Resources
From Seinfeld to Bieber: How to Engage the Right Celebrity for Your Business
December 7, 2015,
Inc.
…
From Seinfeld to Bieber: How to Engage the Right Celebrity for Your BusinessRead More »
How to Pay Attention to the Whispers When Vetting a Connection?
Yo
u know that feeling deep in your gut; the one that tells you not to trust the person you’re talking to? Trust it–it almost always has critical information to share with you if you listen.
I’ve had several occasions in my career where my gut told me not to work with someone. But, because I was in need of the work at the time, I ignored it to my peril. It was always a mistake.
I once worked with a startup that had just secured investors–a startup’s dream, of course. Without warning, the CEO completely disappeared; he left the country. He never responded to anyone, and he didn’t pay the consultants or principals what he owed them. He just left and cut off all communication without explanation to anyone involved. …
How to Pay Attention to the Whispers When Vetting a Connection?Read More »
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? My mom had forged my birth certificate and put me in school a year early. I was always the smallest and the scrawniest, therefore I hated sports. As a grown up at 40, I had no interests in sports; followed none; played none; knew nothing about them, because at 4 and 5, I hated it. How silly is that? At 40, I finally disrupted myself and said I will learn to master a sport” Jay writes. …
Jay Samit: Disrupt You, Master Personal Transformation (Part II)Read More »
Jay Samit: Disrupt You, Master Personal Transformation (Part I)
Jay Samit is the CEO of SeeChange International, a l
eading 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. Jay has been an executive at three of the major content companies, as well as couple of leading tech companies. He’s revamped government institutions, and after three decades continues to be at the forefront of global trends. Jay’s list of partners and associates includes the likes of Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, and Steve Jobs. He is the author of the bestseller Disrupt You, Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovations. …
Jay Samit: Disrupt You, Master Personal Transformation (Part I)Read More »
Gail Zappa: Tireless Champion, Wonderful Friend
Gail Zappa recently passed away from cancer. Gail was a unique person, perfectly suited for her role as advocate and champion. She just didn’t hold back. She did not censor herself and went for everything she did with gusto. It’s a huge loss for her family and friends.
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 the competition or risk crashing and burning.
Op Ed by Kelli Richards
Before Apple Music was ever announced, it had already sparked controversy. Word on the street was that Apple wasn’t just trying to create a killer product — it was going for Spotify’s jugular.
Reports spread quickly of Apple working hard behind the scenes to convince record industry executives to kill the freemium model upon which Spotify has essentially built its audience.
…
Spotify Could Go Away Overnight And No One Would CareRead More »
What’s the Difference Between a Coach and a Mentor?
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.” The words “coaching” and “mentoring” are often treated as if they’re interchangeable, but they’re not.
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? …
What’s the Difference Between a Coach and a Mentor?Read More »
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 (https://unstoppablefoundation.org) 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!
You can imagine how honored I was when Cynthia invited me to be on the Host Committee of Advisors after she & I connected at a weekend learning intensive for coaches led by our mutual friend, Rich Litvin. …
Influencers on a Plane: 3 Ways to Strike Up Great Conversations
While some entrepreneurs may view hours or days spent in transit as unwelcome downtime, business travel can offer unusual opportunities to create powerful professional connections.
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. …
Influencers on a Plane: 3 Ways to Strike Up Great ConversationsRead More »
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Know When to Hold ‘Em, Fold ‘Em, and Walk Away in a Business Deal
When you first hit the Las Vegas Strip, the flashing lights and fast pace are overwhelming. With adrenaline coursing through your veins, you’re ready to try it all. But if you’re going to win, you need to take control and work on developing your poker face.
When new opportunities come along in business, you might feel just like you did on that trip to Vegas. But if you want to make the best decisions, you can’t let the excitement get to you. If you get emotional, the logical part of your brain will shut down, and you’ll be at the mercy of other people’s agendas.
Here are four tips to help you weigh your options, stay calm, and show the other players that you’re in control:
1. Don’t reveal your hand.
The principle of least interest, a term coined by sociologist Willard Waller, states that the person who appears to have the least interest in a relationship holds all the cards when forming a business deal or partnership.
In negotiations, always keep your cards close to your chest. You’ll maintain an advantage if you don’t reveal how you feel about an opportunity right away.
2. Consider the stakes.
Avoid getting swept up in the excitement of the game. Consider the hand you’ve been dealt as a whole. Does it serve your long-term business needs? Do you have good rapport with the other party? Will you be able to maintain a productive relationship?
If all–or most–of your business goal boxes are checked, then you’ll probably want to stay at the table.
3. Don’t go all in–yet.
If it’s your turn to bet, make sure you’re confident in your hand before pushing all your chips into the pot. Before making any business decision, you should have all the information you need. Clarify the facts, gather input from advisors you trust, and straighten out any inconsistencies in the agreement.
I once signed an agreement without first showing it to my lawyer. The other party wanted to close the deal quickly, so I signed because I didn’t want to miss out on what seemed like a significant revenue opportunity. It turned out to be a move I later regretted making. I’ve learned the importance of slowing down and getting the crucial input I need before taking action, particularly when the stakes are high.
Do a gut check before diving into any big decision. The deal could look promising–and you may have a good relationship or good rapport with the other party–but you may need to wait until you get some advice from an expert or a trusted advisor. If you feel yourself being pressured one way or another, step back and give yourself some breathing room and space. Never let someone else push you into taking an action you’re uncomfortable with or one that doesn’t feel right to you for whatever reason.
4. Know when to fold.
There will be times when folding and walking away from a deal may be your wisest move. If you evaluate the opportunity in front of you and find that the terms don’t work or the other parties involved are disingenuous, disrespectful, or otherwise unwilling to compromise and work with you to create a win-win, then it may be a sign to move on to the next opportunity.
Remember: Relationships are key, but business is business. Everyone is sitting at the table to make money. While giving in to the excitement and throwing down chips may be fun, making bad bets can cost you in the long run. The only way to come out on top is to pay attention to what’s on the table, bide your time, and play smart.
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)
Jeet Singh
How Writing a Book Can Advance Your Career
A book can be a powerful tool for advancing your career and establishing yourself as a brand and as an industry leader.
When you think about promoting your brand, your mind leaps to speaking at industry conferences, sitting on relevant topic panels, contributing to online forums, and networking at events. But more and more professionals are also considering writing a book to boost their careers. And it makes sense: The market is ripe with literary opportunities, and the U.S. leads the way in self-published books each year, with 391,000 published in 2012.
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.
The Path to Becoming a Credible Published Author
The good thing about writing a book is that anyone can do it; there’s no licensing or training required. However, there’s more to writing and publishing a book than just powering up your computer. You have to plan and research to make your book–and, subsequently, your career–a success. Here are eight steps to create an effective writing and publishing process:
- Write what you know. Reflect on the topics you know best and are most passionate about. They will inspire you and make the entire writing process more fulfilling and enjoyable. As an expert in your field, it’s your experiences, insights, successes, authenticity, and–yes –failures that will set your message apart from all the others to convey authority and impact.
- Find your niche. Look around to see what relevant books are being published on your topic of choice; you may notice holes that you could fill within your target niche. Don’t be discouraged if your desired topic has already been written about. You can find a unique slant or approach that will differentiate you and your ideas.
- Write for your audience. Understanding what your audience wants and needs is incredibly important. Most of today’s readers are on the go, so they want to read content that gets straight to the point, solves real-world problems, and helps them learn new things quickly. Keep your topics focused, and format your book to appeal to your target audience.
- Brand yourself and your ideas. Consider creating a brand platform–with the book as the anchor and you as the authority–that drives home your message and leaves the door open for building upon it in the future. For example, a strong title will not only help you sell books, but it could also potentially galvanize an entire movement (e.g., “The 4-Hour Workweek”). I’ve always chosen very catchy titles for my books that still convey what the book is about, including “Taking the Crowd to the Cloud: Social Media for the Music Industry,” “The Art of Digital Music,” and “The Magic & Moxie of Apple: An Insider’s View.”
- Create a memorable presentation. Not surprisingly, the title and the back cover of a book are often the two most powerful things to consider before releasing your masterpiece to the world. They catch prospective readers’ attention and make them want to dive deeper.
I was very aware of this when designing the books, so the titles and subtitles are both catchy. In the case of “The Art of Digital Music,” the back cover was also carefully orchestrated–testimonials from credible third parties who will be recognized as relevant authorities or influencers in your field are very helpful in establishing an effective and immediate presentation and connection.
- Decide on your publishing path. Traditional commercial publishing might mean multiple inquiries and months of waiting, but that route is still considered more credible for some. However, given the promotional requirements put upon the author once a book is released, more authors are self-publishing with the help of distributors like BookBaby and Smashwords.
- Work with the best. Writing and promoting a book requires a lot of talent and fortitude, so work with a well-rounded team to get the best results. Ghostwriters and editors can ensure that your message and voice are polished and solid, and distributors and promoters can help you build and reach the perfect audience.
- Promote, promote, promote! Promoting your book and spreading your message is vital to both your literary success and your potential opportunities. If you put as much energy into marketing and promoting your book as you do toward writing and publishing it, you will discover many new ways to expand your authority and reach. Be aware that the author is always responsible for promoting the book, whether she’s distributing it herself or working with a commercial publisher.
Creating a campaign before the book is released is critical to having a successful launch. From promoting the book’s title and release date in your email footer weeks or months before it comes out to ensuring it’s available in all relevant outlets, the process can be taxing but rewarding. By encouraging colleagues and affiliates to promote it to their audiences and considering releasing it in multiple formats, you can connect with an even wider audience.
A book can be a powerful tool for advancing your career and establishing yourself as a brand and as an industry leader. For your endeavors to be successful, you must put careful thought and energy into the planning, writing, publishing, and promotional processes. In the end, your efforts could boost your reputation and unlock innumerable opportunities for the future.
This article was previously published in Inc.com magazine
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)
Know When to Hold ‘Em, Fold ‘Em, and Walk Away in a Business Deal
February 6, 2015,
Inc.
Steve Rubel
5 Ways The Cloud Can Make Your Business & Personal Life Easier
How can you use the Cloud to be more productive at work, to enjoy and share music and video, and to stay in touch with family and friends? Here are 5 ways the cloud will make both your business and personal life easier:
The cloud allows you to store data remotely, rather than on your home computer, giving you easy access to your files from anywhere. This can keep you productive when you’re either in or out of the office, and also allows you to collaborate with others on documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The cloud really benefits small businesses because it allows for such great flexibility. You can access your data from anywhere, on any of your devices. Because you can update and share these documents on the go, cloud-based apps enable you to brainstorm with business colleagues as well as personal connections no matter where they are.
- There are cloud services that offer easy ways to keep track of your appointments, schedule meetings, take notes and help you to organize your day. To-do lists can help ensure that daily tasks are not forgotten. This certainly ups your productivity in business, and can keep your personal schedule running smoothly. No more missed anniversaries!
- You could say that web-based email was the original cloud. Instead of downloading electronic messages to your computer, cloud email lets you log in and view them from anywhere. As far as social media, when you like, retweet or pin something, and whenever you use a messaging app, you are doing it in the cloud.
- For entertainment purposes, streaming music and video on demand from the cloud affords you access to millions of files, as opposed to relying on what you could store locally on a specific computer. Gone are the days of burning cd’s or placing large amounts of media on your hard drive. You can host your own files to share pictures or home movies with family and friends, no matter where they are.
- Many data experts remotely recommend backing up those precious memories and important business documents and using a private cloud is a great way for individuals and businesses to securely store files. No more worrying that hard disk failure or computer theft will mean the loss of your important files. When you make use of online storage and syncing services like Dropbox, you have been involved with cloud computing. The cloud also offers a disaster recovery solution in the event of an outage.
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.
Until next time,
Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group, LLC
PS: Always remember that your goals are possible to achieve. Believe in yourself and your ideas. Your intuition got you this far, so trust it. Don’t ignore your own excitement. Keep the passion burning and your vision front and center at all times. It’s the perfect fuel for your dreams. Visit: https://allaccessgroup.com
Roberta Medina
5 Simple Steps to Schedule Your Week for Business and Personal Success
Early in my career, I struggled with striking a balance between my work and my personal life. I quickly found that being a workaholic was a recipe for disaster, so I took steps to create a schedule that allowed me to optimize my time and energy and focus on the things that mattered most to me.
I know how easily entrepreneurs can get sucked into unhealthy work habits and schedules. After all, the climb to success is more demanding than ever. But being a one-dimensional workaholic who doesn’t have a life outside the office can take a tremendous physical and emotional toll on you. The success you achieve this way isn’t worth as much if you’re alone, unhealthy, and/or unhappy.
That’s why establishing a schedule that really works for you–that creates balance among work, life, and play–is critical to becoming a well-rounded, happy, fulfilled person and a successful businessperson.
Scheduling Your Week for Success
My typical week consists of work from 9 to 5 on Monday through Thursday and during the mornings on Friday. I reserve Friday afternoons for “think work,” like coming up with new projects or solving business problems. On evenings and weekends, I focus on myself, my interests, my friends and family, and relaxation. And if something comes up–like business travel or networking events–I have the flexibility to weave those into my routine.
This schedule works for me because it creates balance in my hectic life. I get to do the work I love while still taking care of myself. But this schedule may not be possible–or desirable–for everyone, which is why you need to work out a routine that fits your unique life.
Here are some tips for creating your own balanced schedule:
1. Identify your priorities. Make a list of what’s most important in your life–your family, friends, fitness, mental clarity, overall well-being, faith, and/or hobbies–so you can clearly see the things you need or want to work into your daily schedule.
2. Fit work into your lifestyle, not vice versa. If you often log long hours or work seven days a week, elevate the time you need for yourself and your priorities outside of work. See if you can structure a schedule to fit your work around your lifestyle instead of trying to build a life around your work schedule.
3. Set and communicate your boundaries. Once you’ve worked out a schedule, stick to your time boundaries. Avoid working during personal time or letting your personal time interfere with business as much as you can. Communicate these boundaries to the people in your life so they can help you commit to them.
4. Look for ways to conserve time. Try to eliminate activities that waste your time every week. For example, if you sit in traffic for hours during your commute, try working from home one or more days a week. Or you could schedule several infrequent appointments (such as doctor or dental visits, car maintenance, etc.) in one day to optimize your productivity.
5. Work when you’re at your best. Schedule business tasks like meetings and conference calls for days or times when you have the most energy and focus. If you get burnt out by Friday, stack your work duties earlier in the week. If you’re not a morning person, schedule important meetings for later in the day.
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!
Until next time,
Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group, LLC
This article was originally posted on the Inc.
PS: The right mentor should have the right CONNECTIONS to move you forward. Be sure to ask who they think they can bring to the table around advisorship, possible collaboration and even funding. Visit: https://allaccessgroup.com
COPING WITH FAILURE 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.
Sure, it would be great to have your own personal coach wake you up every morning with breakfast in bed and a hearty “Go get ’em, tiger!” But that’s not likely to happen.
Nobody is waiting at the finish line to give you a medal for getting your business off the ground. Nobody is as invested in your idea as you are. You need to learn how to be your own coach, and it starts with giving yourself a killer pep talk (daily if necessary, then rinse and repeat).
If you’ve seen “Jessica’s Daily Affirmation,” you know how infectious personal motivation can be. Boosting your self-esteem won’t just add power to your day; it’s also likely to give your whole team a boost.
You don’t need to climb into your sink like Jessica to psych yourself up (though it obviously does help), but you do need a mantra. Here are four of my personal favorites:
1. “The journey is the reward.” As an entrepreneur, the work you love doing is often overshadowed by revenue goals and other targets you put in place to gauge success. But as one of my most trusted mentors, Alan Cohen, says, “Do not be fooled by waiting for the ending. Sometimes the middle is more important.” Rather than looking ahead and feeling dissatisfied because you aren’t where you thought you’d be (or “should” be) yet, stay present to take in the experiences around you and appreciate where you are now.
2. “Plan A is overrated.” If Plan A doesn’t work, there are 25 other letters in the alphabet. Perfectionism can motivate you, but it can also be limiting–especially in the startup world, where markets, trends, and resources are always in flux. Often, the very best idea is the second, third, or eighteenth one that you try.
3. “No naysayers allowed.” If you are passionate about your project and your intuition tells you that it could be successful, don’t pay too much attention to doubters. Instead, find the people who share your vision and will root for you and stand beside you when things get tough. These are the people who can help you by offering fresh ideas and perspectives–and a hearty dose of motivation. Good things happen when you work with people who believe in you and complement your strengths.
4. “Every failure is a step closer to success.” In business, you can often learn a lot more from your failures than your successes. You learn how to adapt, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and gain new insights into your industry.
More importantly, you learn what you’re made of. You failed, yet the sun still came up in the morning. You’re still standing. And you’re probably a little wiser for the wear. When you dust yourself off and try the next idea, you’ll be better prepared and much more likely to succeed.
Having a list of mantras that you can pull out of your toolkit in any situation will prepare you to turn challenges into successes. If all else fails, a simple “You can do it!” can give you that boost you need to keep going. Remind yourself that you’ve done it before and will do it again.
Until next time,
Kelli Richards
CEO of The All Access Group, LLC
This article was originally posted on the Inc.
PS: Always remember that your goals are possible to achieve. Believe in yourself and your ideas. Your intuition got you this far, so trust it. Don’t ignore your own excitement. Keep the passion burning and your vision front and center at all times. It’s the perfect fuel for your dreams. Visit: https://allaccessgroup.com
6 Surefire Tactics That Will Ignite Client Referrals
January 15, 2015,
Inc.
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Thomas Reemer
Chairman of 88TC88.com Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-thomas-reemer-ceo-of-88tc88com
Ty Roberts
Chief Technical Officer of Gracenote
Matt Ramey
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-w-matt-ramey-creative-director-of-black
Peter Rafelson
Musician, Writer and Producer Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/2011/04
Jeff Price
CEO of TuneCore Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-jeff-price-ceo-of-tunecore
Jon Potter
Founder of ADA, Apps Developer Alliance and Founder Fan Freedom Project Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-and-jon-potter-entrepreneurial-attorney
David Pakman
Partner at Venrock and Digital Media Entrepreneur Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-david-pakman-partner-at-venrock
David Pack
Musician, Songwriter and Lead Singer for Ambrosia Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-david-pack
Finbar O’Hanlon
CEO, Rocker, and Revolutionary Listen to the entire podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVPCz4RC0D4
Ian Miller
Founder and CEO of The Brand Practice Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-ian-miller-rocket-branding
Brian McGarvey
Vice President, Business Development of Rhapsody Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-brian-mcgarvey-of-rhapsody-0
Terry McBride
CEO Nettwerk Music Group Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/podcast/qa-kelli-richards-terry-mcbride-ceo-of-nettwerk-music
Eric Martin
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k84tzmwOPDM
Steve Macfadyen
Live Event Producer, Producer at Pollstar Magazine Listen to the entire podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-macfadyen-event-producer/id420295332?i=1000332691802
Evan Lowenstein
Founder of StageIt.com Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-evan-lowenstein-founder-of-stageit
Wendy Lipton-Dibner
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/qa-with-wendy-lipton-dibner-of-professional-impact-inc
Esther Lim
Founder and CEO of The Estuary LLC Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-esther-lim-digital-strategist-the-estuary
Gerd Leonhard
Media Futurist, Keynote Speaker and CEO of The Futures Agency Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/qa-kelli-richards-gerd-leonhard-of-the-futures-agency
Marina Jacoby Leonard
Relationship Coach, Woman’s Coach, Life Coach Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-marina-jacoby-leonard
Dave Kusek
CEO Berkleemusic and co-author of “The Future of Music” Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/a-live-qa-with-dave-kusek-of-the-berklee-school-of-music-and-the-co-author-of-the-future-of-music
Noel Kelli
Musician, The Hush Now Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/a-live-qa-with-kelli-richards-and-noel-kelly-lead-singer-of-acclaimed-indie-pop-band-the-hush-now
Andrew Keen
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Dave Jaworski
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://jeeni.com/track/kelli-richards-interviews-dave-jaworski-3rd-ever-employee-of-microsoft-canada
Scott Humphrey
Producer & Founder of Jammit.com Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-w-producer-jammit-ceo-scott-humphrey
Jim Griffin
Digital Music & Tech Visionary Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-jim-griffin
Hollywood Producer, Gary Goldstein
Mentor, Author, Speaker, and Innovator Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-with-hollywood-producer-gary-goldstein
Libby Gill
Branding Expert and CEO Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-with-bestselling-author-libby-gill
Libby Gill
Branding Expert and CEO Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/qa-with-kelli-richards-libby-gill-branding-expert
Mike Galaxy
Of Band Promote Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-mike-galaxy-of-band-promote
Rick Frishman
Publisher at Morgan James Publishing Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-w-rick-frishman-publisher-morgan-james
David Fishof
Creator of Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-david-fishof-of-rock-n-roll-fantasy-camp
Michael Fishman
Entrepreneur, Advisor, Speaker Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/2012/02
Brian Felsen
CEO of BookBaby and CDBaby
Azeo Fables
Founder of VizLingo Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-azeo-fables-from-vizlingo
David Dufresne
CEO of BandZoogle Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/live-qa-with-david-dufresne-ceo-of-bandzoogle-and-a-big-inspiration-in-the-world-of-musicians
Ed Donnelly
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-with-ed-donnelly-founder-of-aderra-inc
Thomas Dolby
Musician, Producer, Music Director for TED Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-musician-and-artist-thomas-dolby
Dave Cool
Documentary Film Maker, Blogger and Advocate for Indie Artists Everywhere. Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-dave-cool-indie-artist-champion
Alan Cohen
Million Dollar Coach and Author Listen to the entire podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIhj079WPXE
Freddy Clarke
Renowned Flamenco Guitarist & Singer with Wobbly World Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-with-freddy-clarke
Craig Chaquico
Lead Guitarist & Songwriter for Jefferson Starship Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/2012/05
Irene Cara
Academy Award Winner, Musician and Actress Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-chats-with-academy-award-winner-irene-cara
Olivia Fox Cabane
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-with-olivia-fox-cabane-charisma-expert
Jack Buser
Director of PlayStation Home Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-jack-buser-of-sony-playstation
Jeff Brandstetter
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/live-qa-with-kelli-richards-jeff-brandstetter-esq-noted-hollywood-attorney-financing-expert
Jason Benlevi
Author of “Too Much Magic – Pulling the Plug on the Cult of Tech” Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/qa-kelli-richards-jason-benlevi-author-of-too-much-magic
Drew Anderson
CTO of HitLab Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-qa-with-drew-anderson-cto-of-hitlab
Marc Allen
Listen to the entire podcast here: https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/podcast/kelli-richards-qa-w-marc-allen-author-musician-publisher
Ziad Abdelnour, International Dealmaker and Author
Ziad Abdelnour is President & CEO of Blackhawk Partners, Inc., a New York based private equity “family office” that focuses on originating, structuring, advising and acting as equity investor in management-led buyouts, strategic minority equity investments, equity private placements, consolidations, buildups, and growth capital financings in companies and projects based both in the US and emerging markets.
Nick Adler
Nic 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
HITLAB – Reinventing Music Discovery and Distribution, One Artist at a Time?
What’s new in the world of Music and Technology? The world-renowned multi-platinum artist Akon and a key Canadian Internet Company have joined to create something new and very interesting: HITLAB.com. Hitlab is a new media company focused on reinventing the way music is discovered, produced, marketed and distributed.
Happy Holidays from Kelli
With so many wonderful things coming to fruition in the coming year, and so many beautiful friendships and great business alliances and success stories in 2012, I just wanted to stop and take a moment to say how much my friends and colleagues mean to me.
Something Special About Apple and iOS
The special needs community is rarely the target demographic for the tech industry. Many of the wonderful new gizmos and gadgets that come out simply aren’t designed for them. There are an increasing number of companies that are developing products and technology to make computers and mobile devices more accessible for the special needs community, however – and one of those companies happens to be Apple, Inc. Apple’s VoiceOver technology was introduced with OSX 10.5 – better known as “Tiger.” It’s an accessibility feature that allows blind or visually impaired users to interact with a computer through sound. A user can use the trackpad or keyboard to scroll through the applications on the docked menu at the bottom of the screen. It can literally read the user any text that’s displayed on the screen and allows users to edit text where applicable. VoiceOver is also available on iOS devices such as the iPad. Visually impaired users have been incredibly receptive and appreciative of this, especially considering the fact that it’s a feature many other tablets and readers lack. As more and more publishing companies, universities, and corporations look to switch to readers and tablets in the future, accessibility features for the visually impaired certainly help Apple market its products as the superior choice amongst the competition. Another feature that benefits the members of the special needs community is a new feature in iOS 6 called Guided Access. Guided Access allows parents and educators to “lock” onto an app so that children can’t accidentally exit out of it by pressing the home button. While this may seem like a very basic feature, it’s incredibly useful for children with Autism or learning disabilities who may become distracted or lose focus on tasks. There are a number of educational apps available in the App Store but it’s often hard for learning disabled students to stay focused on them long enough to actually benefit. With Guided Access, the task of keeping a child focused has gotten a little easier for teachers and parents. While full accessibility is an on-going battle as technology continues to evolve, Apple is certainly taking steps in the right direction. Many other companies in Silicon Valley are taking their lead and continuing to improve accessibility features for different technologies and we hope to see this trend continue. My own time at Apple saw many of these technologies discussed and drawn out on desks and white boards under the tireless leadership and direction of my colleague Dr. Alan Brightman, who was Director of Apple’s WW Disability Solutions for 12 years; and is now a VP at Yahoo focusing on Global Accessibilty. To see these things come to life and create impact all around the world is simply astounding (then and now). Kelli Richards, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC
The Cupertino Connection: iTunes 11 and iCloud
iTunes may be one of the best products that Apple ever developed, or at the very least, one of the smartest. Just a few weeks ago Apple released iTunes 11 with a myriad of visual and technical changes and improvements. iTunes will turn 12 years old in January, and in those years Apple has found a way to streamline, connect, condense, and centralize a user’s content and multimedia experience. With that in mind, I think it’s worth looking at a few of the existing features, the new ones in iTunes 11, and the future ones planned for next year to see just how they’ll continue to do that. First let’s look at how Apple already connects users and their content across multiple devices. One of the earliest features that did this was the “Library Sharing” feature that enables users to share their library across 5 devices connected to the same network using the same Apple ID. This was great because a user could have a whole collection on their desktop computer and access that same collection on their laptop. With this feature, users can also share content with other people on their WiFi network. A similar feature that’s been out for a few years is AirPlay. AirPlay allows users to stream media from one device across multiple devices on their WiFi network. For example, a user can start listening to an album or playlist in one room and stream it to their home stereo in their living room. Users can even adjust which devices are playing at what time and the volume of those individual devices. Apple TV even lets users stream a movie from their computer on their Apple TV. Of course, all of these devices are controllable with an iPhone, iPod, or iPad. Finally, with iTunes 11 and the updated iTunes store, all of a user’s downloads are automatically synced to the iCloud and accessible by any other iCloud capable device. This means a song downloaded in the iTunes store on your computer will be available on your iPod or iPhone. A similar service, iTunes Match, was released last year and allows users to pay an annual fee to have any of their music in their library uploaded to the iCloud, whether it was purchased or available in the iTunes store or not. These services could prove to be interesting competitors for Spotify, Rhapsody, Amazon, and other streaming/cloud based music delivery services. Lastly, Apple recently announced that it will launch its own streaming radio service to compete with Pandora in the first few months of 2013. Like the aforementioned services, it will be available across iPhones, iPods, iPads, Macs, and PC’s as part of iTunes. With all of these developments that have made Apple products so seamlessly integrated into a person’s life, it seems Tim Cook is moving forward to fulfill Steve Jobs’ goal of having an Apple device in every home. Cloud storage and online streaming is all the rage right now, and Apple’s solutions could prove to be big problems for its competitors. With so many solutions to a user’s content needs, why would they bother going elsewhere? Kelli Richards CEO of The All Access Group
Beamz Interactive – Play Music with Ease and Add A Visual Element
Are you one of those people who think they can’t play music or will never learn to play an instrument? I have heard people say things like “I’m too old now” or “I’m just not musically gifted.” Thanks to the great products from Beamz Interactive, you’ll never be able to use those excuses again. Beamz has created a great new interactive music system that uses lasers to enable users to create music. And I cannot think of a better stocking stuffer for anyone in your life.
Please click through and comment on my recent article on Fast Company
Hi everyone, I am thrilled to share that last week my article, “How Apple’s Culture Seeped Into Silicon Valley’s DNA,” was featured in Fast Company. I would be grateful if you would click through and comment on Fast Company’s site and join the discussion there.
Cyber Monday – Digging for Digital Dollars
The holiday season is upon us now that Thanksgiving has come and gone. If you’ve just surfaced from the post-Thanksgiving turkey overdose then you’ve already missed Black Friday, which is probably for the better. However, many e-commerce sites are extending Cyber Monday deals through the entire week. This blog isn’t going to tell you where to find the best deals or give you any general tips, but rather it will highlight the importance of Cyber Monday to the tech industry and its influence throughout the globe. The term “Cyber Monday,” was first coined in 2005 by Shop.com as a parallel to Black Friday. Scott Silverman of Shop.com created the concept based on research that the Monday following Thanksgiving was the biggest online retail day of the year, presumably for anyone who missed out on Black Friday deals. In its first year, Cyber Monday generated over $600 million dollars in sales from U.S consumers. It has since grown to double that and is now “celebrated” in countries across the globe such as the U.K, Portugal, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia. One of the reasons Cyber Monday has grown so steadily over the years is because the rapid advancements in tech. In 2005, few people were browsing Amazon.com on their cell phones, now however, more than 12% of Cyber Monday purchases are made from a mobile device. Similarly, the rate at which technology is released has sped up in every direction, meaning more cool new gadgets for people to buy. As online sales soar with Cyber Monday, some brick-and-mortar locations and small businesses have complained that the deals online are taking money away from local economies. The sad (and great) news is that really, as technology and e-commerce rapidly evolve, everyone along the retail trail will have to find a way to keep up. So happy hunting! There are so many cool new products on the market – from the iPad Mini to the Kindle Fire to all the great new laptops that have come out. Hopefully you won’t go overboard and max out all your cards, though I know it can be tempting! Kelli Richards CEO of the All Access Group.
A Message of Thanks and Giving
Greetings everyone, With Thanksgiving almost here, I’d like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday, abundant with loved ones. One of the many things I’m grateful for is your definitely your friendship this past year. 2012 has been amazing and successful for me, and that definitely doesn’t happen in a vacuum. I continue to work on new and exciting things to foster that same success and abundance in your own companies and projects. I am launching a new coaching program to help companies and brands adopt best practices and implement them into their goals and initiatives. If you’ve read my latest book, “The Magic and Moxie of Apple: An Insider’s View” then you’ll be familiar with some of these best practices (but not all of them). If you have struggled to hit your goals, successfully launch your projects, or create the relationships you need to truly move forward, this is the program for you. A new, updated edition of my bestselling book “Taking the Crowd to the Cloud,” comes out on 12/12/12. This eBook will feature new chapters on Pinterest, the new Myspace, and on funding sources for musicians (and any of us with a great project that the “crowd” could get behind. In addition to the new chapters, I will be updating all of the book’s topics to account for updates and renovations on the various social networks, such as promoted posts on Facebook – and the ability to share video on Linkedin. While this book does cover some very advanced capabilities, I always endeavor to approach each space with a beginners eye, for those of us who need that point of view as well. Best wishes, Kelli Richards CEO of the All Access Group.
Crowd Funding for Musicians
One of the things that I do when I work with clients is help them find new revenue streams and funding sources. They’re two of the most important aspects when it comes to business growth and development. It’s not any different for musicians. If you want to take music from a hobby to a full-time job, you’re going to need funding to survive and support your music. One of the great ways to do this is through online crowd funding platforms. Crowd funding is essentially like having a fundraiser but it can be utilized to raise money for new companies and projects. There are literally dozens of companies out there, each with their own pro’s and con’s, that help raise money through crowd funding. Some of the bigger ones are: IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, and RocketHub. There are even crowd funding companies that focus exclusively on music such as ArtistShare, Sellaband, and PledgeMusic. One of the best and earliest examples of crowd funding is the rock band Marillion, who raised $60,000 for a U.S tour in 1997 and has since used it to fund the recording and marketing of 3 albums. The over-arching premise is simple: fans donate what they can with different levels of donations that get different gifts. For example, a $10 donation will get a free copy of the CD they’re funding, a $25 donation gets a CD and a shirt, and a $50 dollar donation gets a CD, shirt, and personally autographed poster. Don’t sell yourself short, even in today’s economy people are willing to shell out the few extra bucks to help local music and get something cool in return. Who knows, those signed posters could be worth big money some day because they helped fund the album that made you famous! Crowd funding is so much more than a simple fundraiser, it’s a really fantastic way to engage your fans. Many platforms allow, or even require, artists to post updates, pictures, videos, etc as a way of maintaining momentum during their campaign. Will crowd funding replace traditional funding sources and revenue streams? Probably not; but they are a great way to get those precious few extra dollars that you need to record, produce, distribute, tour, film, etc. With crowd funding, you no longer need a major label budget to put out a great record. Simply ask your fans for help and everyone wins. Kelli Richards, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC
New York, We’ve Got Your Back
Let me preface this piece by saying my thoughts and prayers go out to the millions of people in the northeast who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy over the last week. I hope that everyone can quickly and easily recover from this tragic event. The human spirit is, as always, amazing. We’ve seen many events that showcase the spirit of brotherhood – and even heroism – through the media. Thousands of miles away on the West coast, the updates pouring in from social media were a vital lifeline of information for many friends and relatives for those affected. Two of my own team members are in New York, and I was grateful that even without electricity and internet, they both updated their Facebook and Twitter accounts to say they were okay.
The New Myspace: All or Nothing
Ah Myspace, the website that brought social networking and social media into the homes of the masses. Once the king of the internet, valued at $12 billion and becoming the most visited website in the world, it has since been dethroned and fallen from grace. Or has it? It was recently purchased by Specific Media and Justin Timberlake in June 2011 for $35 million with hopes of breathing new life into the company. But will they be able to reclaim the throne in a much more crowded kingdom? The answer to that remains to be scene but based on the preview it looks like something worth getting excited about. The obvious issue is that there are already enough, if not too many, social networks for the average user. Between Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Youtube, Google+ and the many others, the internet has become inundated with social media. Billed as a way to connect artists and fans, the MySpace team at Specific media has taken a smart approach by letting users integrate their Facebook and Twitter accounts rather than having to create a new one. With celebrities and artists already connecting with fans via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram perhaps integration and consolidating is something we need more of. Seamless integration and creative design are two big things the new Myspace has going for it. Based on the preview video posted by Justin Timberlake, the website does look gorgeous and functional; 2 issues which plagued it in the past. Perhaps the biggest thing it has going for it is the music feature, which is something it actually always did exceptionally well. Once a great way for big names and local bands alike to post songs, event info, pictures, etc, it will now let users create and share playlists, listen to whole albums, discover new music based on recommendations, and more. A cool feature for the artists is an analytics page which provides demographic breakdowns of their audiences by age, gender, region, etc. Myspace currently boasts one of the largest music catalogues on the internet, albeit from mostly unknown artists, at 42 million songs. If they can get some big artists and labels on board or even integrate with other services like Spotify, Pandora, Rdio, or Rhapsody then it could very well come back to life. There’s still a lot that is up in the air for the new Myspace but if it can find a way to get over the hump, play nicely with the other social networks, and deliver great content then I think it will be a success. If it can’t create a pleasant, clutter-free, and unique experience for the user then it may be time to just let it die out. Kelli Richards, President and CEO The All Access Group, LLC
A Lennon Legacy
I’d like to think that we all have heroes, that everyone out there, no matter how successful they are, takes the time to have someone to look up to and admire. John Lennon was always that hero to me. He lived by his own rules and made a mark that only grows stronger over time. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to meet his oldest son, Julian, and to share a deeply moving conversation about his dad and the work that he did – and to discuss the work that Julian has created through his charity, The White Feather Foundation. The White Feather Foundation was started over 20 years ago and embraces environmental and humanitarian issues in conjunction with partners from all around the world, raising funds for a more sustainable, better world for every living being. White Feather has done everything from supporting artists to marching to end bullying to building an orphanage in Sri Lanka. One project at a time, Julian’s Foundation builds better lives and stronger communities. In 2008, he was honored by the Better World Environmental Award by Prince Albert of Monaco. It’s not easy for artists today – the entire industry has changed and then changed gain. While being fathered by a giant among men, Julian has never been one to stand on the shoulders of his dad, John. He has carved his own careers as both a musician and a photographer. He has brilliantly built the one thing ALL of us should define and design every day – an inspiring legacy that changes and betters the world of others. Julian’s latest album, Everything Changes, will be released worldwide early 2013. In the meantime, we will all wait impatiently, and hopefully support his great work with White Feather. To send a donation, go to https://WhiteFeatherFoundation.com
Politics 2.0: The 2012 US Presidential Election
Very rarely, if ever, do I talk about politics. It’s one of those taboo topics of conversation that’s best left unmentioned for the sake of your sanity and relationships. The internet however seems to disagree. Now more than ever, politics is being discussed very openly; whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs, podcasts, etc. So why the shift? Where did it come from? What does it mean? Who’s driving it? These questions deserve a bit more investigation, so let’s take a quick look. Technology has always been used to shape and advance movements of political, cultural, and social change. From Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press of the 1400’s to the #Kony2012 campaign earlier this year, people have used technology to communicate and spread ideas in an effort to shape their culture and society. While Gutenberg’s printing press is undoubtedly more revolutionary than Twitter, both have the same end goal: to communicate and share ideas. Similarly, the advent of television played a huge role in modern U.S politics on September 26, 1960, when the Kennedy – Nixon presidential debate became the first presidential debate to be televised. Many people have said that Kennedy won the election based on that debate alone, being noticeably more calm, charming, and charismatic than Nixon. In today’s culture, the media landscape has already begun to shift. No longer are people tuning into the nightly news or watching the debates on television. Rather, they check the news on their smart phone or watch the debate streaming live on their tablets on the go – untethered. So while technology and the media have adapted to these changes, how has politics? And why is it important? For starters, the internet is here to stay. No longer are computers and the internet just for younger generations and tech geeks. 85% of adults in the United States use the internet, that’s 297.5 million people of legal voting age. According to SocialBaker.com, there are 167,913,500 U.S Facebook users or 54.12% of our total population. As you can see, that’s a huge chunk of people that are communicating their thoughts and ideas with one another. Similarly, that’s a huge chunk of people that can be reached by your ideas. If you were a politician, think about how powerful it would be to reach 54% of your target population. Imagine if you could even reach half of that, how those people could influence an election. The purpose of this blog isn’t to say whether or not using social media to promote a political campaign is worthwhile or not, I think that has already been decided. Instead, I’d like to get you to think about how social media influences politics in the U.S today.
A Tribute to John and Steve
In my newest book, The Magic and Moxie of Apple: An Insider’s View, I compared Steve Jobs and John Lennon; two iconic legends of a generation that are no longer with us today. Coincidentally, today is John’s birthday and last week marked the 1 year anniversary of Steve’s death. For that reason, I feel that it is only right for me to pay homage to two of the most inspirational men in my life. John Lennon was a rock star in every sense of the world. He had it all; the fame, the fortune, the glory, etc but you would never guess it from his bashful demeanor on the camera. Steve Jobs was also a rock star but in a less literal sense. He attained the same iconic level of fame and fortune as Lennon, but through technology. Their success can’t be attributed to themselves alone; they both had an amazing team around them. However, both had the courage and vision to try something new and it worked. I remember being a little girl when I was 8 years old and watching the Beatles doing a TV special (maybe it was “All You Need is Love”.) Apart from being electrified by their performance, the man behind the curtain playing with all the buttons and knobs (George Martin) lit a spark in me that set me on the career path that brought me to where I am today. As I watched Martin and the Beatles I thought to myself, “That’s what I want to do with my life,” and so I set out to make it happen. Similarly, growing up in Cupertino was the other half of my inspiration. At the time they started, no one knew how great Apple would be, but as the company started to take off I knew that working there would be a dream. So this is my “thank you” to John & to Steve. Without these two legends, who knows if I would have ever developed personally and professionally into the person I am today. If they’re up there watching over us, I hope they know what a profoundly wonderful impact they’ve had on millions of lives.
Rdio’s New Artist Program
As someone who has built their entire career around the convergence of technology and music, nothing pains me more than to see artists ripped off by advancements in technology. Whether we’re talking about the Napster days of the early 2000s or Grooveshark today, artists continue to be undercompensated (if compensated at all) for their work. While we’ve certainly taken some great strides towards fairly discovering and obtaining music, there is still a lot of work to be done. That’s why I was delighted to learn about Rdio, an ad-free music subscription service. Rdio was founded in 2010 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, whom you might remember from the illegal file sharing service Kazaa which followed Napster’s demise. Similar to other services like Spotify and Rhapsody, Rdio allows users to stream an unlimited number of songs from their computer or smartphone for a monthly fee. Artists are compensated based on the number of plays their songs get per month. Unfortunately we’ve seen through these services that this model results in artists being undercompensated; often times getting fractions of a penny per play or a check for 4 dollars at the end of the month. Some artists, such as Coldplay and Adele, have kept their latest work off of subscription based streaming services because they feel it hurts album sales. Today Rdio has announced a new program that aims to compensate artists more fairly and increase fan engagement while at the same time getting new subscribers. The Rdio Artist Program will use artists as recruiters and will compensate them $10 dollars for each subscriber they sign up. Rdio gives the artist the tools to customize their page and share their content on social media. One of my favorite features is the ability to have artists share their favorite songs and playlists that they’re listening to, a feature I always thought iTunes should have. Rdio CEO Drew Larner calls the program a “Win-win” for all parties involved. With only about 10 million subscribers around the world, it’s hard to say whether or not this program will sink or float but a few big artists are already getting onboard such as Snoop Lion, Scissor Sisters, A-trak, and Chromeo. Could this possible be the next big thing? If it gets artists paid fairly while giving the customer a better experience, let’s hope so.
Reminder to REGISTER for TUESDAY’s Apple’s Best Practices Webinar
Tomorrow, September 25th at 2pm PST I will offer an exclusive Webinar on incorporating Apple’s 12 best practices to enhance your business, client experiences, and personal brand. As we know, Apple is a global leader in creating an environment around achieving powerful goals, and boiling down how they became THE company to model, after experiencing one of the most well documented crashes in history, is an absolute MUST do for anyone in business today. To hold your space at this exclusive webinar, sign up immediately at https://www.appleinsidersecrets.com Warmly, Kelli Richards
Apple’s Laughing Straight to the Bank
The past month or so for Apple has been almost as eventful as the company’s first big success back in the late 70’s – early 80’s.
Apple’s 12 Best Practices – Training Webinar
Join me on Tuesday, September 25, 2:00pm PT/5:00 pm ET. I will share a detailed, insiders view into Apple’s 12 best practices to create the WOW factor that keeps your customers coming back and telling all their friends about why your product “kills” anything else on the market (my colleague Steve Jobs used every single one of these to great success)
Blog for Black: The Digital Agency
Black is a digital media marketing company that was launched just a year ago by Matt and his partner, Philippe Luchansky. The duo act as Creative Director and Director of Interactive, respectively, and bring years of experience working on massive, successful campaigns. While the company itself is new, Mat and Philippe’s work has been sought after by dozens of household names, such as Blizzard, EA Sports, Jason Mraz, Redbull, Betsy Johnson, and so many more.
Steve Jobs on Privacy and User Experience – An Apple Best Practice
Nobody can keep a secret better than Apple – AND the thousands and thousands of employees. And that idea translates far into how they work with their products, and especially, their users. For Apple Inc., user experience goes far beyond what the customer can see, feel and touch. It goes on behind the veil as well. Steve Jobs talked about this himself when he was interviewed at the All Things D8 Conference in 2010.
Wendy Lipton-Dibner – Elite Video Mastery and Move People to Action
I was joined on this week’s edition of “All Access Radio” by author, speaker, and coach Wendy Lipton-Dibner. Wendy has done amazing work as a leader in her field. She is the president of Professional Impact Inc., which produces seminars and courses such as the wildly successful “Move People to Action for Experts and Entrepreneurs.”
One Thing RIGHT in the Music World: CD Baby
CD Baby is an online distributor of independent music. But they’re not just any online distributor they’re actually the largest online distributor of independent music in the world.
EventFinda – A New Way to Find Events, Concerts, Gigs, Tours…
EventFinda is an amazing new way to market and promote events as well as purchase tickets. EventFinda goes above and beyond today’s standards for event marketing and ticketing. EventFinda distinguishes itself from the competition by not only being a place to buy and sell tickets to events but also syndicates and shares content, as well as offering a path to discover more events and interesting entertainment coming to your area. EventFinda makes the lives of everyone involved with a single event much easier; from the artist, to the promoter, to the PR teams, and ultimately, to the fans and spectators. As something that started from a kitchen table in 2005 in New Zealand (not exactly Silicon Valley) and spread across the globe to land in the USA this year, there’s no doubt that EventFinda will continue to grow and amaze fans and entertainers alike. Sure, there will always be other websites that you can go to to buy and sell tickets, discover new music or entertainment, learn more about your favorite artist or venue; but none of them will be able to package all of that together like EventFinda. Kelli Richards, President and CEO The All Access Group, LLC
A Peek Behind the Curtain… The Core Personal Interviews with Kelli Richards (and her Editor) that Became the Apple eBook…
The Core Interviews with Kelli that Became the Apple eBook… Tune in for this 15-minute interview with Kelli Richards, Apple Alum and author of the Amazon Bestseller, “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View.”
Will we Retain our Confidence in Apple?
The newly launched iBooks Store recently signed on its sixth majorU.S. publisher in Random House, the world’s No. 1 English-language producer of books. Is there any doubt that iBooks is set on a course to become the world’s largest digital bookstore?
On July 20th at midnight, Kelli Richards’ long awaited eBook on Apple Inc., “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View,” hit #1 in Kindle for Systems and Leadership and broke the top 100 in the Business and Leadership Category (our highest ranking was #70) on Amazon overall. This is Richards’ second #1 bestseller on Amazon.
Kelli Richards, Leader in Technology and Digital Distribution, Publishes New Book on Apple Inc., “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View”
Kelli Richards, CEO of the All Access Group and an alumnus of Apple Inc. (where she launched Apple’s earliest focus on music and drove all music initiatives during her 10 years with the market leader) has just published her long awaited eBook, “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View.”
It’s HERE! Get “The Magic and Moxie of Apple” + An Invite to my Launch Party in Silicon Valley
What’s Apple Inc.’s best kept secret goal? Apple insider Kelli Richards reveals how Apple built a company and a brand that reaches across Fortune 100 companies and small business owners. You the book launch for “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View” at https://AppleInsiderSecrets.com and peek BEHIND the curtain to look at the best practices of Apple Inc., and how it created a climate that ultimately changed the world forever. Help Best Selling Author, Kelli Richards Reach #1 on Amazon AGAIN. Get “The Magic and Moxie of Apple” + Bonuses https://AppleInsiderSecrets.com Through interviews with other alums and my own experiences at Apple for over a decade, I’ve created a compelling view of what makes Apple Inc. the company it is today. Get the book TODAY for an insider’s look at Apple’s failures, its successes, and the people who will continue its course toward greatness. https://AppleInsiderSecrets.com THANK you everyone for your support!
“Our North Star is to make the best product.” Tim Cook Continues Apple’s Best Practices
Tim Cook gave us a bird’s eye view of how Apple plans to stay the course and continue their role as tech leader of the world. Asked about the competition many times, Cook responded at one point with a statement that completely embodies one of Apple’s Best Practices. He said, “Our North Star is to make the best product.”
I talk about this best practice in my upcoming eBook at great length. How despite being the richest company in the world, the best practice of “Excellence, not Revenue” IS that North Star – and truly has been since Apple’s rebirth when Steve came back to the company.
Apple Alums – A “Class” Unto Ourselves and an Education and Collaboration for a Lifetime
Not long ago the LA Times ran an article about an executive training program at Apple called Apple University. This was one of Steve Job’s most poignant legacy projects – literally how he hoped to continue his presence, in the company he founded, long after he left this realm. Apple University is the program where Apple literally educates its executives on how to embrace the oft-referenced “Apple DNA” and think like Steve Jobs himself.
Apple – Building a Brand, Leaving a Legacy
Seeing Steve Jobs battle through the fight of his life to restore Apple to greatness – a graceful, courageous and obviously successful battle – doesn’t hold a candle to seeing him fight for his life now. He’s obviously ill. But what he’s creating, despite (or because of) that illness is mind blowing. Naysayers can address the iCloud any way they want, but what we all know is that it’s pretty damned likely to be successful.
Fun & Games: Cross Digital Distribution Takes Movies into a Whole New Realm
As the digital revolution reaches what seems to be an absolute frenzy of technological advances and debuts, more and more we’re seeing the cross-platform promotion and collaboration around product distribution. The latest (and one of the biggest) entries into this virtual world is set to be Suzanne Collins’ popular novel, “The Hunger Games.”
Hulu’s Latest Hot Ticket
So why, after four years of great digital distribution, am I writing about Hulu? Because they are about to take a huge leap of faith and add another original production to their arsenal – original content is a journey that even Oprah Winfrey herself can tell you is fraught with danger.
The Next Big Thing: Apple WWDC
It’s no surprise to see Apple race on, barely missing a beat since Steve’s passing – leading global innovation as it has this entire new millennium. In just a few hours the next Apple WWDC (Apple WorldWide Developers Conference) will take place. A stage that has announced true global game changers, like the iPhone and the iPad.
Digital at it’s Best: Live From Daryl’s House
Today’s world is fickle, and one of my favorite examples of digital avenues bringing new audiences to the best performers of our time is definitely Live From Daryl’s House, started by Daryl Hall in late 2007. This is music discover at its best, with Hall taking a simple idea and turning it into web gold.
Kelli Richards Interviews Evan Lowenstein, Founder of StageIt!
Join Kelli Richards for her great Q&A with Evan Lowenstein . Recently named to Digital Media Wire’s list of 25 Execs to Watch in Digital Entertainment for 2011, Evan Lowenstein launched StageIt with the goal of creating a web-based platform that would empower artists to deliver and monetize interactive live experiences.
A Discussion with Jim Griffin and Bill Patry, the Father of Copyright at Google
At Digital Music East Jim Griffin sat down with Bill Patry of Google and valiantly sought to stake out a solution to tangled web that is copyright. What we got, however, was a rich insight to what makes Bill Patry click and how he became known as the Father of Copyright.
Kelli Shares a Fireside Chat with Jim Griffin, Digital Music & Tech Visionary
Kelli is thrilled to interview Jim Griffin, entertainment tech visionary & one of the sharpest minds in digital music. Jim Griffin is the Managing Director of OneHouse, a company dedicated to the future of music & entertainment delivery.
Life and The Love We Make
Working at the crossroads of music and technology, and being a talent producer for a couple of decades now, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a long list of amazing artists. The most meaningful interactions are often the unscheduled, random conversations that just seem to happen randomly. Some of those occur behind-the-scenes at events like Pollstar, where I got to shoot the breeze with my childhood idol, Davy Jones.
I’m very excited to interview Nic Adler tonight on All Access Radio! Nic is a band manager, promoter, and restauranteur who has been at the helm at the infamous Roxy Theater on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood for almost 15 years. He’s also become a leading name in social media, using Facebook and Twitter to revitalize not only The Roxy, but the entire Strip!
NEW DIGITAL ECONOMICS SILICON VALLEY – Executive Brainstorm & Innovation Forum
NEW DIGITAL ECONOMICS SILICON VALLEY – Executive Brainstorm & Innovation Forum
March 27-28, 2012 – Marriott Hotel, Union Square, San Francisco
Press Release: Kelli Richards, Expert in Music, Technology and Digital Distribution to Speak at Capital Club
Cupertino, CA Kelli Richards, a thought leader in digital music and entertainment, and one of only a few select members of The Futures Agency and Alan Weiss’ Master Mentor Program and Thought Leadership Summit, has been invited to be an esteemed guest and presenter at the Silicon Valley Capital Club.
Whitney Houston – Connecting the Dots to a Legacy
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).
Where is Kelli?
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
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