OK, William Wallace is one of my all time favorite heroes. This just spilled onto the page, http://www.brianrogersmusic.co.....-lifetime/ Super fresh- no title, no links, no comments and filled with typos, but it does have a picture. What you just said up there inspired me to write this:

http://www.brianrogersmusic.co.....-lifetime/

Man, what a cool thing you've done with the RRF-- giving shape to what is subjective and vague, and then distilling the heroic qualities of those findings to use practically by communicating with fans and potential fans to sell albums and merch. That's what all musicians really have to do. That's the job. I'm going to check out http://significantobjects.com

I look forward to seeing what y'all have done in the workshop-- I leave tomorrow for 'no internet Nicaragua' and get back on the 23rd. I'll contact you at that time to redeem my slot. Thanks for saving it!

Thanks John! Anything in particular you'd like to see?

i get back at like 3AM on the 24th, so that's perfect. I'll get in touch ASAP, pay the entry fee, and hopefully make the 1st lesson.

cheers, I'm offline for 12 days in 20 minutes. Be back in touch ASAP

Hey JO, back in wifi range. Registration for RRF is closed, but is there still a sales link you can send me?

All sounds good, will clean that up, thank you.

Very cool, just bought it. Thanks for reserving that spot for me!

Dude cheers, I absolutely dig the RRF- It has hours of gold. Want to thank you for the subtle shout out in the Dave Darling interview as an example of an eclectic artist straddling two different genres. His answer was on point: "That's OK, eclectic is good but make sure all the songs on the album have consistent production." Bing bing bing!

That whole interview was super helpful. I'm getting a sharper sense of why we produce things the way we do, outside of having a muse or an itch to make something sound cool.

I'm getting a WAY better sense of windowing and when to release stuff. So many gyms in this course from Windowing to Narrative to Stepping Stones to USP to the Business Plan. I really think it puts the Sales Funnel into perspective of the bigger picture, which will invariable make a better sales funnel. And a clearer vision for the big picture. Lots of ideas but I'll start here

- First I like the idea of a 15 dollar album (instant free download with a mailed physical copy). I'm assuming a 15 dollar album needs 12-15 songs if it's a physical album? At least 15 songs if it's only digital?

Question 2- I'm still honing in on the difference between Narrative and USP. So if Jewel's USP is "a chick who lived out of her car and wrote songs", what is her narrative? At least for her 1st album 

Hey John,

It does make sense, and I can see why USP and narrative might be the same or similar for artists just starting out. I have toured internationally, sat in with big stars, traveled many miles on tour, but as a solo artist I haven't given the same attention to my career. So me as a solo artists is effectively a new act (with a lot of fire power haha). I think my USP and narrative are pretty similar:

Narrative for album: "From a Shy Kid to In the Spotlight"

USP:  'Shy studio musician who's been hiding original material for over 17 years, goes solo and builds a name regionally.'

         Something like that. Or maybe: 'Shy studio musician who recorded for others, finally uses his skill to record and promote his own album after 17 years of shirking the spotlight.'

Something like that I'm thinking, although that last one sounds more like an album narrative.

Speaking to you yesterday on the coaching call was a big eye-opener. I now realize how dumb is sounds to release a new album digitally for 5 months building up to the release party of that same CD in physical form but with one or two new tracks tacked on to it. As if that's gonna add enough mystique and value for people to still make a big deal about the release. 

Lol, guess you gotta ask some dumb questions sometimes to get smart. It's obvious to me after speaking with you that I have good stuff I can sell in my current funnel and that stuff still really matches the brand of my new album without giving away the new album pre-maturely. The 5/6 month build-up is the RRF. Thanks for setting the record straight, I really appreciate the coaching calls!

Man this is a crazy good process of epiphanies and learning.  It's like my mind was a crooked piece of yarn and with every thing I learn here in MMM it straightens out. Thank you JO for breaking that down so clearly and veering off topic as you said!!

Totally catch your drift. When you define your USP you kind of define the rules of your universe as I heard you say in the branding IC lesson. Once you know the rules, you can do anything, as long as it aligns with the rules of your universe. The Nicarugua thing can totally work!

Shit the more I think about it, I might have one of the more unique USPs out there with the bass playing, different styles of rock I play, ect. and my challenge is just making sense of it all and turning it into a good story lol! I actually think there's a lot of crazy eclectic musical cats these days who do a lot of different shit... Hmm.. sign of the times?

Signing off for now but probably lots more to report by the next coaching call, cheers and thanks! 

Oops I mistyped I didn't mean to give the impression that I'm going back to the bass angle- I am really excited about the new stuff and def. agree with you. In fact I was just making a final checklist of what I need to do before testing my new funnel (selling old accoustic recordings not the new album BTW) 

I think you just clearly articulated what I was trying to say. I only meant that if I peppered it in sparingly and strategically, the bass player side of me, that really musician-centric side of me can give people a smile from time to time, but Im not using it as the hook of my narrative or USP. I was trying to express what you just stated eloquently: 1) my chill acoustic brand is first 2) my personality and vibe is second 3) the bass virtuoso side of me is third. I think that's a really clear way of organizing my mind going forward.

For example Dave Mathews Band is filled with heavy players who were originally jazz musicians. Die hard fans who see them live know just how heavy Dave Matthews Band is on the music and jamming, and how that's really 2/3 rds of their live energy. But I think the public at large just knows Dave as this chill singer/songwritery dude with a weird voice. Maybe they think he's deep or just plain weird, but they know Dave as a songwriter. I think that's the average Joe's 1st impression of Dave at least. But the real fans know those boys are some road-dogs that can play anyone under the table.

Im not saying me or anyone can follow the Dave Matthews Band path. But for my own taste, I just really like a good song. Probably more than anything. But if you're also likable, funny or weird, but can play the shit out of your axe too?? Without being big-headed about it?? Well, I'm sold 🙂 but that's just me

Right on man exactly. 

"Sensitive man rock," haha perfect. Was that you and Dave Darling who said that?

Just happily shared to listen, and What a trip man that's awesome how production can turn someone into a totally different beast. But at any rate Don't Be Like That is a great song, and I like the "sensitive dude" production. I can totally hear the big snare Jack Johnson was popularizing at that time, and the toy piano ads a nice touch. That's a good track man, thanks for sharing!

And yeah, that must have been crazy navigating the big waters of the major label. Sounds like it was quite the ride. Well played sir.