Why Classical Musicians FAIL To Stand Out
It's because this misunderstand this fundamental truth.
The worst feeling in the world is working hard on a piece of content, posting it, and getting…
You will continue to struggle grabbing people’s attention online if you do not take the time to understand this simple truth about branding.
Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Most people do not understand.
In fact, I would be willing to bet that 97 out of 100 classical musicians do not understand this truth either.
If you want to drive more attention toward your art online, you must become part of the extraordinary few who do understand the truth:
To succeed in growing your brand online, you must stand out.
How To Stand Out
Be the first.
That is all there is to it.
That can’t be it though, right?
One of the greatest books I have ever read about marketing is “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” by Jack Trout and Al Ries.
The first 3 chapters of this book focus specifically on the importance of being first.
According to authors,
“the basic issue in marketing is creating a category you can be first in. It’s the law of leadership: It’s better to be first than it is to be better. It’s much easier to get into the mind [of the consumer] first than to try to convince someone you have a better product than the one that did get there first.”
Those 3 sentences go against everything Classical Music culture stands for.
This is why 97 out of 100 classical musicians do not understand this.
In Classical Music
We recreate history. We can never be the first. All the firsts already happened.
This is why being “the best” in Classical Music culture is everything.
I put “the best” in quotations because I do not believe it’s an achievable goal.
However, for the sake of argument, let’s just pretend “the best” is something that matters.
The conventional wisdom of Classical Music culture is this:
“If you cannot deliver proof that you are ‘the best,’ we don’t want you.”
To build a solo career, you must win solo competitions. Competitions, by their nature, are won by “the best” player.
To build an orchestral career, you have to win orchestral auditions. Auditions, by their nature, are won by “the best” player.
To build a successful quartet, you have to win a residency at a prestigious school. Quartets that win residencies are “the best.”
But what even is “the best”? What are we measuring?
The best in all of existence?
The best on the internet?
The best alive today?
The best in the country?
The best…in the room on a random day?
The most recognizable?
The more you think about what it means, the less it makes sense.
Moreover, there can only be ONE “the best” in existence.
If there is only one “the best,” then that would mean that everyone else is just a pretender, a cheap knockoff of “the best.”
See how dark and limiting that perspective is?
There’s no point in trying to be “the best.”
The only thing that matters is to be first.
How To Be First
Classical Musicians Reading this Newsletter rn:
“Okay, so if we cannot be “the best,” and we DEFINITELY cannot be the first, what the f*ck is everyone else supposed to do?”
Be the first…in a new category.
If you create a category, you can create a blue ocean and develop your own monopoly.
Sick.
How do you create a new category?
You simply take two seemingly-unrelated things, and you put them together in a pleasing combination (AKA art).
Anyone can do this. Trust me.
Keep reading—at the end, I’ll give you a brainstorming exercise to help you discover a new category to be first in.
How I found this truth in my own life
If I’m being completely honest, I think I knew this back in 2013—back when I first started creating “ThatViolaKid”
After seeing Gary Vaynerchuck give a keynote speech in Fall 2013, I went on online and immediately bought his book “Jab Jab Jab, Right Hook.”
I devoured this book on long flights during my grad school auditions.
3 chapters on the way to Rochester, 4 chapters while I was in Cleveland, and the rest, consumed in Boston and New York.
The play was clear:
“Become the first to post Viola content to Instagram”
And that’s exactly what I did. Between 2014-2018, I became one of the biggest classical music content creators on Instagram.
I was first.
Nowadays though, I’m not the biggest, and I’m definitely not the most active.
Regardless, being first gave me a solid foundation to build my brand and accelerate my career development.
You can do it too. Here’s how.
The Playbook: How To Discover a New Category in 20 minutes
Go somewhere quiet. Get out a sheet of paper and a pen.
Define your product using one word. Write this word in the center of your page and circle it.
My word is “Viola.”
Mentally prepare for the exercise. Calm your adult, critical brain. Allow your childlike, inquisitive, non-judgmental brain to take over.
Set a timer for 10 minutes.
Use your imagination and answer this question: “what’s different from a ___ (viola)?” Write down your answers in the margins around your circled word. You cannot be too ridiculous or too silly. Be as unapologetically creative as humanly possible.
For 5 minutes, draw boxes around all of the words that reflect your interests and passions. Identify the core attributes of each “boxed” word.
Combine the circled word in the middle with boxed words in the margins that share similar attributes. Go one by one. You should have a category candidates.
Ex: “Viola + Zaddy”
Conduct competitive research for each of your new category candidates. Do a quick search on Google, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Are there any creators that occupy this category?
Ask yourself these questions:
“How are ___ and ____ related to each other?
Where do their core attributes connect?
Do they have a unique synergy?
When combined, what problems can these words solve?
If you don’t find anyone operating in this category, congratulations, you’re first in a new category!
If someone is already occupying this category, don’t be discouraged. You have 2 options:
If they are a small creator (<2500 followers) and they’re inactive, you still might have a chance to beat them to market.
If they are an established creator with a robust following (10,000+ followers) and they’re relatively active, add a few more “boxed” words to further niche down your category.
Ex: If there’s already a Viola Zaddy creator with 34,000 followers and they post a lot, try searching for “Viola + Zaddy + Spice Garden + Weeb”
Experiment and have fun!
Takeaways
Trout and Ries again:
“Everyone is interested in what’s new. Few people are interested in what’s better.”
No one really cares about “the best” product. They only care about what was first.
“Regardless of reality, people perceive the first product into the mind as superior. Marketing is a battle of perceptions, not products.”
Do not aim to be the best, aim to be first.
If you are not the first, become the first in a new category.
In fact, “you can always make a good guess by substituting leading for first.”
You know the leading brands for asprin, aceaminophen, and ibuprofen:
Bayer
Tylenol
Advil
Guess what? Those brands won because they were the first.
They all were the first.
You cannot compound a better ibuprofen. It’s a chemical. The brand name is the only difference.
Being first is the only thing that really matters.
And this is good news. Here’s why:
There are an infinite number of firsts. Most of them haven’t even been created yet.
So, no, you’re not too late to get started.
You’re the first you that has ever been.
So, do not fear being your authentic self.
There’s only one you.
After all, you are a category of one.
Building In Public
Grace Notes
We’re almost at 500 subscribers! Tell me, what do you think I should do to celebrate!? Is there something I can do for YOU as a thank you?
I really appreciate the support. This newsletter is free and it will remain free for the time-being.
My goal is to grow this newsletter to 1000 subscribers before the end of 2024.
If you’re diggin’ the content and getting value from Grace Notes, share it with a friend!
Let’s continue to grow together!
ThatViolaKid Productions
Here’s some ThatViolaKid lore for you.
I recently went back to Mercer University to play with the Macon-Mercer Symphony. The last time I performed in the Grand Opera House was 2014. A full decade ago.
I made a point to visit my momma and my brother while I was in town. I was looking through my high school photos and my yearbook and I found this.
Back in senior year of high school, I was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by my peers.
I still don’t understand why they did that.
Look at my quote.
Damn, I’m currently living out the wildest dreams of my 18-year-old self. That’s a trip.
That’s the value of playing long games. Long games are the only ones worth playing because they compound. More on that in a future newsletter.
wholesoul
Vi Jordan Collab
Booked Venue for our upcoming video
Found a videographer for the shoot
Scheduled a walkthrough of venue for storyboard generation
Developed a schedule for the shoot
Finished up the business’ taxes
Anji Sample Project
Refined client outreach sample email template with Anji
Refined rate sheet with Anji
Building a business prototype
Created a calendly booking link → Will work in tandem with our existing performance inquiry form
Added new people to our email newsletter
Paid Claire
Drew, the ending brought it all full circle; the phrase “you are a category of one” is such a mic drop!! Very inspired by what you shared also re ThatViolaKid’s origin story. 🙏🌸