Business and Creativity
Remixing business and creativity: imagination that sells
Wednesday 25 May 2011
Friday 1 May 2009
Creativity in Business
'Doing ' business can mean different things, but it definetely starts with how you sell yourself.
And this guy has found a way to make sure no one forgets his introduction.
Tuesday 14 April 2009
Grafitti as a social treasure
But 20 years ago grafitti was a crime, kids would end up paying high fines or completing community service time for 'polluting' the walls of cities like Miami. Today artists like Banksy get paid millions for their work and have their art protected by city councils like London (see how they have stopped the work from being erased)
Banksy is a major tipper (as in he makes the point tip) not just for himself but for others around the world. Many art and culture critics have made money compiling Banksy's work as well as writing about the mysterious artist, but what is really interesting is how other grafitti artists are inspired by Banksy's work.
This is the work of Derby Blue and he does his wall painting in Joao Pessoa, north of Brazil.
His work is also amazing and you can check some more of his stuff at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/derbyblue/
Friday 3 April 2009
You don't need a record deal but...
Good were the days when record labels sent their A&R guys to search for new bands. They would bring you back to their office, make you sign all kind of (unfair) deals that promised you fame and glory. You bought into the idea, thinking how great life was going to be now that you had a record deal.
If you were lucky, your album would be released. If you were lucky, it would make it to a decent chart. If you were lucky you would make some money after the label paid for their expenses. If you were lucky ...
Things are different now. You don't need a record label anymore. With the help of ICT and other easily accessible technology, you can produce, record, promote and sell your own record without ever stepping into a label. See what Jill Sobule says about her fan-funded album, it was actually the first time she made money from her music.
Sounds too good to be true? Because it is. The DIY hype in the music industry is teaching musicians or 'creatives' to be their own bosses, take control of their creative productions and their life.
But here is one problem: not everyone knows or interested in business. It takes time, expertise, research and dedication to walk away from a record label - which has money, expertise and a network of established suppliers - to the path of self-employment.
In the past year I have interviewed, heard from, discussed, taught and learned from various creative practitioners in the UK and abroad. A lot of them are self employed, small businesses' owners/managers, freelance artists or working for small creative organisations and they all have something in common: they don't like business.
Whether is the word, its true meaning or what it implies, many 'creatives' hate the thought that what they do (trade their creativity) is actually doing business. Profit margins, Return on investment, loans, working capital, whatever the language, it feels as if creativity and business deal in separate worlds.
There are plenty of people who write about this, including my friend David Parrish (davidparrish.com) who believes that there needn't be a dichotomy between creativity and business, in fact they must walk hand in hand.
This is exactly the lesson that musicians' need to understand if they are going to kick off the labels to the curb: creativity and business must mix.
If you are going to record your own album you are going to need to pay and hire studios, sound engineers, producers and sound equipment.
If you are going to promote your album you need to understand the dynamics of Web 2.0 along with joining loads os social networking sites, making sure you have great biographies on sites like Last.fm and that your stuff can be found wherever people are looking for and listening to new music.
On top of this you need to sort out distribution, marketing, merchandising, touring and all of the logistics of being in business. Sounds fun, freeing or too much trouble?
Thursday 19 March 2009
The new concept mobile DJs
Thursday 12 March 2009
No Hope for Shepard Fairey?
Friday 20 February 2009
Pop Surrealism
Here are some of my favorites but you can check out much more at www. audrey-kawasaki.com
Wednesday 28 January 2009
Yes we can!
Most band managers and labels know that there is a lot of money to be made from merchandise if you can become an icon. If it becomes cool to have your face on someone's t-shirt you can probably make more money with merch than you can with selling music (digital, cd and live).
But if the point tips too much, then you run the risk of becoming a cheesy icon (let's think Boy George) or other people will start making money from your 'iconicness' and you start losing money.
Here is the big problem:
- bands don't own their music anymore (either the labels have taken their 75% or people are getting it for free)
- bands potentially don't own their merch anymore (anyone can print t-shirts with your face on it and sell it on e-bay)
- bands don't own their image anymore (managers, label execs, stylists will try and 'tailor' your looks so that you are more marketable) Has anyone seen Lady Gaga lately? I wonder what she looks like first thing in the morning.
So what do bands own? Well if they are smart, they will keep a hold of their IP.
Bands/musicians/songwriters only own their creativity. The only thing they have that is unique is their thought process and their ideas. If they don't protect that, they are nothing more than a product on a shelf.
Sunday 21 December 2008
Blythe Dolls
Thursday 18 December 2008
Watch out, they are falling from the sky!
The Giant Tetris (aka “One More Go One More Go”) is part of an outdoor art exhibition called Live Lanes - By George! which runs through January 31, 2009 in Australia. The installation was put together by the people at Gaffa Gallery - http://www.gaffa.com.au/
Genius!
Grace Jones is sweet!
Wednesday 17 December 2008
Bands that sell more than music
The band offers two different kits for sale, The JACK Holga Flash Camera Starter Kit and the MEG Diana+ Multi function all-plastic camera. They each sell for US$180 and although only 3000 of those were made, they are still for sale on their website. A lot of artists use this limited edition model but sometimes it doesn't always do its job. However Nine Inch Nails used this same model with their limited edition deluxe box and it sold out in weeks.
The camera sets are a great way to enforce the band's brand. They are very unique in many ways but loads of bands get lost in the crowd after a few years and by creating unique branded products they can have a stronger impact on their fans while also creating a culture around their image. Smart move by their managers and label - or maybe it was their idea?