Straight in at number 1...

Selling records appears to be very unlike any other product launch. All those of us that have done GCSE business studies (or a marketing degree) will at some stage have come across the development, introduction, growth, maturity model for products. And for a lot of companies, this is pretty much how it works.
Not so, it seems for the major record labels. It's either instant success, straight in at number 1, or you're toast, unceremoniously dropped or shelved after a couple of go's. This puzzles me. It seems to me that some artists grow mainly through viral marketing, eg. Eva Cassidy, or just a slow burn based on hard work - small gigs up and down the country, and relying on word of mouth, or the odd DJ endorsement. So why are they cast aside if they don't hit top ten single sales in their first week - dunno really.
I am just about old enough to remember when singles were released and climbed their way up the chart as their popularity grew. Nowadays, you hear a song for weeks and weeks before its 'official release date', with all of the promo and advertising truncated to ensure the highest possible entry point and quickest payback possible for the record company. In my mind, this is very much responsible for killing off the organic development of good music, has probably contributed to the declining single sales and is completely at odds with the business digital age, virtual communities twittering and facebooking, and the whole changing way we live our lives and consume music - spotify, owngig et al... Another frustrating example of the industry dragging its feet and hampering single 'sales' is not being able to legally download or purchase a single track on its own, for whatever reason - licensing issues, release date, whatever it may be - it's no wonder peer to peer is rife, and justifiable to some.
Instant hits is what record companies want, while instant access and availability for listeners, is still on the back burner...

The Circle of Life

Actually, I'm thinking more the circle of business life. Specifically, start up(birth), growth (teen struggles), maturity (mid-life crisis leading to old age), and finally death. Isn't this what happens to all businesses? - eventually...

Only, those of us working in Strategy, or positions of leadership, are paid to keep the business alive - rejuvenated to cope with the world changing around us, or to keep up with the market innovator who has now changed the rules of engagement.

But should we invest so much time and energy in trying to keep dying businesses alive, or should we allow them to grow old gracefully, pop their clogs and then nurture the daisies that grow in their wake.
From what I can see, Strategists and Consultants spend most of their time trying (and failing) to convince businesses, who don't want to change their way of doing things, that they need to change in order to survive. Remember Sir John Harvey-Jones, Troubleshooter?? How many of those businesses took JHJ's advice - very few. And how many are still around? - I suspect very few, and I don't think it's all the recession's fault!

I was somewhat surprised when I attended a music industry event last year to hear what sounded like an awful lot of 'stuck in a rut' views and opinions on how to deal with the changing face of technology, records, file-sharing, illegal downloads etc... Apart from the subject matter, it was just like listening to the sorts of conversations I hear everyday in the energy (utilities) industry - the majority stuck in some time warp, with a few frustrated forward-thinkers trying to persuade the many of their impending doom. There seems to be a common inability to look at the world from a different perspective, as an outsider or new entrant would, seeing through the obstacles that will inevitably cause paralysis for some, and opportunity for others.

In reality, it seems that only when there is enough impetus from the top will things actually change. I guess the textbooks would call it visionary leadership. Perhaps this is what Leoni Sceti is bringing to EMI with talk of a new business model, new ways of connecting with audiences. Let's wait and see. Do record companies (majors in particular) really know what consumers want, or are we simply waiting for them to kick the bucket and make way for the next generation in music distribution...