What The Beatles Can Teach You About Blogs...

Yes, the Beatles were pre-blogs, pre-internet, pre-MTV... pre- just about everything, but they can still teach you a thing or two about success.

After all, if you think it's tough getting noticed today, imagine what it was like before artists had access to resources like the Arkade.

So, what was it that made the Beatles a hit? Or for that matter the Sex-Pistols? Or Oasis?

Great songs? Partly.

Let's think for a moment...

Four plucky, working-class lads from Liverpool with strange haircuts... A group of London punks who wanted to bring down the establishment... Two brothers from Manchester with attitude and rock-solid belief in their talent...

As well as making amazing music, they were all groups with a fantastic story. A story which captured the imagination of record labels and public alike.

Armed with this knowledge you can see the importance of blogging: a blog is a way to tell your group's story.

And what's more, a blog can help your band get international recognition and even a record deal, if the story is interesting enough.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

Okay, you know the importance of a good story, and you know that a blog is one way you can promote that story. It's decision time. What is your band's story?

Don't worry if you can't immediately answer the question. Every group has a story, the problem for most bands is that they don't know how to articulate it.

It all boils down to three things:-

1. Where You're From - Not just geographically, but in terms of class, gender, ethnicity, and anything about you that you can't change (unless you're Michael Jackson).
2. Who You Are - What is your group's image? Don't say you don't think about these things. Even jeans and a t-shirt is a look. And what is your attitude? Are you arty intellectuals? Streetwise rappers? Arty rappers?
3. Where You're Going - What is it you're trying to do? Are you on some messianic mission to bring about universal peace and goodwill, or are you just trying to sleep with a lot of women (and/or men)?

Work hard on deciding how you are going to project these three factors, and your band's image will be a lot more focused and resonant as a result.

The Truth and Nothing But

While you need to have a great story, don't go making one up. There's nothing worse than watching a group of middle-class fops pretending to be hard.

Be yourself.

Tell your tale.

You'll soon see a change in the way that people react. Let's face it, everyone loves a great story.

Isn't it time the world heard yours?