Today I am speaking once again with Marty Neumeier. The last time we spoke it was on the topic of branding, a topic on which Marty is an internationally renown authority. He has written many books including Zag which was named one of the "top hundred business books of all time" for its insights into radical differentiation; and The Brand Gap, considered by many the foundational text for modern brand building. It fascinates me how often musicians are told to find a real job and that they will never be successful in terms of a career at their art. However, it seems that "real jobs" are less and less of a "real option" in today's economy as technology is taking over in what Marty is calling "the robotic age."
Rennie is arguably one of the most forward-thinking managers in the business. He understands which old school promotions methods still work and which don’t. He has opinions on which digital strategies produce measurable results and which are wastes of time and money. And he wants to share this knowledge with you free of charge with no strings attached. Steve Rennie pulls no punches. No topic is off-limits, ever.
Mark has been working in the web space since the early 90′s, launching his first B2C ecommerce play in early 1996. In 1999, he co-founded echo, a company focused on building communities around entertainment brands. He was the co-creator of the patented platform echotools™, a direct to consumer delivery and data management system which ultimately grew to serve millions of users and distribute hundreds of millions of pages, data feeds, and e-commerce transactions. In 2007, the company was acquired by Barry Diller’s IAC/Ticketmaster for eight figures.
Bas Grasmayer is a futurist, communication consultant, DJ and music lover from The Netherlands. He is currently the Head of Information Strategy of Dream Industries - which operates Zvooq, Bookmate and T&P-. He majored in International Communication Management which looks into branding and identity, intercultural communication, trendwatching and concept development, as well as PR.
This week I am interviewing Solveig Whittle. Solveig is involved in the North West Music Experience, a music conference debuting next year in Seattle. She is a singer and music marketer as well as a software developer. As she puts it: "I’m a high tech marketer who has a serious music habit I’ve been feeding for the past 30 years. I love how these two interests are finally coming together for me." Starting her professional career in music a little later in life she has applied her previous success in business to her career in music. With her own success she is helping other aspiring musicians to do the same.
I have to say speaking with Steve was a fascinating experience. The world of audio branding and how it brings music into our everyday is very cool. How music affects the way we purchase and consume products and experiences, as well as remember and associate them is eye opening.Steve's psychology background mixed with his branding and marking experience and his passion for music make him the audio branding guru he is!
