I’m a big fan of Malcolm Gladwell’s writing, even though every once in a while his points tend to be a bit fuzzy (I thought Blink was so-so). That said, he never stops being thought-provoking all the while being entertaining.

This week he has a great article in the New Yorker called “How David Beats Goliath” which I found absolutely fascinating. Basically, beat your opponent by competing on your terms, not his.  If you’re part of the indie music scene, be it as an artist, promoter or businessperson, give a read – and take heed.

His point is consistent with his new book “Outliers” which discusses how in many ways, the difference between people who are superstars in their fields and everyone else is sheer effort. Turns out, people like the Beatles, and Tiger Woods, and Bill Gates all put in at least 10,000 hours of “practice” before they mastered their respective subjects.

Practice does make perfect. And beats the opponent. I’m going back to work now.

Panos

I’m a fan of Jeff Jarvis and his blog Buzzmachine. I find his insights (mostly) spot on and though he rarely applies his pen (or is it keystrokes?) towards the music business, much of what he has to say resonates with all the changes our industry is going through.

I recently finished his book “What Would Google Do” which I loved so much I bought everyone at Sonicbids a copy. I found the first 100 pages or so absolutely mind-blowing and though it got a bit repetitive towards the end, it’s a book I highly recommend.

Here’s a sample of his New Rules. Replace “customers” with “fans” and you’’ get the point:

• Customers are now in charge. They can be heard around the globe and have an impact on huge institutions in an instant.

• People can find each other anywhere — and coalesce around you or against you.

• The mass market is dead. It’s been replaced by a mass of niches.

• Markets are conversations. The key skill today is no longer marketing but conversing.

• Create value through abundance — not scarcity. The control of products or distribution longer guarantees a premium and a profit.

• Enable customers to collaborate with you —in creating, distributing, marketing, and supporting products. It’s what creates a premium in today’s market.

• The most successful enterprises today are networks — and the platforms on which those networks are built.

• Openness is the key to success. Owning pipelines, people, products, or even intellectual property is not.

Think this applies to the music business? Let me know.

Panos

I just got my hands on a cool new book called The Indie Band Survival Guide.

I did not have the chance to read the whole thing yet but I love it. It’s the most comprehensive such book that I read in a while, very well written, and one of the first ones that really looks forward and talks about all the tools that an empowered band should have in their arsenal: blogging, selling music online, getting music into podcasts, learning what to pay attention to when designing your own site, etc. I am tired of all the books out there that talk about labels and managers and agents, etc. but don’t give you any practical advice that you can use right now and in today’s new environment.

There’s many of these “Indie Band” books out there but for me this is one of the best.

Panos