Personalizing Lyrics – One Amazing, Creative Way to Personally Rock The Fan Base

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As a true lover of technology, as well as a coach in both the business world and in the digital music space, when I come across a tech solution that changes the course of a musician’s business and revenue stream, and builds a better fan base – well, let’s just say it’s always a reason to celebrate.  As the music industry has been pummeled over the last decade, hit with punches from outside and inside of itself, creativity has turned out to be the number one solution to surviving – and thriving – the ever changing landscape.

Enter Skip Haynes. Skip was the singer and guitarist for the band Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah.  Like a lot of bands, they worked hard and had one or two semi-hits.  In their case, the hit was a song called “Lake Shore Drive” that got a ton of mileage around it’s subject, Chicago, the home town of the band.  Over time, “Lake Shore Drive,” became a sort of local anthem, belted out at bars and college events and thought of fondly by Chicagoans everywhere.

Haynes, now 63, is one of the true creative disruptors.  He has held onto the rights to that song for the last forty years, and thanks to the digital music revolution, he’s come up with a mind blowingly simple idea and turned it into a very real revenue stream.  Pay attention folks, this is definitely a plan to model if you’ve got the know how, the time (and the rights to a good, recognizable piece of music).

For a fee, Skip Haynes will personalize his much beloved, “Lake Shore Drive,” to you – or your mother, or coach, or kids. Thanks to the portability of digital music, Haynes will sing the name of the subject, digitally splice it into the master of the song, and sell it to you for thirty-five bucks (if you want the CD — if the digital MP3 is good enough, its only $30.  You can then download it your iPod (or whatever), send it to your friends and family, put it in a digital Birthday Card.  Whatever.  It’s yours.  Personalized just for you.

Haynes recently told CNN contributor Bob Greene, that he’s sold hundreds of these customized songs –primarily through word of mouth and a couple of websites (including his own: https://www.lakeshoredrivemusic.com).

In addition to the obvious revenue stream this could mean for aging rockers or new bands, this is also a strong way to create a very real connection to your most ardent fans.  And that, my friends, is the real benefit of the digital music revolution – it makes reaching your fans as easy as click, splice, love affair.  The revenue is great, and seeing the innovation of a solitary creative disruptor at work is inspiring, but the opportunity to create a once-in-a-lifetime connection to the fan base is definitely not to be missed.

I would love to hear what you all think about this topic.  Feel free to comment on my blog at https://allaccessgroup.com/blog or on my Facebook Group Page.

Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC

 

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