Muckready.
Having sold CD Baby, the music world is sitting back, watching and waiting for his next move. As I found out, for Derek, the focus and interest now is in I’ve education and project-management (MuckWork).
Given that Radiohead/Trent Reznor both have decades of major label backing behind them there any value to independent musicians in the ‘pay what you want’ experiments?
Oh definitely! See this great presentation analysis about Nine Inch Nails, here.
There are a lot of great lessons about communicating with your fans directly. Not being the aloof rock star.
Giving people what they want. It’s about being considerate. Showing your fans you trust them and appreciate them.
Unknown artists definitely should adopt this philosophy of making it as easy as possible to share and pass on their music.
Chillin’.
You previously mentioned the impact of the 4HWW - http://sivers.org/tim-ferriss - on your life. What practical changes did you make in your life as a result of the book?
I’m a pretty odd case, because when The Four Hour Work-Week came out, I was already living it. So to me it was more like, “Hey! Someone else has done this too!” But it had some more advice I had never considered.
I loved the “Low Information Diet” idea. I unsubscribed from all mailing lists. Finally admitted I didn’t even need to know about the info I got from them. If it was important, I’d hear it from a friend.
What really blew me away was outsourcing. I didn’t know it was possible for individuals. I thought it was just for big massive companies like Dell. I started handing some projects to outsourcing firms in India with mixed results. The experience of this is what inspired me to make MuckWork (http://muckwork.com). It’ll be an outsource firm for musicians.
How do you view mp3 blog aggregators like The Hype Machine and We Are Hunted? Do you think their net impact is positive or negative?
It’s wonderful! What would be a negative side? It’s helping turn music fans on to new music they’d like.
What are your views on the Topspin Media model of music marketing and distribution?
Ah, sorry I don’t know anything about it. I keep meaning to take some time to check it out, but haven’t yet.
How have you been applying your commercial side since you sold CD Baby? Are there any companies in the online space launching now that you think have the potential to explode?
We’re in such a transition time, it’s harder than usual to even guess what’s next. Personally I’m more interested in the non-technical side of things now. MuckWork interests me because it’s about organizing real people to help musicians. Helping get work done, whatever that work may be.
Derek.
{ 0 comments… add one now }