A few weeks I wrote about a song we worked on called Mindless Robots. 

Over the last three weeks I estimate 5,000 people have come across the Mindless Robots post.  It’s my fault for stifling the comments.  However, I really didn’t get any feedback, email or otherwise on the song. 

I told you about the great people that worked on the song and I gave you a MySpace link so you could listen to it. 

What did I get?  I got cold silence and minimal full plays on MySpace, and that’s what I expected.  

I used the Mindless Robots post to demonstrate three things.

Silence Has Meaning
First, the way I described the song is typical of the emails I get from artists about their songs.  I typically receive a bit of a greeting, a note describing the talent that worked on the song, a link to a MySpace page, and usually a polite request for some advice or help.

I don’t have a music background; so I don’t feel comfortable commenting on songs.  However, I do know from talking to people in the industry that when you receive silence or polite replies, it usually indicates that your song is not ready for the world. 

Screaming and passionate enthusiasm from a brand new and qualified listener is probably the only positive feedback you can trust.  Otherwise, seek out the Simon Cowell’s of the world for unbiased criticism, and make no bones about the fact that you are prepared for the ugliest feedback you can get.  

Entertainment Adds Value
There was nothing entertaining about how I described the song, and there's nothing entertaining about how the artist posted it on MySpace.  The real story is entertaining and I believe that changes perception.

Here’s the real story about Mindless Robots.  The artist won a contest at a mall.  She had never sung in public; she had never written a song; and she had never seen the inside of a recording studio.  She wrote some lyrics by using her vocabulary test and we helped her with everything else.  The fast-cut ten-minute video (if I had it) of this entire experience would have been great entertainment.  The artist did a bang on job considering the pace and the circumstances, but we dropped the ball by not capturing the right story.

Competing With Everyone
More and more people are going to participate in the music industry.  Songs are relatively easy to make, and the blur between good and really good is hard for consumers to discern.  We could have made a music video, but the real story was the story we missed.  To compete you need the right song, the right story and the right people on your team to put it all together.  As I have hinted before, you need a bit of plan before you begin.   

Why am I Making Songs?
I try to understand the costs and challenges artists are confronted with.  Make a song, promote a song, divide up ownership, make everyone happy…  Doing it is the best way to write about it.  By the way, I like the song Mindless Robots.  Great job Julia, and thanks to those that helped.  The next time we do it, we will capture the right story.