Why is story so important to your music career?

Harsh Truth: When it comes to marketing your songs, no one cares about your music. I know. Let that one sink in. Podcasters, bloggers, publishers, labels, TV Shows, everyone is looking for a great yarn to tell. So, stop talking about your music and start talking about your story!

Think about it: American Idol, America's Got Talent, The Voice - They all have one important element in common: The story . A song is much more powerful if the audience can find empathy with an artist's story first.

Which is more meaningful? The artist who goes on stage and sings her song about working 9-5 and doing dishes? Or a story introduction where we learn this artist is a single mother who came from a broken down home in TN & this is her last audition before going back to waiting tables/washing dishes to support her 3 year old daughter?

The second one because it has story behind it. Knowing these intimate details about the artist, helps the audience member connect with the person on a whole new level. It's now not just about her music, it's about sharing an experience together. This is why story is so powerful! It impacts your listeners/fans on a whole new level. In marketing/sales we call this the "curiosity/excitement" factor. Here's a really cool fact: People don't buy with their heads, they buy with their hearts. Story comes from the heart, so start telling yours. How do you use story to market your music?

Create a 30 second pitch-line about your album/song that's engaging and fun. Make sure when you are describing your music you use references your fans would know. "It's like nothing you've heard before!" doesn't say anything. Be descriptive and use adjectives/familiarity to connect with your prospect.

Good Example: "It sounds like Elton John meets U2 kicking it at an Irish Pub with the lyrical seance of Bob Dylan!"

See how I sold 10,000 CD's on the streets of LA with an mp3 player & story.

Create Curiosity & Excitement Story element around you/your band

Bad Example of Story Usage:

"I started playing music when I was 18, but then couldn't pay the bills so I got a job and currently work as a barista at Starbucks. I still try to play out when I can and I wrote this album because it's really meaningful to what I was going through at the time."

This story may relate to the artist, but it does not captivate the readers/audience. We all know the story of the artist who can't pay his bills and needs to get a day-job. What we haven't heard is what happened at Starbucks? Maybe the manager got mad because the artist couldn't make a caramel macchiato, so he/she went home and wrote a song called, "My Macchiato rocks!" Now that's relevant, fun & somewhat engaging! Always keep your story authentic, but dig deep and find those kernels of truth that inspire curiosity and excitement.

Good Example

"I started playing music when I was kid, but when I grew up I realized I couldn't pay the bills, so I got myself a 9-5 job as a zoo keeper. I know, it sounds weird, but I have always liked learning about animals and places. My mom used to have National Geographic all over the house, so I kind of ended up reading one too many of them. I know, I'm a nerd! Any way, one day I stayed a bit later at the zoo and was working on my song "Louder than you." I'd just finished feeding the lion cage and figured they could be an audience for a few minutes. I got my acoustic from the office and was just humming along working out the lyrics, but when I got to the chorus one of the Lions started roaring! Then his female partner joined him! I knew right then, I had to push this song. I figured if no one listened to it, maybe I could just sell it as a zoo soundtrack. Ha!"

Yeah, this is far-fetched, but this story has a lot of elements to it. The song "Louder than you" is a perfect segway into the Lion story. Secondly, this isn't the every day story about a guy who works at a cafe, this guy worked at a zoo! Who does that? That's a crazy world that a lot of people don't know about and is weird/interesting right?! This story gives bloggers/podcasters/publishers a lot to talk about and there's some real mystery here. What kind of songs make Lions roar in a chorus? I want to hear that! Always be thinking about your story and how to build that into your brand.

---Tony Robbins, is one of my favorite mentors and his article below inspired my rant on story. If you have Netflix, I highly suggest checking out his special: "I am not your Guru." In the link below, he discusses the power of "Story" and how essential it is to building your brand, product, business, etc. Click Here

Need help/tips to further your music career? Say hello: deron@tuneport.com













Edited by Deron Wade on Mar 5, 2017 10:12 PM