The Brand of Music or Every Song Sounds The Same

Terrance Simien CD cover art
Originally uploaded by therussogroup

Musicians face one of the most difficult challenges that face all brands - expectations.

Loyal fans fell in love with a particular band's sound when they first heard it.  These Brand Advocates heard something that really resonated with them...spoke to them. The harmonies of The Beach Boys...the lyrics of The Rolling Stones...(I wasn't even alive in the 60's not sure why those bands are the examples that spoke to me)...something in the music just connected.

That is the most important principal of branding - creating an emotional connection with the consumer.

Bands do that every day with their music - establish a true emotional connection. And it's a powerful connection. It's a connection that goes deeper than just listening to the song on the radio or buying the CD. This brand advocacy extends to purchasing tickets to the concert, buying the merchandise, even paying to join the Fan Club. Heck, our CFO has seen Tim McGraw in concert almost 50 times. That's a brand loyalist...or stalker...you be the judge.

But what happens when an artist wants to evolve, grow, try something different? Does that box them in too much? Does it prevent artists from trying something new? The fear of running off the core audience.

I don't think so. We work with a number of musicians and it is very exciting to see how their music evolves without running off their loyal fans. Consumer brands take note - it's because they keep their brand principles intact. They aren't a race car company producing a station wagon - sorry Porsche but it's true.