Stop Breaking Rules

1. Never e-mail an MP3.

If you've never heard of SoundCloud, why should I bother listening to your MP3, which clutters my inbox, it indicates you're not savvy enough to know how technology works.

2. No away messages.

Is that really how little your job means to you, that when you're away from your desk you're not working? The truth is, you are. And you're checking your messages. Why do you have to clutter our inboxes with your away messages, which you frequently leave turned on, even though you're back in your office.

3. Permission marketing.

Seth Godin wrote the definitive statement, read it here:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/01/permission-mark.html

In other words, don't assume you're friends with people you're not. Just because you've got someone's e-mail address, that does not mean they want to hear from you. When you abuse a relationship that does not exist, you tarnish all future conversation/connection, assuming there is any.

4. Assuming everybody knows something.

People are more out of it than ever before, acts that sell out arenas can't tell you who's number one on the radio charts. Not only should you inform people what you're talking about, don't put them down when they don't know what you're talking about.

5. Long e-mail.

I hope you feel good when you write it, because no one reads it. Get to the point, especially when people read on mobile devices.

(And don't send me snarky responses putting down the length of what I write. You opted in, you've gotten this far, if you don't like it, sign off.)

6. Don't ask for a retweet/promotion.

You don't like spam, why do you think the rules don't apply to your project, why do you think it's the job of someone with an audience to spread the word? It might even be charity, but do you know how many charitable efforts there are? Furthermore, isolated promotion rarely yields results. And think about the effect on the reputation of the person you're asking the favor of before you do...ask for the favor. And better to do a favor before asking for one, and a favor is not turning the reader on to your own "great" music.

7. Stop sending CDs.

It makes you feel good, that you've done something. But the new Macs don't even come with a CD drive, where am I gonna play it?

8. Stop inviting people to become part of your LinkedIn network.

I blame the service more than the individuals, because it harvests e-mail addresses, which are currency, but I'm stunned by all the people who want me to be part of their circle who I don't know, what next, a favor?
I don't care how many "likes" you've got, how many "friends," this online currency is next to worthless. How much money did you make? How good is what you're selling?

9. Don't keep your music off streaming services.

Let me understand this Coldplay and the Black Keys, you want to prevent people from streaming so you can sell a measly 100,000+ albums. Furthermore, all the money's in concerts. You should be paying people to listen to you! The hardest thing today is to make a new fan/get people to check you out, anywhere music can be played, your stuff should be there. It will be, just like Kid Rock is on Spotify. What advantage does AC/DC have not being on digital services? This ship has sailed, almost no one listens to an album straight through, that died with vinyl and the cassette, and you're ultimately gonna be on the service anyway. What, you want a first week sales pop to influence retailers? What retailers? As for the media...the publishing of streaming statistics as opposed to SoundScan is only a motion away. Either you're part of the problem or you're part of the solution, and now even Spotify is being proactive, by posting on its service that you refuse to play.

10. No advance streams.

These make no sense. Get paid if people are listening, to try and drive sales of CDs and files via streaming previews is inane.

11. Eliminate the service fees.

Go to all-in ticketing. The present system of add-ons is fan abuse.

12. Allow everybody to buy tickets at the same time.

Oh, this will never happen, you love those fan club and AmEx fees.

13. Don't forward something you like but the recipient won't.

This is what is wrong with web recommendations, they don't take into account the person receiving them.

14. Don't think being good is good enough.

Making it is so much more than that.

15. Don't put down those who've made it.

That's so last century. I get it, you're better, they're untalented doofuses.
Instead of decrying their success, figure out how they got there, what made them successful. The truth is they're smarter and more realistic than you. You might even be talented, but when it comes to business and personal relationships, you may be dumb.

16. Don't add me to your mailing list.

I don't care if it's opt-out. And do you know how many of these get caught by spam filters anyway?
Ask first.
And you know what the answer is...NO!

(Start with your friends, who actually know and care about you. If you're good, they'll tell their friends, and some of them will eventually be friends/trusted filters of mine, and I'll hear about it that way.)

17. Stop tweeting unless you're famous.

No one is reading it.

(That's why I stopped, and I've got 60,000 followers, but I'm not famous!)


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