All That Connection Talk

An artist releases a song, hopes to get fifty thousand streams the first day and GETS fifty thousand streams the first day…

‘Oh man, it feels really great. But it’s just an arbitrary number. Numbers don’t matter to me, it’s about connection with the fans and the difference the music makes to them. It’s just such an honor that anyone listens to my music.’

The next time around the artist releases a song, hopes to get fifty thousand streams the first day but gets seven thousand streams the first day…

‘This is awful. Why are the streams so low? I am a nobody. Why doesn’t anyone care?’

What was all that connection talk?!

It’s easy to act like we prioritize connection when the numbers are on our side…when the truth is in both cases it’s the number-prize that clearly sits atop the priority list, not connection.

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A Note To Interviewers

The questions you ask, how you word them and your delivery sets the table for the range of likely responses.

Your questions don’t get better by making them longer.

Before you start the interview know what the interview is is for…is it to be informative, entertaining, inspiring, controversial, affirming, promotional?

How might an interview with you be fitting in to the artist’s overall career and agenda?

If you don’t like the music, there are lots of ways to still be positive and encouraging without saying that you like the music.

You are the guide, let the artist be the hero.

A good question isn’t necessarily a question that stumps the artist. A good question isn’t necessarily a softball for the artist. A good question opens the door for an artist to go somewhere they have energy and excitement for…and is often a little unexpected.

If you want to be the type of interviewer who asks how they got the band name, it’s not the worst question in the world but there are already plenty of other people already asking that. Why not try something else?

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Decisions

First Monday of the month, new Hum Love playlist on Spotify and Apple.

With the extreme way technology has changed the way music is made, it’s easy to think music is made by technology. But it’s not. It’s made WITH technology.

All the decisions and production choices…those are all made by real people. Making music looks a lot different in the current era but it’s still a lot of work. Thankless work, long nights, insecure decision making, sifting through options, taking risks, making the call, no guarantees.

Odds are the songs on this playlist weren’t made via hours of kick drum mic placement or loading twenty vintage synths into the studio…but the work is just as hard and meaningful and important.

»» If you wanna check out previous playlists, visit the archive here.

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Plexiglass At The Ryman

The Vanguard Group, who is the majority owner of the Ryman Auditorium, issued statement today about an upcoming upgrade to the legendary performance venue.

The statement said that beginning in late May or early June that the front of the Ryman stage will be having a floor to ceiling plexiglass shield installed to help prevent any dangers to performing artists. And while attendees can expect a horrific glare at first, eventually glare will become a welcomed part of the overall concert experience.

They said one other obvious positive aspect is that performers will be able to breathe heavily on the glass and then use their finger to spell out special messages to their fans.

It goes on to cite several incidents from over the years where a shield would have been helpful in curbing possible negative outcomes:

-The balcony popcorn toss of 74’

-The woman who wrote a song request on a piece of paper and put it on the stage but the lead singer thought it was a sting ray, stomping both the paper and hand

-The bread pudding shower

-The time the lead singer wouldn’t stop crowd surfing and the band had to loop the chorus for forty five minutes while he was passed around to every seat in the auditorium. (Now, when trying to crowd surf the lead singer will simply hit the plexiglass and stay on stage)

-Blow darts

-The Ryan Adams thing

-The time the bass player had his feelings hurt because he was too afraid to walk to the edge of the stage.

The main argument against the plexiglass was that after each song artists won’t be able to hear the applause and cheering of the audience. So in order to compensate there will be a pre-recorded applause track that will be piped into the stage after each number. The intensity and fervor of the applause track varies, so road managers are encouraged to increase or decrease overall volume as they see fit for their artist.

It’s certainly an interesting shift and only time will tell to find out how floor to ceiling plexiglass across the entire Ryman Auditorium stage will enhance the concert experience. To find out more they encourage people to contact: april@fools.day

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Limited Edition Packaging

I went to eat a granola bar the other day and on the packaging was stamped ‘Limited Edition Packaging’.

I know a lot of people who eat these kind of bars and none of them are hoping for limited edition packaging from this company. Especially the kind of limited edition packaging is virtually indistinguishable from the normal packaging.

And I’ve never heard of anyone collecting granola bars, clamoring for certain packaging because they’re worth more or taste better or are more rare.

I envision a meeting where the question was asked, ‘What can we do with our tried and true granola that would generate more interest?’ A big brainstorm session ensues about adding dried fruit, a celebrity endorsement, advertising on podcasts, putting in golden tickets, or how about limited edition packaging.

They chose poorly about what would generate more interest. But it was probably the poor question that lead to the poor set of choices.

A better idea would have been to focus not on ‘more interest’ but on ‘even better’. And maybe instead of a boardroom meeting, incentivizing existing customers to do a brainstorm session instead.

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Generator

That’s the name of the song that got me into Foo Fighters. So I was a little late…Generator was on the album after the one with Monkey Wrench and Everlong. But it was the first song I was able to go from air drumming to a real kit with (I played drums in high school).

Taylor had just joined the band for that album (There Is Nothing Left To Lose) so Dave and him split the drumming duties. Taylor said Dave played all the intense rock tracks and he played the not-as-intense stuff. But Generator is hard to place on that spectrum.

But it didn’t matter, it was always a Taylor song to me because I was introduced to it through the live DVD Everywhere But Home…and he was back there blowing my mind on the drums. (btw, the performance of Aurora on that live show is amazing too)

So there we go. I dove all the way in. From then on me and all my friends have referenced Taylor’s drumming a thousand times over the years. Brushed elbows once when The Foo’s bought my band fried chicken outside of Austin but we never actually met.

And now it’s sad he’s gone. So sad for whatever unraveled down in Columbia that lead to his early exit. Heartbreaking.

Here’s my offering for the road ahead…

Love your friends. Get to know them. And let them in. Taylor had secrets…tell yours. Make time and space for others to tell theirs. It’s not your job to save them but you might end up saving them. No one is above making terrible decisions but honesty in the context of trusted relationships gives you and them a better chance.

»» Couldn’t find the Everywhere But Home version…but here’s Generator live.

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