Interview: Jed Carlson of ReverbNation (Part Three)

Kyle Bylin, Associate Editor

Continuation of interview with Jed Carlson, COO of ReverbNation. 

Q:  Why is it important for artists to have a strategy that is unique to them, but still open to interpretation?

Jed Carlson:  The pace of change continues to accelerate.  As a result, Artists need to have a strategy based on a solid foundation, but open to tactical changes and opportunities that appear.  Who knew, for example, that Twitter would become such an important tool for them?  Yet it’s really just a new tactical piece of the ‘fan communication’ puzzle. 

The formula for success hasn’t changed all that much for Artists over time:

1. Become really important or engaging to a small group of people.  A beachhead.  A niche.  This could be a core group of fans in a geographic area (this used to be the norm for Artists), or it could be… 

developing a sound or purpose for your music that is unique, and attracts a certain type of fan from across the globe (I call this the ‘planting stage’).

2. Once you are validated within that small audience, exposing that out to a greater number of people is actually the easier thing to accomplish.  You now have a story to tell that only needs scale.  Artists will find funding, if necessary, to do this.  They will also have a core group of rabid fans working on their behalf (word of mouth) that will grow their reach while they sleep (I call this the ‘growth stage’).

3. Convert that pipeline of fans into money.  This requires more expertise than some artists have, but if they have achieved #1 and #2 above, they can find people to help them if they cant do it themselves (I call this the ‘harvesting stage’). 

But doing this requires a strategy that can be somewhat counter-intuitive.  “My goal is to get as many people out to the show as possible, even if it means taking steps to attract people that don’t fit.”  Wrong.  The focus should be on offering the core fans you do have an incredible experience – one they will talk about – every time they see you, and every time they talk with their friends. 

The secret sauce of the Internet is that your rabid fans are now connected to all of the other like-minded people across the globe.  There are literally thousands of fans out there that have self-selected based on common interests.  Deliver something unique and special to a handful of fans that ‘fit’ (a reason to care), provide them the tools to expose it to their comrades (a way to share), and you will see them propagate the brand to others across the globe (making more people aware).

The moral of the story can be summed up in one word – differentiation.  There are over 6,000,000 bands on MySpace.  The Internet may have leveled the playing field, but it also increased the number of teams by 1,000x.  Every band is now a local band.  Employ a strategy that tells fans, and demonstrates to them, how you are different.  Give them a reason to talk about you to their friends.  If you can do that, you are probably going to be successful.

Bylin:  It was great to hear what you’re the most excited about going into the new year, but it makes me wonder…

Q:  In the back of your mind, what have been some of the biggest concerns?

Jed Carlson: 

1. The constant evolution of the new music business makes it challenging for us and others to focus on a consistent path.  As an example, a year ago discovery sites were all the rage.  But music discovery turned out to be only a piece to the puzzle, not the silver bullet.  Every time a new leader comes up with the next ‘magic bullet’, it makes everyone else pause to consider if what they are doing is really helping the Artists in a meaningful way.

2. There is no consolidation in the music industry around focusing on the big solution for everyone.  Nobody is getting paid for the music anymore, yet we have a huge gap between the goals of majors and indies across the board.  This creates conflict in how new technologies like ours are approached from different sides.  Some see us as a threat, while others want to work with us to build solutions.  Our goal is to help solve the puzzle for everyone who makes music IP for a living.  But the variance in agendas makes it difficult to navigate in a straight line.

3.  There is huge fragmentation among the various rights holders in terms of what pieces to the puzzle each one controls. Managers, labels, artists, and publishers each operate independently of each other, with different agendas and revenue drivers.  For example, many times a label will introduce a new release, but not have access to the Artist’s fan list to promote it properly, or in tandem with, the marketing campaign they are trying to achieve.  As FRM becomes the highest priority for all parties, reconciliation of who has these rights will become paramount. 

4.  There is no leadership within the music business as a whole.  The industry needs a leader to paint the big picture and lead the way.  We are seeing leaders within companies, but no leadership as a whole.  Until we see that, it will be difficult to envision the kind of paradigm shift that the music business requires to get back on its feet.

Read Part One & Two