Nathan - so true. I think that maybe the culture is different because they don’t have to put up with all the protocol and red tape BS so rampant in the corporate world.

My guess as to why bands are ahead of the curves is because they have a different perspective. To a band, it’s their fans. To a company, it’s their customer.

The difference? One is a person that is a part of a larger group that supports you, and with bands that its the fans that support them is much more real. With a biz (most, anyways), it is a ‘target’ that is to be benefited from.

To me, perspective is slightly difference, but I think that’s what matters.

I think the answer is in the question. The paradigmatic shift is so slow in the corporate world because there are many that do not see clients as “fans”. I have an advanced degree in Music so I have been learning the marketing thing by grabbing onto every morsel of info I can find. After a couple of years of applying many of the ideas I have learned from my WOMMA gathering I am amazed when I talk to business people and they look at me like I am crazy when I use words like evangelists, Net promoter Scores, and the like. I believe the shift is coming.

All we can do is continue learning from obvious, creative successes and drag everyone else along kicking and screaming. In my case, I have ONE person, our CEO, to convince and it is an enormous challenge. But what usually happens is he has some experience related to an idea I shared with some other product and then the lightbulb goes on, “oh, that’s what joe is trying to get us to do”. Which is fine with me. As long as we get there.

Spike, I really think you are on to something here and the music business is a great model because of the relevance of the examples you can use. You can stand in front of any type of group and people would immediately connect.