Michael is 24, he lives in Seattle, and he wants Billy Idol to play his birthday party. To make this happen, he's doing anything he can to get the word out and raising a lot of money for charity.
Needless to say, this is the kind of fan you want.
Cultivating the "Superfan" is just one of the many things I'll be covering in my upcoming book. Until then, check out Play My Birthday Billy Idol for examples of the lengths Michael is going to in order to make this happen.
On a related note, if you're interested in Ron Jeremy playing your birthday party, he's up for it...
Rebecca Black has certainly stirred up a lot of people. Look at these comments...
"why would i want to buy your shitty album anyways, what a waste of cash! no thanks i dont wanna get ripped off by a hypocritical slut like you!"
"keep on dreaming you slut, you'll never be famous, you only enjoy sucking my dick"
"you god damn trash bag titty whore! go die!"
"Everybody report her for profile image violation and flag her videos and wat not if yal really want to get back at her"
We review music from new artists every week on Music Business Radio. You wouldn't believe the amount of emails and calls we get from musicians who disagree with our comments.
And I get it... It's tough put yourself out there and be critiqued.
That's why I respect Rebecca Black. She's taken a lot of punches for her "debut" song, Friday, which many fans as well as critics have called "the worst song ever."
Many people would have given up. I think most people would have.
But instead of going back to doing whatever it was that she was doing before any of this happened, Rebecca Black is back with a new song...
Regardless of what you think of her music, I think there is an important lesson for both musicians and non-musicians-- get back on the horse.
Is this a pop masterpiece? I don't know. It's not bad though and it absolutely shows improvement over what she released just a few months ago. Is she can keep that up, she'll get where she wants to go.
Being first matters. People remember the guy who wins the Gold medal, not the Silver.
And being first pays off...
A Seattle-based band needed money to record an album. Instead of doing the "normal" things that indie bands do, like get jobs, charge up credit cards, or get loans from relatives, they got on eBay and auctioned the naming rights for the band to the highest bidder.
The result is that the band got $251,100 from BuyStock.net and is now known as Buystock.net Band.
Why so much? Because being first matters. Because the kind of publicity BuyStock.net can get from something like this is worth $251,100.
Unfortunately for you, nobody is going to care about the next guy to come along and try this... It's been done and can't be repeated.
The good news is that there is something that hasn't been done yet and it's likely worth just as much money, if not more.
Ok, I don't really know that, because I don't know how many records you've sold, but after watching this video, I think it's a safe bet. Great marketing from both the kid and religious angles, plus a very talented singer!
Nice to see kids who are excited about music and parents who encourage them without being exploitative...
People can't seem to get enough of iPhone 4. Even before it was out, Apple fans were going crazy talking about it.
The short film below is a great example of a creative person not only taking advantage of the iPhone's video technology, but also the hype surrounding it.
You really should have done something similar with a music video for your band. Next time...
