When making observations, I make a point of looking at and learning from both positive and negative observations… taking the lessons and learning from them. I also quite enjoy relating one industry to another, taking a lesson or observation from a certain industry and applying it to another. Today’s topic is around promotion, pushing your brand and creating public awareness around what you’re trying to achieve. Much of this, I’ve observed and learned through the music industry.
In the music industry, there are many layers. The layer I’ll be focussing on here is that of the independent artists. The guys who run their own show and manage themselves and everything that goes along with being in a band or performing as a solo artist.
In the South African music industry, the independents are a sterling bunch. The passion these musicians possess is truly limitless. Many musicians truly live and breathe their craft (it’s not about the money or fame and is more a labour of love). Even if they lose out and don’t do as well as they’d like to, the passion doesn’t fade.
Lets take an example. A band releases a music video for one of their songs. Who do you reckon recorded that video in the first place? Where was it recorded? Who edited it and who’s now promoting it? The band and their mates, of course. The quality as well is usually incredible, because the band is pouring all their passion into achieving their desired goals. Musicians often bring in their other skills (be it illustration, design, etc) to enhance their band’s development. The result is clear, and the promotion is endless.
A few weeks ago, leading up to the Sublime tribute concert in Cape Town, the musicians involved were posting regularly up on Facebook, advertising the concert. This virtually flooded my Facebook stream… but it was great!
One doesn’t often view this kind of passion in an industry, and it’s something to take away and apply to your daily life. If you’re passionate about something you’ve created, promote it until you’re blue in the face. If it’s truly your passion, people will see that and they won’t mind (too much). 🙂
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