Resources
3 Best Practices for Digital Distribution & Audience Building in an Ever Evolving Online World
Over the last decade, the shift from physical media to digital distribution is a trend explored literally in front of us every single day. From the music industry, videos and movies, to information and gaming, television and radio, there’s no aspect of the media world that has not been completely transformed. An ancillary trend to this has been the increasing reliance upon service-centered business models over stand-alone content sales. Increasingly empowered consumers, who not only have greater choices than every before, are also actively creating their own content – their own music, videos, films and games – further revolutionizing an industry already under pressure to reinvent itself almost daily. So what is an artist to do to continue to remain vibrant and build their audience in an era when even the audience itself may become a competitor on any given Sunday? Here are 3 Best Practices for digital distribution and audience building in an ever evolving online world: Remember your ABC’s.
A. Audience Building. No matter what tactic you’re taking in your distribution, remember that your overall goal is audience building. You might think it’s sales, and yes, of course that’s true. But if your audience is constantly, consistently growing, your sales will be also. If your sales are there, but your audience remains flat, sooner or later, they’ll definitely be pulled in one of the endless other directions available. Remember, even the amateur entertainers are eating up market share (Justin Beiber anyone?). So be engaged in finding and embracing new fans and friends in as many directions as you possibly can. To take a more in-depth look at one very powerful aspect of audience building (social media), get my comprehensive 50-page ebook. If you would like to be on the waiting list to receive this ebook and be offered a special discounted cost, please register here. (Select eBook Pre-Order)
B. Basics. Don’t forget that for every great new idea that comes out, you still need to have your basics in place. Wanting to go for every new option that comes down the pike (and believe me, they are almost endless right now) can easily become what I call *shiny new object* syndrome. With all of the possibilities out there in digital distribution, don’t forget that tangible distribution still sells and builds audiences. It’s the reason we all love souvenirs when we visit someplace new (or even someplace old). Holding something in your hands creates an experience. So along with the endless digital opportunities, definitely be handing out CD’s, DVD’s, USB Wristbands, and amazing merch every chance you get. That might mean at concerts and tours, or it might mean contests and giveaways on your website and social media venues.
C. Constant Creativity. There’s no way to stay on top of the ever-changing world of digital distribution without having a team member, mentor, or advisor in place who can keep you abreast of all the opportunities available to you, as an artist. Digital downloads, podcasts, mobile apps, Itunes, Amazon, Virtual Worlds, YouTube, StageIt, GigMaven, EnConcert, Rhapsody, Gigswiz, and the list goes on and on. This is one of the principal reasons that I produce this newsletter each month, because sharing the best practices out there is a vital part of what we do at the All Access Group, and quite simply, bringing that knowledge to a wider audience is exciting to me.
If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a note at info@AllAccessGroup.com.
To your success, Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Michael Robertson Talks about DAR.fm, MP3tunes, Amazon and the Cloud Music Industry…
Excerpt of Kelli Richards’ Q&A with Michael Robertson, the Bad Boy of the Digital Music Industry. Michael Robertson is a longtime provocateur of the music business and the founder and former CEO of MP3.com, one of the most popular Internet music sites ever. His newest startup, DAR.fm, is a centralized Web-based TiVo for radio. Users can search the programming schedules of over 600 music and talk-radio stations and schedule DAR.fm to record up to 4 hours of any broadcast. Robertson sees this as the savior of the radio industry, and he may be right.
Michael Robertson has fought more high-profile battles with the record industry than anybody in technology, and his experience in digital music is nearly unmatched. Over his career he has raised more than $100 million in private capital and orchestrated transactions with a combined value of nearly a billion dollars. This is definitely one of the best fireside chats in a great series of impactful interviews. (To hear this entire interview, visit the Resources Page on my Website.)
Kelli Richards: Let’s jump right into present time, Michael, because it’s so compelling – later we’ll go into your remarkable background in digital music. Although it could be a big competitor to MP3tunes, Amazon’s choice to enter the “locker” business is huge. Let’s ask two questions about that. First, would you talk about the basic structure of MP3tunes and how it changes the digital music world – why it’s a better product than what Amazon’s launching – and finally, explain to our audience why, in this unique case, Amazon could prove to be more of an ally to MP3tunes than a competitor.
Michael Robertson: Amazon recently launched a sort of personal cloud music server that, on first glance, is very similar to what we’ve been doing on MP3tunes for years – in that it lets people store music online. But there are some really big differences that consumers should know about. One of which is that MP3tunes lets you put your music in and get your music out. Amazon will happily store your music, but it’s kind of a sinkhole. So if you get a new computer or you want to download your music to an iPod, etc., it’s almost impossible to do with Amazon. They literally make you click on every single song to get your music down. With MP3tunes it’s quite different. We literally give you software to get your music out in one click. We’re not holding you prisoner. I believe it’s YOUR data – whether it’s your music, photos, whatever – and that should always be in full control of the consumer.
Another important difference is that we have an API. What this means is that you can connect to your music in a myriad of ways. With Amazon, today, you can only stream your music to Android. So maybe they’ll make an Apple IOS application and maybe they won’t, but you’re completely at the whim of Amazon. With MP3tunes it’s the exact opposite. We publish to the whole world how anyone can make an interface to their library. What this means is you can use your Android Phone to hear your music, or your iPhone, or a Windows 7 phone, or your Palm App, or even Internent Radio – Logitech or Audiovox – stuff like that. So we’re really trying to build an open approach – an open platform that isn’t controlled and dictated by any one company.
On the legal side, while MP3 and Amazon may be competitors on the consumer mindshare front, on the legal side they need us to win. We’ve been a lawsuit for nearly four years with EMI music that says we’re in a state of copyright infringement when a consumer stores their music in our application. Obviously, I disagree. Like us, they don’t have licenses either; Amazon is an un-licensed application. So in this regard, they are likely to be more of an ally than a competitor.
Kelli Richards: Michael, what do you think happens with Apple and Google in this niche – now that they’re said to be jumping into the cloud / locker mix?
Michael Robertson: I think that the really fascinating part of where the industry is at, is that there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of stories about what Apple and Google are going to do, but neither has done anything so far. I think for sure they’re working on it on some level. I’m fascinated by the state of the industry. What I mean by that is this: Amazon has basically flouted the industry and said, “You know what, we’re not going to get a license, we’re just going to launch a service.” So the industry is now in a tough spot. If they don’t take a legal stand against Amazon, why would Apple agree to pay them a licensing fee? Why would Google agree to pay a licensing fee? Let’s put this another way: Imagine two competitors decide to have a lemonade stand. Imagine one guy gets all his lemons for free. And the other guy wants to compete, but if he has to pay for his lemons, his lemonade is going to be more expensive and he’s not going to be able to compete. And that’s sort of where the industry is. If I’m Google or if I’m Apple, well, the music industry is very onerous. They want up-front money, guaranteed. They want restrictions and limitations and regional restrictions and things like that. And you don’t get any of those if you go for an unlicensed structure… So the music industry is really in a perplexing situation. If they don’t take a legal stand with Amazon, they’re going to see a big response in the industry. A lot of companies are watching this and will be over the next six to twelve months, to see if they move toward a licensed or unlicensed approach. If I were the industry, I’d wait and see what the consumers wanted.
(To hear this entire interview, please visit the Resources Page on my Website.)
*To get your own 2 GB of online music storage at no cost, visit https://www.mp3tunes.com
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Peter Rafelson – A New Chapter in a Long Hollywood Legacy
When you talk to Peter Rafelson, whether you know him or not, you cannot help but feel like you’ve been friends for years. His open demeanor and easy going style just feel warm and familiar. That laid back nature is a strong irony, of course, when held up to his long list of achievements in the music and film industries. For those of you who don’t know, Peter Rafelson is from some pretty good Hollywood stock. The Rafelson family has an amazing legacy in Hollywood – beginning with Samson Raphaelson, who wrote The Jazz Singer in the 1920’s. Peter’s father, Bob Rafelson, was among the first catalysts of the independent film movement of the 1960’s (and the Producer of cult favorite, The Monkees).
Growing up surrounded by Hollywood royalty, like Jack Nicholson, The Beatles and Bob Dillon, and being immersed in the renegade, independent film business of the 1960’s, Rafelson was blessed with a myriad of artistic role models. He shared this thought with me in a recent interview, “Growing up in that environment, it was very hard to distinguish between dreams and reality. For me, seeing people in my living room and then watching them on TV that night didn’t seem unnatural. Because of that, I was encouraged to and supported in pretty much anything I wished to pursue.”
Of course, it’s a certainty that being surrounded by a successful 
family tapestry can go either way. It can create a weight so heavy that it weighs down its subject – or it can become like wings, moving a person to even higher achievements. Thankfully for Rafelson, and for us, it’s always been the latter. Believing he could create his own legacy, he went into the music industry at a very early age and began a long, long success story that continues to be written.
As a songwriter and musician, Peter has worked with industry giants like Jackson Browne and Sir Elton John. He’s written a long list of successful songs, including Madonna’s # 1 single “Open Your Heart” (with 27 million sold) and top 10 singles for Stevie Nicks and Britney Spears, among others. In fact, Rafelson has had more than twenty #1 songs. (In addition, he has acted in over 10 feature films, including fame.) In his current life, he’s signing and producing artists for his own label, RM Records, as well as developing projects for film and TV – and he recently traveled to Southeast Asia on a diplomatic mission to develop business relations for the entertainment industry. He’s also the President of Rafelson Media, which produces and consults for new technology and media companies, and his client list reads like the Fortune 500, including industry giants like Microsoft, Apple and Toshiba.
None of this defines who Peter Rafelson is as a person, of course, and how the rich tapestry of the Rafelson legacy affected his life. Before going into legacy further, be assured that Peter Rafelson is, quite simply, one of the good guys. He’s gracious, talented, extremely smart, inspiring and a thought leader in the world of technology and media. And he’s always up for a new challenge and a new project.
As a Producer and the CEO of the All Access Group, one of my passions has always been to produce a series of legacy artists who come from Rock and Roll Royalty or film royalty and how that impacts how they live their lives. So this question of legacy is one I take very seriously. Asked about this, Peter responded with his typical, uncanny honesty.
“It was intimidating. My heart goes out to anybody who has a legacy to live up to… It’s tough, because expectations are higher, and the bar has been raised substantially. The caviat is constantly comparing yourself to family members and not being discouraged and trying to find your own identity and establish and position yourself apart.”
Luckily for us, establishing his own identity was only the beginning for Peter Rafelson. A visionary, an artist, a writer, and a friend, his is a story that is surely to be continued.
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
To hear my entire interview with Peter Rafelson, see my Industry Insider Interviews at https://bit.ly/AllAccessQandA
Google kills SEO – Stay Alive with Social Media
3 Best Practices for Social Media in a Changing SEO World
I don’t know how many of you saw the news, but Google is changing how SEO is formulated. What? Yes, they’re tossing the algorithm out the window and writing a new recipe for how page ranking works. While some of the formula will remain as it is, a huge new piece will be based on what they’re calling a “social media grid.” What that means is if you are looking for digital video cams, and I recently tweeted or posted to Facebook about digital video cams – if we are connected on either network, my post will come up in your search. This is one of the biggest changes to online marketing to come in the last decade, and definitely ramps up the importance of social media.
To that end, I am sharing with you all three best practices for underused social media avenues. This is a very brief look at a topic I’ve covered comprehensively in a 50-page ebook. If you would like to be on the waiting list to receive this ebook (and be offered a special discounted cost), please register here . (select eBook Pre-Order)
When it comes to social networks, one of the most underutilized but amazingly useful is BlogTalkRadio. BlogTalkRadio is effective and easy-to use as you share your expertise, to build your fan base and increase your branded recognition. It can take a little time to build a following for your live broadcasts, but the fact that you can build a library of your recordings (at no cost) is huge. It has the added benefit that your shows can be produced live, and easily downloaded to podcast for listeners to enjoy later (so don’t be disheartened if you have no live attendees the first few times you broadcast). Listeners can call in live or conveniently listen online. Depending on the strength of your already-existing platform of fans, BlogTalkRadio could be a super win, as far as audience participation and brand building are concerned.
This is one platform where you will need to do the tutorials so you can run the back end, but trust me, it’s an easy system to learn and use. If you plan to run the “one-man” show, you don’t even need to use the back end – simply calling in to the host number will broadcast you live. If you have a guest, or wish to take audience questions or comments, however, this is essential, so definitely invest the time to create a knowledge base and comfort level. You can even have a live chat session going while you broadcast – another way to engage your audience.
Profile
Like all of your online spaces, be sure to set up a complete and compelling profile. This is how people will find you and your band; it’s also good for SEO purposes, sending your audience to your website, product pages, MySpace, and other social networks.
Go to https://www.BlogTalkRadio.com to get started. Once you’re on the site, click Register (on the top right hand of the page). As you set up your profile, you’ll see that you can choose a “Display Name” – this is vital. Be sure to choose a name that identifies you and / or your band or music. This cannot be changed, so be sure you’ve given this a lot of thought. Consider using an email address that you set up just for social media purposes. Check the “I want to host my own show,” as well as YES for the BlogTalkRadio newsletter. Once you have confirmed your registration, you’ll have an opportunity to add your other social networking sites and a description for your show.
Shows
Be prepared with the date, time and vital information when you go to set up your first show. A few tips, be sure to click on and change the duration button, as it defaults to 15 minutes. I recommend that you keep your shows to no longer than 45 minutes – the shorter the show, the more people attend and download. (In fact, the free version of BlogTalkRadio allows only for 30 minute broadcasts.) You can upload start music for your show if you like, but I recommend NOT doing so until you have the hang of things. It’s easy to start talking once your show begins and forget to wait for the music to queue. Remember, choose a date and time you can do WEEKLY to build a following. NOTHING works as well as consistency.
You are here to build a great presence and you probably have more to share than you might realize. Holding guest interviews to half an hour is not necessarily easy either, so if this is a format you love, consider using the pro version. Do take the time to script your show, at least loosely – this can mean literally writing down every word you plan to say, or it can mean simply making a cheat sheet of things you want to share in case you go off topic or lose your place. If you’re really not sure what to start with, go through old blogs and use them as a guide or a script, or simply have a great intro and three songs that you want to share, then ask for audience questions or remarks. Have a few friends “planted” to ask questions the first time, just to be safe.
Having guest speakers builds a closer relationship between you and your guest, so if you want to collaborate with a great musician or songwriter or producer, this is one way to begin that discussion. Be sure to get permission from your guest to use the show for marketing purposes and even to download into a product. (It’s polite to allow them to do the same, of course.) Other reasons you would have a speaker are to mix up your content, make your show more interesting, and especially to create joint venture opportunities. After all, your speaker will want his or her audience to hear the show also, so it’s fair to expect them to promote it to their various lists. This provides you much-needed exposure to new audiences. Do be sure to have an approved set of Q&A in place at least a day before your call, and if they’re a musician also, you can upload their music as the lead-in for the show.
I’m going to be more technical here on the “how-to” than I have on other networks, just because BlogTalkRadio’s a somewhat of an undiscovered treasure. I strongly suggest you take the tutorials available, but this will give you some quick “get started” instructions. When you’re ready to host your show, simply log into BlogTalkRadio and click the MyBlogTalkRadio button at the TOP right hand corner of the page. Then click the MyAccount button. (This is also how you will add new shows, or edit those you have coming up at a future date, should you need to.) On the left side, you will see a button called My Switchboard. Once you go in there, it is fairly obvious how you will conduct your show. Some things to keep in mind are that you need to call in five minutes early. Your call-in number and HOST CODE are on the right of your switchboard. You can unmute (and mute) callers on the right by clicking on their microphone symbol. Keep in mind that if you intend to have a guest call in, you will want to know their phone number. If you will be the only speaker, you don’t even need to be near a computer, you can simply call in by phone, enter your host code, and voila!
You can also click Start Chat Button to have another facet to your call. This is where callers can type in questions and you can either type your response, or announce their question (and your answer) on the broadcast – a very sexy feature for your audience connect-ability.
Friends, Fans and Followers
BlogTalkRadio actually has a spot on their home page for helping you to promote your show. Simply hover over the HOME button on the top of the page and click HELP. This will give you a page featuring BLOGTALK 101, FAQs, and MARKETING, as well as some other useful pages. Allow yourself an hour or so to surf this info and do the tutorials involved. I realize you maybe be overwhelmed creating great content and working with your team and running your gigs – but if you’re not also a marketing maven, then you’re missing the end game.
If you really embrace BlogTalkRadio it is one of the most interesting, easy and fun ways to build your brand. Remember to also send an email announcement to fans for every show. You can also create an “Event” on your other social networks (such as Facebook, Linkedin, etc., etc.) as well as an announcement on your Blog and Twitter page with a link to your Show. Remember to use a shortened Bit.ly link so that you can track its effectiveness. https://bit.ly
Once you’re on the air, feel free to ask business partners and / or clients, etc., if they would like to sponsor your show. This can be a very good source of revenue for you. It is also a way to create a Joint Venture – simply ask ANOTHER BlogTalkRadio host to swap sponsorship with you. That would mean that they announce you and your show at the top of theirs, and you do the same for them.
Finally, after your show has been broadcast, you can push it out onto your various online portals, such as your Facebook Profile and Fan Page, your Blog, Twitter, etc.
You can also put them up again and again, as your subject matter or music becomes relevant to various groups of people or current events and issues. After a time, these shows become a long-standing library that your audience and client base can refer back to. Finally, you can easily download your audio, use one of many easy software options, like Jing to add a slideshow, and post it to YouTube also.
Meetup Groups – Social Media Network AND Live Networking
Meetup Groups is a very cool idea, a great social network and a terrific way for an artist to engage a fan base both virtually and in real life. In fact, for artists and musicians, I would take the risk to say this is the most important network for you to be on. Here’s why. Meetup is an online portal where participants actually meet through live local, regional events (for instance, gigs, meet and greets, merch events, rehearsals, etc., etc., the list is limitless). Let your fans and followers know about this opportunity for them to meet each other face-to-face and build their community. In fact, SoundCloud (a great resource for bands and artists) has its own Meetup page and over 70 Meetup groups globally. https://soundcloud.com/pages/meetups. This is a way to encourage their users to exchange tips, answer questions, create collaboratively and learn from the success of others. You can also run virtual events – inviting fans and members to tune in for a live BlogTalkRadio broadcast of you and your band rehearsing (for example). (There is a fee to own a group, but you can do it for about $15 or less a month.)
Meetup works a LOT like an online group. To begin with, you can message all of your members with updates – and you can have ONLINE meetings or teleseminars too – not just live meetings, as mentioned above. In fact, be sure to invite your Meetup Group members to all of your events – even if it’s a group you simply belong to, in addition to those you own. If a group you belong to doesn’t allow you to email the other members, ask the owner if they’d be gracious enough to share your event with everyone.
Profile
Once you sign up for Meetup, you’ll be asked a host of questions to help you define yourself. Definitely do this and do it well. Remember, you don’t just want to think about what you want, but what keywords would your number one fans use that would lead them to you. This is a networking effort, after all. Where would your audience be?
Joining Groups
Go ahead! Join a few groups and attend a few events. (You’ll see a big box at the top left of the page that says “Find a Meetup Group.”) There’s no faster way to create a buzz than to show up at a like-minded event and hand out some fliers to upcoming gigs or meet and greets. (If you have a team, obviously you can delegate this and spread the love.) I try to choose groups with large numbers, but even a small group of your best brand advocates (fans) can be a great way to market. Each group you join will ask you to introduce yourself through their profile, so be prepared with your bio handy.
Friends, Fans and Followers
Here’s the how to on this to make your life easy. The button to start a group is on the top left of Meetup.com. They’ll walk you through the whole process. But do have your group description written before you get there, just so you can have it thought out and effectively written. The process of filling your meetup is amazing. You’ll be asked to fill out a few areas of interest when you do your profile – and when you go to promote your meetup, those keywords on other people’s profiles become part of your outreach. Meetup will basically pass along an invite to anyone who’s used the keywords you choose for your group within your regional area.
One thing you’ll definitely want to do is set up an autoresponder welcoming all new members and pointing them to your website or store – that’s a secondary place where you will provide your basic bio, product and corporate info, and where to find you (other social networks, for instance). And definitely take it viral! After you’ve got some momentum going, put the call out in an email and/or blog post to challenge your mob to support you. Make it a routine to recognize those fans / friends and encourage more people to get involved.
Promote it! Send a Facebook event invite out for all of your Meetup activities and get togethers. Then, be sure to send a link to join your meetup through all of your other social media efforts (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., etc.). Not all of your members have to be local, especially if you are – or expect to be – touring any day soon. Going to Madison Wisconsin for a gig? Change the location of your Meetup to that zip code and start promoting it anew to build a vibrant fan base! Cross-networking is super important by the time you’ve got all of this in place. For instance, Set up a Twitter hashtag for your meetup group (i.e. @KelliRichards and #OnStage). Give people a handout at each meetup with the account, the hashtag and all the presenter’s/participants Twitter accounts and ask your members to tweet about the event.
Be sure to send out emails in advance of your meetups that are hand formatted to look different from the one’s send out automatically by meetup. as people tend not to read those. Schedule these with your other emails and newsletters in mind, of course. Remember, your list is your goldmine – don’t abuse your people & never SPAM them..
Mobile Messaging
Like I said, there are many options worth exploring in each of these arenas. I’ll be suggesting only one or two, however, in order to simplify this discussion and help you get started. When it comes to engaging your fans, anyone who’s involved in the direct-to-fan distribution discussion will tell you that getting your fan’s email address and mobile numbers is a huge win. By collecting contact information from followers through a sign-up form, artists can create very effective campaigns utilizing e-mail and mobile promotions. A cool ancillary program you can attach to your Fan Page to accomplish this is Mozes, a leading provider of mass promotional text messaging. Mozes powers the mobile marketing of some big, well-known artists, such as Rihanna and Kings of Leon. It won’t cost your users anything additional to join your “mob” and receive your texts (other than their normal text fees from their carrier), but there is a fee for you – the band or musician, which can be as low as $10 per month for a very simple campaign. You’ll need to actually request a quote through their plans and pricing page. There are a myriad of plans, but the most simple will allow you to create a self-service platform for engaging fans and driving sales. You’ll also be able to run mobile sweepstakes, distribute mobile coupon codes and broadcast trackable links to online storefronts and sales pages. There are higher levels of service with more applications and fan outreach options as well.
This is a very brief look at a topic I have covered comprehensively in a 50-page ebook. If you would like to be on the waiting list to receive this ebook (and be offered a special discounted cost), please register here. (select eBook Pre-Order)
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Join Me for a “Fireside Chat” with the Leading Minds in Tech and Digital Music / Media
I’m pleased to share with all of you that my weekly “All Access Radio” Show has developed a strong and loyal following! Over 15,000 downloads in only a few short weeks.
I’ve also been graced with some of the top digital visionaries and leading voices in the music and technology industries, including Ty Roberts, Ian Rogers, and Tom Silverman (among others). That list continues in the upcoming weeks. I hope you’ll be able to tune in as I interview Media Futurist Gerd Leonhard; the President of Rafelson Media (and well known songwriter) Peter Rafelson; and entertainment technology visionary (and one of the sharpest minds in digital music) Jim Griffin.
Here’s the schedule and some background on each:
Gerd Leonhard – Monday 4/11 – 5pm Pacific Time
Gerd Leonhard is a media futurist, writer, keynote speaker and strategist with 25 years in the tech and entertainment industries in all major markets. Leonhard’s focus is on new technologies in content and media and technological convergence. You can listen online at https://bit.ly/GerdLeonhard or you can simply call in and listen over your phone (626) 696-8608.
Leonhard’s work focuses on digital content, media, telecom, marketing and communications. He was the Co-Founder and CEO of SONIFIC and in 2010 Gerd Leonhard established The Futures Agency. The Futures Agency offers think-tank and training events, workshops and executive seminars, keynote speeches and advisory services to leading companies in the telecom, media, advertising and tech industries.
Peter Rafelson – Monday 4/18 – 5pm Pacific Time
Peter Rafelson is the President of Rafelson Media, which produces and consults for new technology and media companies – with a client list that includes industry giants like Microsoft, Apple and Toshiba. Peter is a well known writer and musician, working with music greats like Jackson Browne and Elton John. He’s written many successful songs, including Madonna’s # 1 “Open Your Heart” (27 million sold) and top 10 singles for Stevie Nicks and Jane Wiedlin of the GoGo’s. In addition to scoring and composing, he has acted in over 10 feature films, including FAME. You can listen online at https://bit.ly/PeterRafelson or you can simply call in and listen over your phone (626) 696-8608.
Peter is currently signing and producing artists for his own label, RM Records and developing projects for the film, TV. Peter recently traveled to Southeast Asia on a diplomatic mission to develop business relations for the entertainment industry. He is currently a staff producer for 2K/Virgin Records, an EMI record label.
Jim Griffin – Monday 4/25 – 5pm Pacific
Jim Griffin is an entertainment technology visionary and one of the sharpest minds in digital music. Griffin is the Managing Director of OneHouse, a company dedicated to the future of music and entertainment delivery.
Jim Griffin is focused on accelerating the pace of scholarly research thru collaborative tools and open access to knowledge. He started and runs Choruss LLC, incubated by Warner Music Group, and successfully led the team that built a new model for sound recordings: Sharing music with flat-fee access to unlimited downloads for students.
He also ran the tech dept at Geffen Records for 5 years (distributing the first full-length commercial song on-line, by Aerosmith). He is often a keynote speaker or moderator (Internet Summit, Giga Conference, Comdex, CES, Webnoize…) and lectures at business schools (Harvard, USC, UCLA, Berkeley). He also serves as an expert witness in digital entertainment. You can listen online at https://bit.ly/Jim-Griffin or you can simply call in and listen over your phone (626) 696-8608.
So please join me each week as I host an intimate “fireside chat” with some of the leading minds in technology and digital music and media. You can find my entire library of recordings at https://allaccessgroup.com/articles-and-resources/blog-talk-radio as well as some personal interviews where I share about my own experiences over a twenty plus career in music and tech. See you there!
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Making a Mark at Digital Hollywood Spring
I’m very excited to share with everyone that I will be moderating a panel session at Digital Hollywood Spring at the Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Rey on Wednesday May 4th. Here are the details on my panel, and some more information on the event itself.
Music Apps for SmartPhones, Tablets & Social Media is one of the hottest issues and opportunities in the digital arena right now, and I’m excited to have an amazing panel of experts to lead in that discussion.
My panel:
Wed. May 4th from 2:15 PM – 3:30 PM
Track III: Music Apps for SmartPhones, Tablets & Social Media – Reaching Millions – Monetization
Panel Members include:
Larry Miller, founder – Chairman, ROBA Interactive
Michael Schneider,CEO, Mobile Roadie
Les Borsai, founder, Gridmob
KamranV, CyKiK
Timo Poijärvi, co-founder, Hitlantis
John Rudolph, CEO, Bug Music
Nik Miskov, VP of Business Development, CamUp
Robert (Leo) Rodgers, Sr. VP & Label Liaison, Bungalo Records
The entire event runs from May 2 through 5 and is jam-packed with a schedule of in-depth discussions and networking focusing on the top business issues impacting technology in entertainment today. The Summit’s unique environment enables attendees to engage, debate and refine the latest tech developments in the entertainment marketplace. With an unprecedented group of opinion leaders, the summit will focus on how companies can capitalize on innovations in technology and is a “must-attend” event for individuals and companies working at the intersection of content, technology and entertainment. *Attendees will be free to move from conference room to conference room during the day.
If anyone has any questions or wants to make arrangements to connect with me, please reach out directly by email at info@AllAccessGroup.com
Kelli Richards, President & CEO of The All Access Group, LLC
BIG VISIONS * BIG CONNECTIONS * BIG RESULTS
Author of the forthcoming book:
“You Say You Want a Revolution: An Artist’s Manifesto
for Success in the Digital Age” (due out 11.11.11)
Co-Author of “The Art of Digital Music”
Jeff Brandstetter – Thought Leader in Digital Music and Entertainment
To hear the entire interview, please visit https://allaccessgroup.com/articles-and-resources/blog-talk-radio.
Jeff Brandstetter is a digital music and entertainment lawyer with over 20 years of experience in film, TV, music, literary, new media and entertainment financing matters. He is also the co-author of the highly acclaimed book “The Music Business Explained in Plain English.” He appears frequently as a speaker and moderator on entertainment law matters and is also the Co-Founder and CEO of IndiePlaya, a revolutionary online film distribution platform optimizing the marketing and distribution of independent films.
Kelli Richards: Jeff, what do you think the future of distribution is going to look like in say, five years, and how much of an impact do you think on-demand digital distribution will have on media?
Jeff Brandstetter: It’s interesting that you’re asking me this question. As you know, eleven years ago I was asked this exact same question on a panel about the future of the music industry. I think people tend to accelerate adoption faster in their minds than it actually occurs. I think the reality is that we well see physical product around for a while, and there will still be revenue around physical product for a long time… I think what the landscape will look like in 5 years is that content creators will fast become the hub. Right now everybody is chasing the distribution outlets du jour… because they see the largest numbers in terms of traffic going in that direction…. Indie content providers don’t need huge numbers of their own content to recoup their production budget, and that’s what they should be most interested in. Where are they going to maximize their revenues? As long as they’re passing their content along to 3rd parties, and essentially giving them all of the rights, wholesale, to distribute it and buying into that sell of, “You know, you’re a content provider. Don’t worry your pretty little head about this. We’ll take care of the marketing, promo and distribution. You just focus on making more content.” As long as they buy into that, there’s no rational reason to believe that the outcome is going to be any different than it’s been up until now – which is that the vast majority of them aren’t going to make any money.”
Kelli: I don’t want to live in the way back machine, but that was one of the main impetuses, as you’ll recall, for Todd Rundgren and I crafting Patronet fifteen years ago. The goal was to really encourage artists and other content creators to take the reins and go direct to their fans with their brands – and to see themselves as a brand and, frankly, to model 80 / 20 where they were making the majority of the money – to a smaller audience perhaps, but with fewer middle men.
Jeff Brandstetter: No doubt about it, it was a good model
Kelli: So, Jeff, how important is buzz? Do you think it’s vital to a label that an artist has a social media platform and following – or is having a great sound still the number one driver to getting signed?
Jeff Brandstetter: I think the two go hand in hand. I want to believe that, on the audio side, having a great sound – or a great product whatever vertical you’re talking about – is still then number one driver. Now if you’re talking about getting signed – getting picked up by a major label – you’re talking about the distinct minority of artists who get picked up by a major. But when it comes to social media, disintermediation is happening on the promo side, but it’s not happening in the terms of the monetization. What I mean by that is just because you’re able to promote your brand using social networking doesn’t mean that you, as the artist, are actually reaping the lion’s share of the benefit of that.
Kelli: Unless of course the only way somebody can buy your CD – or one of the ways – is through your website, where the vast majority of the proceeds are going directly into the artist’s pocket, I think most fans would want that to happen. Given the choice, I think if they knew that they could support the artist by buying direct, more would. And that’s why it’s important for an artist to sell their music and to collect email addresses on their website, in addition to having a social media platform to promote from.
Jeff Brandstetter: That’s exactly right.
You can catch Kelli’s show every Monday at 5pm PST. https://BlogTalkRadio.com/AllAccessRadio.
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
The Futures Agency
I was recently invited to be part of The Futures Agency by my good friend and colleague, Gerd Leonhard.
For those of you who do not know, The Futures Agency is the name of Gerd’s company, but he’s also created an online industry think-tank of friends and colleagues. I’m super excited to be part of this think-tank and elite group of leaders in the digital industry. I’ll be writing more about this over the coming weeks and months, but for now, I’d like to invite everyone to *like* The Futures Agency Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FuturesAgency to become part of the growing conversation around creating meaningful change in how data is shared, sold and created.
Here’s a great example of Gerd Leonhard (at TEDx Warwick). For more information about Gerd Leonhard’s company, The Futures Agency, please visit his website: https://www.thefuturesagency.com
TEDxWarwick – Gerd Leonhard – Friction is Fiction: The Future of Business, Communications and Media
To your success! Kelli Richards, CEO of The All Access Group
* A few notes: TFA is based in Switzerland and is currently comprised of 15 Associates working directly with Gerd Leonard on an independent basis: Jack Myers, Glen Hiemstra, Ross Dawson, Mike Masnick, Alan Moore, Jonathan MacDonald, Kei Shimada and Didier Marlier, to name only a few of them. Gerd Leonhard will serve as CEO and plans to grow his company into one of the most amazing agencies on the planet, based on 5 key principles: 1. Knowledge grows when shared, therefore we share everything 2. Proudly find elsewhere (PFE) 3. Do what you do best and link to the rest (*Jeff Jarvis) 4. Spend less time being important and more time being relevant 5. The leaders of the future are connectors – not just directors.
Gerd’s free iPhone / Android apps are available here: https://gerd.fm/cvd1lK
An Interview with Dave Kusek, of the Berklee School of Music, and the Co-Author of “The Future of Music”
I recently interviewed Dave Kusek, of the Berklee School of Music, and the Co-Author of “The Future of Music.” Dave Kusek is a digital music executive and is responsible for helping to create the market for digital music as an entity, and in 1980 he founded the first music software company, Passport Designs, which made it possible for musicians to record and produce their music at home with its award-winning software.
The Future of Music is a best-selling music business book, and wildly popular among industry executives and musicians themselves. Dave Kusek also provides advisory services to the music and media industries via Digital Cowboys. He is a co-developer of the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) industry standard that opened up electronic music to millions of people. His efforts, along with others, set the stage for the multi-billion dollar digital music market that exists today.
He created a hugely successful online music school berkleemusic.com for the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Berkleemusic has become the world’s largest music school teaching over 15,000 students a year globally. Kusek has written for or been featured in the NY Times, Boston Globe, Billboard, Wired, Associated Press, MTV, CNBC, Forbes, NBC-TV, Nightly Business Report, NPR, Financial Times, and is a featured speaker at Midem, Digital Music Forum, NAMM, AES, IEBA, MacWorld, Comdex, Digital Hollywood and has been a featured guest on radio and television stations around the world.
Here’s a brief synopsis of our discussion… you can hear the entire recording at: https://allaccessgroup.com/articles-and-resources/blog-talk-radio/all-access-radio-interviews/
Kelli: Dave, talk about the future of Digital music if you would. With the role of labels changing almost daily, where do you think the industry is headed?
Dave Kusek: I have been working in the music industry all my life. I was one of the first to capitalize on the commercial potential of computers and music and have been having lots of fun in this space ever since. We’re missing a new format. There’s no new format to monetize, and without that, I think it’s going to be very difficult making music. Without that new format, I think that business might just go away. There’s no real indicator that recorded music in any form is going to turn up in any way or become a revenue generator in the next five years. If we had a new format that was valuable enough and hard enough to come by, then recorded music might come back. But it may just be that recorded music was an anomaly in time. Something you could make money at for 70 or 80 or even a hundred years at its end, but only for that moment in time.
Kelli: What role do you think direct-to-fan distribution is going to play going forward?Talk about how you think this could create what you’ve called a middle class of musicians, and in that context, what do you think will happen to the big labels, as a result.
Dave Kusek: I do believe the opportunity to make music is there for anyone who wants to do it – and anyone who wants to try and turn that activity into money or a living has an opportunity to do it. it’s always been difficult, but I think there are tools today to promote and distribute your music and communicate with your fans that are so beyond what we could even think about five or ten years ago. But if you have a good team around yourself, you can make a good living being an artist. Good being a relative term. It’s very difficult to go and make $25 million dollars – but it’s not that hard to make $50 grand or $150 grand depending on how big your team is. … I think there’s a lot of opportunity – more than ever – for people to make a living in music.
If you build a good team around yourself – a business person, a marketing person, someone who understands the web, who understands mobile, who understands cell phone communication, how to build a community, how to build an audience, you can do pretty well.
Kelli: You seem to be very active on social media – what role do you see that playing for artists as time goes by?
Dave Kusek: I think it’s a great way to distribute your music and to distribute information about yourself and what you’re up to. To communicate directly with people if you have the time for that and you have set up a structure that allows that to happen. It’s a way to connect on a local level with people far more easily than any other way to do that. Again, direct marketing techniques applied in the modern era. I mean, I could find everyone in the Chicago area if I go there. Either Meetup or have a meet & greet, or come to my show, or tell your friends, or have a contest, or whatever.
I think the difficult part is doing it all yourself. As an artist, you should be focused on making music, writing great songs, practicing, playing with other people – you should have your brother, your cousin, a friend, someone you hire working on the website, focused on the social. It’s so hard to do it all yourself.
Kelli: Oh yeah, that goes back to the discussion about picking the right team members around you. You’ve got to have somebody focused on that around you. To your point, artists make music. You really need to have some help I think. With all the things an artist needs to be focused on. But I think we both agree that there really needs to be a presence on social media – that’s really driving a lot of activity and traffic for an artist.
Dave Kusek: And it’s so hard to measure the impact sometimes.
Kelli: And yet may artists do. That’s how they fill their shows. They route their tours and reaching out to their fans directly. People tell their friends, and you’ve got a full house when you show up out in Minnesota!
To hear the entire Q&A with Dave Kusek, go to: https://allaccessgroup.com/articles-and-resources/blog-talk-radio/all-access-radio-interviews/
Duran Duran – All You Need is Now
One of my favorite parts of being on the cutting edge of the music industry is watching the innovators cut through the effluent in life’s tides and rise above the noise. That is precisely what Duran Duran has done with their newest release, “All You Need is Now.” The release date ironically falls on the thirtieth anniversary of the band’s first release, “Planet Earth,” released to enormous fandemonium in 1981. “All You Need is Now” was produced by Grammy Award winner Mark Ronson, who has worked with Amy Winehouse, The Kaiser Chiefs, Lily Allen and others. Ronson himself called this album, “The follow up to Rio that never was.” (A big relief for all of us who rocked our way through Rio and simply waited for the next move.)
This is the band’s 13th album and all four original members of Duran Duran – John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon – have joined to recreate the original upbeat sound that made them famous and sold over 80 million records during their three-decade career, With the collaboration with Ronson strongly in place, the band went on to bring in longtime friend, Ana Matronic of the Scissor Sisters and R&B/neo-soul superstar Kelis, with Owen Pallett of Grammy Award winning “Arcade Fire” to do the album’s string arrangements.
Never one to overlook the visuals, the band engaged up-and-coming British visual artist, Clunie Reid, for the artwork and packaging. Clunie’s work is very well known and has been shown at the Saatchi Gallery and the New Museum in New York.
Highly collaborative and innovative, Duran Duran has spent thirty years fusing pop music with art, fashion and technology, bringing music videos from a marketing tool in the 80’s to one of the music industry’s most valued creative assets.
From a distribution perspective, Duran Duran seems to be one band that really understands how important it is to have an engaged fan base. Their website is as much fan homage to their fans as it is a platform and a staging area for their work. For a mere $35 a year, fans are treated to VIP ticket packages, presale events, and meet & greets, as well as direct communication with band members and exclusive video, photo and written content. Each fan also gets to build their own personal fan site – including fan blogs, journals, photos, etc. They’re also able to participate in fan-to-fan forums and private messaging. Basically, Duran Duran has brilliantly built an army of brand advocates to support their every move. Something all bands should emulate in today’s online world.
The group looks as great as ever, and while they’ve evolved their sound to a more contemporary state, hints of their roots are evident and laced throughout several of the tracks on this new CD. “Blame the Machines” is a fun, uptempo, electro-pop track. “The Man Who Stole a Leopard” is a stunning track that diehard fans will relish. “Leave a Light On” recalls the power of their earlier ballad “Save a Prayer.” And “Girl Panic1” will get fans out on the dance floor celebrating like it’s new year’s eve. Hey, why not?
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
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Whitney Houston – Connecting the Dots to a Legacy
There’s no doubt that musicians face huge challenges to remain centered and whole, in an industry that seems to rip pieces away from their very soul at times. From the fans to the machine – to the very process of creating their work – the vulnerability is sometimes painfully obvious. The very thing that draws us to amazing talent like Whitney Houston, the courageous vulnerability, is what often becomes their undoing.
The ultimate question becomes: What do artists need to create to keep themselves safe from becoming undone? Because stories like Whitney Houston’s are not uncommon. Stars rise and fall with the fickle tastes of fans, and when an artist is as meteoric as Whitney, the fall to the ground is far and long. Her difficulties were not only exploited in the media, they were – to some degree – exploited by Whitney herself, choosing a reality show as a vehicle for her brand. Under the best of circumstances, that road is twisted – just ask the long list of reality stars held up to public scrutiny (and editing and distribution).
Whitney Houston made courageous leaps long before Being Bobby Brown, battling for sobriety and most recently reinvigorating her career and her brand. She took the brave leap from music to film. “The Bodyguard,” with Kevin Costner is what leaps to everyone’s minds when we talk about her film presence, but for me, it’s her more subtle performance in “Waiting to Exhale” that always got my attention, because it was far from her own journey.
Seeing Whitney play an icon, even as beautifully as she did so in The Bodyguard, was not a stretch. It was believable because she was believable – always authentic in her music, to see that embodied in the film was wonderful, but not a surprise.
But in Waiting to Exhale, amidst a great ensemble of veteran actresses like Angela Bassett, well that’s where we saw her acting chops come out. The softness she delivers her parting line to an outdated lover, the laughter she joined, but did not dominate – every piece of that film showed a side of Whitney – a collaborative side – that we seldom saw as a superstar. From every high note, performance to performance, she was what we demanded she be – an icon.
I think we all agree that Whitney Houston was far more than that. She courageously took on great, collaborative projects, most recently in the remake of “Sparkle.” I’ve had the great honor to be friends with Oscar Winner Irene Cara – the actress who crossed that same barrier and brought Sparkle to life the first time. I know from years and years as a coach, working with top artists that celebrities crossing media barriers from film to music to producer and back again is a difficult and amazing journey. 
They risk failure in a far more public way than mere mortals. But it’s the courage and the vulnerability to take those risks that keeps artists alive – in every definition of the word.
I think, now, in the end, like Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse, our job now is to let Whitney Houston rest. The drugs – the chaos – the heartache – it’s all over. Like a great painter, only her artistry lives on. We have to remember that she was, of course, a real person – someone’s daughter …someone’s mother. She belonged to them. But if you connect the dots to the music…and the rest of her work, the legacy belongs to all of us.
Kelli Richards
President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
Where is Kelli?
One of the greatest privileges of being on the cutting edge of tech and media, for the last 25+ years, has been the opportunity to speak publicly, to connect powerful players, and to offer meaningful solutions when gaps or issues are brought to me by others. Sometimes that’s what connecting the dots is all about – spotting the spaces and powerfully filling them. Right now I’m working on sourcing the funding for a multi-million dollar project, and exploring those rainmaker subtleties to get the deal done – it has been thrilling. And I’ve been speaking everywhere lately – literally coast to coast – sharing my knowledge and expertise in large and small groups.
Over the course of only 8 weeks, I have found myself at just as many events, conferences and product launches with clients and colleagues. One of the highlights of this time was definitely the KidScreen Summit on February 7-10, in NYC. My client PlayTales, a leader in children’s books as interactive apps, formally launched its US presence at this event. Another highlight was my panel discussion at Pollstar Live! Pollstar is all about industry leaders and newcomers alike have a unique opportunity to share information and improve business practices and fan experiences. I’ve also been privileged to be the Talent Producer and Celebrity Wrangler for that event for over ten years now. In January, I also spoke at the NAMM Social Marketing Mini Conference – on “Taking the Crowd to the Cloud” and at a dinner and networking event in Los Altos, called “What Do You Media” for the prestigious ACG gathering of CEOs and senior execs in the Silicon Valley illuminating myriad facets of what “media” means today and across the coming years.
I was also privileged to be the guest for “In The Hot Seat” with Larry LeBlanc for CelebrityAccess, which profiles entertainment leaders from around the world in a Q&A form. It was very exciting, and I invite all of you to click over and read the interview today!
While being on the cutting edge of the tech and digital revolution is not at all new to me, the next year is poised to present some of the most innovative and exciting opportunities to participate at top industry events. I look forward to seeing some of you at the San Francisco Music Tech Summit today, at Digital Music Forum East in less than two weeks in NYC, plus at the many other exciting gatherings and summits already on the calendar AND yet to be developed (including Digital Music Forum East in NYC, Alley to the Valley Summit, Silicon Valley Capital Club, New Digital Economics, Digital Hollywood, among others!)
If you have an event you’d like me to participate in, or a panel or keynote to deliver, please reach out to me directly at Kelli@AllAccessGroup.com
Kelli Richards
President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
Huge thanks to my friend Melissa Wilson, for calling me the “human bridge” between music and tech (and a rainmaker – always a word we embrace at my company!) on her most recent “NetworldingBlog”. To read the entire piece, please go to https://www.networldingblog.com.
According to https://www.investopedia.com/, A rainmaker is any person who brings clients, money, or respect to an organization based solely on his or her association.
Enter Kelli Richards, my friend who is a maestro at strategic rainmaking. Her passion is bringing opportunity to both music and tech worlds by being a “human bridge” and has successfully done this for at least two decades… Read on…
Kelli is “In the Hot Seat”
Kelli is privileged to be the most recent “Industry Profile” featured guest on “In The Hot Seat” with Larry LeBlanc for CelebrityAccess. “In the Hot Seat” profiles entertainment leaders from around the world in a Q&A form. It was very exciting, and AAG invites you to click over and read the interview today!
Larry LeBlanc is widely recognized as one of the leading music industry journalists in the world. Before joining CelebrityAccess in 2008 as senior editor, he was the Canadian bureau chief of Billboard from 1991-2007 and Canadian editor of Record World from 1970-89. He was also a co-founder of the late Canadian music trade, The Record. He has been quoted on music industry issues in hundreds of publications including Time, Forbes, and the London Times. He is co-author of the book “Music From Far And Wide.”
This week In the Hot Seat with Larry LeBlanc: Kelli Richards, CEO and president, The All Access Group.
Kelli Richards has more experience in dealing with the convergence of music, entertainment, and technology than almost anyone you can name.
She’s had over two decades of experience championing these worlds, in fact.
Today, as president and CEO of The All Access Group based in Cupertino, California in the heart of Silicon Valley and host of All Access Radio, Richards strives to create alliances between large content and technology companies, major artists, and consumer brands.
Richards guides her clients through the maze of leading-edge technologies and connections in order to get their products to more people. According to this savvy, fast-talking entrepreneur, her focus is on “strategic rainmaking, and creating opportunities between innovative technologies for digital distribution, and branded entertainment content.”
For established music artists and celebrities, Richards engages direct-to-fan distribution channels to try to create new revenue streams that leverage their brand and extend their reach to more fans and broader markets.
Richards is widely-celebrated within both technology and music worlds for having launched digital music at Apple Inc. As director of music and entertainment markets from 1987 to 1997, she spearheaded all of the company’s digital music initiatives. She was a key part of a very small team which launched Apple’s earliest music initiatives that led eventually to the company launch of the media player computer program iTunes in 2001 after her departure.
In the mid-90s, Richards co-developed PatroNet, the first Internet-based artist subscription service with her Waking Dreams’ partner, producer/musician Todd Rundgren.
A former A&R executive at EMI Records, Richards has co-authored several books, including “Taking the Crowd to the Cloud – Social Media for the Music Industry” as well as the book/DVD, “The Art of Digital Music,” a compilation of interviews with 56 artists, producers, programmers, record label executives and music industry figures, including Glen Ballard, Chuck D, Thomas Dolby, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Jam, Alan Parsons, Phil Ramone, Todd Rundgren and Don Was.
What do you do at The All Access Group?
Before this I had run music at Apple for a decade before iTunes. That’s what got me engaged more actively on the tech side (of the music industry). When I left Apple (in late 1997) I basically took my job to the outside. I took the job that I was doing at Apple, which was being the person in charge of all of the music initiatives and the tech convergence, and I started working with disruptive technologies and working with tech companies and major artists, my two favorite groups of people. Bringing them together to create new opportunities.
If I am working with a major artist, I am leveraging all of my tech and brand relationships to help them with a digital strategy. If I am working with a start up tech company, I am bringing them relationships with big artists, and brand or tech companies; whoever they need (from) my network to accelerate their success. I am basically a rainmaker, but a very strategic one.
What artists have you worked with?
I have worked with about 300 artists over the past 14 years. I don’t like to namedrop with the artists that I work with or I have worked with. I do work with artists sometimes in a coaching capacity; and, sometimes in a strategy capacity. But more what I do is bring them into my work with tech companies. So I am reaching out to that network of artists that I am in touch with and cherry-picking which ones would resonate and make sense for new technology distribution models to bring them revenue.
What digital strategy would you suggest for an upcoming band with a great record and a regional buzz?
Unfortunately, I don’t work with indie artists. I only work with established artists that have a brand, and a following. I probably wouldn’t be able to help them. That’s a short conversation.
Why do you only work with major artists? In order to work on a larger canvas?
Yes. Because I deal on a bigger canvas. I want to be able to make things happen. I can do better for artists and expand their audiences because of their brand and their following than I can for a rising or an unknown artist. There are people who specialize in working with indie artists, I just don’t happen to be one of them.
It’s not that I don’t support indie artists; I think that’s the lifeblood of the business going forward. You have to have new artists, but I just don’t find that I can do as much for them as I can with the bigger artists.
You have also worked with numerous big companies.
Sony, Cisco, Motorola, Apple. Big companies all the way down to start-ups that you have never heard of. Some of which blew away in the wind in the 2009/2010 era, and some of which are still standing–and new ones all of time. That’s the power of being (based) in Silicon Valley, and I am very entrepreneurial.
There’s still a disconnect between the music and tech worlds, is there not?
Frankly, that’s why I have had a career over the past 14 years. That’s what I do. I help be a human bridge between those worlds, and I bring opportunity to both sides based on an understanding of how each works and the relationships that have been built.
Meanwhile, technology is changing so rapidly.
That’s why I have been leaning more in that direction for quite a long time now. We drive what is coming next, and we create new models and new revenue streams for artists, and that’s exciting to me. That fulfills the vision that I had from a very young age.
Are people in the technology sector becoming more music savvy?
Not really but, again, there’s opportunity for me and others who do get (understand) that space. What’s happening is more and more people are getting let go from labels and from the digital side as well. Those people are becoming peers and are consulting to the tech world. You see more of that happening all of the time. But, for the longest time, I was The Lone Ranger. There was me and, maybe, Ted Cohen and a couple of other colleagues. We were the only ones beating the drum (about music) on the digital side out there in the wilderness because nobody knew what we were talking about–trying to bring convergence between these two spaces.
I wouldn’t say that the labels were in denial about technology but…
I would. I would say that. And why wouldn’t that be? There was a (business) model that worked for over five decades where they were empowered and they had all of the profits. Why wouldn’t they want to keep that?
Gracenote’s Ty Roberts recently told me that the people running the record business now are his peers and that they know the technology world better.
I would have to agree with that. But do we have to wait for that first generation to retire before we see a seat change? Probably.
So many managers have beefed up their companies with technology experts while labels still seem to be lagging behind. At some labels, it just seems like there are a couple of tech whiz kids in the basement with no real power.
No kidding. We were just at one of the big labels, and it’s true. There were these 12 people huddled around this small conference table in the corner. But I am optimistic that the bright managers and the bright label executives are pushing tech, digital and social media as tools that are going to make a big difference in their approach to artists.
A decade ago, managers would ask their label what the marketing plan was for a project. Today, the savvy managers devise an overall marketing and digital strategy, and ask, “Where do you think you can fit in?”
Absolutely. That would be the right question. That’s what they do. Managers should be saying, “This is what our game plan is. This is what we are thinking. What are you aware of that we might be overlooking? What do you know about what we aren’t doing? That we should be harnessing. Either a technology or a company that has a platform we should be rolling into given what our goals are. Or what can you see that we are not even thinking about that makes sense to expand our audience to make more money for our artists?”
How many managers are truly qualified to deal with the changing world of technology? They really need outside help in most cases.
Let me tell you, I work as an extension to the artist team. They still have a manager. They have a booking agent. They have publicists. When I work with a big artist on strategy, I focus on their digital strategy, and what relationships they should align with. I work in tandem with the manager. I’m not trying to take the manager’s job, but to buffer what social media strategies they would use. Should they be engaging Topspin (Topspin Media)? Should they be doing online streaming concerts to promote a big tour? (Overseeing) all of these strategy components involving technology, digital and social media is almost its own role as you say.
A manager already has a lot on their plate.
Often, they will have a digital person on the team, if it’s a big enough management company.
You meet with majors’ managers. Are they not a lot savvier now about these technology issues as well?
You better believe it. Artist managers, in general, the best ones have become much more tech savvy. I just had a meeting with Jordan Berliant (partner) at The Collective. Jordan is extremely bright. He’s also one of these guys who’s been tech savvy from his early days. This guy is completely versed. You sit down with him, and you go through what you are working on with a couple of different startups and the guy is right there. Yes, he has a head of digital that works inside The Collective, but Jordan himself is extremely savvy about the power of these tools, and what they can do for his artists knowing which ones to engage. That is an example of a management firm really taking to heart the importance of digital. It’s not going away. It’s becoming a bigger part of the pie.
The smartest one of all was certainly Terry McBride for many years. I put Terry right at the top of the list with the Nettwerk Group. Terry had his vision of collapsed copyright and how to harness strategies to engage through all of these different digital and social tools in a very authentic way for his artists.
Still, the internet world has increasingly become much more complex.
Yes, yes. There are 180 social media platforms. How would you know which ones to even leverage for your artist if you weren’t in the middle of that world? You have to be in it. You have to be in the digital social world yourself to be able to guide an artist. It is a rare person who understands the artist; how they think and work and also understand the technology. But there are several people out there who do that. Myself included, but also Ty Roberts (chief technology officer, Gracenote) is another one and Ian Rogers (CEO, Topspin Media) is another one. There are so many of us out there trying to make sense of this for the artist. We are very artist-oriented.
Distribution has been made easier by the internet, but the one thing the labels still do better than anyone is providing a marketing sizzle.
Marketing, yes. You hit the word Larry. That’s what they do best. Marketing. That is what they do. That is what they are becoming — marketing firms.
Labels can still bring to the table their marketing expertise, which can be significant.
Yeah, I’m with you, Larry. I’m with you. There is still a role (for labels). I don’t want to be a label basher. (For) all of the different start-ups I work with, and with the models that I get excited about, I still have to go back to the labels, and bring them on board on some of these things. The meeting I took at the major recently, I could have gone artist by artist myself because I have relationships with the managers; but it would take me forever. I wanted some scale and speed. That is why I went to the label. But most people don’t have those artists and manager relationships, and they have to work with the label.
For a mid-level artist working globally, there are endless options, including releasing music through indies or through a major in some territories.
Oh yeah, there are so many options. That’s why an artist needs a manager to quarterback the strategy. That’s why they need a manager because the manager is more powerful than ever now. More so than when there was the full retinue at the label and everything else. The manager quarterbacks the strategy.
Today with the internet an artist can do a release themselves worldwide.
Of course. Or do a phase (of a release).
An artist can also still work with a major in certain territories.
As long as they have a reversion clause (in their contract), and get their masters back. That’s the important point. Keep your masters. Do one-offs.
With the internet being so global, how do you harness it directly to make an impact?
That’s the power of these social media tools is to let your fans be part of the process. It’s not linear anymore. It’s interactive. Let fans help promote you and watch what happens. For example, I’m working with Fankix where a band can do a concert online, and reach all corners of the globe with one concert in real time and have a time zone centric live Q&A after the show with the band and the fan base. They can do this all online. And they can have their fans engage with each other. The reason this is so powerful is that the fans get to meet each other globally. When did that ever happen?
Some artists use fan-funded tools like Kickstarter, Slice the Piece, and Pledge Music to pay for their albums, while others may leverage TopSpin to create unique bundles of goods that allow them to go direct-to-fan.
All of that. All virtual tip jars enabling bands to be underwritten by their fans much like what Todd (Rundgren) and I came up with PatroNet 17 years ago. Ian (Ian Rogers at Topspin Media) has just launched Sharealytics which is all about the data aspect of the power that we have with social media tools. Understanding where your fans are. What are they doing? Where do they live? What have they bought from you? What are they saying about you? Who are your biggest fans? This is powerful stuff.
The industry is moving from collecting data to finding out more what the data really means.
Yes. Wouldn’t you like to know where the majority of your fans work so you could route your touring appropriately? Which (fans), in particular, so you could do a shout out at concerts and encourage more people to become evangelists and street teams for you? Wouldn’t you like to know that? I think that an artist would like to know who bought how many T-shirts, and CDs from all parts of the world. How much money did they make?
Mobile phones becoming the indispensable voice/social networking-and-music companion has brought about the need for a deeper body of consumer and fan knowledge.
Absolutely. Smart phones, tablets, and apps.
Today, we carry around a traveling entertainment centre.
You’ve got it. The power of those platforms is that people aren’t tethered to their laptops or any other device in one place. They are carrying the artist with them everywhere they go. They are sharing the artist’s music with their friends, and with other fans on the fly. That’s the power of those tools. Now the artists are thinking, “Do I need an app?” Sting just spent close to $1 million on an app.
[Sting 25, released in Nov. 2011, celebrates the last 25 years of Sting’s career, as both a musician and a humanitarian and activist. Costs of the nearly $1 million app were apparently primarily covered by its two primary sponsors: American Express and Chevrolet.]
Not every artist needs an app, and an artist probably doesn’t need to spend $1 million on it. This is another example of artists shouldn’t do something for the sake of doing it because they are a lemming. They figure out with their team, what does it make sense for them to do, and in what context will they do it. “What would I do here that I could only do through this medium? How is this going to help me?”
Marketing has become a 365 day thing for artists.
That’s right. That’s a very important point. What a manager has to be thinking about is not just their marketing cycle around the band’s CD drop, and their tour. They have to be thinking about year-round engagement with the fans. What are they going to be doing for the artist and the fans year-round? You do have spikes around those CDs and touring and you can then really engage those fans in a much more authentic way as your street teams.
On the indie side, you want to look at collaborating (with others) and building a much bigger platform in a shared way so you can get more awareness.
I find Facebook helpful in building business relationships.
I find it even more impactful in my world as a tool to engage opportunities between big artists and brands based on their fans–on both sides–having social graph profiles. Fankix does just that. It pulls all that together. Because you have access to those fans’ social graph profiles, you know a lot about them, and too few people are harnessing that to their advantage. And I don’t mean poaching in a negative way. I mean leveraging them (the social graph profiles) in a positive way.
How do you do that? By going through fan profiles on the artist’s and sponsor’s Facebook pages?
Correct. You basically know who the fans are for that artist because they are connected to the artist. The artist promotes to them and encourages, in this case it’s Fankix that I am working on. If there’s an online concert happening, it’s in the band’s best interest to promote it to their fans. The fans come to the online concert, and they bring their friends with their Facebook social graph profiles.
Meanwhile, the brands that are involved bring their fans. Someone like Heineken has about half-a-million fans on Facebook. They bring their fans to the concert. Now the band that is participating gets the benefit of the half million Heineken fans. This is how you grow the system. This is how you monetize a broader audience for an artist and a deeper audience engagement for a brand. That’s where Facebook becomes an actual tool. Not just something to have a profile on.
With some exceptions, the major labels aren’t yet delivering on all of the different things available. Why wouldn’t labels liaise closer with automobile manufacturers 5, 10 or even 15 years ago?
Now you are singing my song. The problem with that particular example is that the artist railed against the concept of selling or whoring out their fans. They didn’t want to sell their fans to the car companies. Many still do rail out against that. They don’t want to impose on their fans. That was the stance for many years. But, Larry, that’s what changing. It’s changing if it’s done right because the brands can be integrated into the social experience in a way that is not intrusive or offensive to the fan and brings the revenue to the artist. Some of the brands have started their own record labels now.
Where does your interest in the technology side of music come from?
I was one of those weird people that I knew what I was going to do for a living at the age of eight. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in Silicon Valley. I’m a Cupertino native just like Steve Jobs. We grew up there; and it (technology) was kind of in the soil. Tech has always been a part of my world. I could see at a very young age where things were headed with the music and tech convergence. I could see what we were doing in technology in Silicon Valley and how that was going to have an impact on artists. I always knew that I wanted to work in the music industry ever since I saw (producer) George Martin when I was eight years old behind the Beatles on TV. I told my folks, “I don’t know what that man is doing but that’s what I want to do.” And I trained to be a record producer.
[Cupertino is one of the numerous cities claiming to be the heart of Silicon Valley, as many semi-conductor, and computer companies were founded there, and in the surrounding areas. The worldwide headquarters for Apple Inc. is located there. Among the companies also headquartered in Cupertino are: Trend Micro, Cloud.com, Lab126, Packeteer, Chordiant, and Seagate Technology. Over 60 high-tech companies have offices there, including IBM, Olivetti, and Oracle Corporation.]
Instead, you got an MBA at San Jose State University.
Yeah, I was the wrong gender (to be a producer then). But I got lucky, and I got hired by Neil Portnow (VP of A&R, EMI America Records) to be a junior A&R executive at EMI. That’s what led me in that direction. It was at the time that EMI America and Manhattan merged. It was late ‘80s. Joe Smith was running Capitol at the time. Jim Mazza was in charge (as president) of EMI America. Neil was in charge of A&R. It was in that era. It was a very turbulent era for the company. EMI had a funny roster at the time with Sheena Easton, John Waite, Thomas Dolby, and David Bowie.
I was at EMI for a good two years, and I worked with a number of artists, but I got tapped to go up to Apple to start their music focus. A colleague of mine was at Apple and he told me, “There’s rumbling around here that they want to start music as focus.”
You were at Apple Inc. for a decade. You lasted a long time.
Yes, I did.
What were you hired to do?
I was in the earliest group launching music. There was an interface that turned the Mac into a musical instrument that enabled musicians to have a home recording studio with Mac and ProTools. My claim to fame at Apple, unfortunately, was not iTunes. It was making sure that every musician and every filmmaker were passionate about using the Macintosh in their work, on the road, and in the studio.
That’s my claim to fame.
How much was music held in…
I was the lone voice. To be fair, I had other colleagues to work with in and out of that 10 year period. People like Dave Pakman, who later ran eMusic (and now is a partner at Venrock in New York). Kevin Saul had been the lawyer for me there. (As associate general counsel at Apple, Inc.), he remains the lawyer for the iTunes music stuff to this day. Some people have stuck around. Some people have gone in and out (of the company). In many ways, I never really left. I am still only a mile from the (Apple) campus. It’s my hometown.
You obviously worked with Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs.
Steve and I had many conversations. In fact, I kept the pilot light lit for him (when he left). I knew that he would come back to run the company in its darkest days. Everybody around me was saying, “You are absolutely crazy. This man is running two other companies. He’s never coming back.” Meanwhile, there I was like Don Quixote fighting windmills; trying to make sure that people (at Apple) would understand that music was the killer app for the company. There I was running around the hallways saying, “Music is the killer app.” Nobody wanted to hear it.
So I was keeping the pilot light going, and Steve was able to come back and enable the vision I and some of my colleagues had to make music key and to change the industry. I would have loved to have been part of if I had had the power when I was there. But I was not empowered because the CEO, the people at the top (before Jobs returned) didn’t see music as driving everything.
[In a May 24th 1985 board meeting, Apple’s board of directors sided with CEO John Sculley in a dispute with co-founder Steve Jobs, and removed Jobs from his managerial duties as head of the Macintosh division. Jobs resigned from Apple five months later, and founded NeXT Inc. the same year. In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group (later renamed Pixar) from Lucasfilm’s computer graphics division for the price of $10 million. In 1996, Apple bought NeXT for $429 million, bringing Jobs back to the company he co-founded. Jobs became CEO again in 1997.]
It was really tough to know that is where it (music and technology) was headed. It was like when Todd (Rundgren) and I knew where artist 360 was headed and we had to wait a decade for our vision to come to life. It happened to me several times in my career.
Between 1978 and 2006 there were a number of legal disputes between Apple Computer and Apple Corps owned by The Beatles.
Yes, the problem was we got ourselves into a few lawsuits with Apple Records. I had to then hold the line with a three page edict (of limitations) when we lost the first two go-arounds so we couldn’t cross the line as to what Apple could do in music. When Steve came back, of course, and won the third lawsuit (in 2006), everything changed.
What sort of limitations had there been?
I can’t divulge, even to today, what the terms were, but I had to toe the line with three pages of things that we could not cross the line. That was under Neil Aspinall’s rule. Neil (manager of Apple Corps) and I became colleagues as well before his death (in 2008). He was a great guy. But it was just the way it was. It was business. It wasn’t personal.
What did you learn working with Todd Rundgren for four years?
Well, Todd and I were two people that shared the same vision. We absolutely could see where things were headed. We were both music tech geeks. Put Ty (Roberts) in there too. Because that’s when I first hooked up with Ty. We all shared the same vision to where things were headed. Todd and I were very complementary. I was very business-oriented, and very tech-oriented. This is an artist. Todd is very artistic in his approach to everything he does. I think that it was a good partnership. I think that we were very complementary and God, to work with a genius. To have been able to work with Steve Jobs, and Todd Rundgren, these are two of the smartest people that anybody could be able to work with. They are brilliant. They are geniuses.
I remember you organizing Music Biz 2005, a futuristic conference in 1999.
That was my conference. I produced that.
One of the first technology and music conferences?
Well no. I am a pioneer in digital music from day one. But that was in the mid-90s and there were other conferences. There were Plug.In by Jupiter and Web Noise. There were many of these conferences; maybe about a half-dozen, and there were many people that were there in those days that are still very active now.
[Music Biz 2005 (MB-5) took place Oct. 15-17, 1999 at the Ex’pression Center for New Media in Emeryville, California. The event was organized by a group of Bay Area industry veterans: producer David Schwartz; co-producer Kelli Richards; operations manager Keith Hatschek; executive producers Leslie Ann Jones, Steve Savage, Gary Platt, and Peter Laanen; and associate producers Andrew Keen and Craig Deonik.]
Still Music Biz 2005 was the first conference to offer industry leaders the opportunity to dive into the latest recording, music creation, and internet technologies. Most conferences then were technology driven.
Actually, they were run by research companies for the most part or by journalists. You’re right. We designed that conference very deliberately. We pulled together people out of the artist world, and the technology world. And I think that we were one of the earliest to do that.
The conference was timely being in 1999; in the midst of Napster and a recording industry not knowing how to react to the internet, and music downloading. It was an era of uncertainty.
Yes it was, however, a lot of us in the room had a very clear road map–a blueprint–where things were headed. We could see it as clear as day. And it took a decade for a lot of people to even get close to what we were talking about. It all came true. Everything that we said.
For example, Todd and I came up with the company Waking Dreams, and a venture that turned into the earliest form of an artist 360 (deal). The venture was called PatroNet. The goal was to have established artists break free, and go direct to their fans based on the fact that they were the brand, and they had a powerful following in their fan base. And their fans would underwrite them. They wouldn’t need a label anymore, and they would have multiple revenue streams. This, of course, has all come about; but, at the time, it was heresy. This was in 1995. First of all nobody understood what the hell we were talking about and even if they did understand it they were terrified. What if we were right? We were right but we were way too early.
An almost plantation mentality existed back then between artists and their labels.
Oh, you used that word very deliberately. That’s what happened with Prince. Don’t you recall when he changed his name into the symbol? That is why he did that. His whole stance was, “This is a plantation mentality. I am a black artist. I’m being screwed just like my predecessors were. I’m going to re-record my masters and stick it to the man,” and that is exactly what he did.
Artists were absolutely tied to the labels.
It was a linear, one-way system. It was the only way you could have a career, period. That was it. One way linear; one-dimensional. An artist either signed to a label or they didn’t. They gave the label all of their rights or they would just forget about having a career. Of course, that is what we were so up in arms about, Todd and I, in the mid-90s, along with many others.
The power of the labels was then that they controlled distribution.
They did and when the internet came about many of us could see that that was the crack in the ice that was going to change everything.
Why did you believe that? The internet was such a narrow pipe in its earliest form.
Yeah, yeah but we could see where it was headed. We could see that broadband was going to come. We could see that everybody was going to be using this. We didn’t really foresee social media at the time; but we did foresee direct to fan and we were evangelizing–even at that 1999 conference–the importance of artists starting to engage directly with their fans with whatever tools that were available in technology and that more would come and that is exactly what has made all of the difference. Now we talk about social engagement.
Newcomer bands need to sign with a label to become successful internationally while a major act isn’t as dependent.
It’s funny, that coming from a label background, I’m not a big label fan. But even for the big artists, there’s still a need for them (labels) in a controlled way. For one-off distribution to big-box retailers; and for their marketing and promotional muscle. Period. You never want to give them your masters. You never want to give them your domain names. You never want to give them your publishing. You want to keep all of your rights and offer them a seat at the table on your terms. That’s the way it works now. If you are a big artist, you’ve got that kind of leverage. Or forget it. If you are big enough, you don’t need to use a label at all.
You are also a talent producer for award shows, and you organize celebrity fundraisers.
I cross-pollinate. Being that I am based in Cupertino in Silicon Valley, one of the things that I do is that I bring artists and celebrities opportunity to perform in front of tech companies; to be part of marketing campaigns; play at conferences; play at CES (the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow), what have you. So there’s that brokering part of my work as well. I recently brought Jerry Seinfeld to perform at Cisco to perform at an employee anniversary event at the request of John Chambers, the company’s CEO. That’s another piece of what I do. I work all across the spectrum.
I am also a certified life coach, if you can believe it, and I work with celebrities and artists as well as innovators and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley to bring them the next phase of growth in their lives. What is it they would like to do that they are not doing? Have they been on the road too long? Do they want more balance (in their lives)? We work through those kind of softer issues as well to bring them more fulfillment and more enrichment in the life.
My career has always been about working with artists, and enabling them new opportunities to reach and engage with their fans. It has always been my core passion for my whole career; for my whole life.
Larry LeBlanc is widely recognized as one of the leading music industry journalists in the world. Before joining CelebrityAccess in 2008 as senior editor, he was the Canadian bureau chief of Billboard from 1991-2007 and Canadian editor of Record World from 1970-89. He was also a co-founder of the late Canadian music trade, The Record. He has been quoted on music industry issues in hundreds of publications including Time, Forbes, and the London Times. He is co-author of the book “Music From Far And Wide.”
Digital Music East, Justin Timberlake, MySpace TV, and Where it’s All Headed
Human beings love music. It’s universally appreciated across all cultures and economic stations, all political and philosophical groups, and all ages. In fact, it threads itself, an incredibly strong communication tool, through generations. The impact of music is something that has never changed – it is as constant and timeless as humanity itself. It is as broad as the bridge from the Beatles to Irving Berlin and from Timberlake to Tchaikovsky.
But that’s about the ONLY thing in the music industry that is constant, everything else has been thrown up in chaos, redefining itself almost daily – often faster than even the most tech-savvy consumer can access – and certainly faster than artists and labels can learn. It’s not just the distribution and technology either; it’s the ever-shifting rights and monetization. Throw in the shape-shifting virtual and social spaces, and we’re looking at a virtual whirlwind of talent, tech and timing.
This is a time when mentors and leaders become uber vital to an artist’s process, and events like Digital Music Forum East (and West) become a beacon that attracts both the futurists and the icons of the industry. This year’s Digital Music East happens in only a few weeks in New York and focuses on the five most vital parts of the industry today: Music-Tech, Rights, Distribution, Monetization and The Future.
Each series includes a number of 15-minute presentations by the top leaders and innovators in the music industry and panel discussions on hot topics, including:
Music and the Social Web
Music, Money & Innovation
New Technologies & the Artist
Rights & Licensing: If I Wanted to Reform Music Copyright Law, I Would…
What’s Next In Digital Distribution Models?
Monetizing the Music Experience: It’s Not Just About Selling Music Anymore
Predictions & Provocations about the Future of Technology & the Music
I will personally be speaking on “Taking the Crowd to the Cloud,” and basic info and tips on social media for indies and legends, the subject of my recent Amazon #1 bestseller on 2/23 at 11am. I was amazed to see how many artists did not know the variety of social spaces available to them, like podcast creators and streaming radio opps, such as BlogTalkRadio, and writing my eBook was a chance to provide a starting point for those new to the social space and Direct-to-Fan distribution.
Because in all fairness, even for the seasoned veteran in social media, this is a space that can raise even the portals to the highest of highs and then dump them when the next great triple E ride comes along, like the death of MySpace and the rise of Facebook. And don’t think it can’t happen again. Or UNhappen. MySpace’s new benefactor, Justin Timberlake himself, is poised and ready to become the darling of real-time web TV – according to him at least. “The future of MySpace is about what you’re going to do. About who you’re going to become,” he said in a brief presentation. “MySpace TV is the first foray into that future.”
MySpace TV will still encompass the site’s library of 42 million songs and 100,000 music videos, and it will enable instant communication and huge search-ability around them between friends.
Who knows where MySpace TV will go from there? “As the plot of your favorite drama unfolds the joke of your favorite SNL character plays or even the last-second shot of your favorite team swishes the net, we’re giving you the opportunity to connect your friends to your moments as they’re actually occurring. This is the evolution of one of our greatest inventions, the television,” said Timberlake. For the millions of artists who had invested their time and music and audiences on MySpace, I hope he’s right.
Kelli Richards
CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
Thousand-Mile View of Life
One of my highlights for 2011 was a thousand-mile-high ride on a Zeppelin. Yes, one of those huge dirigibles that float over concerts and sporting events. Riding in a Zeppelin is a rare opportunity – in fact, there are only two airships in circulation for passengers – one in Germany and one in Silicon Valley. Rumor has it that the reason there was a free seat for me was because Mark Zuckerberg’s sister backed out at the last moment. I literally had only moments to make the decision and clear my calendar (no easy feat).
You can walk around the cabin of an airship, open the windows and actually stick your head outside! A true perspective changer for all of us, believe me. The thousand mile view of the world below can truly open up your vision, and as we passed over Stanford University, I began to think about Steve’s commencement speech and his advice, to stay hungry and stay foolish. A lifetime ago, I was part of the Apple MBA program. Only a handful of Apple employees were privileged to be part of that experience – a fully-accredited MBA program paid for by Apple, run on the Apple campus and offered during work hours. Apple’s commitment to inspiring the best thinking in their leaders was remarkable.
I am never far from Apple, even though my work there – which helped launch Apple’s entry into music – was two decades ago. In addition to my MBA, like all Apple Alums, I’ve experienced some of the best collaborations in my life on that campus. Something powerful entrepreneurs and executives try to bring to the table every day – but often fall short. It’s what makes Apple Alums continue to seek one another out. We’ve lived the results of stellar commitment, amazing collaboration and such out-of-the-box thinking that we literally changed the world. That is enough to shift anyone’s perspective, even long after moving on to new adventures and successes. And like the airship, it created a lifelong, thousand-mile perspective.
On December 8th I hosted a breakfast attended exclusively by a small, core group of Apple Alumni. This was an amazing experience, and leads me to the planning stages of my latest coaching program, focused on Apple Alums and what we want to create next in the world and in our lives.
As we are all painfully aware, there’s no other (active) forum like this out there, which enables Apple Alum to interact in a focused, empowering way, to share connections and ideas, and to support one another in achieving powerful goals in work and life. The Apple Alum Coaching Program will engage alums in an alliance of confidential trust and synergy to solve current business challenges as well as take advantage of opportunities for growth with colleagues who share a common DNA. The connection to the Apple community is still key for many, and this program is the first of its kind to offer a forum of networking and synergistic alliances among Apple Alum who are characteristically “A-players”.
Here are just a few of the many Results and Benefits you can expect when this program is launched:
*Clarify purpose, goals, direction and legacyin your work and life.
*Gain powerful and empowering insights and feedback from kindred, like-minded peers that can propel you forward.
*Create a life of more meaning and authenticity that’s in alignment with who you really are and what you want to do in the world at this stage.
*Address whatever obstacles are holding you back from achieving goals.
*Learn to jettison things in your work or life that may no longer serve you.
*Leverage best practices, tools, and resources to your own advantage.
*Develop (or renew) powerful connections in networking who you can team up with to create even more success during this next phase of your life.
I’m not 100% sure what the platform for delivering this program will be – whether it will be a high-end weekend retreat, a series of networking events, or perhaps a virtual platform, but I do know that it is sorely needed, and as an alum AND a coach, I’m excited about creating the space for it.
Kelli Richards
CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
A Fireside Chat with Jack Buser, Director of PlayStation Home
I recently interviewed my good friend Jack Buser on my weekly online radio show. Jack Buser is the Director of PlayStation Home, which is a 3D virtual world and social game platform on the PS3. Home recently underwent a major redesign, and we were eager to hear about the new benefits and features. Jack is also responsible for driving business initiatives and activities for the 3D community-based social gaming platform, overall and was previously the Director of Worldwide Technology Evangelism at Dolby Labs, so he has a keen understanding of the impact of tech on real-world applications, like gaming and entertainment.
PlayStation Home is filled with hundreds of games – everything from pool tables and dart boards to full-on space shooters like Novus Prime: Escalation and massive online racing games like Sodium 2: Project Velocity. With Jack Buser at the helm, Home is leading the virtual world in community based user experiences, and doing an amazing job of it!
Jack started his career as the “Tech Evangelist” for Dolby, a role that launched him as a leading voice in the worlds of tech and entertainment. I asked him about that time in his life and his contributions to Dolby, the industry giant in sound technology.
Kelli: Jack, talk to me a little bit about your work at Dolby – what did you feel your biggest achievement was as a Tech Evangelist there, and how has that work and that role carried over into your work at Sony?
Jack Buser: Sure, well Dolby is a fantastic company. I spent almost ten years there. We did a variety of different things, from deploying Dolby sound for games to the point where now it’s very hard to buy a game that’s not supporting full-on Dolby surround sound… We also worked on online delivery of movie content, making sure that even though you’re just streaming a movie over the internet that you’re still getting that full theater experience. And all three of these experiences are implemented in the best possible way in the PlayStation3. It’s one of the big reasons I was so excited to come work here at Sony Playstation – because we have such a powerful console with the PS3. … You can actually watch movies through Netflix and Hudu and our own movie service in full-on Dolby surround sound. And of course, surround sound in games… I mean, games on PlayStation3 are second to none, full high definition graphics and full on 7.1 surround sound. I mean, we’re talking about the best of the best experience…
Kelli: So you really went from the best company, in its niche and moved on to the best company in its unique niche. You actually became something of a human bridge, unifying those two worlds in a sense…
Kelli: Jack, we’re seeing some amazing collaborations in tech and gaming lately. I don’t know if you know this, but the artist Thomas Dolby literally introduced new music to his fans through a game called “The Floating City” a few months ago. Jack, do you see this marriage between gaming and other content producers – like musicians, for instance, being one of the next big things in gaming?
Jack Buser: One of the most exciting things we’ve been doing with music lately is actually releasing music in the form of virtual items inside of virtual Home. This is a whole new way of actually deploying music content. Specifically, PlayStation Home users tend to be the most voracious consumers of media on the PlayStation3 Platform – and trust me, PlayStation3 owners are already a very self-selected group of folks that love their media. And we’ve actually been releasing music specifically in the form of a virtual item – specifically in the form of boom box or a sound system or a radio – and you can actually take these boom boxes or radios and put them in your own personal space and have your own parties. The first one we ever actually released was in collaboration with an artist named 8 Bip Weapon, who is a chip tunes artist. For your listeners who don’t know chip tunes, it’s basically music made with very old gaming consoles. … He became an overnight celebrity on PlayStation Home, as people bought his boom box, in the shape of an old school arcade game with huge speakers on it, just cranking up these awesome chip tunes….
Kelli: I wonder how that translated into the real world in terms of sales.
Jack Buser: I’ll tell you this, when you deploy inside a platform like PlayStation Home, you’re talking about deploying to a global audience of over 20 million users. So there are very few platforms as effective at getting your name out there and getting you exposed to a large number of folks…
Kelli: Of course, no secret here. You and I have talked for years now about integrating music into more of the gaming experience….
Jack Buser: And you’re seeing it in new ways. It’s becoming much more flexible. In the early days of game audio, it was basically licensing your tracks into game soundtracks, but now there are so many different options, due to all these social platforms and all these new delivery mechanisms. You know PlayStation Music Network even has an actual music service built in. I mean the opportunities are numerous on game platforms.
Kelli: The other thing about audio and music that’s changed is that it used to be an afterthought. You know, I was like, “Uh oh, wait, we need some music in there before we ship it.” Now with the example we just used around what Thomas Dolby is doing, building his music AROUND the game, we’re seeing tighter integration and more forethought about it – as a strategy ahead of time.
Jack Buser: Oh absolutely. Music is so critical to the game experience today. So many music tracks have just broke as a part of just being part of a hit game. One of the things we’re also seeing in Home that’s super exciting is live concerts. Where actually artists can perform LIVE, inside of PlayStation Home. You can actually see your favorite artists inside the world, live, playing your favorite song… the possibilities are almost endless.
You can hear the entire interview series on her website at https://AllAccessRadio.com – just go to Resources and choose Podcast.
Kelli Richards
CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
Related Reading: 12 Surprising Health Benefits of Playing Video Games
Fankix: The New Wave in Social Entertainment
Fankix delivers music to fans around the world with a unique social experience, deeper interaction with musicians and first-rate authentic content at no cost.
They provide artists with a new promotional platform, increased engagement with fans and a new way to be discovered through social networks. Fankix also provides an innovative and more effective way to engage with consumers than TV commercials, banner ads and Internet video pre-roll. In the ever-changing world of digital, Fankix is the biggest stage in the world.
Most recently, Fankix is bringing Lena Katina, formally form the Russian Duo “t.A.T.u” to their online stage. Fankix is inviting FANS from all around the world to dance, chat, and have the best time of their lives with their friends – all during the LIVE show.
Lena Katina will be performing exclusive, never before heard songs from her upcoming solo album. The show will be December 13th, 2011. For more information, show times and to get free tickets, visit www.FanKix.com.
Don’t forget to “Like” Fankix on their Facebook Fan page for updates and upcoming shows. https://www.facebook.com/FanKix
Kelli Richards
CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
Cool or Not Cool? Bandzoogle and it’s Cool Connection to Direct-to-Fan
I recently interviewed Dave Cool, the “voice” of Bandzoogle. Dave Cool writes the Bandzoogles’ blog, well known for inspiring and supporting Bandzoogle’s #1 mission: To make Direct-to-Fan a very real accomplishment for artists and bands everywhere.
Dave Cool is perhaps best known for having directed and produced the documentary film “What is INDIE? A look into the World of Independent Musicians” which documented the experience of being an independent artist in the music industry. That movie actually became it’s own testament about the power of Direct-to-Fan, creating a huge movement around indie music and the process that independent musicians go through around today’s new tech and the seemingly endless opportunities.
The film featured several leading experts in the music industry, including Derek Sivers (CD Baby) and Panos Panay (Sonicbids), as well as with 20 independent artists. Without any background in film and funded entirely on his own, Dave Cool took the film from a small do-it-yourself project and turned it into an indie success story in its own right, with the film screening all over the world and being mentioned on CNN.com and in Newsweek Magazine.
A big inspiration in the world of musicians and bands, Dave inspires artists to keep control of their content on as many levels as possible and to maximize their fan outreach and merchandising. If you are a musician breaking out in today’s world, this is a must. In the end, however, one thing Cool makes infinitely clear, is that it’s still about doing great work.
Bandzoogle is a web-based platform for artists and bands, allowing them to create a dot.com website – something bands MUST have, especially in the world of ever-changing social media. If a band puts their energies into MySpace, for instance, well… we all know what happened there. So a Facebook page is great, but a dot.com is still a necessity, and Bandzoogle is the leader in making this accessible and easy – ”Easy enough for even the drummer to do,” jokes Dave Cool during our interview.
He also spoke quite a bit about social media NOT being a one-size-fits-all – and perhaps not being a good fit for some artists at all. (Sacrilege right?)
You can hear this interview in its entirety at https://bit.ly/DaveCool and you can get a complimentary digital copy of “What is INDIE?” when you sign up for Dave’s mailing list at: https://bit.ly/hs4uk6
Kelli Richards
CEO
The All Access Group, LLC
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3 Tips for Success with Word of Mouth Referrals in a Hyperconnected World
Medium.com, July 2021 – Dive into the realm of human connection and value, and you’ll experience exponential returns in your professional relationships and your business growth. Read the entire article here: https://medium.com/@kelli-richards/3-tips-for-success-with-word-of-mouth-referrals-in-a-hyperconnected-world-f7c13360dbf6
Life Beyond Labels
Bust through Barriers, Move Past Mediocrity, and Embrace Your Creativity as a Result! Beyond the pandemic that has affected us across the globe externally, there is an equally insidious epidemic that has happened to many of us internally that is not widely discussed but which can be just as crippling – and for far more than a couple of years; for many of us it’s something that if not addressed consciously and mindfully can affect us for our whole life. I’m talking about the impact of imprinting and conditioning that starts when we’re small and builds over time. Simply put, the effect of others labeling us – and ultimately labeling ourselves – without regard to the often crippling consequences. No Surgeon General’s Warning You know how on packs of cigarettes there used to be a warning about how smoking cigarettes could be harmful to your health (duh!)? Well, unfortunately, there’s no such warning about the impact of imposing (nearly always false!) labels on others and ourselves – I wish there were! Did anyone ever tell you that you weren’t good enough at something? Or that you’d never amount to anything? Or that you weren’t smart enough? Or that you weren’t creative? That kind of labeling starts when we’re young, and it can leave a lasting, lingering imprint if we don’t address it. By contrast, when we have parents, relatives and teachers who encourage our individual gifts and talents, we’re far more likely to thrive – in school, at work and in life! An avid reader as a child (and something of a loner inherently), I was told I wasn’t good at sports and should stay focused on my intellectual side. As a result, I never engaged in team sports and didn’t pursue athletics in any way other than as an observer. No surprise, when people were chosen for sports teams in school, I was always among the last to be picked. Though my mom encouraged my sister and me to engage in arts and crafts. Though I actually won awards for my projects, my sister was dubbed “the artistic one,” and me “the intellectual.” When John Lennon was five, at school his teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. He wrote down “Happy.” She told him he didn’t understand the assignment, and he told her that she didn’t understand life. Wise beyond his years even then at five years old! More recently my friend rocker Paul Stanley of KISS recently observed something similar. A mother tweeted how her six-year-old daughter painted an amazing scene in an after-school art club and the art teacher told her she’d done it wrong. She was so upset as art was her favorite thing to do. Paul was mortified. He responded to the child through her mother, “your art is AWESOME!! There is no such thing as doing art ‘wrong.’ There are only teachers who are wrong! Keep doing exactly what you’re doing; I LOVE it!” How about you? What labels have you carried throughout your life, and how have they impacted how you saw and interacted with the world in terms of barriers or constraints? Busting Through (Usually False) Labels Is Liberating As a result of growing up and living these false labels, we adopt belief systems about who we are and what we are and aren’t capable of. And we diminish our capabilities, hold ourselves back, and limit our life circumstances – all because of things others said that we took on as being true about us. When you realize that you are not the labels others have imposed on you, you can free yourself to take back your power and choose to see yourself differently. When you see that those were just belief systems that no longer serve you (and never did – and weren’t even true!), you are free to take on whatever is calling to you to be and do now. For example, you’re being led to take up painting (maybe for the first time ever) – but you’ve held that you weren’t creative all your life – try taking a class and dabbling in it; wade in and prove that in fact that believe was a lie. One highly effective tool to begin breaking loose these old beliefs and thought patterns about ourselves is to question the truth about them. Byron Katie is an author and speaker who teaches a method of self-inquiry known as “The Work” (and has published books and courses on this approach). Effectively it encourages us with four powerful but simple questions to address stressful beliefs, anxieties, and assumptions that may have held us in their grip for years and gently moves us to self-evaluate whether these are really true – and to re-frame new possibilities that are likely to be more positive and freeing allowing us to move forward in our lives with peace and ease. What Might Be Possible if You Embrace the Label of “Creator” (Get Curious) A colleague of mine, Steve Chandler, is an inspiring coach and author. One of my favorite books of his addresses this topic head-on – and it’s simply called “Creator” (I highly recommend it). Can you see how powerful it can be to make some time for introspection to consider where you may have held yourself back by living old beliefs, labels, and limitations that others (or you yourself) have imposed on you that have resulted in you playing small or holding yourself back in life? Can you also see the promise and potential in terms of what’s possible in your life when you shift out of those debilitating mindsets? I hope you’ll make the time and effort to get curious, take a closer look and evaluate this for yourself. You owe it to yourself and to those you love to take the reins of your life, embrace the truth about your gifts and talents and who you really are, and plot a truly empowered course from here forward. I’d love
Mastering the Art of Celebrity Wrangling
Medium.com, June 2021. From Seinfeld to Jason Momoa, from Lady Gaga to Gwen Stefani… How to engage the right celebrity for your event. Read the entire article here: https://medium.com/@kelli-richards/mastering-the-art-of-celebrity-wrangling-fd5f11d81798
What Do You Long to Resume Post-Pandemic?
Medium.com, June 2021. Some thoughts as I walk into the light of day… Read the entire article here: https://kelli-richards.medium.com/what-do-you-long-to-resume-post-pandemic-bdb35c3ad006
When You’re at a Fork in The Road; Re-inventing Your Life and Legacy
Medium.com, May 2021. When the Magic Question is: What’s Next? (Reinventing Your Life Around Your Values, Passion and What Matters Most as Your Legacy). Read the entire article here: https://medium.com/@kelli-richards/when-youre-at-a-fork-in-the-road-re-inventing-your-life-and-legacy-db044f71bf3c
A Treasure Trove Series for Beatle Lovers
Medium.com, May 2021. Beatleologist Scott Freiman has archived all manner of photos, video clips, and other rare and unique Beatle memorabilia. Here’s more about it! Read the entire article here: https://medium.com/@kelli-richards/a-treasure-trove-series-for-beatle-lovers-61aed23dd0ba
Sharkpreneur Podcast with Seth Greene & Kevin Harrington
I was Seth’s guest on the June 7th show. It’s a brief and punchy podcast that was a lot of fun to do. You can listen to it here. I think you’ll like it!
Forget Your Troubles, Come On Get Happy
Over the past year, since the pandemic and subsequent shut-downs have up-ended our world, there have been many things to worry about (legitimately). That said worrying is most often a complete waste of time and energy. It doesn’t solve the issues we’re faced with. Clear thinking and focused action solve problems. Worry and anxiety simply mask our thinking (like a Band-Aid) and drain us of vital energy when we could be applying our minds towards tangible solutions. Here are a few tips to support you in reducing your worries and embracing your life. Take a Closer Look The next time anxiety strikes and you feel overwhelmed or paralyzed, the best thing to do is to slow down and pause to stop the monkey mind that goes on in your brain. With just a brief break in the action and a deep breath, you can regain your composure, reflect on the situation objectively, and identify possible options to address it. You can reach out for support from trusted others around you as desired to provide you with much-needed perspective and insights. From there, map out your worry about the situation in detail—and jot down at least three alternate courses of action you could take to address it. Options demonstrate there are several ways you can look at what’s going on, that you have choices, they can support your confidence, and provide you with the realization that you have more control over the situation than you first thought. It’s all about how you react. By giving yourself a temporary pause, writing down and reflecting on the cause of your anxiety, you gain emotional distance. From there you can more objectively evaluate your options and which one feels like the best course of action in the moment. The more action you take, the more your worries fade away and the better your feel. Accept the Worst-Case Scenario When you break down your fears and get to the essence of what’s creating your anxiety, you come to the worst-case scenario around a given situation. At that point, you can see whether you could accept that scenario (the answer is usually yes if you get creative with options), and you can also evaluate objectively the likelihood of that worst-case outcome really taking place. Most often the reality is that it won’t happen, and if it did, that you’d be equipped to handle it. For example, let’s say that you or your spouse gets laid off from your job unexpectedly. That’s a big fear that many people have! Typically either you have some emergency savings set aside in a rainy day fund and/or you’ll have some form of severance (and unemployment pay) and/or one of you is still bringing in an income. Reducing your spending while the person out of work seeks a new job is often quite helpful—and you find that you may have been overspending on things that you didn’t really need to, which in itself can lead to better habits moving forward. You probably wouldn’t lose your house, and if you did then what? You may be able to move in with family or friends temporarily (or rent a place) until you got back on your feet financially. Would these be challenging options to have to deal with? Yes, but you would survive what undoubtedly would be a reasonably temporary situation. If you had to start over you could. Knowing that you could survive your worst-case scenario provides you with a sense of calm, confidence, and peace of mind allowing you to take action and forge ahead. Contain And Address Your Concerns The best way to address your concerns (assuming they are valid versus your mind running amok) is to take focused action to move through them. When you can compartmentalize the situation at hand that’s got you in its grip, you can take the actions that are yours to take—and then get on with the rest of your life. Whatever’s causing the anxiety doesn’t need to paralyze you and your whole world as long as you’re taking productive steps toward resolving your concerns. Again, this is where having a great support system and people in your inner circle that you can talk through options with can be instrumental in helping you get through trying times and unexpected challenges. They can support you emotionally and mentally to re-frame your reality, provide perspective, and often come up with creative options and solutions you may not have thought of in the heat of the moment when you’re too close to the situation at hand. You’ve Got This When something shakes up your world, give yourself the gift of a “time out” to pause, reflect and address the situation with calm, objectivity and support. That in itself should provide some much-needed relief. Keep breathing and keep the faith. When you trust yourself and come from a position of agency and composure knowing you can take care of virtually any situation (and manage your anxiety when it arises), you can often right the ship by identifying solutions and specific actions you can take to handle whatever is going on in your life. Remember that when you take care of today, tomorrow takes care of itself. No matter what, you’ve got this!
My SPITR i’view with Lee Abrams, Legend/Visionary/Architect of Media Evolution
The video podcast series “Who Knew – Smartest People in the Room” continues to deliver a range of terrific fireside chats with leaders in music/tech sharing their experiences and insights that have (and continue to) shape the space over time. I’m a guest host for the series, and recently enjoyed a wonderful conversation with Lee Abrams on media evolution.
The Lost Art of Being HONORABLE
Doing Right By Ourselves and Others as a Mindful Practice Many of us were raised with the edict of “The Golden Rule.” You remember that one, don’t you? Essentially “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It seems to me people used to treat each other with more kindness and respect, with an intent to honor their commitments to one another, and to lift each other up with an eye towards improving and enhancing each other’s lives. Was that some utopian vision of yore? I don’t think so. But in recent times it appears those social mores have gone by the boards to a certain extent – and I’m hoping that as conscious individuals many of us will do what we can to restore them in our daily rounds and interactions with others. Because to do so is a sign of embracing our humanity and empathy and is something we are in control of. What it Means to be Honorable and Why it Matters Another timeless saying in our society is “your word is your bond.” The implication is that we act with honor and integrity and that when we make a commitment to someone or something, we follow-through and do what we say we’re going to. People can count on us; we are accountable. And again, that seems to be something that is more the exception than the norm. We need to be able to count on each other in life and in business; it’s how we make our decisions about who to be in a relationship with – in our choices of partners, friends, and in our business colleagues, bosses and the businesses and organizations we choose to engage with. When people behave honorably and honor their word, that’s when trust develops. Without it, at best we become cynical and operate at arm’s length with others – and life can become a long slow trod through enemy territory where we have to be on our guard at every corner. By contrast, when we engage with people who are honorable (and we are ourselves), we can relax and be our authentic selves, do our best work, and have an impact in creating the type of society and communities we choose to live in, a world where we have each others’ backs, and where we can count on each others’ support. That’s the type of role model we seek to create as an influence on our children and future generations. In this orientation, we can truly thrive. How Being Honorable Makes a Difference for Ourselves and Others There are many facets of how this looks and plays out – many examples beyond what we can cover in this brief article. One is transparency in business. Are we authentic and straightforward with our partners, colleagues, clients and shareholders in good times and bad, even when things have gone awry? Another is practicing kindness to others. Instead of bemoaning that a homeless person comes into an outdoor dining area with their shopping cart and sits among you and your fellow diners – do you chastise them and wish they would leave, or do you pick up the tab for their meal realizing one act of kindness can have a ripple effect to relieve someone’s misery and an otherwise challenging existence? And of course, there is being honorable to yourself. When you make a commitment to improve your own health and well-being, do you do what you said you were going to do in terms of regular exercise, eating healthy food, and practicing other self-care habits that can get you there, or do you succumb to self-sabotaging habits that contributed to the state you’re in that you’re seeking to shift out of? These are all things that can not only improve our own condition and that of our society (one act and mindful commitment at a time) – but that have a ripple effect on those we engage with. And the best news is that we’re in full control of behaving honorably many times in a given day. Ideas to Improve Being Honorable as Part of a Mindful Practice *When you make a commitment to yourself and others, show up and take action, and do what you said you would do (simple as that). If you can’t or you’ve changed your mind, choose again, recommit to your new direction, and let others know what they CAN count on you for. *Be authentic and transparent – that’s honoring in and of itself. If a mistake gets made or circumstances change and you can’t honor your original intention – let those around you know, take ownership and responsibility, and share what you are willing to do from here forward. Don’t disappear, “ghost” others, and retreat – that’s cowardly and makes problems worse. *Adopt a mindset of kindness and do what you can to support the well- being and success of others when you can. It can be simple gestures like smiling and waving at others, lending an ear or a shoulder to someone who’s having a challenging time, or something more complex like making a referral or writing a check when you can that has the potential to make a real difference in someone’s life. You’re literally investing in someone else’s success and paying it forward. What would life be like if more of us chose to behave this way on an ongoing basis? We don’t have control of a lot in this complex world – especially in times of challenge and chaos as we’ve been enduring with the pandemic and other global circumstances of late, but we DO have control over how we treat ourselves, and how we interact with others – which with daily practice and intent can have a ripple effect in creating the type of society and world we choose to inhabit. What are you doing to practice being honorable? I’d really be interested to know.
A Tale of Two Rockers Embracing Soul Roots
Medium.com, March 2021. How Paul Stanley and Todd Rundgren are stepping out of their best-known “lanes” to showcase their musical talents cross-genre. Here’s a look at each of their soul-infused projects, and why you may want to tune in. Read the entire article here: https://medium.com/@kelli-richards/a-tale-of-two-rockers-embracing-soul-roots-ecf4fc214567
My SPITR interview with Jacquelle Horton, CEO of Fave
In this podcast interview, Kelli chats with Jacquelle Horton, a former Product Manager at Google and YouTube, who is currently Founder/CEO of Fave (which was the 2020 ‘Startup of the Year’ in music tech), and was also named to the Forbes 30 Under 30.
The Magic of Asking for What You Want
Do you believe you can have virtually anything you want? I do. We all have a magic wand that can help us achieve our desires, but we forget that we do and overlook the power at our disposal to dramatically increase the odds of having what we say we most want in our lives. We simply need to make requests of others and ASK for what we want. That’s the big secret and the big opportunity. I’m often asked about my experience in having Steve Jobs as a mentor for many years — and how that came about. We both grew up in the same town (Cupertino, CA) in what would become known as Silicon Valley; Steve was seven years older than I. When I was in high school, I was a member of a group called Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and we were challenged with approaching someone in business who we admired to ask if they’d be open to mentoring us. I chose Steve because I saw his genius early on (even at my young age) and was fascinated by Apple as the Wonka factory in my own backyard. I approached him at one of a couple of favorite healthy restaurants in town that I’d see him at periodically when I went out with my Mom.
Nine Steps to Making Change Easier
Los Altos Hills Living, February 2021. Change doesn’t have to be hard; here are some tips to make it a smoother process. Read the entire article here: https://kellirichards.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/KR-article_LAH-Mag_February2021.pdf
Client Spotlight: MultiView Media
I’m excited to share that one of the start-ups I’ve been working with over the past couple of years, Multiview Media, led by founder/CEO Ray Meadham has launched our multi-camera angle streaming platform. Verizon Media invited us to be one of their spotlight partners a few weeks ago at CES (including a mention by the CEO during his address), and this past weekend we powered a 3-day online fest with one of our partners — JBTV, the long-running music television program aimed at breaking new acts. JBTV provided historic content from its extensive archives and Multiview Media provided its OTT platform to deliver this content at home or via smartphone or tablet – all in a new and interactive way. Featured artists among the two dozen or so during the recent 3-day JBTV Virtual Fest included: Fall Out Boy, Imagine Dragons, BTS, Honne, The Struts, Smashing Pumpkins, Gary Numan, Filter, Portugal the Man, Yungblud, Charli XCX — and others, many of whom played for JBTV early in their careers. Some of the performance footage was pretty rare as a result.
Set Up Your New Year For Success
Los Altos Hills Living, January 2021. How to finally shift behaviors/habits/mindsets, honor intentions, and realize some cherished dreams to make 2021 one of your best years ever – really and truly – starting this month. Read the entire article here: https://kellirichards.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Kelli-Richards-2768_Los-Altos-Hills_January2021.pdf
Client Spotlight: JEENI
LinkedIn.com, December 2020- I’ve decided that I’m going to write blogs periodically about some of the cool clients I’m fortunate enough to work with. One of them is a UK-based venture called JEENI run by long-time client, colleague and friend — Mel Croucher; a legend in the UK games industry. Simply put, JEENI is a multi-channel streaming service for independent musicians and performers, providing a unique showcase to put undiscovered talent in front of a global audience. JEENI artists get to keep 100% of everything they earn from the sale of their music and merchandise. JEENI audiences are given the power to vote, donate and be rewarded too. Read the entire article here- Client Spotlight: JEENI
Spotlight on Children of The Beatles: Acorns and Oaks
LinkedIn.com, December 2020 – Most people are aware that I am (and always have been) an avid Beatle-ologist from a very young age. One of the things I find particularly fascinating is what’s become of the children of the Beatles — between the four guys, they had 10 biological children in total, and all but George also have stepchildren. Read the entire article here- Spotlight on Children of The Beatles: Acorns and Oaks
A Twist on Holiday Celebrations This Year
Los Altos Hills Living, December 2020. Given the hand we’ve been dealt by Covid-19 this year, many of us may need to come up with alternative plans for how we celebrate the Holidays.. Read the entire article here: https://www.facebook.com/theallaccessgroup/photos/a-twist-on-holiday-celebrations-this-yeargiven-the-hand-weve-been-dealt-by-covid/3745093032226371/?_rdr
Unexpected Pandemic Gifts
Los Altos Hills Living, October 2020. A powerful time to reflect on what matters most to you, your family, your work and your world… Read the entire article here: https://www.facebook.com/theallaccessgroup/posts/unexpected-gifts-of-the-pandemica-powerful-time-to-reflect-on-what-matters-most-/3740283356040672/
Bringing Much Needed Joy to the World
I’m a member of the Thought Council of the C-Suite Network run by Jeffrey Hayzlett, a highly sought after speaker, author, thought leader & the former CMO of Kodak. A bright light emerged in a recent Zoom session from an inspiring woman named Sheryl Lynn who shared her vision of sparking more joy in the world. This is her passion and purpose and it’s infectious — so much so that I’ve signed on as an ambassador of her organization to help make cultivating and expressing more joy a global movement.
Client Spotlight: AmplifyX
A trend that’s been growing over the past couple of years is one of investing in music and art as alternative asset classes for diversification in one’s portfolio – alongside other established categories like fine wines, rare automobiles, exotic watches, precious metals, and real estate. It seems stressful economic times often underscore the appeal of alternative assets like these. There’s a reason for this influx of late: music royalties and intellectual property (IP) have become desirable investment targets given royalty payments often remain steady over time despite fluctuations in the stock market. For buyers, artists’ catalogs are commodities that can be traded like gold or oil. “If the investment is good, if you’re investing in proven back catalogs, they tend to perform really well independent of any stock movements,” music business writer Cherie Hu. “If you’re investing in a tech stock, a lot of the bigger tech stocks move in the same direction a lot of the time. Investing in music royalties escapes that co-dependence. It’s pure passive income. You’ll make money in your sleep from it. It doesn’t require any proactiveness.” While it may seem odd to think of songs as investment assets, Goldman Sachs has predicted music revenues will more than double to about $131B by 2030 so putting money in songs could prove a pretty wise strategy to diversify a stock portfolio.
Why Doing Less Can Actually Be More Fulfilling
Los Altos Hills Living, September 2020 Doing less allows you to achieve more…
Unintended Casualties of the Pandemic
There have certainly been many casualties during the pandemic — loss of life, loss of jobs, and so much more. But small business providers and communities have also been directly impacted by the loss of many vital stores, restaurants, and of service providers. In my own community, I had a favorite restaurant that I frequented several times a week over the past 25 years (kind of like my Cheers) called Hobees. It did not survive.
Client Spotlight: JEENI
I’ve decided that I’m going to write blogs periodically about some of the cool clients I’m fortunate enough to work with. One of them is a UK-based venture called JEENI run by long-time client, colleague and friend — Mel Croucher; a legend in the UK games industry. Simply put, JEENI is a multi-channel streaming service for independent musicians and performers, providing a unique showcase to put undiscovered talent in front of a global audience. JEENI artists get to keep 100% of everything they earn from the sale of their music and merchandise. JEENI audiences are given the power to vote, donate and be rewarded too.
Embracing Our Resilience in Times of Chaos
Los Altos Hills Living, August 2020 Makes it easier to get through challenging times…
Same Old Story — Different Era
There has been so much turbulence and upheaval of late, certainly catalyzed by the global pandemic and the resulting consequences with layoffs and unemployment, uncertainty around a timeframe when we can operate freely in the world again, and the lack of leadership and political climate (at least in the U.S.). However, things have really heated up in the past few months with racial issues and hate crimes, and the resulting protest marches, looting and overall anger, frustration and outrage.
A Time of Reinvention
I don’t know about you, but with all that’s going on around us at the moment it feels like there’s so much we don’t control these days. There are a lot of things we aren’t in charge of, but one of the things we can do is to go inward, reflect, and take stock of our lives — all areas of our lives. It’s a powerful time to reinvent ourselves and our lives if we take the time to pause and consider whether the choices we’ve made in the past still hold up with where we’re at today in our lives — and where we’re going next. Some questions to consider:
Time to Do Everything But Think
Los Altos Hills Living, June 2020 How doing so helps you avoid mistakes and burnout
Working Remotely, and LOVING It
Los Altos Hills Living, May 2020 As someone who has worked from home for years now, I can attest that there are many ways to set yourself up for success in the current WFH climate. You might end up loving it is as much as I do! Read the entire article here: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=3004442762958072&set=pb.100057050696777.-2207520000
Praise for Trader Joe’s Handling of Covid-19
During these ‘shelter in place’ times, save for daily walks, I’ve been limiting myself to going out to replenish groceries every 7-10 days on behalf of myself and my older neighbor. My sole destination is Trader Joe’s. I’m in awe and admiration in terms of how they’ve been handling the shopping experience since SIP began.
How to Stay Sane While Sheltering in Place
Many of us have been going a little stir crazy after several weeks of sheltering in place. But given it’s likely we’ll be in this situation for quite a while longer, it’s to our benefit to find ways to retain our sanity during these challenging times. Here are a few ideas to share that I’ve found have been working for me.
The Triple Win Trifecta of Referrals
Los Altos Hills Living, March 2020 Why referrals Are Critical to Your Success in Life and Business.
The Many Benefits of Fresh Meal Kits
I don’t know about you, but as a busy single professional, it’s hard to find time to eat well. When I’ve been exhausted at the end of a long day in the past, it was tempting to either eat out or order in or heat up a frozen meal or worse. All that’s changed now with the onslaught of fresh meal kits having entered the market in the past few years. Whether you’re single, a couple or a family, whether you’re paleo, vegan, diabetic or carb-conscious, there’s a meal kit service for you that can be delivered directly to your front door, fast and fresh.
Nesting is Best Left to the Birds
Los Altos Hills Living, February 2020 How remaining in your comfort zone can hold you back…
Spotlight on Children of The Beatles: Acorns and Oaks
Most people are aware that I am (and always have been) an avid Beatle-ologist from a very young age. One of the things I find particularly fascinating is what’s become of the children of the Beatles — between the four guys, they had 10 biological children in total, and all but George also have stepchildren. I want to keep this blog relatively brief so allow me to share just a few examples to showcase the talents and passions of these amazing renaissance individuals and what they’re doing in the world as part of their legacy (I may well elect to do a more in-depth article at some point covering all of them). The one I’ve been closest to myself is Julian Lennon (John’s older son) who is the same age as me;
An Attitude of Gratitude Matters Year-Round (Not Just During the Holiday Season)
Los Altos Hills Living, December 2019 The many proven benefits of gratitude.
Giving Back: The Responsibility of Every Entrepreneur
Los Altos Hills Living, October 2019 Growing companies have a responsibility to give back. Giving back can come in many different forms – here are a few suggestions for getting started. Read the entire article here: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2707529295982755&set=pb.100057050696777.-2207520000
Why In-Person Connections Matter More Than Ever
People call me a ‘super-connector’; I literally make my living connecting people and opportunities to each other and I have a very broad and deep network that I’ve built over many years of establishing long-term trusted relationships. Many of these relationships were developed the old-fashioned way, by having ‘live’ conversations of substance in person or over the phone over time. That said, we live in a fragmented world where more and more we connect through devices and technology (whether via text messaging on our phones, e-mail over the Internet or via Zoom conference calls online). While these technologies are arguably convenient and time-saving, something has gotten lost in translation.
A Grammy Winner, A Circus Master, And An Apple Veteran On Career Reinvention
Los Altos Hills Living, August 2019 Leaving Apple to set out on a new career path wasn’t easy. But as a Silicon Valley native, I found the entrepreneurial spirit I needed to reinvent myself was pretty close at hand… Read the entire article here: https://www.fastcompany.com/3061833/a-grammy-winner-a-circus-master-and-an-apple-veteran-on-career-reinvention
Live Life Fully and Mindfully — Things Change Quickly
Most of us coast along in life day-to-day, and we don’t always think and act mindfully in the moment. There are many reasons why it’s important to practice doing so most of the time, but perhaps the biggest one is that things change quickly in life — and often unexpectedly. When you’re mindful, you have fewer regrets when they do. Here are a couple of examples that have happened to me recently.
Trend Towards Borrowing vs Buying Books
In the digital age, many have turned to reading books on Kindles, iPads, and Nook devices among others. Others (including myself) like the feel and smell of reading physical books, folding the corners of meaningful pages to refer back to at a later date, which I often do. However there are several practical challenges when doing so: a) the first is that books have gotten increasingly more expensive (unless you buy them on Amazon and/or used, both of which I often do); b) the second is that you’ve got to have room to store those you want to keep, and c) they’re heavy to carry when you travel, especially if you don’t check bags, which I haven’t done for 20 years.
Another Slant on Purging Clutter (Digital)
By now, you must be living under a rock if you haven’t heard about Marie Kondo’s innovative KonMari Method to help people clear out clutter in their homes (and offices); she’s published two best-selling books on the topic, and now has a wildly popular series on Netflix entitled “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”. Studies have shown that reducing clutter in our homes and environments leads to reduced anxiety levels, enhances relationships, and even increases productivity. But beyond throwing out books, clothes, furniture and other sentimental items you’ve been hanging on to in your living space, have you considered the psychic weight of the clutter that lives in your computer and on your smartphone?
Exploring the Rivalry and Respect between Paul McCartney & Brian Wilson
A guy named Jeffrey Stillwell has put together a great video essay focused on the so-called “rivalry” between the Beach Boys and the Beatles; and in particular the relationship between Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson. They were most certainly inspired by each other creatively and each wound up bringing out the best in each other as both are quick to confess. When “Pet Sounds” came out, it blew the minds of the Beatles, and that was a big catalyst to what would become “Sgt Pepper” in terms of musical experimentation — both are still such iconic albums that it’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years (on average) since each was released. This video biopic also chronicles the relationship and interactions between Paul and Brian over the decades, and ultimately the deep respect they have for each other —and it’s worth investing the 20 minutes to watch it. There’s also a personal tie for me here in a couple of ways.
The “Happy Money” Movement
LinkedIn.com, August 2019- Two years ago, I was attending a gathering of my advanced coaching graduate alum with our mentor, Alan Cohen, in Hawaii. Alan often invites colleagues of his to join us via Skype as guest contributors. That year, he invited Ken Honda from Japan who had been a successful entrepreneur in Japan — and then went on to be one of the best-selling authors in Japan (selling over 7 million copies of his books worldwide.) I resonated with Ken’s style, demeanor, approach and message immediately. He told us about a book he was working on called “Happy Money” — and I couldn’t wait to read it. Read the entire article here- The “Happy Money” Movement
Anagrams (and Alliteration) Abound
LinedIn.com, August 2019- And now for something completely different. I’ve been noticing intriguing anagrams popping up all around me lately. An anagram is a word or phrase created by re-arranging the letters of another, such as cinema formed from iceman. Many people are familiar with these in doing the Word Jumble in their newspaper. But the ones that have been showing up for me lately are ones that have a little more significance — almost like sign posts that encourage me to slow down and ponder their meaning in my life. Here are a couple of examples that have crossed my radar recently — perfectly normal, and yet (!). Read the entire article here- Anagrams (and Alliteration) Abound
The Title Says It All — This Book Delivers on the Promise
LinkedIn.com, July 2019- I’m recommending a book recently published by a colleague entitled: “Mastery Under Pressure: All that stands between you and your goals…is YOU!” This small but mighty book packs a lot of powerful tips, tools and resources into its 100 pages (!). Author Tina Greenbaum delivers insights and practical strategies to move you out of your mindset and limiting thoughts into high performance and action. We can be our own worst enemies and sometimes we lose our compass along the way. This book is like a roadmap to guide you gently but firmly back onto your path to find (or re-claim!) the success you seek. The principles that are outlined are easy to relate to and while the exercise are ‘simple’, they’re also profound IF the reader is willing to put them into active practice. This book will remain close at hand anytime I need reinforcement. Read the entire article here- The Title Says It All — This Book Delivers on the Promise
Waiting for the Harvest in Business
As an entrepreneur and/or a self-employed professional, have you ever been in a situation where a game-changing opportunity presented itself to you in business? Something that could “overnight” propel you to a different level of success and financial freedom? Only to find that the brass ring was further away than you thought? And while the opportunity seemed to be realistic and close at hand, it remained elusive for a long period of time; sometimes years at times? I’ve been in such a situation with not one but several ‘big deal’ business opportunities over the past few years. I won’t lie; it has been a trying experience, ranging from being annoying, frustrating and even gut-wrenching — waiting for the dominos to fall and for the scales of justice to be balanced in my favor. Holding my breath and waiting to exhale.
The Simple Pleasures of Summer
Summer always seems to be a season everyone universally looks forward to. Plenty of fresh air, longer days, warm sunshine, family time, time off for vacations & travel, summer camp, picnics, fireworks, concerts and so much more that’s unique to each person. And of course how we spend time changes throughout the course of our lives. Here are some reflections of how it’s been for me and what it’s meant over the years.
When You’re at a Crossroads: Reinventing Your Life and Your Impact
Atherton Living, June 2019 Los Altos Hills Living, July 2019 When the Magic Questions is: What’s Next? Reinventing your life around your values, passion and what matters most… Read the entire article here: https://x.com/kellirichards/status/1925699275415011576
The “Happy Money” Movement
Two years ago, I was attending a gathering of my advanced coaching graduate alum with our mentor, Alan Cohen, in Hawaii. Alan often invites colleagues of his to join us via Skype as guest contributors. That year, he invited Ken Honda from Japan who had been a successful entrepreneur in Japan — and then went on to be one of the best-selling authors in Japan (selling over 7 million copies of his books worldwide.) I resonated with Ken’s style, demeanor, approach and message immediately. He told us about a book he was working on called “Happy Money” — and I couldn’t wait to read it. The basic premise behind Happy Money is that most of us have arrested development when it comes to finances. We hold deep-seated beliefs that we adopt from a young age based on our parents’ attitudes towards money — and we’re not typically conscious that we’ve taken on those messages as we get older. As a result, the vast majority of adults struggle with money and finance-related issues.
Do It Now — Don’t Wait; Tomorrow May Be Too Late
I got the news via a colleague’s post on Facebook two weeks ago. A cherished, much treasured colleague I’d known for three decades ended his life suddenly. No one saw it coming. And he had just reached out to me recently wondering when I was going to be in LA next so we could get together. His name was Gary Stewart and he was a giant among men in the music/tech world. He’ll be very sorely missed. There have been some great tributes and coverage about the impact of his life and work in all manner of publications since his death ranging from Rolling Stone to the LA Times and the New York Times. He was a master archivist in rock music, and was responsible in large part to re-issues, compilations and boxed sets of some of the most beloved artists in the rock canon primarily working with Rhino Records to bring these wonderful products to market. Gary was a truly nice guy who gave so much to everyone around him generously and graciously.
Anagrams (and Alliteration) Abound in April
And now for something completely different. I’ve been noticing intriguing anagrams popping up all around me lately. An anagram is a word or phrase created by re-arranging the letters of another, such as cinema formed from iceman. Many people are familiar with these in doing the Word Jumble in their newspaper. But the ones that have been showing up for me lately are ones that have a little more significance — almost like sign posts that encourage me to slow down and ponder their meaning in my life. Here are a couple of examples that have crossed my radar recently — perfectly normal, and yet (!).
The Power of Expanding Your Communities (Network Effect)
LinkedIn.com, April 2019- We all tend to swim in familiar waters — and many of us are members of the same community of business professionals year over year. I know I’ve been guilty of that. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but, every once in a while, it would behoove you to step out of your comfort zone and engage with new groups of individuals. Doing so can afford you fresh perspectives, insights, ideas and new business relationships that can lead to greater opportunities and the ability to add to your network and cultivate new collaborators and friends. Read the entire article here- The Power of Expanding Your Communities (Network Effect)
Serendipity: Pay Attention to Random Occurrences
LinkedIn.com, April 2019- Part of being mindful is that we are that much more attuned and receptive to seemingly chance occurrences as we go about our day. Especially if we live from a stance of “what if” and possibilities as I do. For example, recently I ran into a woman in the green room as I was in NYC getting ready to tape a segment for a business show on TV — and she asked what I did; I told her I was a super-connector. She held up a book that she’s just written called “The Connector’s Advantage” and we both had a laugh. I made a new friend instantly in the author, Michelle Tillis-Lederman, who is an author and leadership speaker — and who subsequently invited me to become part of a group she’s involved with for female authors. You just never know right? Read the entire article here- Serendipity: Pay Attention to Random Occurrences
The Fine Art of Celebrity Wrangling
Atherton Living, March 2019 Los Altos Hills Living, April 2019 From Seinfeld to Huey Lewis and More: How to Engage the Right Celebrity for Your Event Read the entire article here: https://kelli-richards.medium.com/mastering-the-art-of-celebrity-wrangling-fd5f11d81798
The Power of Expanding Your Communities (Network Effect)
We all tend to swim in familiar waters — and many of us are members of the same community of business professionals year over year. I know I’ve been guilty of that. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but, every once in a while, it would behoove you to step out of your comfort zone and engage with new groups of individuals. Doing so can afford you fresh perspectives, insights, ideas and new business relationships that can lead to greater opportunities and the ability to add to your network and cultivate new collaborators and friends.
Serendipity: Pay Attention to Random Occurrences
Part of being mindful is that we are that much more attuned and receptive to seemingly chance occurrences as we go about our day. Especially if we live from a stance of “what if” and possibilities as I do. For example, recently I ran into a woman in the green room as I was in NYC getting ready to tape a segment for a business show on TV — and she asked what I did; I told her I was a super-connector. She held up a book that she’s just written called “The Connector’s Advantage” and we both had a laugh. I made a new friend instantly in the author, Michelle Tillis-Lederman, who is an author and leadership speaker — and who subsequently invited me to become part of a group she’s involved with for female authors. You just never know right?
The Power of Presence
LinkedIn.com, March 2019- I’ve observed that of the things many of us struggle with is being present — not living with regrets from the past or fears of the future, but simply being here now (as Eckhart Tolle or Ram Dass have eloquently expressed it). It’s perhaps one of the greatest skills you can master throughout your lifetime as it allows you to fully be with those around you now, in real time and as importantly it allows you to be with yourself more fully and mindfully in the moment. When you do that you cultivate peace of mind for yourself, you can enjoy our surroundings, feel more ease, and have more joy and balance. You’re no longer carrying the weight of anguish, anxiety and fear with you at every turn — and you can really breathe. How precious is that? Read the entire article here- The Power of Presence
The Power of a Weekly Sabbatical
LinkedIn.com, March 2019- One of my business mentors is Alan Weiss (aka “The Million Dollar Consultant”); he’s the global authority on educating and coaching consultants, and I’ve been working with him for well over a decade at this point. Alan shares best practices from his own experience and teaches us how to grow and expand our businesses, how to be leaders in our respective fields, and essentially how to thrive under all circumstances. Alan is constantly re-inventing himself and coming up with compelling new programs and services for his audience. Read the entire article here- The Power of a Weekly Sabbatical
Forest Bathing
Atherton Living February 2019 Enjoy the Many Benefits of Walking in Nature
Pay Attention – Our Most Precious Commodity
When you think of our most precious commodity, what would you say it is? Is it time, money, freedom, something else? All those things are definitely important, but it turns out one of the most important things to cultivate is how and where you place your attention. In a noisy, crowded world with an abundance of information and things coming at us every day, it’s never been more important to stay mindful of this. Your attention is money; are you investing it wisely and actively with determination or are you wasting it? As one of my colleagues Roberta Ross recently observed, if you want to be successful and free, mastering your attention is your greatest power. And if you want to create momentum, transform the experience of your business and earn more, you really must invest your attention and your efforts wisely. Simple as that.
The Power of Presence
I’ve observed that of the things many of us struggle with is being present — not living with regrets from the past or fears of the future, but simply being here now (as Eckhart Tolle or Ram Dass have eloquently expressed it). It’s perhaps one of the greatest skills you can master throughout your lifetime as it allows you to fully be with those around you now, in real time and as importantly it allows you to be with yourself more fully and mindfully in the moment. When you do that you cultivate peace of mind for yourself, you can enjoy our surroundings, feel more ease, and have more joy and balance. You’re no longer carrying the weight of anguish, anxiety and fear with you at every turn — and you can really breathe. How precious is that?
The Power of a Weekly Sabbatical
One of my business mentors is Alan Weiss (aka “The Million Dollar Consultant”); he’s the global authority on educating and coaching consultants, and I’ve been working with him for well over a decade at this point. Alan shares best practices from his own experience and teaches us how to grow and expand our businesses, how to be leaders in our respective fields, and essentially how to thrive under all circumstances. Alan is constantly re-inventing himself and coming up with compelling new programs and services for his audience. One of my favorite programs he crafted was a weekly video series entitled “The Weekly Sabbatical” where he’d share five-minute insights on the fine art of taking time for ourselves every week. There were two aspects of this series; one was that we could (and should!) give ourselves permission to work less and enjoy our lives more, and the other was that Alan would share a specific idea for us to consider and try on for size in just five minutes a week.
Commit to Expansion in the New Year
At this time of the year, people often come up with a list of ‘resolutions’ most of which don’t live past the first month (or even the first week!) of January. They often don’t work out because of one or a combination of several factors. Firstly, they’re often vague goals without specific actions or metrics of success fleshed out to achieve those goals. Further, they’re often about what you think you should do to appease others or be more socially acceptable vs want really matters to you at a deep level intrinsically. And finally, there’s often no commitment and no accountability — so inevitably they fizzle out pretty quickly. So what does work?
Distinguishing Between Being Interested and Being Committed
Atherton Living November 2018 Why It Matters!
End Well Symposium – Dec 6; SF
LinkedIn.com, October 2018- One of my clients, Dr Shoshana Ungerleider, is focused on transforming how we end this life. End Well is a dynamic gathering of individuals, led by Dr Ungerleider, committed to generating human-centered, interdisciplinary innovation for the end of life experience. We all have something to contribute to this vitally important movement — which affects us all and our loved ones. Join us as we re-imagine and co-create the end of life experience. Last year’s event was a sell-out, so I encourage you to register right away if this strikes a chord. This one day event takes place this year on Dec 6th in San Francisco. For more info visit: https://www.endwellproject.org/ — and help us spread the word if you’re inclined. Read the entire article here- End Well Symposium – Dec 6; SF
Kelli Richards – High-Powered Connections
Atherton Living, Author: Abbie Burgess October 2018 Kelli Richards has made a career out of forging high-powered connections…
Best Nonfiction Books Recommended by 16 Experts
October 5, 2018, We asked 16 experts: “What are the Best Non-Fictions Books?” (Kelli Richards’ featured answer…)
A Great Celebrity Wrangler Can Create Big Impact for Your Event
LinkedIn.com, March 2018- Are you looking to bring a major celebrity of big artist/band to perform at one of your corporate events this year? Would you like to create an unforgettable experience for your employees and premier clients? Or maybe you (or someone you know) is having a milestone birthday or anniversary where you’d like to have top talent perform. Did you know that, among other things, I’ve been serving as a celebrity wrangler for over 30 years bringing the right top tier talent to my clients for these types of experiences and more? Contact me to discuss your plans — and let me help you add some real sizzle to your event by pulling in the right talent with big impact that will have people talking and smiling about the experience for years to come. Read the entire article here- A Great Celebrity Wrangler Can Create Big Impact for Your Event
Everyone Needs a Coach (The Secret Game Changer)
What do major athletes, tech innovators, actors, rock stars, and successful CEOs all have in common? Many if not most of them have a coach, mentor or trusted advisor in some form or fashion. I only recently learned that Bill Gates did a TED talk awhile back entitled “Everyone Needs a Coach” where he stressed that no matter who we are we can all benefit from having people around us to give us feedback, provide perspective, and help us reach our goals. There are many examples of corporate CEOs and other highly successful and influential people using coaches — like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos, who shared Bill Campbell a coach, Alan Mulally (Ford CEO) & Frances Hesselbein (Girl Scouts CEO), who shared Marshall Goldsmith as their coach, and Oprah — whose coach was Maya Angelou; and on it goes.
The Show Must Go On (Harvest Summit)
I attended a wonderful event earlier this month on November 10th, in Sonoma County — called Harvest Summit. I go to a lot of events, but this one is truly exceptional. Dubbed an “innovator’s field trip”, it’s a gathering of some of the best and brightest minds in the world today — all hand-invited and curated from across multiple industries. We had representatives from technology, medicine, transportation, food, wine and so much more. This was the second year of this annual event, and both times it’s been held in an undisclosed location at a private wine estate in Sonoma County — in the heart of wine country. Both years, the settings have been beyond inspiring.
Justin Willman, Magician, Comedian, and Entertainer Extraordinaire
(Photo courtesy of Jillian Sipkins) Justin Willman is a magician and comedian known for his multiple appearances on The Tonight Show, Ellen, Conan, and @Midnight. He’s performed live at the White House for the first family, his online videos have racked up over 50 million views, and his debut comedy/magic special Sleight of Mouth premiered on Comedy Central to rave reviews.
4 Lessons From Mentors of the ‘Shark Tank’ Sharks
November 27, 2017, Inc. As a young entrepreneur, you can learn a lot from a good mentor. Here’s what the sharks of “Shark Tank” learned from their mentors and how their advice propelled them to success. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/what-you-can-learn-from-shark-tank-casts-mentors.html
Cool Technology Only Goes So Far: Laying the Course to Mass Adoption
LinkedIn.com, November, 2017 – You can have cutting-edge technology, the coolest company culture ever, and a great work ethic. But if you don’t have product-market fit, forget it. So you have a shiny new product. The technology is amazing and groundbreaking. Obviously, it’s going to be the next big thing — or maybe not. There are thousands of stories of tech founders who thought they had come up with amazing technology — and they had — but never found the success they expected. Why? Read the entire article here- Cool Technology Only Goes So Far: Laying the Course to Mass Adoption
Crisis Management — How You React Makes All the Difference
In the past six weeks, we’ve experienced unprecedented disasters of scale — some delivered by nature in the form of the big hurricanes affecting Texas and Florida, and the major fires in Napa and Sonoma counties; and some by man as was the case with the music festival massacre in Las Vegas. While these disasters wreak havoc and change lives in untold ways, how we react to them when they’re going on makes a huge difference in how we (literally) weather the storm, and in the recovery once we’re on the other side. It makes good sense to reflect on lessons learned before, during and after these disasters. Here are a few ideas to share:
In Conversation with Tamer Rashad, Founder and CEO of Humtap
Tamer Rashad, Founder & CEO of Humtap was a guest on All Access Radio recently, and if you’re interested in seeing what being a leader on the forefront of a major game-changing technology looks like then you won’t want to miss this fascinating interview. Tamer is a business leader with a background of over 25 years of general management, corporate strategy, M&A start-up and business development experience in the finance world across the US, Europe and Emerging Markets. Tamer and I share a passion for both music and technology and Humtap is the perfect marriage of both in my opinion. Have you ever hummed and tapped a melody in your head that sounded pretty good? What if you had an app that would turn those hums and taps into original music you could use as a unique soundtrack, royalty free, underneath a video clip you create to share across social media? What if you wanted it to sound a little like Cold Play or David Bowie or another artist? What if you wanted it to have an ethnic flair from another culture, or wanted it in a certain musical genre?
Tamer Rashad, Founder & CEO of Humtap Featured on All Access Radio
LinkedIn.com November 2017- Tamer Rashad, Founder & CEO of Humtap was a guest on All Access Radio recently, and if you’re interested in seeing what being a leader on the forefront of a major game-changing technology looks like then you won’t want to miss this fascinating interview. Read the entire article here- Tamer Rashad, Founder & CEO of Humtap Featured on All Access Radio
What 3 Creative Masters Can Teach You About Success
LinkedIn.com, November 2017- Do you allow yourself the “think space” you need at work? While CEOs believe creativity is the most important skill for leaders, research shows that 80 percent of U.S. and U.K. workers feel more pressure to be productive than creative. Maybe this is why today’s professionals are often too busy to dwell for very long in the zone where creativity flourishes. Read the entire article here- What 3 Creative Masters Can Teach You About Success
Marlin, Founder and Creative Director of Luma Entertainment, Author, Creative coach, Inventor and Innovator
Marlin is the Founder and Creative Director of Luma Entertainment, which offers a new genre of art that uses the dark as the canvas and various lighting technologies as the ‘paint’. Marlin is also an author, creative coach, inventor and innovator, and his creative works span multiple fields from a variety of arts: including theatrical productions, writing, toy invention, juggling, and cartooning.
In Conversation with Lawrence Gowan, Musician, Keyboardist and Lead Vocalist for Styx
Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Lawrence Gowan of Styx on All Access Radio. In case you missed it, this was one of my favorite interviews to date! Lawrence is a Scottish-born Canadian musician, and for the past twenty years he’s been keyboardist and has shared lead vocals duties with Tommy Shaw for the legendary American rock band, Styx. Sometimes there’s an extra special synergy in my conversations with luminaries on All Access Radio and my conversation with Lawrence was one of those. This was truly a fireside chat and Lawrence was incredibly generous and masterful in in sharing his story and his passion for his work. One of the topics we touched on, near and dear to my heart, was the idea of the concept albums. Some of you may be scratching your heads and saying to yourself, “concept album? what’s that?”
4 Ways AI Startups Can Target the Music Industry
October 30, 2017, Inc. Startups have a lot of room to disrupt the music industry with AI and voice recognition.
What 3 Creative Masters Can Teach You About Success
October 25, 2017, Success Magazine Do you allow yourself the “think space” you need at work? While CEOs believe creativity is the most important skill for leaders, research shows that 80 percent of U.S. and U.K. workers feel more pressure to be productive than creative. Read the entire article here: https://www.success.com/what-3-creative-masters-can-teach-you-about-success/
Don’t Wait — Do It Now
It may be a trite statement, and yes maybe overused, however how many of us are living from this mindset? In the wake of things like the Vegas concert massacre earlier this month — or losing another beloved rocker (Tom Petty), I was reflecting on how fleeting life really is. The best way to honor those whose lives may have been cut short is to live each day fully, fully present, in the moment. To express yourself with those you care about, let them know how you feel. To do the things that matter the most to you now, today — because the harsh truth is that someday may not exist! What if you just acted on a thought or an idea when it came to you, or called someone when they came to mind? Your life would be lived more fully in the moment, and your velocity and results would surely increase. Try it! I love what Steve Chandler says in his terrific new book “Right Now: Mastering the Beauty of the Present Moment”,
Todd Rundgren, Multi-Instrumentalist, Singer and Songwriter
(*Photo courtesy of Tom Callan) An eclectically accomplished musician and studio virtuoso, Todd Rundgren is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter whose music career has spanned nearly five decades. His musical style has evolved over the years from the simple pop of his early solo albums to the more complex progressive rock of his band Utopia, which gained Rundgren a devoted cult following – and beyond.
Bumper Cars — Be Safe & Sane in Parking Lots
Over the past couple of decades, cars have grown larger and parking lot stalls seem to have shrunk; or at least that’s the way it seems. While out running errands today, I wound up in three very small and overcrowded parking lots that don’t seem to have been designed for the times — and that just adds to challenges posed by oversized vehicles and inexperienced, impatient or frazzled drivers. I slowed my own pace to bear witness. It was amazing to me how fast cars were zipping around and through cars trying to get in and out of stalls, how there was little to no patience, and how inconsiderate people were about how they parked within the stalls (not considering whether the car next to them would have room to open their car doors). They just didn’t seem to pay attention or maybe they just don’t care. Driver courtesy went out the window. Everyone was in a hurry, and I saw Suburbans and large, oversized SUVs and trucks parked in compact spaces — and of course since they didn’t fit, an extra space was taken away. It’s amazing there weren’t more accidents involving the cars themselves and pedestrians. From research I’ve done, it seems something like 20-25% of all accidents happen in parking lots. And over 50% of injuries resulting from backing-up accidents happen when a vehicle backs into a pedestrian in a parking lot. Here are some things to consider that can allow you to keep yourself, your car and others around you safe and sane:
Tamer Rashad, Founder and CEO of Humtap
Tamer Rashad is a business leader with over 25 years of general management, corporate strategy, start-up and business development experience across the US, Europe and Emerging Markets. Currently, Tamer is Founder and CEO of Humtap; a music creation platform driven by the human voice and augmented with artificial intelligence and algorithmic composition, designed to enable real-time music creation and sharing for everyone on-the-fly with some really compelling applications for consumers, artists and labels.
Cool Tech Only Goes So Far: Navigating the Road to Mass Adoption
September 25, 2017, Inc. You can have cutting-edge technology, the coolest company culture ever, and a great work ethic. But if you don’t have product-market fit, forget it. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/cool-tech-only-goes-so-far-navigating-road-to-mass-adoption.html
4 Ways to Build a Professional Network That Has Staying Power
September 18, 2017, Inc. Your network is no good if you don’t actively engage with the people in it. Here’s how to maintain those connections and add value to people’s lives. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/4-ways-to-build-a-professional-network-that-has-st.html
What You Need to Know About Corporate Politics
Working in the corporate arena, as an employee or consultant, chances are you’ve experienced politics from time to time, and chances are you’ve not always come up with the winning hand in every situation. I’ve made some observations in this context over the years from when I was a corporate executive, and since as a consultant working within large corporations. Having been on both sides of the fence, here are some lessons I’ve learned that you may find helpful:
Reflections on 9-11 — Finding the Gratitude
It was sixteen years ago today; that terrible day that “will live in infamy” for our generation. There’s no doubt it was one of the darkest days most of us have ever experienced during our lifetime. And yet, on reflection, some good things did come from it — for me personally, and for us as a society. I was one of the producers working on a big Michael Jackson two-night anniversary concert that he did the couple of nights prior to 9-11 at Madison Square Garden in NYC. And I was slated to fly out of Newark to SFO on 9-11 (on Flight 93).
The Importance of Having a Solid Support Structure In Your Life
None of us gets through life alone — and it’s important to pause and reflect periodically on the importance of having people in our lives who really honor and support us in life through thick and thin, whether that’s a whole tribe of individuals, just a few — or even just one. Whether family, friends, colleagues, advisors or some combination of all of these. That becomes increasingly so apparent to me as the years go by. And I’ve been seeing evidence of the importance of having a support structure all around me lately — in my own life and in the lives of others. It may be helpful to share some examples to illustrate this with more clarity.
What Amazon’s Acquisition of Whole Foods Means for Entrepreneurs
August 28, 2017, Inc. No matter the size of you company, you can learn a lot from Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/what-amazons-acquisition-of-whole-foods-means-for-.html
Lawrence Gowan, Musician, Keyboardist and Lead Vocalist for Styx
Lawrence Gowan is a Scottish-born Canadian musician, and keyboardist and lead vocalist for the legendary American rock band, Styx. As a member of Styx for nearly twenty years, Gowan has recorded four studio albums and toured the world over, playing more than 1,600 shows with the band.
In Conversation with Jim Messina, Musician, Songwriter, Singer, Guitarist, Recording Engineer and Record Producer
I recently interviewed Jim Messina on All Access Radio and what a terrific conversation we had! Jim’s legacy spans five decades, three acclaimed rock groups, a vibrant solo career and an array of producing and engineering credits. He’s one of those guys who can do it all. We spent the time reflecting on his dynamic career, collaborations and his current tour.
Structuring Your Day for Optimal Productivity
There are many tips, articles and books out there from highly successful people on how to increase your productivity (especially around work), but here are a few I’ve found to be especially useful for me:
In Conversation with Shep Gordon — Supermensch
I had the pleasure of interviewing “supermensch” and artist manager extraordinaire Shep Gordon a short while ago on All Access Radio. Shep’s been a real inspiration throughout my career, and it’s been fascinating to follow his journey over the years — and a real pleasure to a catch up with him for our fireside chat on my podcast. Shep is truly a visionary Hollywood manager, agent and producer responsible for building some of the biggest careers in entertainment. He’s worked with many incredible artists over the years — including Alice Cooper, whom he continues to manage today after nearly 50 years (!). He’s also the subject of the acclaimed Mike Myers-produced documentary “Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon.” What I enjoyed most about our conversation was learning more about how he approaches life – how he manages the challenges, successes, failures – the ups and downs in life and career.
Gathering of the Tribe: A Reunion of the Visionaries Who Launched the Digital Music Revolution
Last week I was honored to join an invite-only gathering of my peers at the City Vineyard in NYC (owned and run by one of my colleagues, Michael Dorf and one of the hosts of this reunion event). The gathering was meant to honor us crazy visionaries who saw the future of the convergence of music and tech over 20 years ago…and who lived in a crystal ball waiting for the world to catch up with our visions for what would be possible. In my case the future started at the beginning of 1988 when I was part of a small team who birthed the music and entertainment focus at Apple.
How Your Leadership Style Affects Your Ability to Recruit and Retain Employees
July 18, 2017, Inc. Great leaders not only generate strong results and positive external press, but they also create a culture around their own values. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/how-your-leadership-style-affects-your-ability-to-.html
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