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Cheap Trick is a band that had it’s heyday back in the late 70′s and 80′s, but it has found a way to stay relavant in todays world despite monumental changes in the music business. While other older bands have been very slow to adopt the new digital marketplaces like iTunes, Cheap Trick has gone all in on new media marketing.
In this CNBC video, the band talks about how they dropped their record label and are doing all marketing and distribution themselves these days. They clearly recognize most of their money is made from touring and merchandise, not record sales. “Why do you give some of your music away?” asks the reporter with surprise. “It’s great promotion!” answers Cheap Trick.
An older band like Cheap Trick has virtually no chance for traditional radio play or prime locations at retail. The band knows their best chance to keep doing what they love and keep getting paid is to take full control over their own situation. They have also been very savvy in creating work for movies, video games and even Stephen Colbert’s theme music. Not only do they know how to market to their core audience, but embracing these new venues can open them up to new customers as well.
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I’m very excited to be attending my first Gnomedex conference this year. I’ll be there Aug 20-22 in Seattle. If you are going to be there, please contact me via 
I read and follow a variety of people online and I’m amazed by some of the things said by the so-called A-List bloggers and Twitterers. Nothing against them personally, many of them are very smart and capable people. So many, though, suffer from fishbowl myopia. Every industry has their own fishbowl. That tight group of industry people and those that support the industry. The technology and social media fishbowl has particularly opaque walls. When all your friends are in the fishbowl, when you go to fishbowl parties,when your entire personal and professional existence depends on the fishbowl, you become very myopic. You loose touch with the real world. It changes the way you see and understand things.
