Stick around for the reason's and use them to effectively market and sell more of your music to Mainstream America. But first, take a look at the new commercial for the Beatles Rock Band video game below.
How Did The Beatles Take America By Storm?
John Lennon of the Beatles knew insitinctively what I'm about to share with you about marketing music to American's. So in the spirit of coming together, I'm going to share top three music marketing tricks that the Beatles used to market music to mainstream America.
1. K.I.S.S. "Keep It Simple (for the) Stupid".
If you're a Beatles Fan you know that their music was composed dynamically and produced excellently. But the Beatles lyrics were very simple. "She loves you yeah yeah yeah", "Let it be, let it be, let it be yeah let be", Those are two of the choruses ('hooks') of the song's 'She Loves You' and 'Let It Be' . Now let's take a look at how the Beatles kept their verses very simple.
Here's The First Verse From The Beatles 'All My Lovin'
"Close your eyes and I'll kiss you, Tomorrow I'll miss you, Remember I'll always be true, And then while I'm away, I'll write home every day, And I'll send all my loving to you."
It doesn't take a Music Scholar to see that the verse above is simple enough for even the most stupid listener to understand. Many Musician's make the major mistake of choosing abstract lyrics and complicated story-lines in their songs. Those songs my receive critical acclaim, but rarely sell more than a few hundred copies. Keep it simple and you'll keep them coming back for more.
Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. In the Music Biz, a picture is worth a thousand record sales. When the Beatles first started performing in Germany, every other Band was wearing two-piece suits and trying to look like the Guy every parent would approve of.
The picture to the upper-left is of (left to right) John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Pete Best in the early in 1961 (before Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr).
The Beatles Image:"we're the Guy's your Parents warned you about"
John Lennon was the Beatles Image Coach. John was always fashion-forward because he knew that listeners paid attention to how Musician's looked as well as how they sounded. John Lennon had the Beatles ditch the suits and wear leather jacket's and jeans.
The Beatles goal was to differentiate the Beatles from all the other stiff-suit Rockers in Europe. The message the Beatles meant to send was "we're the Guy's your Parents warned you about" .
When the Beatles came to the United States, every Rocker was wearing leather. The Beatles seeking to be seen as different, started wearing the two-piece suits. And again it worked. The Beatles again were seen as different and made an instant impression with Fan's, male and female alike and went on to become the greatest Rock Band of all time.
3. Sell-Out To Sell More Music
John Lennon admitted to Rolling Stone Magazine that he and the Beatles "sold out". What was the result? Billions on sales of the Beatles music and a legacy that lives on nearly 40 years after they broke up.
I hear today's Artists and Musicians ranting and raving that they'd rather die broke as opposed to selling out. And that's what a majority of Indie Artists and Musicians do - die broke because they wouldn't sell out. The Beatles, made simple music that the whole family could sing along to. The Beatles image was one that was compelling. The Beatles knew that if they made their music too abstract, no one would listen or buy their music.
The Ugly Truth Of Music Marketing
The Music Biz is not the art of music - it's the business of music. The ugly truth is, if you as an artist are not willing to sell out you are not willing to sell many records. The Beatles knew this fact and used it to sell more music to more fans more than any other artist. The good news is you can do the same if you are willing to follow the three music marketing tips of the Beatles.
What is your take on this topic? Feel free to place your comment below. In the mean-time, here's to your success in Today's Music Biz.
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