Gimmicks
Jan 11, 2010 People, music, personal branding
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Lately, on TV (yes, I still watch TV, I’m old fashioned that way), there have been a lot of ads for the new season of American Idol. And it got me thinking.
Think through the past winners. I admit, I didn’t follow the show too much in its earlier seasons, only starting watching it proper towards the end of Season 6. But since then, the winners have been Jordin Sparks, David Cook and Kris Allen, with Blake Lewis, David Archuleta and Adam Lambert as the runner ups. What about the likes of Nick Mitchel aka Norman Gentle? Or Katrina Darrell, the bikini girl? Nowhere near the top.
What’s my point in this? Every year we see loads of people trying out various gimmicks in an attempt to “stand out” and make an impact on the judges. But invariably, the ones who really go on to win the competition have not been these people. The winners have been the ones who have focused on their singing, just went in, did what they do, with no extra fuss. They let their ability speak for itself, and didn’t require the extra gimmicks to make an impact.
There are always going to be gimmicks available, that seem to promise an instant impact. But gimmicks can only get you so far. If you’re really good at what you do, you will be noticed, even without the gimmicks. If you aren’t good enough, then no amount of gimmicks in the world can help you.
[?]Tags: american idol, blake lewis, david archuleta, david cook, gimmicks, jordin sparks, kris allen, talent
Alienating Your Audience?
Sep 4, 2008 music
I’ve been listening to Peter Cincotti’s “East of Angel Town” cd a lot lately. I’m really loving the cd. But he’s gotten a bit of criticism from some of the fans of his previous work for deviating further from his jazz roots and into more ‘pop’ music.
Personally, I haven’t listened to his older albums, but I think he deserves credit for trying his own material, and just expressing himself. And even as he might alienate some of his previous audience, he’s going to gain even more new listeners because he’s exploring new territory.
It’s always risky when you try to move forward – you risk leaving some people behind. But you are also more likely to find new people – a new audience, new friends, etc. And these people would suit you better in the direction that you’re pursuing.
Do you worry about alienating your existing audience?
[?]Tags: audience, development, expression, jazz, moving forward, music
Enthusiasm is Contagious
Aug 1, 2008 music
One of the classes I’m taking in the Summer Discovery Program I’m in now is a “Rock & Roll Boot Camp” class. It’s basically a class where we form bands and learn to play together, etc. As part of the class, we put up a performance yesterday.
My band was the last band to perform, and the last song we did was a cover of “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi. You can check out the video on Facebook here (and while you’re there, feel free to connect with me).
That was our best song by far, and it was a good way to end the whole show. But there are a couple of things I want to say about it.
Technically, it wasn’t as perfect as we would have wanted it to be – it was arguably better during the rehearsal. We made mistakes during the actual performance. But the band was tight enough, we listened to each other and just went with the flow after our mistakes. So even during our “mistakes”, we were still playing as one band, as one sound.
Also, in my opinion, one thing that really carried the song through was the energy of it all. And this is what I really want to stress.
We were really into it. Personally, at least, I was really into the song. I think the others were too, as can be seen from the video. And it showed. We really enjoyed it, we were really into the song, and as such, that energy came through and played a big role in carrying the song.
And why were we so into it? Because (at least partly because) it was our own arrangement. We did the song in our own way, and in doing so, it became ours. We owned it, and we were passionate about it. We did our own thing, something that we believed in – not just following what others have done before.
I know this is a bit of a messy post, and I apologize, but I hope that the points I’m trying to make are clear. If you take what you’re doing and make it your own – instead of just following others – you’re more likely to be passionate about it. You’re more likely to be immersed in it. You’re much more likely to have more energy and enthusiasm about what you’re doing.
And no matter what you are doing, that enthusiasm is very contagious.
[?]Background Music
I’m at the Summer Discovery Program in Michigan at the moment (which is why I haven’t really been blogging much lately, and my apologies for that). It’s been a really interesting experience for me so far, and I’m sure that upon deeper reflection, I’ll have much more to write about.
But anyway, back to this post. There’s a piano in the lounge here, at the dorm. And there a few people who play.
When the piano is being played, it’s very easy for the people around to just ignore it, and go on with their own activities and conversations. In fact, more often than not, that’s exactly what happens. People don’t notice the music from the piano.
When do people take notice? When it’s a song they know and like. It’s not how good the pianist is. No matter how good the song is, or how well the pianist is playing, people won’t take notice (not for long anyway), unless they can relate to it.
It’s a pretty obvious lesson. People will only bother about what they know and like – something that is personal to them and they can relate to. Everything else just fades into the background, as background music.
And the thing about background music is that, even if it’s good, most people just ignore it.
How do you prevent yourself and your message from fading into the background?
[?]Do You Believe in Your Own Product?
I remember when I bought my hard guitar case. It was a relatively new/unique design, that’s less common. Even now, I rarely see people use it. But it’s lighter than normal hard cases, with just as much protection.
When I first bought the case, the store owner demonstrated the case to me. How? He used one of his own store guitars, put it in the case and tossed it on the floor. Literally. Practically like how the airline people tend to toss luggages. And the guitar was perfectly fine.
That one demonstration went really far in my decision to buy that case. The fact that the store owner was willing to risk one of his own guitars to demonstrate the case (which was cheaper than the guitar, definitely) showed how much he believed in it. And it made me believe too.
Would you be willing to take that kind of risk for your product? How much do you believe in your product? How much would you risk for it? (For those thinking about your personal brands, substitute “product” with “beliefs”.)
Because if you don’t believe in it enough to take the risk, and believe in your product, your customers are much less likely to either.
[?]Tags: belief, credibility, Marketing, product, risk
David Cook: American Idol
It’s been about 17 hours since David Cook was announced as the American Idol. I don’t normally blog about entertainment news, but I’ve got to say, I’m really pleased he won. I’ll be the first to admit that his performances during the finals weren’t his best, but I still think he deserves to win, on the strength of the whole season. This isn’t meant as a put down of Archuleta, he’s got a great voice, but I don’t think he’s ready yet.
There are two main things that set David Cook apart from Archuleta, in my opinion. And they are things we can all learn and gain from, even if we aren’t in the entertainment business.
The first thing that David Cook has over Archuleta is stage presence. He’s got more confidence on stage, and carries himself better. Archuleta’s movements on stage still seem very awkward. David Cook, on the other hand, looks right at home on stage. He looks really comfortable there.
Secondly, and more importantly, David Cook is original. His originality set him apart from every other contestant this season. If you need proof, just check out his version of Mariah Carey’s “Always be my baby“, and compare that to the original. He heard things in songs that nobody else heard. He re-arranged songs in ways nobody else did. And to me, that’s what sealed it for him.
Two lessons that can be applied in all walks of life. Your presence – your confidence in yourself, how comfortable you are wherever you may be – makes a difference. And more importantly, originality has great value.
[?]Tags: american idol, confidence, david archuleta, david cook, originality, presence
Sound Isolation
May 18, 2008 music
Image by murilocardoso via Flickr
I’ve been using the Westone UM2 Earphones for quite a while now, and it’s been awesome. But this post isn’t (just) meant as a plug. There’s been a trend towards sound isolation earphones in recent years. That’s the first step any audiophile will recommend if you’re looking to improve the sound quality.
The better listening experience isn’t just because of better sound quality. It’s mainly (at least in my opinion) because the sound is isolated – the unwanted noise of the outside world is blocked out.
There’s an important point in this – adding value is not necessarily about adding more quality. Sometimes it’s about removing the noise. Especially in today’s world, where information is coming at us from every angle, at every time.
How are you filtering out noise to provide value for those around you?
Tags: experience, filter, focus, sound, value
