Passion

We need to believe you believe. That you're just not doing it as a stepping stone. That this is all there is. And you're gonna keep on doing it whether anybody pays attention or not.

Steve Jobs was a prick. But he had a quest for excellence nonpareil. That's what we love about Apple, that's what we love about BMW, the refusal to compromise, the desire to get it right, even when it doesn't count.

You see it's the little things that matter. The features we rarely use but are thrilled you included. The way you not only thank your fans, but the way you do it that evidences your personality.

Passion has to be in your recorded music, in your live presentation. Passion is the key to making fans who will fund your projects on Kickstarter, who will come and see you. They're attracted to that white hot heat, your burning desire to express yourself.

Start there. There's no passion in marketing. That's selling. It can be done well, but ever since Josh Freese broke the paradigm, people think the more innovative the marketing, the greater success you're gonna have. No, the more we can see you having fun, testing limits, the more we're interested, the more we're drawn to you.

Like PSY. It's when he does that dance. You know, when he's fake riding a horse. It's the only thing I can remember about that video and I've seen it a zillion times. Here you've got a chubby man willing to hang it all out there, to do it completely different, risk it all. Yes, there's a thin line between success and failure. So most people play it safe, looking for insurance. But that limits you. We're drawn to the mold breakers.

It's when the original rockers grimaced when they hit the note. The way the drummer bangs the heads so hard they break. The way the bassist nods his noggin like he's pushing a rock up a hill. We can feel it.

Most people are playing by the rules, doing what they don't want to. They're afraid to be themselves, to challenge authority. They're looking to artists for leadership. Sure, John Lennon was a great musician, but we loved him because he was completely uncompromised, he spoke his mind, he could have gotten a girlfriend you liked, who looked like she was out of a magazine, but he picked Yoko Ono because of her mind, because of her passion. Whew!

And we felt it in the early hip-hop hits. Straight outta Compton. They wanted to prove it. And if you didn't pay attention and they had to go back to the ghetto, so be it. But they were gonna give it a fighting chance. Listen to N.W.A. or Public Enemy...

And there's nothing inherently wrong with posing and partying. Just as long as that's not what you're known for.

Bruce Springsteen is an above average songwriter with a serviceable voice but his delivery on stage makes converts to the point where he does great business years on. People believe in him.

Do they believe in you?


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