How We Can Help You Be Just Like the Foo Fighters
So if you follow the Red Sage blog on a regular basis, you know I’d rather do almost anything other than write a blog post. However, this post may be an exception, thanks to the marketing gurus at Red Sage who picked the topic just for me.
I love rock music and attend all the concerts I can possibly squeeze into a summer (why do they ALL have to tour during the same 4 – 6 month period??!??!). My son, Tucker, and I already have tickets to see Tesla, Styx, and Def Leppard this summer. Just waiting for some AC/DC tour dates in our area, and they’ll be on the list, too. I’ve raised Tucker to love music as well, and it’s been something we’ve shared as he’s grown up.
A couple of years ago, I took Tucker to see a documentary film at the Belcourt Theater in Nashville. If you’re not familiar with the Belcourt, check it out. It’s a beautiful, old theater doing some really cool things. The film was called Sound City and was directed by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana fame. Tucker and I both fell in love with this story of a recording studio in Van Nuys, California, and the artists who recorded there. The movie also told the story of how technology has brought about the end of the recording studio, as well as the loss of the human element in music. Of course there’s a soundtrack — songs recorded on the legendary Neve board by the artists who recorded there in the 70s and 80s — Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, and Rick Springfield, just to name a few. We have watched it multiple times since that first viewing and quote it to each other regularly. If you’re a music lover and you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out!
Jump forward to 2014 and the Foo Fighters new album. They came up with an amazing way to bring the music and the recording process to life. The album titled Sonic Highways would be their 8th. The band decided they wanted to follow the idea of Sound City and tell the stories of the cities, the people, and the cultures, and how those things all worked together to influence their music. They spent one week in each of eight different cities and recorded one song in each of those cities. While in the city they interviewed the people that defined that particular city’s music and culture. In Nashville for example, they recorded at Zac Brown’s studio and interviewed Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, and Willie Nelson.
Dave and the band would take what they learned during their visit to each city, words from their interviews, and the musical style they discovered, and put them all together into a new song that was recorded in the same city where it was written. After eight episodes, the viewer had a clear picture of what the new album would be and what influenced each song.
The episodes aired on Friday nights. About two days before each airing, the band would announce a live show in the city that was featured that week. Tickets would be gone in minutes once they went on sale. The Nashville show lasted for over four hours and received rave reviews.
Additionally there were nine distinct album covers: one for each city, and one that was a giant infinity symbol, which looks like a number 8, surrounded by iconic buildings from each city. You could lay all nine covers together with the infinity cover in the center and it would make a complete picture. There was a brief time where you could specify which cover you’d like if you pre-ordered the album.
It was one complete package. The documentary sold you on the music, the music sold you on the album, and the album sold you on seeing their live show. It showed the band’s passion for music and the people and cultures that shaped it.
How can you use this little tale of musicology in your marketing? Let the Red Sage Marketing Rock Stars help you put together a complete package. We can help you plan out what to say, how to say it, and help you share what you’re passionate about. I mean, let’s face it — if you’re a business owner, it is hard work and you do it because you love it. Share that with your audience. Put all the pieces together to create one cohesive message and plan it out so that one marketing piece builds on the next. You can do it, and we can show you how!