Resources
6 Ways to Build Your Brand and Grab Your Audience
In today’s world, the connection to your customer is your number one asset. The path to communicating most effectively to your “fans” literally becomes the yellow brick road. If you’re not giving your fan or client a myriad of choices through which to connect, you are missing out not only on revenues, but also on building your army of loyal brand advocates. Here are 6 best practices to implement immediately to forge a solid, long-standing relationship with your best audiences and clients.
#1. Good as Gold – Email Addresses. I can’t stress this enough. You need to ask your client / fan base for their email addresses often – and you need to offer them something valuable in return. Whether that’s a great audio course that you’ve created or a track off your new album, having a way to reconnect to your target fans or clients frequently and authentically is your most valuable asset. For more information on HOW to collect those email addresses (what mechanisms to use, what offerings to inspire the trade, etc.), please sign up for the pre-sale of my forthcoming ebook, “All You Need is Love – Using Social Media to Build an Army of Brand Advocates.”
#2. Body and Soul. The body of your work has got to be excellent obviously, but in today’s world, your fan base and clients want more than just your products. They want to know who YOU are and what makes you tick. They want to be your friends on Facebook and feel a personal, one-on-one connection to you. In short, they want you to bring your soul – the passion behind your work. Be sure that you’re sharing with enough depth and in enough places to create this powerful connection to your audience. This could mean giving interviews to mainstream media – or to popular bloggers. It could mean sharing videos and photos of your personal life – images of you when you’re just being you, without your “brand” everywhere. If you don’t have a blog yourself, consider putting one up. You can keep it super simple by doing video blogs from wherever you are, bringing your fan base “behind the curtain” so to speak and including them in what you do and who you are, body and soul.
#3. Microscope, Telescope, Periscope. If you’re ready to move forward with the most important work of your life (and if you’re not, stop wasting time already!), then you’re going to need a dream team to move you forward. It’s easy to get caught up from a singular point of view – whether that be a microscopic view lost in the details, or a far-out telescope view of the big picture, but with NO details – and if you don’t have a periscope to look underneath it all and spot the rough seas — you just might not survive the process. Begin pulling your team together from near and far – choose them with great care.
#4. Inquiry! Constantly asking your fans and client base what they want from you is a vital best practice. As we know from the music industry, things can change day-to-day, and it’s those artists who are listening most closely and who remain the most malleable, who are the most likely to survive – and thrive. You can use an online service, like SurveyMonkey to run a poll, or you can reach out through your newsletter. Ask your audience what they most want from you in the next month, six months and year – and then make sure that your model is wrapped tightly around those expectations. And while you’re asking for stuff, ask for their cell phone numbers. Mobile marketing is huge. ASK your audience how they want to be contacted and then CONTACT them. Send those messages once a week or so with an idea or better yet, ask them for their ideas. Send them to a free online show. Make the connection.
#5. Testimonials. Whether you’re a top tier platinum artist, a leader in your industry, or just starting out – nothing speaks louder than the words of a fan, client, collaborator, journalist or even a team member. Start gathering those testimonials and post them everywhere – on your website, your newsletter, your social media sites and your fan forums. The client has nothing but choices in today’s world; make sure that you’re sharing the wonderful things being said about you and the work that you do.
#6. Inclusivity and Exclusivity. Be sure that you’re out there in a big enough way to include as many possible clients and fans as possible. Having said that, be sure that you’re also building a level of exclusivity into your products and your availability. Have a space that belongs only to your most ardent uber fans. Perhaps that’s a forum only for superfan members at a certain level of payment or participation, or perhaps it’s an event that you do (either live or online) that only has room for 50 guests.
*For new musicians, one space to check out is StageIt (see the Resources section for more info).
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
and Author of The Art of Digital Music
An Intimate Q&A with Tom Silverman, CEO of Tommy Boy Entertainment
Tom Silverman, CEO of Tommy Boy Entertainment and the Force Behind the New Music Seminar Speaks with Kelli about where the Music Industry is Headed.
Here are a few excerpts of my interview with Tom Silverman on my All Access Radio Show. To hear the entire interview, please visit my website at https://allaccessgroup.com.
Kelli: Tom, where do you see the future of music and artistic control of content heading?
Tom: Artistic control. Wow. I don’t like to use the word control when I’m talking about artistic. I think the problem with the business right now is it’s based on control. The old music business was based on control. And you know, we’re starting to build a new music business that’s based on different values altogether … The old business really was based on power and control and coercion… all that “nice” stuff, and the new business really is based on cooperation, community, connection and collaboration. It’s a much different paradigm.
Kelli: Tom, why do you think traditional labels are so afraid to hire new artists and how do you think a new artist can succeed despite these roadblocks?
Tom: … Whenever you have a consolidated business or industry, they become risk averse. The more companies roll up and consolidate, the less risk they take. That’s true in any business. The labels would rather be conservative … it costs a million dollars to roll the dice every time you sign a new artist. It’s at least a million dollars in America even to see what you have. They’re saying,’ let’s sign less artists and let’s spend less money on those few artists that we do sign them, in marketing, and then let’s do 360 deals with them so we have a bigger return’
Kelli: And some artists, the smart ones, aren’t signing those kinds of deals, right?
. … If you want to be signed in the early part of your career, when you don’t have any hits yet and no history, you’re going to have to do a 360 deal – or you’re not doing a deal – that’s just the way it is – unless you go with a small independent.
Kelli: How should a new artist succeed, if in fact, they don’t get signed by a label?
Tom: Okay, a lot of what we’re talking about now is New Music Seminar curriculum. An artist has to do it themselves anyway at the beginning – there’s almost no artist being signed off of just hearing a tape or CD. That’s just not happening any more. They have to have some action – some story – some heat. They have to bring heat to the table before anyone cares about them. Before a booking agent cares about them, before a manager cares about them, before a label cares about them. Think about a label as an investor. If you’re a venture capitalist, you have to have some reason to sign the deal. It’s about managing risk and reward. We can’t get caught up in the emotions of music. It’s just a business reality.
One of the things we’re trying to do is to create a new business reality, an alternative to this. One which would please the artist in the long run, make money for the investor in a five or ten to 1 return on a hit, so that more money can flow back into the business and more artists get signed and more artists have an opportunity to break through. Not that you can’t break through on your own, but I have to say, I’ve done some research … in 2008, there were only 1500 artists that sold over 10,000 albums that year. There were only 200 new artists that had never done it before, and that includes Lady Gaga. So let’s use that number. I like to call it the obscurity level – when an artist breaks 10,000 albums, they’re in the game. So out of those 200, 192 were actually on independent labels; only 8 were doing it themselves.
Kelli: Tom, you relaunched New Music Seminar a couple of years ago (and I’m thrilled to be part of it this year, by the way). Share with the audience more about New Music Seminar. What’s behind it?
Tom: … Our message is a very specific one. The record business is dying. It’s sinking. There’s nothing that’s going to happen that’s going to change that. But there will still be a music business. We just don’t know what it will be, and the purpose of the New Music Seminar is to build the next music business, hopefully a profitable and sustainable music business. So we’re convening the architects and designers of the next music business. I mean, everyone knows how bad the record business is right now, and for the last ten years they’ve known it. We don’t waste a lot of time talking about that, because talking about a bad situation doesn’t change it. We want to be constructive. We’re not trying to fix a broken boat. We’re trying to build a new boat. It seems like other conferences talk about how do you bail water out of this boat to slow the sinking. Do we bail to the left or to the right?
Kelli: Yes, this is all about solutions and hope and a design for what comes next.
You can catch my show every Monday at 5pm PST. https://BlogTalkRadio.com/AllAccessRadio.
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Hot Stuff from Hot Caramel – Excerpts from my Interview with Irene Cara
Being able to support great artists and entrepreneurs as they break away from past successes in their lives and embark on the new is one of life’s biggest highs for me. Few performers have had the amazing success and influence of Irene Cara – I had the chance to interview Irene recently and to hear about her new group, “Hot Caramel.” The direction Irene Cara’s sound and life has taken is deeply inspiring. Just to remind everyone about Irene’s lifetime of successes, as an actress, Irene received the Image Award for Best Actress for her work with Diahann Carroll in the NBC Movie of the Week, Sisters. She also received an NAACP Image Award Nomination for her portrayal of Myrlie Evers in the PBS movie on Civil Rights Leader Medger Evers “For Us the Living.”
For Flashdance alone Irene won 5 major awards, including Top Female Vocalist-Pop Singles and Pop Single of the Year. As a songwriter her talent earned her an Academy Award, 2 Grammys, a Golden Globe and a Peoples Choice Award for Flashdance. She was also the first African American female to win an Academy Award since Hattie McDaniel in 1939, plus the first Hispanic female since Rita Moreno and the first bi-racial female ever to win in any category – pre-dating Halle Berry by nearly 20 years.
Here are a few excerpts from our interview. You can hear the entire Q&A at https://allaccessgroup.com/articles-and-resources/blog-talk-radio.
Kelli Richards: “You know, Irene, there’s just so much to say about the amazing career you’ve enjoyed. Your list of awards is long and impressive. If you’re able to choose just one or two, what have been the most shining moments in your career that you’ve been most proud of?
Irene Cara: “I think this new phase is really the most important thing to me now. I mean, I don’t like to look backwards. I like to live in the present and look forward – to look toward the future. I started in the industry as a child … and I did a lot of work as a 5 year old, 6 year old, 8 year old, 11 year old. You know, I did Electric Company when I was a child. I did my first movie at fourteen, a highly acclaimed, pretty much is considered an African-American classic called “Sparkle.” At the time that was unique, because that was during the whole black exploitation genre of films. There were very few films about people of color.
Of course, Roots was iconic classic television series that started the whole miniseries genre. I played Alex Haley’s mother as a young girl. I started my entire career as a child and then into my teens. And then, you know, Fame and Flashdance were pretty much the end of an era for me. Pretty much the highlight of a 20 year career for me…
So now, this is the stage where I consider the beginning of my adult career. It really embodies who I truly am as an artist.
… I’ve been a working artist since childhood, and this is the first time where I’m now free to express myself as an adult artist the way I see myself … not fulfilling someone else’s vision of what that is.
To learn more about Hot Caramel’s new double CD, visit https://irenecara.com/cdbook3.html
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Gregg Allman – Somehow You’re Still on the Run
Gregg Allman has always been a guy who colors outside the lines, in my opinion. There’s no question that The Allman Brothers Band has serious staying power. Probably best known for “Sweet Melissa,” Allman is a bluesy, jam-band pioneer who practically invented Southern Rock. As most followers of Allman Brothers music probably know, Gregg has had a long career that began with he and his brother playing together when they were only in high school. They followed what is now an almost a non-existent route to success – they were signed by a label. Although the sound of the album they produced was definitely not what they wanted, it did begin a lifelong, winding success story for Gregg. (Sadly, his brother passed away in 1973.)
Allman would tell you himself that he’s been way up in his life, and he’s definitely been down. Last year the 63-year old musician had a liver transplant AND a new album in the works. Released just a few weeks ago, “Low Country Blues” was produced by T Bone Burnett. In it, Allman covers music from some of the music that most influenced his own life and voice – from Muddy Waters and BB King, to Buddy Guy and Magic Sam. Low Country Blues is definitely one of those “up” moments in Gregg Allman’s remarkable body of work. It’s rich with passion and implies a deep understanding of those highs and lows that life throws at all of us.
It was T Bone Burnett who brought Allman the initial idea of a cover album. Said Allman in a recent interview, “He told me some guy gave him a hard drive, it has 10,000 obscure blues songs… He says, ‘I’m gonna pick out twenty of ‘em and send ‘em to ya and you tell me what you think.’ He said, ‘They’re old, like Billie Holliday old, and when you listen to ‘em, I want you to think about us gettin’ in there and about bringin’ ‘em up to today.’” The recording process was amazingly easy and electrifying, said Allman in his easy southern drawl, “If it works right, it all turns real magic, and that’s what happened this time, more so I think than anything I’ve ever recorded. We got 15 masters in 11 days; let me tell ya, they just went Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!”
Pop is the right word – the album definitely has chops. It has a unique, deep bluesy sound, easily recognized as pure Allman, and backed by a troupe of A-listers in the music world. In addition to Burnett and Allman, Doyle Bramhall II also played on guitar. The rhythm section was comprised of upright bassist Dennis Crouch and drummer Jay Bellerose, and the lineup included a brass section led by trumpeter Darrell Leonard (whose resume extends al the way back to his work with Gregg’s late brother, Duane Allman). Finally, the sounds of Night Tripper, Mac “Dr. John” Rebennack, completed the pack on piano. (Rebennack co-wrote “Let This Be A Lesson To Ya’” with Gregg on The Gregg Allman Band’s 1977 classic, Playin’ Up A Storm.) To add to the overall collaborative effort, the album’s one original composition, “Just Another Rider” was even co-written with longtime ABB guitarist Warren Haynes.
A gypsy at heart, Gregg Allman is both a traditionalist and a non-traditionalist. He is eager to get out and tour the new songs, kicking off in New York on March 10th at the historic Beacon Theatre and then winding his way around the east coast and then through Europe – landing back on this continent late in September with two dates in Canada. You can find his entire tour schedule at https://bit.ly/GreggAllmanTour and definitely pick up the album – at under twelve bucks; it’s a million-dollar participation in the voice of a true American music giant. https://amzn.to/GreggAllmanAlbum
“Places you been, things that you done, and somehow you’re still on the run,” Allman sings on the original song “Just Another Rider.” I think we’re all glad that this guy is still out there on the run, entertaining and inspiring the rest of us to do the same.
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Remembering John Lennon – 30 Years Later
Like much of the world, I’ve spent the last week thinking about John Lennon and the anniversary of his death on December 8th. It’s honestly hard to believe that thirty years have passed since he was taken from us in a single moment’s insanity. In fact, most of the time, it’s hard to believe that John’s really gone at all. His was far more than the voice of a generation – it was often the voice of our hearts and our conscience.
And as unimaginable as it is to hold space for the thirty years of unspoken words and unwritten songs, what I truly cannot get away from this week is the rest of John. As great a man as he was, and as truly generous a soul – especially to his fellow musicians – for two men out there, John Lennon wasn’t a Beatle – or an icon – he was simply Dad.
I met Julian Lennon for the first time several years ago. I was struck with how gracious he was and how engaging – how much he reminded me of his father and how strongly he had aligned with his Dad’s passion for peace and conservation. But I was also captured by the deep sadness he seemed to bear, just under that gracious surface. I remember sharing with Julian how sorry I was for his loss – and recognizing how he had lost his dad, twice really. It was a deeply heartfelt conversation and a genuine connection. In a career filled with world=renowned musicians and many celebrity relationships – it is one that has stayed with me at a core level.
Julian has his own voice of course. His new album “Everything Changes” should be out by next year, and in October he helped his mom, Cynthia Lennon, publicize the John Lennon Peace Monument in Liverpool. And Sean has found his own path as well, now co-leading a band with his musician / model girlfriend, Charlotte Kemp Muhl (Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger.)
But all successes aside, it’s still Julian I think of often – and Sean. How the thread of their lives with their dad, John Lennon, was forever cut short by something so senseless and beyond comprehension. I have always been struck by how much Julian looks and sounds like his father – in the way that only fathers and sons can. In fact, one of my career aspirations has always been to create a benefit concert with Julian and Paul McCartney around John Lennon’s music. To use the talents I have to honor how much was left unsaid, by one of the people who most deserved to hear it – his son. Julian embodies his own gifts and talents along with his father’s.
I suppose that is really my attempt to make sense of these things – this loss – to find some deeper meaning. To find some thread of understanding that will provide some peace – for Julian and for the rest of us. To knit a golden thread through time and space and recapture one of the greatest voices of humanity, and to simply risk listening and hearing what we MIGHT some day achieve – if we would only imagine. John’s greatest gifts were surely his music and his wish for peace and love which inspired and sparked a generation. And we are truly fortunate that his legacy and grace endures and burns most brightly in Sean and Julian.
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
“Connecting the Dots Between Entertainment and Technology”
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Best Practices for the New World of Live Music
In my ebook on Social Media for the music industry (Take the Crowd to the Cloud), I begin with the following statement: The landscape of how audiences are built has completely, thoroughly changed in the last decade – in fact, it has redefined itself more than once. Being malleable enough to “grow” with the flow can mean the difference between big successes or devastating failures in the music and digital arenas. All of us, whether we’re artists or authors or thought leaders, must recognize that, in order to succeed, we must also think and act like CEOs and marketing mavens.
That idea, however, of becoming marketing mavens, must be tempered by a deep understanding of where your fan base is – not only insofar as location, but also where they’re at economically. Of course, this specifically refers to live music, digital music and digital distribution are a different issue, and one that I address often.
If your next live gig is in Los Angeles or New York, then have at it, your ticket buyers are at least in a city that has jobs to offer, giving them a fighting chance at a healthy ticket price. But if you’re playing in Rhode Island or Flint, Michigan, you have to seriously consider what the market can bear. A lower ticket price doesn’t have to mean you’re eating PB&J for a week either, it means you have to get creative, so that those who want more contact or have more expendable income, can choose to participate on a higher level. Consider a paid meet & greet before you go onstage, or an after party with some free merch to go with the separate ticket price.
Whatever you do, you have to do what Bob Lefsetz recently shared in his newsletter, the Lefsetz Letter: You have to align yourself with your fans.
Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group
You can sign up for an advance copy of my ebook at https://allaccessgroup.com/services/ (just click ebooks when you get the confirmation).
An Intimate “Fireside Chat” with Hollywood Producer, Gary Goldstein
An excerpt of Kelli’s Q&A with Hollywood Producer, Gary Goldstein, an inspiring voice in the film and music industries. Gary Goldstein produced one of the most iconic cultural expressions of the last generation: Pretty Woman. He has gone on to mentor many of the leading creative voices in music and film. He is an accomplished film producer, an author, a speaker, an innovator, a philanthropist, and a great guy. This is definitely one of the best fireside chats yet. (To hear this entire interview, please visit the Resources Page on my Website.)
Kelli Richards: Gary, put on your consultant’s hat for a moment, if you will. When you look forward at the entertainment industry, what do you think is the biggest challenge we face, and what kinds of solutions do you see down the road?
Gary Goldstein: Very few people understand – artists and everyone haven’t really been taught — business literacy. They don’t know the meaning of it. The value of your intellectual property is so precious that to give it up for a royalty after expenses… well, the landscape is changing. Make it your mission to find out what works for YOU. Get engaged, get involved in these conversations. Become joyful and excited about learning the marketing piece – the business of your art. That’s never going to be less than central to your success. You know, Lady Gaga, she didn’t invent innovative marketing in today’s sandbox. But she and her team simply mastered it better than most. Her talent’s evident, sure, but her unspeakable, astonishing success is the stuff of brilliant, innovative marketing.
Kelli Richards: That’s because she herself does that. She has a team around her that’s wonderful, but she herself, makes it a point to understand and to harness the power of social media and technology. She actively embraces it, takes it on, leverages it to its fullest – and for example, understands the power of mailbox money with royalties in her retirement years, so she doesn’t give up her publishing rights.
Gary, What do you think are the DISadvantages of artists running their own content, if you see any – are artists at risk of becoming SO independent, that they won’t lean on the amazing knowledge base and expertise out there in the entertainment industry?
Gary Goldstein: Yes, I think that is the risk. I think the risk is … the deficit is the education gap that we have suffered up until now. And we have a learning gap. There are a lot of folks who really don’t know or forget that they do need to become master entrepreneurs, marketers, business people and get excited about that. Not get so intoxicated just with your music or your website that you forget to get that result, to really drive that relationship with your audience. So to do that, yeah, don’t forget to seek out more successful people in the space. Get mentors. Surround yourself with collaborators who know what they’re doing. …get noticed, get referrals, get access. …
….Get thee to multiple mentors. Get thee to five-minute mentors, lifelong mentors. Get thee to anyone who really has wisdom. Not information, not data, not opinions. Someone who really deeply has some wisdom, some success. Get their counsel. It will help you become fearless and humble at the same time. It will help you believe in the possibility of your goals. So you get out of your cubicle brain and into your joyful, young brain that loves everything new. The cool thing is that it becomes a deeply personal time and journey.
Kelli Richards: And everybody will benefit from a guide on that journey. There’s no reason to do it alone. And the reality that there are people out there like you and I who are such mentors and coaches and guides, and we have a lot to offer those kind of people who are looking for us, who are seeking that support. …
Gary Goldstein: Here’s the beautiful thing about being stubborn enough and hanging out long enough and having a little age on you. For me, the past is a gift but I don’t live there. For me, everything is about where I’m going. The stuff ahead of me, I’m so excited about. Using every learning, every piece of wisdom, every strategy, every relationship that I’m blessed to have in my life. Tribe Hollywood is a great example of that. Instead of me mentoring people one at a time, I want to mentor them a thousand, two thousand, three thousand at a time.
To hear this entire interview, please visit the Resources Page on my Website.) And to learn more about Gary Goldstein’s latest project, Tribe Hollywood or to sign up for his “5 Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me About Hollywood” go to https://tribehollywood.biz.
Connectivity – A Vision of the Future
Sometimes I have to remind conference attendees, groups that I speak with, or even clients that digital content and digital distribution are a lot more than just music. When we consider the amazing growth around music, however, it is easy to get stuck there.
But we shouldn’t. Digital goes far beyond songs and iTunes and singles and lockers, it goes past movies and downloadable books and content, it’s way bigger than anything we could have imagined five years ago, and I have no doubt that five years from now will showcase something else that’s beyond what we might imagine today.
Recently, at the 2011 MRC European e-Commerce Payments and Risk Conference, Mitsue Venture and Neolabels.com offered up some mind blowing statistics and projections that anyone in the digital space should be aware of. I’ll include their video here, which is featured on their website itself and on YouTube. (It’s 7 and a half minutes long, but stick with it if you can, it goes fast.) Below the video, I’ll highlight some of the more amazing statistics and projections that they offered. My personal favorite bears special attention however, simply in regard to web users, traffic and connectivity. It’s this: Web traffic generated by only 20 homes in 2015 will be greater than the total traffic of the Internet way back in 1995.
Please enjoy the video, and as always, if you have any feedback, your comments are most welcome.
(Source: Mitsue Venture and Neolabels.com)
More consumers will access the Internet by mobile devices than by desktop or laptop by 2014.
2015 forecast of annual global mobile data traffic (75 exabytes) is equal to 19.000 million DVDs https://digitallife.neolabels.com.
Mobile-only Internet population will grow 56-fold up to 788 million by the end of 2015.
In 2015 mobile devices will exceed the home PC base installed.
500 million mobile using mobile health Apps in 2015.
In 2015 revenue mobile Apps will be an amount near to $40 million.
Social Networks revenues will grow more than 4-fold from 2010 to 2015.”
It is expected that in 2015 it will exist 2,5 Internet connected devices per inhabitants worldwide.
Yes, the bottom line is that digital is the brave new world, and we are the forefathers of what it becomes. Whether we’re in the music industry or any industry, we need to be ready for the digital revolution to completely renovate how we do business and how we meet our customers’ demands.
To your success.
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Source: Mitsue Venture and Neolabels.com https://digitallife.neolabels.com
Cloudy Weather at Apple, Then and Now
It will come as no surprise to anyone that Apple’s stock will rise the moment Steve Jobs takes the stage later today. By any estimate, Apple is worth billions – with or without Steve Jobs – but like it or not, Apple is not a democracy. It is an autocracy. It is a company carrying out the vision and changing the world, all according to the dictates of its leader, Steve Jobs.
I know something about this personally, albeit from a distance. I worked for Apple for over ten years. And yes, my claim to fame is that I worked in music. In fact, I launched the focus on music that led the Music and Entertainment initiatives during my 10 year tenure there. The tragedy of that story, for me, is that it was during what I call the “dark days” at Apple, when Jobs was not sitting on the throne, lobbing ideas faster than the technology could keep up with him. It was when the helm was run (and run into the ground) by others, with the phrase, “Et tu Brute,” hanging in the air.
I can remember saying to anyone who would listen that the only hope for us was somehow if Steve Jobs came back to Apple. Nobody believed he would, of course. He was running not one, but two companies by that time. Surprising everyone, however, he did come back. Sadly, one of his first moves was to trim off as much as he could; to focus on the fundamentals in order to turn the company around, and my department was part of those cuts. But turn it around he did. Even though it meant a big career shift for me, I’d have to say that almost every single project Steve Jobs created, once back at Apple, was the right thing at the right time. Quite simply, he has a passion and keen sense for what the consumer wants. In my opinion as an insider AND an outsider, it never would have worked without him.
Here’s the coin flip on that one. He’s built a Martha Stewart or Oprah type of empire, one that may not work without him on the throne. Let’s look at the biggest example to date. The iPad. When the iPad came out, Steve Jobs literally, single handedly changed a lot more than how people used computers or exchanged information. He literally changed the economic structure of the publishing industry overnight, by his own design, just as he had previously done with music, film and TV – and nobody got a vote. The technology is in place …and the consumer will now drive what comes next. Publishing companies will either get on the bandwagon, or run the risk of being left behind. It’s just that simple.
And with all of the controversy around clouds and lockers, especially in the music industry, Jobs has again stepped into the ring with a technology that consumers will trust. Yes, some would say that he’s behind the curve – that lockers and clouds are already available, but it is the trusted brand of Apple that will bring clouds out of the status of rebel and into the accepted mainstream. With Steve Jobs carving out legitimacy for a niche in the digital industry that is long overdue, perhaps music will finally stop bleeding revenue. And Apple? Well, as any good cloud knows, the sky’s the limit.
Kelli Richards, CEO of All Access Group
Join Me in June for a “Fireside Chat” with the Leading Minds in Branding, Coaching and
I’m pleased to share with all of you that my weekly “All Access Radio” Show has developed a strong and loyal following! Over 20,000 downloads in just a few months. I’ve been graced to interview some of the top digital visionaries and leading voices in the music and technology industries, as well as some great voices in the music and entertainment industries, including Finbar O’Hanlon, Hollywood Producer, Gary Goldstein, 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. That list continues in the upcoming weeks. I hope you’ll be able to tune in during June as I interview:
Monday 6/6 – 5pm Pacific Time – Libby Gill, CEO of Libby Gill & Co.
Branding Guru, Libby Gill is an entertainment industry veteran. Libby Gill spent 15 years heading public relations and corporate communications as senior vice president at Universal Studios; and vice president at Sony Pictures Entertainment and Turner Broadcasting. She was also the PR/branding brain behind the launch of the Dr. Phil Show. A widely acclaimed speaker, Libby has delivered keynote speeches to organizations including Microsoft, Disney-ABC, Cisco Systems, Comcast, the US Travel Association, The Conference Board and many others. She is also the author of the best seller, “You Unstuck – Mastering the New Rules of Risk Taking in Work and Life.”
Monday 6/13 – 5pm Pacific Time – Terry McBride
Terry McBride is the current CEO and one of three founders of the Nettwerk Music Group, which includes Nettwerk Productions (Canada’s largest independent record label), Nettwerk Management (artist and producer management), Nettwerk One (publishing), and Artwerks (graphic & fashion design). Nettwerk has corporate offices in Vancouver, Boston, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Hamburg and London. Since its inception, Nettwerk has released over 500 different albums and sold over 150 million albums worldwide. In the past few years McBride has spoke at dozens of international conferences about advances in digital technology, intellectual property rights and the future of music distribution. Terry has twice been awarded the Pollstar Industry Award for Personal Manager of the year for his work with Sarah McLachlan (1997) and Avril Lavigne / Coldplay (2002).
Monday 6/20 – 5pm Pacific Time – Alan Cohen
Alan Cohen is a respected keynoter and seminar leader for professional meetings in the fields of personal growth, inspiration, holistic health, human relations, and achievement of work/life balance. He conducts Life Mastery Trainings around the world, and is the founder of All About U., a university without walls dedicated to higher learning for the higher self. Alan is a faculty member of Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, and has appeared on national radio and television, including Good Morning shows around the nation. His seminars have regularly been broadcast via satellite on the Wisdom Channel. Alan is the author of 24 popular inspirational books and CD’s, including the best-selling The Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, the award-winning A Deep Breath of Life, and the classic Are You as Happy as Your Dog? He is a contributing writer for the New York Times #1 bestselling series “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” and his books have been translated into 24 foreign languages.
Monday 6/27 – 5pm Pacific Time – Ian Miller, CEO of The Brand Practice
Ian Miller is the CEO and Founder of The Brand Practice LLC, a business and brand strategy consultancy. Ian Miller is an expert brand and marketing strategist with 30 years experience in building rapidly accepted/competitively advantaged brands. A recognized expert / lecturer in Ingredient Branding, Ian Miller has led the creation and global launch of the ingredient brand, NutraSweet, and worked closely with 50+ partner brands including Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. Ian has applied this expertise to the successful growth of the Splenda brand and similar launches in consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals, retail and grocery. For 10 years Ian has lectured and authored and founded a successful business/brand strategy/design company based primarily on his Rocket Branding strategic and insight research techniques. Additionally, Ian has taken on partnership and leadership roles for RightPoint, a fast growing digital technology and marketing firm with several fortune 500 clients.
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
Can MySpace Save itself by Porting into Facebook? Social Media & Digital Music.
Yes folks, Myspace Music has finally brought in an app that will let artists transfer their digital music content from Myspace into Facebook under a new “Music” tab. You can check out the program here.
Gratefully, this app includes streaming everything: music, photos, videos, events, etc. With the global domination of Facebook continuing – and showing no signs of slowdown (yet), Music was one of the FEW remaining holdouts on MySpace… MySpace still remains prime real estate, with over 14 million artists housing profiles there, but even that had begun to erode at the speed of light. After all, the audience just wasn’t there any more.
This new Facebook app will allow artists to port digital music and other content from MySpace over to Facebook and manage one profile, which will show up on both Facebook and MySpace, and will have the added benefit of attracting audiences and traffic on both platforms. This could prove to be a real problem for some of the other social app newcomers – but at this point, it just seems like a good solution to the millions of tunes lost in space on MySpace.
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
God Only Knows. Minefields and Memories…
I was recently speaking to one of my clients about high points of our careers, and I wanted to share one with you all.
I’ve had the chance to work on some really amazing projects over the years. I got to be part of the team that launched music at Apple, I’ve helped produce the PollStar Awards show year after year, with my good friend Steve Macfadyen (see our recent interview), and I’ve been part of the team on some amazing, very private, celebrity gigs.
These are often private fundraisers for a celebrity’s own foundation or choice pick charity. One of these was the “Open Hearts – Clear Mines” Adopt-a-Minefield benefit concert given by Sir Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson, where they joined together and sang, “God Only Knows.”
The concert and the song definitely live in my mind as one of the most moving and inspiring events that I ever participated in. Although there isn’t any video from the event to really speak of, there is a snippet of it in an Access Hollywood interview, speaking with Sir Paul and host, Jay Leno, about the event. (See below.)
As an event Producer and Celebrity Wrangler, it’s events like these that become knots in the thread of one’s life. I’m proud to have been part of that moment. To donate to Adopt-a-Minefield, go to https://www.landmines.org/Page.aspx?pid=374
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Karma-Chameleon. The Fast-Changing Metrics of Digital Music
Music Industry Reviews
The changes in the digital music world continue to inspire a lot more than fear – they’re creating connections on every level, minute by minute.
It’s great to see the Billboard Music Awards getting so much attention on traditional media, but the truth is that their rankings simply don’t mean what they used to. Long recognized as the industry standard, it’s no secret that the on-demand player and purveyor of music (and ranking) is now YouTube, one of the biggest creative disruptors of the digital music age.
Google has literally jumped on that bandwagon this week, releasing the “YouTube 100” – which tracks viewers and usage across “official music videos, user-uploaded videos and viral debuts, and uses this data to provide a holistic view of song popularity.”
Google’s YouTube 100 joins the ranks of many other services judging popularity, views and downloads in the music industry. And believe me, they’re measuring everything right down to your shoe size. Facebook Fans, Twitter Followers, Vevo views, blogs and soon, mobile messaging lists. Digital Media Wire quoted, YouTube Product Manager, Chris LaRosa, as saying, “Not only does the YouTube 100 give props when fans make original videos for popular songs, it also captures YouTube’s one-of-a-kind musical diversity. YouTube users get into music as fans and original musicians, and our new chart gives the community a better way to find the most engaging music on YouTube.”
As far as metrics go (and come and go), this is definitely one for our industry to watch closely.
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Personalizing Lyrics – One Amazing, Creative Way to Personally Rock The Fan Base
As a true lover of technology, as well as a coach in both the business world and in the digital music space, when I come across a tech solution that changes the course of a musician’s business and revenue stream, and builds a better fan base – well, let’s just say it’s always a reason to celebrate. As the music industry has been pummeled over the last decade, hit with punches from outside and inside of itself, creativity has turned out to be the number one solution to surviving – and thriving – the ever changing landscape.
Enter Skip Haynes. Skip was the singer and guitarist for the band Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah. Like a lot of bands, they worked hard and had one or two semi-hits. In their case, the hit was a song called “Lake Shore Drive” that got a ton of mileage around it’s subject, Chicago, the home town of the band. Over time, “Lake Shore Drive,” became a sort of local anthem, belted out at bars and college events and thought of fondly by Chicagoans everywhere.
Haynes, now 63, is one of the true creative disruptors. He has held onto the rights to that song for the last forty years, and thanks to the digital music revolution, he’s come up with a mind blowingly simple idea and turned it into a very real revenue stream. Pay attention folks, this is definitely a plan to model if you’ve got the know how, the time (and the rights to a good, recognizable piece of music).
For a fee, Skip Haynes will personalize his much beloved, “Lake Shore Drive,” to you – or your mother, or coach, or kids. Thanks to the portability of digital music, Haynes will sing the name of the subject, digitally splice it into the master of the song, and sell it to you for thirty-five bucks (if you want the CD — if the digital MP3 is good enough, its only $30. You can then download it your iPod (or whatever), send it to your friends and family, put it in a digital Birthday Card. Whatever. It’s yours. Personalized just for you.
Haynes recently told CNN contributor Bob Greene, that he’s sold hundreds of these customized songs –primarily through word of mouth and a couple of websites (including his own: https://www.lakeshoredrivemusic.com).
In addition to the obvious revenue stream this could mean for aging rockers or new bands, this is also a strong way to create a very real connection to your most ardent fans. And that, my friends, is the real benefit of the digital music revolution – it makes reaching your fans as easy as click, splice, love affair. The revenue is great, and seeing the innovation of a solitary creative disruptor at work is inspiring, but the opportunity to create a once-in-a-lifetime connection to the fan base is definitely not to be missed.
I would love to hear what you all think about this topic. Feel free to comment on my blog at https://allaccessgroup.com/blog or on my Facebook Group Page.
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
Google’s Music Locker … All it’s Cracked up to be? Or Just Cracked?
In a recent interview with Michael Robertson, the CEO of MP3tunes and DAR.fm, we spent a lot of time speaking about music lockers, clouds, and whether Google and Amazon would enter the arena – and if so, what could that mean to the music industry as a whole. The timing for that Q&A was amazing and spot on. Earlier this week, Google entered the race with a cloud locker service – and a promise to respond to the biggest question IN this space, that of copyright.
Music Beta by Google went live with more details about licensing and features on May 10th of this week. VentureBeat’s review said it was, “a web of confusing programs without a lot of instruction as to how to actually get to the music you want to hear.” Further, Business Insider said one of its early testers spent over two days to upload 1,000 songs to the service. When asked about potential piracy and copyright issues, Google said to Gizmodo, “We will respond to requests by rights holders who feel their rights have been violated.” So are they, in essence, waiting for the fire and lawsuits?
I’d love to hear what you all think about this topic. Feel free to comment on my blog at https://allaccessgroup.com/blog/ or on my Facebook Group Page.
Kelli Richards, CEO, The All Access Group, LLC
——————————————————–
Venture Beat: “Google’s Music Beta first look: it’s miserable”
Business Insider: “Google Music … Label Cooperation Would Make It Better”
Gizmodo: “Google Might Not Let You Store Copyright-Infringing Music In the Cloud”
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David Butler: Investor, Advisor, Designer, Brand Strategist
David Butler brings over 25 years of experience as an investor, advisor, designer and brand strategist to his current role as Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Coca-Cola. Joining the company as its first global head of design, David successfully led the design-driven turnaround of an $80M brand, prompting Fast Company to name him a “Master of Design” and Forbes to elect him to their “Executive Dream Team.” Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-david-butler
My Favorite Book of 2015 for Entrepreneurs
December 14, 2015, Inc. These cutting-edge, scalable trends are attracting not only lots of investment, but also great talent — which are two of the key drivers behind any successful startup. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/my-favorite-book-of-2015-for-entrepreneurs.html
From Seinfeld to Bieber: How to Engage the Right Celebrity for Your Business?
Companies engage celebrities to participate at launch or marketing events, milestones and anniversaries, sales conferences, or other events to honor and celebrate key employees, VIP customer appreciation events, birthday parties for CEOs, fundraising events, and more.
From Seinfeld to Bieber: How to Engage the Right Celebrity for Your Business
December 7, 2015, Inc. How to get in on the “star-up” game.
How to Pay Attention to the Whispers When Vetting a Connection?
kinds of distracting, time-consuming, and expensive legal dealings, which were a big drain on my business–and on me, personally.
Though it took a long time, I ultimately prevailed in that case, but it was a painful experience and one I’d like to help others avoid. Trust me, no small business owner needs that kind of angst.
Jay Samit: Disrupt You, Master Personal Transformation (Part II)
There are very few people who have worked as successfully across as many industries as Jay Samit has, and he wanted to share that knowledge and help people on their journey. That is why he wrote the bestseller Disrupt You, Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovations. Throughout this book, Jay explores the importance of personal disruption. “You really have to say, what is limiting you in this limitless world?
Jay Samit: Disrupt You, Master Personal Transformation (Part I)
Jay Samit is the CEO of See Change International, a leading multi-screen video services company. A dynamic entrepreneur, Jay is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on disruption and innovation. Described by Wired Magazine as having the coolest job in the industry, he’s raised hundreds of millions of dollars for startups, sold companies to fortune five hundred firms, and has transformed entire industries.
Gail Zappa: Tireless Champion, Wonderful Friend
Gail, the wife of musician Frank Zappa, was a role model and a tireless champion on behalf of her husband and children for many years and has been a protector of Frank’s estate. She was compassionate, extremely smart and creative advocate and champion, and over time, she became an outspoken advocate for artists to retain their rights and their masters.
Spotify Could Go Away Overnight And No One Would Care
November 9, 2015, Hypebot.com Although Spotify was able to get its foot in the door early, the presence of companies like Apple Music, Amazon Prime, and others means that the historically un-profitable streaming service either needs to find away to differentiate itself from the competition or risk crashing and burning. Read the entire article here: http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2015/11/spotify-could-go-away-overnight-and-no-one-would-care-.html?curator=MusicREDEF
Spotify Could Go Away Overnight And No One Would Care
Although Spotify was able to get its foot in the door early, the presence of companies like Apple Music, Amazon Prime, and others means that the historically un-profitable streaming service either needs to find away to differentiate itself from thecompetition or risk crashing and burning.
What’s the Difference Between a Coach and a Mentor?
No matter your stage, both mentors and coaches can be valuable resources. What’s the difference between the two? How do you know which is needed?
Cynthia Kersey, the Unstoppable Woman
So few people really take the risk to live their dreams, play full out with passion & commitment, and create true impact and legacy during their time on the planet. Cynthia Kersey is definitely one of those rare individuals. Cynthia is the Chief Humanitarian Officer of the Unstoppable Foundation (hyperlink?), whose mission is to ensure that every child on the planet receives access to the life-long gift of education. Just read that sentence a few times and stand in awe, right? That’s a mission worth getting out of bed for each morning!
Influencers on a Plane: 3 Ways to Strike Up Great Conversations
Whether you meet people who end up providing new business opportunities, find great new friends, connect with someone influential, or simply reconnect with established colleagues, with the right mindset, you can improve your business just by striking up a conversation on the road.
3 Signs It’s Time for a (Professional) Breakup
October 19, 2015, Inc. Ending a professional relationship is sometimes necessary, and it can lead to better opportunities.
3 Signs It’s Time for a (Professional) Breakup
A leader is more likely to feel weighed down by professional negativity and anxiety, which can lead to a loss of self-confidence and reduced productivity–and can even bring the business to a grinding halt.
What’s the Difference Between a Coach and a Mentor?
October 15, 2015, Forbes Women We hear a lot about coaching and mentoring — for good reason. As Zig Ziglar famously said, “A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.” Read the entire article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2015/10/15/the-difference-between-a-coach-and-a-mentor/
Influencers on a Plane: 3 Ways to Strike Up Great Conversations
October 12, 2015, Inc. With the right mindset, you can improve your business just by striking up a conversation on the road. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/influencers-on-a-plane-three-ways-to-strike-up-great-conversations.html
Why It Pays to Identify and Approach Mentors in the Professional ‘Cafeteria’
October 7, 2015, Entrepreneur At times, the workplace “cafeteria” resembles a middle-school lunchroom, with heightened stakes and competitors striving for power in lieu of popularity. Who sits where, and why? Read the entire article here: https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/why-it-pays-to-identify-and-approach-mentors-in-the/249748
3 Reasons You Need a Mentor, Even If You Don’t Think You Do
September 28, 2015, Inc. If you want to experience success in any capacity, you owe it to yourself to find great mentors. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/3-reasons-you-need-a-mentor-even-if-you-don-t-think-you-do.html
Rob Tercek: Speaker, Innovator, Strategist
Robert Tercek’s unique views on managing innovation are sought by organizations around the world. His motto is “Inventing the Future.” He is passionate about inspiring audiences to seize their own destiny by thinking creatively and taking decisive action. Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/category/Technology
Jay Samit: CEO SeaChange International
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-jay-samit
How Amazon Shows the Need for a Tech Industry Workforce Revolution
September 18, 2015, Inc. Business is not about being cutthroat anymore; it’s time for the tech industry to re-evaluate the perks being offered to workers. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/how-amazon-shows-the-need-for-a-tech-industry-workforce-revolution.html
Karen Stever and Frank Gryner
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-karen-stever-frank-gryner
4 Characteristics of Trailblazing Entrepreneurs
September 4, 2015, Inc. Trailblazers don’t just see a need in the market — they create new markets, and they forge their own paths to get where their outsized visions tell them they need to go. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/4-characteristics-of-trailblazing-entrepreneurs.html
Steve Jobs Grew From His Failures — You Can, Too
August 28, 2015, Inc. Any weakness — if you look at it the right way — is a lesson. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/steve-jobs-grew-from-his-failures-you-can-too.html
The Art of Taking Vacation for Entrepreneurs
August 14, 2015, Inc. Although circumstances will understandably make it challenging to get away sometimes, the point is not just to get away physically, but to also distance yourself mentally.
4 Ways a Great Advisor Can Protect Your Investment
August 7, 2015, Huff Post Women Last year marked the highest annual total of venture capital funding since 2001, and with $47.3 billion in investments, this represents a 62 percent year-over-year growth. Read the entire article here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/4-ways-a-great-advisor-ca_b_7957254/amp
Wearable Technology – Where Fashion & Fitness Converge
Think of the obvious first, like fashion electronics. Whether it’s FitBit or the Apple Watch that just hit the scene, or Jawbone, or any of these things that are now considered fashion accessories – but they are primarily fitness accessories that give you information in real time about what’s happening with your body and your activity level.
Why Advisors Are Worth Your Equity (and How to Find a Good One)
Think of these advisors as business sherpas: people more experienced than you who help you navigate and climb the startup mountain.
Why Advisors Are Worth Your Equity (and How to Find a Good One)
July 24, 2015 Inc Magazine Think of these advisors as business sherpas: People more experienced than you who help you navigate and climb the startup mountain. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/why-advisers-are-worth-your-equity-and-how-to-find-a-good-one.html
Jim Griffin
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-jim-griffin
Nick Adler
“This is a quote by Nick Adler” Nick Adler single handedly saved the Hollywood Sunset Strip and saved way more than The Roxy. Listen here for the story! Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-nic-adler-of-sunset-strip-music-festival
Tom Keifer
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://jeeni.com/track/kelli-richards-interviews-tom-keifer-of-cinderella
Tom Silverman
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-tommy-boys-ceo-tom-silverman
5 Secrets to Building High-Yield Partnerships
Forming strategic partnerships not only creates a powerful reciprocal network, but also propels you toward your goals, exposes you to new insights and optimizes the time and energy you invest in relationships. And these advantages work both ways.
4 Expensive Mistakes Your Start-up Could Make-And How to Avoid Them
June 12, 2015 Inc. Magazine In business and in life, there are certain dos and don’ts that can decide the fate of your business and your career.
4 Expensive Mistakes Your Startup Could Make — and How to Avoid Them
In business and in life, there are certain dos and don’ts. Four common (and costly) don’ts I often see first-time entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them
Michael Solomon
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-michael-solomon
Will Tidal Make Waves In The Music Industry Or Get Washed Out?
May 25, 2015 Tech Crunch In late March, when a group of A-list musicians gathered in Manhattan to show support for Jay Z’s new music streaming service, Tidal, expectations were sky-high. Read the entire article here: https://techcrunch.com/2015/05/25/will-tidal-make-waves-in-the-music-industry-or-get-washed-out/
Greg Estes
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-greg-estes
Video Marketing Lessons Small Businesses Can Learn From Big Brands
For starters, a high-quality or clever video has the potential to go viral, which can get your brand in front of the eyes of millions of people in a single afternoon. Video also can be inexpensive and therefore cost effective, provided you know what you’re doing.
Wild Bill Stealy
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-interviews-jw-wild-bill-stealey
Is It Time to Spring Clean Your Business? Here’s 4 Ways on How to Do It!
It’s spring! As signs of life begin to reappear outside, you might feel the urge to swing open the windows and tackle that growing pile of clutter that you ignored all winter.
5 Secrets on Getting the Most Out of Partnerships
April 28, 2015 Entrepreneur Every entrepreneur and business leader needs something — money, information, technology, relationships or whatever.
How to Make Money By Talking to Cool People
According to a survey KnowledgeStorm and Universal McCann conducted, 65% of business and IT professionals listen to podcasts for personal and business purposes, and 60 percent interviewees said whitepapers and analyst reports would be more attractive in podcast form.
4 Ways to Make the Most of Your Mentor-Mentee Relationship
In a climate where there’s no free lunch, it’s easy to assume there’s a hidden catch. But if you feel this way, it’s because you don’t understand how mentorship helps your mentor. Did you know that training and advising mentees is a powerful way for your mentor to gain leadership skills and team-building experience? And that mentees often help their mentors understand things in new ways through feedback, communication, and interpersonal skills?
Streaming and Beyond: Apple Will Lead the Way to the Next Music Experience
Listeners now control the entire experience. We can listen to our favorite artists or songs at any time and on any device. Streaming has even made the listening experience social. Services such as Spotify are integrated with Facebook, allowing listeners to see what their friends are listening to in real time, making it easy to discover new music.
Streaming and Beyond: Apple Will Lead the Way to the Next Music Experience
April 6, 2015 The Huffington Post You could buy the physical album, or you could spend an afternoon waiting for the song to come on the radio so you could record it on a cassette tape in your boom box. Read the entire article here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/streaming-and-beyond-appl_b_6996898
Peter Bregman
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-peter-bregman
Is It Time to Spring Clean Your Business? Here’s How to Do It
April 3, 2015, Inc. Spring cleaning is about starting fresh. By applying this mindset to your business, you can return your business to a healthier, livelier, and more profitable state in no time. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/is-it-time-to-spring-clean-your-business-here-s-how-to-do-it.html
Can Apple’s Interactive Digital Music Solution Refresh the Music Industry?
Few artists are likely to follow in U2’s footsteps with the same strategy after the backlash from iTunes users, but when a challenge emerges in the market, we can always look to Apple to lead with the most creative solutions. The “Songs of Innocence” maneuver was Apple showing its hand: The solution to diminishing music sales could be an interactive digital music approach.
How The Apple Watch Is Paving The Way To A New Generation Of Wearable Technology
The Apple Watch will give you the power to optimize daily tasks, leverage apps for information and communication, and be more productive and efficient in general, just as smartphones do. But with the Apple Watch, you’ll be able to do it all hands-free rather than having to carry your phone around in your hand.
Dr. Judith Orloff, New York Times Best-Selling Author
Transforming the face of psychiatry, Judith Orloff MD asserts that we are keepers of an innate intuitive intelligence so perceptive that it can tell us how to heal — and prevent — illness.Yet intuition and spirituality are the very aspects of our wisdom usually disenfranchised from traditional health care. Dr. Orloff is accomplishing for psychiatry what physicians like Dean Ornish and Mehmet Oz have done for mainstream medicine — she is proving that the links between physical, emotional, and spiritual health can’t be ignored. Dr. Orloff is a New York Times bestselling author and is on the UCLA psychiatric clinical faculty. She specializes in treating empaths and sensitive people in her Los Angeles based private practice. She has spoken at medical schools, hospitals, the American Psychiatric Association, Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Summit, and alternative and traditional health forums — venues where she presents practical intuitive tools to doctors, patients, and everyday people. In response to her work, The Los Angeles Times calls Dr. Orloff “a prominent energy-based healer.” Dr. Orloff’s latest book “The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People” (Sounds True, 2017) is an invaluable resource to help sensitive people of all kinds develop healthy coping mechanisms in our high-stimulus world without experiencing compassion fatigue or burnout. Then empaths can fully embody their gifts of intuition, creativity, and compassion. Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-dr-judith-orloff
How the Apple Watch Is Paving the Way to a New Generation of Wearable Tech
March 20, 2015, Inc The next frontier is wearable technology and the Apple Watch will not only be a timekeeper, but it will also be a timesaver. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/how-the-apple-watch-is-paving-the-way-to-a-new-generation-of-wearable-tech.html
Turn Up Your Volume: 5 Big Moves Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Music Moguls
When you think about it, there are multiple ways that the music industry reflects what you’re trying to accomplish as an entrepreneur. Music rewards innovation and originality–finding “the next big thing” is a mantra you both share–and you both aim to immerse customers in rich and compelling experiences, right?
Can Apple’s Interactive Digital Music Solution Refresh the Music Industry?
March 17, 2015, Wired, Innovation Insights When U2 released its album “Songs of Innocence” with an exclusive iTunes partnership, the band was trying to figure out something a bit more complex than simply reaching as many fans as possible.
Peter Dekom
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-peter-dekom-0
5 Critical Lessons in Mergers and Acquisitions From the Apple-Beats Deal
March 13, 2015, Inc. 5 critical lessons from the Apple-Beats deal to keep mergers and acquisitions seamless and swift.
5 Critical Lessons in Mergers and Acquisitions From the Apple-Beats Deal
Mergers and acquisitions are notoriously complicated, clumsy, and fraught with bad feelings when they’re not executed carefully and strategically. Often, leaders fail to communicate, which derails productivity and leaves employees worried about their jobs. Companies also tend to struggle to manage customer integration, branding, and media relations during the transition.
Alan Weiss
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-alan-weiss
How to Harness Power Like a Celebrity
While there is such a thing as “overnight success,” most celebrities work hard over a long period of time to reach their powerful status. Here are three strategies of the stars that business professionals can use to make a difference in the world and do things that truly matter to them:
The Super Connector’s Guide to Making Powerful Business Introductions
As an entrepreneur, you understand the importance of having a strong network. What many people don’t understand is that it’s not always who you know, but what you do with those connections, that matters. Throughout my career, my extensive network in Silicon Valley has allowed me to create intros for startups seeking funding for their ventures and secure celebrities like Jerry Seinfeld for corporate events. But I haven’t done this by connecting with a bunch of random people on LinkedIn; I’ve nurtured these relationships through the power of reciprocal networking. If you aren’t actively looking for ways to make valuable introductions for your connections, your network isn’t as strong as it could be. Here are a few ways to make winning introductions that will lead to lucrative long-term opportunities for you and your connections. How to Make a Powerful Business Introduction When you start making business introductions in person, it can feel a bit awkward. But the key to a successful connection is a clear understanding of what each individual has to gain from the relationship. If your connections don’t see an advantage to meeting the people you suggest, they’ll be skeptical of your intent. A proper business introduction immediately erases confusion among mixed groups of people. It sets the stage for respectful interactions and eases the otherwise uncomfortable first conversation. Always introduce the person with more authority first. Adding explanatory statements after saying each person’s name will also get the conversation flowing naturally and provide context. These can be simple statements such as their job titles. When introducing one person to a group, announce that person’s name and identifier, and introduce each group member in the order they’re sitting or standing. Connecting people who offer complementary services is a great way to promote mutually beneficial relationships. You can also offer to let people you respect sift through your LinkedIn connections and facilitate these meetings to add value. Tips for Navigating the Uncomfortable Email Introduction Making introductions in person usually feels less forced than sending emails out of the blue, but it’s not always feasible to get the two people you want to connect in the same place at the same time. This is where email introductions come in. When emailing your connections to establish an introduction, make sure you always: Ask for permission first. Explain the value proposition for each party meeting the other, and ask if they’d feel comfortable with you making the connection. Mention whether they’ve met before. People often forget brief meetings, and the reminder can save them some embarrassment. Make haste slowly. Good introductions require careful preparation. Think through how both parties could benefit from each other, and spell it out in an email. Hurried, ill-planned emails can have a negative impact on these burgeoning relationships–and your reputation. Encourage the conversation. You never want to start an email thread, only to receive no response from either party. To avoid this social disaster, urge both people in the email to arrange a time to talk in the near future. Make action steps clear. Be straightforward in your email, and outline what the specific next steps should be. Solid introductions always come down to adding value for other people. When you set up a long-term cycle of promoting mutual wins, you position yourself as a credible and trustworthy business connection. Establishing a reputation for facilitating great relationships is the best way to increase your chances of success, no matter what field you’re in. And as this cycle of reciprocity continues throughout your career, the referrals, invitations, and unique experiences will start pouring in. This article was previously published in Inc. To your best success, Kelli Richards, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC PS: Subscribe to my FREE All Access Group Newsletter https://bit.ly/AAGNewletter PSS: Listen to an entire library of intimate discussions with industry visionaries https://bit.ly/AllAccessPodcastSeries (Priceless)
5 Unlikely Music Legends With Great Advice for Entrepreneurs
February 25, 2014, LinkedIn Articles As an entrepreneur, it’s important to keep your ears open for helpful advice — especially when you’re new to the game. Read the entire article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140225155053-9638-5-unlikely-music-legends-with-great-advice-for-entrepreneurs/
Know When to Hold ‘Em, Fold ‘Em, and Walk Away in a Business Deal
In high-stakes poker, managing your emotions is just as important as the hand you’ve been dealt. In order to emerge with your mortgage intact, it’s vital to have an effective poker face.
Business negotiations require a similar approach. Letting your emotions rule your decision-making process can be catastrophic, but failing to seek a win-win situation can be just as dangerous. With that in mind, how can you maintain your cool and, ultimately, your control of the situation?
In this article, Kelli Richards explains how to stay level-headed when the chips are down.
Jeet Singh
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-jeet-singh
How Writing a Book Can Advance Your Career
What’s more, writing a book is a great way to establish you as a credible industry expert. You can create a brand platform for yourself, increase your market value, differentiate yourself from competitors, and discover new ways to grow your authority in your field. But before you can add the title “published author” to your resume, you need to invest some time and energy in planning, crafting, and publishing your unique message–and understanding how the publishing world really works.
Know When to Hold ‘Em, Fold ‘Em, and Walk Away in a Business Deal
February 6, 2015, Inc. The only way to come out on top of a business deal is to pay attention to what’s on the table and play smart. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/know-when-to-hold-em-fold-em-and-walk-away-in-a-business-deal.html
Steve Rubel
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-steve-rubel
5 Ways The Cloud Can Make Your Business & Personal Life Easier
The cloud is becoming a bigger part of our everyday lives. Use it to enhance your business and personal life, increase productivity, and to give you peace of mind when you store and back up your most important files.
Roberta Medina
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-roberta-medina
5 Simple Steps to Schedule Your Week for Business and Personal Success
As an entrepreneur, attending to your work is essential for building your business. But creating a balanced life is the key to sustained success in the office and at home. Aim to structure your time so you can meet both personal and professional obligations, then establish, communicate, and maintain healthy boundaries so you can actually live the lifestyle you desire. It’s doable!
COPING WITH FAILURE The Ultimate Entrepreneur Pep Talk: 4 Important Affirmations for Any Innovator
Having a list of mantras that you can pull out of your toolkit in any situation will prepare you to turn challenges into successes.
6 Surefire Tactics That Will Ignite Client Referrals
January 15, 2015, Inc. Here are six strategic ways to ask for referrals and grow your business exponentially. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/6-surefire-tactics-that-will-ignite-client-referrals.html
5 Reasons Developing Confidence Is Critical to Your Success
Confidence is essential to your success and that of your business — in fact, it’s vital to everything you do in life. In my own career, confidence has been a pivotal skill and strength I’ve needed every step of the way, especially in the male-dominated tech and music industries.
Just Because You Have 500+ Connections Doesn’t Mean Your Network Is Healthy
January 9, 2015, Inc. The best way to build solid connections is to earn a reputation of being a person who adds value for others in virtually every interaction you have with them. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/just-because-you-have-500-connections-doesn-t-mean-your-network-is-healthy.html
Just Because You Have 500+ Connections Doesn’t Mean Your Network Is Healthy
The best way to build solid connections is to earn a reputation of being a person who adds value for others in virtually every interaction you have with them.
12 Affirmations For The Struggling Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs are an optimistic lot. Naysayers might say “naïve.” But they have to be. Odds are against their success, but those who do succeed will provide for their families, solve customers’ problems, and possibly change the world in a big way.The best entrepreneur, therefore, has a healthy confidence that “I’ll be the one person in a thousand who makes it big.”
4 Things You Can Do to Personalize Your Brand Like the Celebs
Between Google and social media, it’s become simultaneously easier and more difficult than ever to maintain your brand image. With a few keystrokes, anyone can learn just about anything about you. On the other hand, if you can cultivate what your audience will find, you can influence your brand image and how others perceive you.
12 Affirmations For The Struggling Entrepreneur
December 15, 2014, LinkedIn Articles Entrepreneurs are an optimistic lot. Naysayers might say “naïve.” But they have to be.
How to Create Your Own Industry to Fit Your Strengths
By leveraging my core strengths and skills and combining my backgrounds in entertainment and tech, I’ve molded my own brand and carved a unique career path for myself. Having been a talent producer for award shows, cause concerts, and celebrity fundraising events for three decades, I’ve developed a very large network, connecting musicians, actors, comedians, and tech innovators with the corporate world to create performances and campaigns.
How Writing a Book Can Advance Your Career
December 12, 2014, Inc. A book can be a powerful tool for advancing your career and establishing yourself as a brand and as an industry leader. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/why-or-how-writing-a-book-can-advance-your-career.html
The 4 Most Important Reasons You Need to Become a Mentor
When you decide to mentor someone, you really have no way of knowing how far she’ll go. Whether you shape the next great entrepreneur of our time or help someone achieve her dreams, you’ll make a difference–and that’s all that matters.
Ann Wilson
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-ann-wilson-of-heart
5 Reasons Developing Confidence Is Critical to Your Success
December 5, 2014, The Huffington Post Confidence is essential to your success and that of your business — in fact, it’s vital to everything you do in life. Read the entire article here: https://www.ellevatenetwork.com/articles/5870-5-reasons-developing-confidence-is-critical-to-your-success
4 Things You Can Do to Personalize Your Brand Like the Celebs
December 4, 2014, The Huffington Post Between Google and social media, it’s become simultaneously easier and more difficult than ever to maintain your brand image. Read the entire article here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/4-things-you-can-do-to-personalize-your-brand-like-the-celebs_b_6148030
5 Simple Steps to Schedule Your Week for Business and Personal Success
December 1,2014, Inc. As an entrepreneur, attending to your work is essential for building your business. But creating a balanced life is the key to sustained success in the office and at home. Read the entire article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-simple-steps-schedule-your-week-business-personal-success-richards/
5 Conversation Tools For Nurturing Your Relationship With A Mentor
We’ve all longed for a classic mentor-mentee relationship at some point in our careers. We want someone who is savvy and seasoned. We want her to provide the perfect insights and career advice that will help us reach our goals. We want someone who will guide us to our destination.
Cynthia Kersey
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-cynthia-kersey
Michael Van Himbergen
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-michael-van-himbergen
The Secret Weapon of Billionaire CEOs and Wildly Successful People
If you’ve hit a wall, it might be time to hire a business coach. Sometimes no matter how passionate you are about your business, it takes an outsider’s perspective to see where the company is lacking and identify areas for growth. And that additional insight and shift in perspective can take moments but make a huge difference in your results and the outcome.
The 4 Most Important Reasons You Need to Become a Mentor
November 20, 2014, Inc. When you decide to mentor someone, you really have no way of knowing how far she’ll go. Whether you shape the next great entrepreneur of our time or help someone achieve her dreams, you’ll make a difference — and that’s all that matters. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/the-4-most-important-reasons-you-need-to-become-a-mentor.html
5 Conversation Tools For Nurturing Your Relationship With A Mentor
November 17, 2014, LinkedIn Articles We’ve all longed for a classic mentor-mentee relationship at some point in our careers.
The Ultimate Entrepreneur Pep Talk: 4 Important Affirmations for Any Innovator
You were prepared for the uncertainty that comes with entrepreneurship. You braced yourself for the long workdays–and for your first business failure. You were ready for just about everything–except the inner strength it takes to be your own biggest motivator.
The Ultimate Entrepreneur Pep Talk: 4 Important Affirmations for Any Innovator
November 11, 2014, Inc. Having a list of mantras that you can pull out of your toolkit in any situation will prepare you to turn challenges into successes. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/the-ultimate-entrepreneur-pep-talk-4-important-affirmations-for-any-innovator.html
Become an Effective Delegator
Delegation doesn’t come naturally to everyone–especially workaholic entrepreneurs. Recognize your #strengths. Tackle the things you love or do very well yourself, and then #DELEGATE the duties that slow down your productivity or otherwise aren’t a good use of your talents and time. Acknowledge and reward others for their strengths. Delegating is not only a way to decrease your workload it’s a way to channel your productivity and expertise! To read https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/the-ultimate-guide-to-delegating-for-entrepreneurs-who-hate-delegating.html
How to Create Your Own Industry to Fit Your Strengths
November 7, 2014, Inc. Your new industry has to reflect you because whether you’re a “collaborator genie” or a “green-energy explorer,” you’ve got all the makings of becoming your own unique brand of superhero. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/how-to-create-your-own-industry-to-fit-your-strengths.html
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Delegating
Is your to-do list a mile long? Do you spend your day in meetings and bring your work home with you because there aren’t enough hours in the workday? Do you feel as though the weight of the entire company is resting on your shoulders?
4 Ways to Make the Most of Your Mentor-Mentee Relationship
October 31, 2014, Inc. If you’re skeptical about why a mentor would want to partner with a mentee, it may be because you don’t have a plan in place to make it worth her while. Figure out what you have to offer your mentor, and do everything you can to provide that value. Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/4-ways-to-make-the-most-of-your-mentor-mentee-relationship.html
Do you have a strong network, or do you just think you have a strong network?
Do you have a strong network, or do you just think you have a strong network?
Many entrepreneurs believe it’s who you know that matters, but what’s even more important is what you do with the people you know. By working to introduce and connect your connections, you can build a more lucrative network that can lead to further opportunities for you. By establishing a reputation as an effective facilitator of great relationships, you increase your chances of success.
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