Building a Great Plan Behind an Artist

Taylor Swift’s big night at the Billboard Music Awards was all just part of the plan.

Taylor Swift’s sweep at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards with eight category wins was not a serendipitous moment. As Zack O’Malley of Forbes Magazine notes, this was all part of the grand plan orchestrated by “savvy scheduling aimed at making the most of every musical release in her career”. To prove the point, Mr. O’Malley points out the release date of 1989, coming in late October of 2014 to capitalize on the holiday buying season. The sales success was then sustained by the various awards shows early in the following year.

The timing of award shows have always been used by record labels as marketing platforms for new music releases. Taylor Swift, her label Big Machine and her management team at 13 Management have used the entertainment industry award cycle as effectively as any artist in contemporary music. The fact that her music has cross genre appeal and international prominence has given her additional platforms to reach her audience.

I agree with Zack O’Malley, this is all part of the plan. Great artist managers and leading record label executives know the value of building a great plan behind an artist and working the plan to fruition. They know where the opportunities lie and they calculate what steps to take to make the most of those Daniel Kilgore Kids Jersey opportunities. To paraphrase an old saying, “the harder some people work, the luckier they get”.

Read the full article by Zack O’Mally here: Forbes, May 18, 2015