John Albert Thomas Solo Piano

The Indispensable Musician – Part 4: Value-Added Music

VALUE OF CLIENT –> VALUE OF MUSIC –> INCREASED REVENUES

In the Client-Centered Paradigm, there is a relationship between the perceived value of the client and the perceived value of the music. The client perceives the value of the music in direct proportion to the amount of value and honor the musician shows the client. As the perceived value of the music increases, so does the potential revenue from that music.

Compare the two paradigms:
Musician-Centered: I could compose a beautiful piano work inspired by a beautiful nature scene. I could record it and sell it on iTunes 99 cents per download. Some nameless fan would appreciate it and I would receive 70 cents from their download.

Client-Centered: I could interview a particular fan to learn about them–their personality, memories, dreams, and passions. I could sit down at the piano and compose a beautiful piano work inspired by that beautiful person. I could make it special by creating a custom CD, framing that CD, and writing a beautiful note about how that person inspired this piece of music. Sure I could sell it on iTunes for 99 cents per download, but this time there’s a story that needs to be told. The music is more valuable now, at least to that beautiful person, their family and their friends. And if I tell their story to the world, perhaps the world as well.

If you are a musician, how much would your future clients be willing to pay for a gift like this? A gift as rare and unique as the recipient. A gift that can only be given once and only to that person. A gift that honors the recipient in front of the whole world in way that nothing else can.

The indispensable musician is someone who chooses his muse, and that muse is outside himself. The value of his music is a reflection of the value of his muse. When his muse is another person, then his music is priceless.

Prev…Part 3: The Client-Centered Paradigm

Next…Part 5: Free MP3s As Loss Leader

The Indispensable Musician – Part 3: The Client-Centered Paradigm

CLIENT INSPIRES MUSICIAN –> MUSICIAN CREATES MUSIC –> CLIENT BUILDS FANBASE

Two years ago during a viewing session with our family photographer, my paradigm started to shift in a new direction. Our photographer played my piano music as the soundtrack to our photo slideshow. It turned a pleasant experience into a stunningly emotional one. We wanted to buy ALL of the pictures. The music helped increase the perceived value of the product.

We talked about the prospect of composing music for slideshows, and he handed me a sample photo album of another client to test the idea. The result of that test was this song, which made it onto my album, Zuzu’s Petals:

It wasn’t until a year later that this seed germinated into two ideas:

1. PianoGraphy – Custom piano music for photographers and videographers to use in slideshows and videos
2. Piano Portraits (i.e., tributes) – Custom piano music given as gifts, and inspired by the recipients themselves.

In the new paradigm, the client provides the inspiration for the music. The client pays for the creation of the music. The client shares this music with others who become fans. Some of those fans become clients. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In the new paradigm, the number of MP3 downloads is no longer a central goal. The central goal is now building deep, authentic relationships with individual fans, one at a time. It’s about inviting them into the creative process. It’s about letting them share the music they inspired with the world.

It’s about them.

Prev…Part 2: The Musician-Centered Paradigm

Next…Part 4: Value-Added Music

The Indispensable Musician – Part 2: The Musician-Centered Paradigm

MUSICIAN CREATES MUSIC –> MUSICIAN TELLS FANS –> FANS MIGHT BUY

There was a time when I believed I could make a living by creating music that I loved, slapping it onto a CD, sending it to CDBaby, promoting it on a radio station, getting it discovered by a label, and watching my inbox for sales reports.  Perhaps a bit naive for the new kid on the block, but that was my childish dream.  I tried it.  That model failed.

In his book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price, Chris Anderson clearly lays out the dilemma with this model. The cost of goods is heading toward zero, competition is skyrocketing, and the perceived value has plummeted.

For example, I rarely buy music. Yep, a musician who rarely buys music. My iPhone holds several days worth of music. I can download countless MP3s from various artists’ websites, Amazon.com, and other legitimate sources. When I want to listen to something new, I swing over to Pandora. When I reach the limit on the free account, I swing over to Last.fm, theSixtyOne.com, or Uvumi.com for unlimited streaming. Most of the CDs I own were given as gifts.

How does a musician eek out a living in the world of FREE? Unless he tours and sells a ton of CDs and tickets, he’s not going to survive. His CDs will continue to sit and collect dust in the closet. Then, after exhausting himself, he settles back into a more reliable source of income, hopefully something he really enjoys. Music becomes a hobby for nights and weekends.

There’s got to be a better way.

Prev…Part 1: Introduction

Next…Part 3: The Client-Centered Paradigm