Way to go Coldplay!!

Best selling Pop act of the year and it seems you couldn't do it without Joe Satriani!?!

You know, I've had moments when I've played something that I found running through my head only to be reminded later by way of the background music at the mall that, oops, that was just a Hall and Oates line that I picked up subconsiously. Stuff like that happens. I mean, maybe ol' Chris Martin was just standing at the Jewlry counter tapping his toes to the background music while he shopped for a new pair of earrings for the misses. It's plausable. But check out the similarities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ofFw9DKu_I

Now, Coldplay has made their official response to the allegation of plagiariasm.

"If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him," "Joe Satriani is a great musician, but he did not write or have any influence on the song 'Viva la Vida'. We respectfully ask him to accept our assurances of this and wish him well with all future endeavors."

Wow, I guess that's one way to handle it.

Let's look at the track record of people who blatently rip off another artist. My personal favorite is how the Rolling Stones all but destroyed the Verve for Bittersweet Symphony. Does the Verve even get any of the royalties for that now?

When was the last time you heard Duran Duran's Do You Believe In Shame on the radio, or at one of thier shows for that matter? I bet John Fogherty wishes you would.

Who knows, maybe Mr. Satriani will play it like Tom Petty who called The Red Hot Chili Peppers Dani California one of the best covers of Last Dance with Mary Jane he'd heard, but left it at that. Maybe?

Oh, he's suing? Good luck guys.

The fact is that a really great, catchy, earworm kind of melody can really make a band, but make sure it's your own.

http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/120908coldplay

Nameless faceless masses, or your very own evangelists?

Before I jump in, I would like to thank Tony Van Veen of Discmakers/CD Baby for his words regarding Discmaker's recent acquisition of CD Baby. Here at Serious Vanity Music we are not only users of CD Baby, but part of the Discmaker's Studio Partners program as well, and plan to stay that way. I know that, for our part anyway, we are looking forward to seeing what new benefits this change in ownership will bring to the CD Baby family.



So, let's talk Evangelism. I'm not referring to the Fire and Brimstone type, I'm talking about your fan base/customers/clients.

Are you content with having people like what you do, or are you ready to have them start spreading the word about you? There is a difference, you know. It's one thing to have the regulars show up at your weekly gig at the local club, but are they following you to that show 100 miles away? Are they on the Internet for weeks leading up to that show telling everyone they can about you and what they can expect if they show up?

People don't preach your message unless you give them a reason to. What benefits do you offer that will make people stand on the mountain tops and scream your name?

In this situation "benefit" is the operative word. People don't do anything is this world without a perceived benefit. They want to feel that they are getting something with enough value that it makes it worth their time to tell others about it.

New operative word "value". The American Heritage Dictionary (sorry, I couldn't find my copy of Websters) says Value is "an amount considered to be a suitable equivalent for something else; a fair price or return for goods or services". This doesn't have to be a monetary or even a physical investment on your part. Often times it comes down to just simply making a person feel that they are are a part of your team.

I know, Street Teams are nothing new, but that's not exactly what I'm getting at. I'm talking about community. To give an example; If you do a Google search for Duran Duran fan communities you will find that there are hundreds of them online. These are communities where it's a major pastime for the participants to just share their love for their favorite band. This may be a rather large example, with a couple of decades head start, but I think it's still the ideal example of what can be accomplished by making people feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves, and believe it or not, it's the quickest way to get your news spread about.

What are you willing to do to add value to your fan/customer/clients experience?