D.I.-Why » Thoughts

Welcome to the Casino of Music!

Scott — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:39:40 +0000

Whenever I speak at colleges, I explain how marketing music isn’t the same as marketing any physical/tangible product. If you’re trying to market a pencil, you want people to know about its quality, how well it writes, and that it’s an abundantly functional product ideal for all pencil-based activities. The judgment call you make is [...]

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The Value Proposition

Scott — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:33:30 +0000

About a hundred years ago, sheet music publishers got mightily pissed off. The invention of the record player revolutionized music consumption. Prior to this new technology, you’d buy the sheet music and learn to play songs yourself. But now you could set up a machine in your house and play professionally recorded albums by popular [...]

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Are you experienced?

Scott — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:59:07 +0000

Here at D.I.-Why, we work with all kinds of clients. Each one, quite honestly, thinks they’re the best at what they do. In the interest of getting paid, we should probably agree with them. At times though, it’s tough. We’re not a bunch of ass-kissers, and we don’t take clients simply for the cash. Quite [...]

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The D.I.-Why Seal of Approval

Scott — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 20:57:34 +0000

Last week we sent out our newsletter. While that’s nothing out of the ordinary, the response we got was. This was the single highest open-rate we’ve gotten from any newsletter ever. But in this newsletter, we weren’t tooting our own horn. We weren’t shouting about some great deal on web design or social media campaigns. [...]

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Tales from the Naked City

Scott — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:40:40 +0000

A few months back, a potential client requests a meeting with the folks of D.I.-Why. We agree, set up a time, and explain what we do, how we do it, and essentially the roadmap to musical success. Everyone parts eager to work together, and then the dance begins. The client, all eager to get started, [...]

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Excitement and Friction

Scott — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:54:48 +0000

Lots of artists call D.I.-Why asking for advice. While they may not be ready to engage our services, they’re curious to see what (free…) advice we might have for them. Regardless of the question, there’s always a two part answer and directive: Is It Interesting? You put up a website without any pictures of the [...]

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Waiting for Superman

Scott — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:58:19 +0000

D.I.-Why is in the process of releasing and promoting our first book: The Analysis of Hype. In the process, someone on Hypebot commented that it’s time for musicians to stop “waiting for Superman” in terms of their own career. Brilliant statement. So many musicians feel the need to work hard, but toss their careers away [...]

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D.I.-Why Invades NYC with A2IM

Scott — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:24:39 +0000

Recently my fellow D.I.-Why interns and I accompanied Scott on his trip to New York City to be a part of this years A2IM Tech Day event. It was two busy days of meeting other A2IM members, networking, eating at Katz's Deli, and of course staying at our friend Ethan Hawkes' place.

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To Filter or Not To Filter (Pt 1)

Scott — Mon, 16 May 2011 21:14:25 +0000

In the old days, the major labels were the main filters. A&R guys didn't sign everybody, and you had the label dollars feeding radio (some payola, some not ... ) to get spins. That's not to say radio was in cahoots with the major labels, but let's just say there was a strong relationship between the two parties. Program directors in radio had huge power to make/break an artist, and there're countless stories of who played which band first in the U.S. DJs and radio stations had finely honed styles and identities that allowed listeners to trust their programming choices. The filter was (for the most part...) successful. But, of course, times have changed...

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How to Be an Intern

Scott — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:57:26 +0000

I'm in the process of interviewing potential D.I.-Why interns. Over the years, I've hired and supervised at least 100 interns. Some of them were impressive, and yeah, others were quite disappointing. Ultimately though, the difference between good and bad isn't just an "over-achiever" drive and tremendous punctuality. There's a lot that gets considered, and here're a few tips that'll make things a lot easier for intern -and- employer...

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