📖 Book Brief: Your Music and People

Your Music and People: creative and considerate fame by Derek Sivers

Summary: a philosophy of getting your work to the world by being creative, considerate, resourceful, and connected.

ISBN: 9781988575018

Length: 121 pages

Date read: July 13, 2020 10:45pm ET

Format: Apple Books

Published: 2020

How strongly I recommend it: 5/5

Notes length: 2,133 words

Buy this book directly from Derek.

My notes

Creativity

• Art doesn't end at the edge of the canvas

‍

• The way you present your art, and what poeple know about it, completely changes how they perceive it

‍

• the way you communicate with the world

‍

• how you make it available

‍

• the stories you tell about your music and yourself

‍

• marketing is the final extension of your art

‍

• This is only a test. See what happens

‍

• It's actually impossible to fail if your only mission was to see what happens

‍

• just "see what happens"

‍

• Make mystery: make people wonder

‍

• Don't be so plain and obvious so there's nothing left to wonder.

‍

• Use obscure references in your lyrics. Product unusual sounds. Make strange images in your photos and videos

‍

• Give enough to make them curious. Let them search for explanations, clues, or context.

‍

• Once something is explained, it stops capitivating your curiosity.

‍

• Creative communication

‍

• The way you communicate with people is part of your art.

‍

• Be different. Show who you are.

‍

• It also gives people more variety.

‍

Marketing

• "Marketing" just means being considerate

‍

• marketing means listening for what people need, and creating something suprisingly tailored for them.

‍

• get to know people, make a deeper connection, and stay in touch

‍

• just find creative ways to be considerate. That's the best marketing.

‍

• It's hard to get off stage

‍

• The essence of marketing is looking at everything from the other person's point of view

‍

• Don't try to sounds big

‍

• Say "I" instead of "we"

‍

• Show a charming flaw--confidence attracts, but vulnerability endears.

‍

• Write every post or email as if it was from you to your best friend

‍

• Keep aiming for the most sensory way to reach your audience

‍

• photos next to text, video, shows, incense

‍

• Life is like high school

‍

• It’s all about how you come across, how social you are, what scene you’re in, being likeable, and being cool.

‍

• It's easier to put in no effort and be normal.

‍

• People want someoone to look up to. Someone who's not of their normal boring world.

‍

• Someone who's being who they wish they could be, if they had the courage.

‍

• When things aren't working be smarter, not louder

‍

People

• People send business to people they like

‍

• Even if it starts professional, get personal as soon as possible. Be a friend.

‍

• Always think how you can help someone

‍

• When you come across something that might be useful, go through the list of everyone you know, and think if it's particularly useful to that person. If so, contact them personally to tell them about it.

‍

• Give, give give, and sometimes you will receive

‍

• Don't be afraid to ask for favors

‍

• people get a little ego boost when they know the answer to something you're asking

‍

• Get presents for the people you've met that are probably under-appreciated

‍

• high power people already receive too many

‍

• be generous--you're going to see the same faces for years to come

‍

• Repeatedly follow-up to show you care

‍

• "I can't listen to everyone, so I can't know who's got the best music. But the ones who follow-up show they've got the tenacity and drive to suceed. As long as their music is also good, then those are the ones I want to work with."

‍

• Pedestals prevent friendships

‍

• If I would have known who he was in advance, I would have been awkward and self-conscious, trying to promote myself.

‍

• We make real connections by talking about anything but business and just clicking as friends

‍

Industry

• Getting "solicited" through an existing contact is the best way to get through the gates

‍

• Show success before asking for help

‍

• Show that you're going to be successful without their help. show that you have momentum. If they want to accelerate or amplify your success, they will have to pay to ride your train.

‍

• You can do anything, but you can't do everything

‍

• Unless your music is great, everything else is moot.

‍

• The indepedent music revolution was so exciting because thousands of musicians were realizing that they didn't need to sign these kinds of deals anymore. They didn't need labels, distributors, publishers, or anything else to get their music to the public similar to what lawtrades is doing to law firms

‍

Resourceful

• What it means to be resourceful

‍

• It means being creative, rebellious, determined, and unstoppable.

‍

• It means asking for help, but not waiting for help.

‍

• You need to be profitable to last

‍

• Don't impress people with how much you spend. Impress people with how little you spend.

‍

• same goes for how much your raise v. how much you spent to get to the same place

‍

• Being able to fend for yourself is the real security

‍

• You're constantly thrown into new scenarios, and learn something new every time

‍

• You're not given a safety net, so you learn to make your own

‍

• Your career is not tied to one company

‍

• Your success or failure is up to you -- not the whims of a boss

‍

• You're a free agent, so you can take any opportunity

‍

• Make two plans simultaneously

‍

• Make a plan that depends on nobody else.

‍

• Small but sustainable profits

‍

• Grow your audience slowly

‍

• Developer skills

‍

• Build your reputation

‍

• Make another plan that uses the music/venture industry

‍

• Pursue a deal

‍

• Find investors

‍

• Increase your odds of a lucky break

‍

• 90% of your career is up to you. You have all the tools to make it happen.

‍

• The only thing stopping you from great success is yourself.

‍

• You don't get extreme results without extreme actions

‍

• You can't do what everyone else does. You can't watch 63 hours of everyone's favorite TV show. You can't get two dogs that need you to be home. That's for normal people whow ant a normal life. That's not for you.

‍

• When you are not practicing (or building), someone somewhere else is practicing. and when you meet him, he will win.

‍

• Throw yourself into this entirely. Find what you love and let it kill you.

‍

Different

• Make a curious answer to a common question

‍

• With one interesting phrase to describe your music, you can make total strangers wonder about you.

‍

• Make people curious in one sentence

‍

• Give them one good sentence ands top talking. Let them want to hear more

‍

• Have the confidence to find your niche, define who you are, then declare it again and again and again.

‍

• If you do it persistently enough, you will own that niche.

‍

• You can make your own niche, if you're brave

‍

Positioning

• Proudly exclude most people

‍

• We're drawn to the confidence of someone who is not trying to please anyone. We admire a strong, defiant stand.

‍

• Use this to attract your future fans

‍

• If you're well rounded, you can't cut through the noise

‍

• Be shart as a knife (narrow focus) to cut through the pile of apathy, and make a point.

‍

• Do this every year or two, and you will have wide variety in the long run.

‍

• Your public persona -- the image you show the world-- should be an extreme character

‍

• Shocking, funny, or honest

‍

• Show your weirdness, bring out all your quirks. Push your outer boundires

‍

• It's more interesting if you're the opposite of normal

‍

• Would people know what you represent, at a glance?

‍

• Be identifiable, so that people who want you can find you in the crowd

‍

• Boldly declare that you are something totally un-trendy--the ooposite of what everyone else is trying to do to get peoples attention

‍

• Doing the opposite of everyone is valuable

‍

• Look at what your compeitors are doing, then vow to not do that.

• Don't try to beat them at their game. Play a completely different game.

‍

• Be radically opposite. Don't be assoicated with them in any way. Be so different that people don't even think to compare you.

‍

• People will ask what you do. Don't give a boring answer.

‍

• Beforehand, come up with one interesting setence that says what you do--including a curious bit that will make them ask a follow-up question.

‍

• "Our singer is a priate" ... "Why is your singer a pirate..?"

‍

• Stop after you say your sentence. The only thing worse than a short boring answer is a long boring answer. Leave room for them to say something! If they don't, change the subject back to them.

Personal CRM

• Create database of all the people you know

‍

• Private notes about people (i.e., served in army, loves talking politics)

‍

• tags to help you find people (investor, founder, yec, writer)

‍

• physical location

‍

• frequency of contact (3 weeks, 3 months, every year)

‍

• Stay in touch with hundreds of people

‍

• make a automated system to keep in touch without relying on your memory

‍

• A list-- Very important people. Contact every 3 weeks

‍

• B list-- Important people. Contact every 2 months

‍

• C list-- Most people. Contact every six months

‍

• D list-- Demoted people. Contact once a year, to make sure you still have their correct info.

‍

• contact each person to find out how they're doing and if I can help them in any way.

‍

• Unselfish and sincerely caring how they are

‍

• Meet 3 new people every week or 150 new people each year.

‍

• The number of people you meet will determine your success

‍

• Every breakthrough comes from someone you know

‍

• Relationships are reciprocal. You need to give to receive.

‍

Money

• Money only comes from doing something valuable to others.

‍

• Constantly ask, "How can I be more valuable to an audience?"

‍

• Alternatively, if you stop expecting your music to be valuable to anyone but yourself, your conflicting mind can finally be at peace. Do it only because you love it, and it honestly doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

‍

• Ironically, others may appreciate it more too, though you honestly won't care

‍

• Pour your personality and philosophy into the way you do business

‍

• People appreciate it when you do things in a suprising way--that you're putting your self into this -- not just in it for the money

‍

• Business is creative. You can do things any way you want. There's no need to adhere to norms. Norms are for businesess without personality.

‍

• Are fans telling their friends? If not, then don't promote it yet.

‍

• Keep working, improving and creating, until your fans are telling their friends about it.

‍

• Asking them doesn't count

‍

• They can't just do it to help you, like a favor. They have to do it just because they love your music so much that they''re doing their friends a favor by turning them on to you.

‍

Mindset

• We imagine the path so clearly that's it's hard to stop focus on that vivid image and see what else could work.

‍

• New tech make old things easier, and new things possible

‍

• That's why you need to re-evaluate your old dreams to see if new means have come along

‍

• For each of your dreams ask yourself what the real point is. Then look for a better way to get there.

‍

• Nobody knows the future so focus on what doesn't change

‍

• People always love a memorable melody.

‍

• You can't know what instrumental or production style will be in fashion. So focus so on the craft of making great melodies

‍

• People always want an emotional connection

‍

• You can't know what technology will carry that communication so focus on the essence of how to connect with an audience

‍

• Writing lots of songs increases of chances of writing a hit.

‍

• You can't know which song will be a hit. So write as many songs as you can.

‍

• Focus on the fundamentals. The unpredictable changes around them

‍

• Ignore advice that drains you

‍

• pay attention to what advice does to your energy and focus

‍

• if it make you jump into action, it's good advice. If it makes you feel drained, sad, or lost, then it's not for you.

‍

• Whatever excites you, go do it

‍

• Your gut has a compass

‍

• 1. what excites you

‍

• 2. what drains you

‍

‍