, when I’m doing a fire in our backyard two things come to mind…
-I know how to build a fire. I know you can’t just throw logs on top of newspaper and expect results. But rather, there is a process. Simple but important.
-Perhaps more importantly, once the fire is going, there’s an intuitive sense of how to make very slight adjustments that cause meaningful results…how to move stuff around to get more flames or less flames while keeping it hot. The adjustments are hard to explain but easy to see once you can see them.
With most of the things we do, it’s partly built on learned process and partly built on developing intuition and artistic skill.
It’s those insightful slight adjustments that make all the difference.
The Price Of Ice
I always forget to get ice until a half hour before the party.
Luckily there’s a grocery store nearby so I hop in my car and drive the speed limit as fast as I can to the store. It’s not about getting a ten pound bag of frozen water it’s about having ice for the drinks so the guests are happy and we have a wonderful time.
There’s a LOT riding on the ice.
So how much is a bag of party ice? $1.99
Are you serious??? I would happily pay $20 or $40 to save me from the embarrassment of NOT having ice.
So two things…
-If I have ice, no one notices. If I don’t have ice everyone notices.
-The price of ice is a great deal…But the ice people don’t realize what they’re selling. It’s way more than ice.
Ok one more…
-Because it’s such a bargain I will keep buying.
What are you selling?
What are you REALLY selling?
Is it a good deal? i.e. is it worth more to the consumer than what the consumer paid?
All I'm Askin Is For A Reaction
The reaction makes us feel seen. The reaction means we weren’t ignored. The reaction doesn’t necessarily mean we are understood but it means we mattered enough for someone to give their attention.
We all need to be seen. We all need to get a reaction.
The question then is, who do we want a reaction from? And what do we want them to react to?
If it’s not working it’s probably worth changing one of the answers.