Category: Ideas

Why Do You Do It? – Pt. 1

May 28, 2010 Off

Reading Simon Sinek’s new book, Start with Why I was struck by his statement that, “…people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” Sinek describes a simple formula he calls the Golden Circle. The center ring is WHY, the middle circle, HOW, and the outer circle, WHAT. Most businesses he says,…

By Eric Jensen

Books Ideas Strategy & Marketing

The Real World…

April 25, 2010 Off

“The real world isn’t a place, it’s an excuse. It’s a justification for not trying. It has nothing to do with you.” – Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hanson, “Rework”

By Eric Jensen

Ideas Music

Listening to music in the age of digital abundance….

March 27, 2010 Off

A recent tweet from @slainson, and an LA Times post from Steve Almond has me thinking about how we experience music in this age of digital abundance and endless entertainment choices. Music is everywhere today and largely functions as sonic wallpaper. The stuff is inescapable, whether you like it or not. I often think about…

By Eric Jensen

Books Ideas Music Music Industry

Are you ready for Telegigging and Songles?

February 5, 2010 Off

Computer scientist, musician, and philosopher, Jaron Lanier, has created a fascinating, intelligent, critique of digital collectivism in his new book, You Are Not A Gadget. This is not the cynical rant of a Luddite, but a serious examination of the dehumanizing potential of technology. Mr. Lanier compares the impact of Web 2.0 paradigms on humanism…

By Eric Jensen

Books Ideas Music Industry Strategy & Marketing

Music and The Curse of Knowledge

November 5, 2009 Off

One of the greatest sources of alienation and disillusion for professional musicians is the profound sense that their deep love of music and lifelong commitment to developing their skill, is completely invisible and unappreciated by non-musicians. It’s easy to becoming bitter when you see a crowd jump out of their seats for ‘The Chicken Dance’…

By Eric Jensen

Ideas Music Industry Strategy & Marketing

Impermanence & Innovation in the Music Biz…

June 21, 2009 Off

Michael Masnick’s great presentation at NARM 2009 really lit a spark in me. While many of us want to hold onto or modify the old business models in this industry, everything has changed. The supply of digital music far exceeds the demand, and most everything is available in one form or another for ‘free’. The…

By Eric Jensen

Ideas Strategy & Marketing

Now hiring…

February 20, 2009 Off

Great Job For The Right Marketer This is a great time to think about what is really important; building community, connecting with others, giving back. Put your energy into solutions that are grounded in reality and make the world a little better place each day. Seth, thanks for sharing this!

By Eric Jensen

Ideas Music Music Industry

What happened to all the good music?

January 21, 2008 Off

Much is being said these days about the huge changes in the record industry. Future business and marketing models have been endlessly discussed. Music piracy, the drop in CD sales and the bloated overhead of an industry built on an international hit-driven model. The industry sustained itself for years getting consumers to replace their LP…

By Eric Jensen