Richard Florida on Designing Musical Experiences

In a recent column in the Atlantic, Richard Florida talks about a subject that aligns perfectly with an interview I am running tomorrow, featuring Rich Huxley from Hope and Social, also the author of the essay Music Is Not Our Currency.  In it, Huxley argues that if we can all now make, distribute and sell music, to succeed, artists have to differentiate themselves from the crowd and give people something they can't get elsewhere.  So then, he asks, what can we give people that is unique?  What is not repeatable or copyable?  To this, he answers, “A feeling, or an experience." Because of this great essay, I decided to interview him.  What is even better though, is that Florida has written a great piece that compliments the thinking behind our interview segment on creating experiences.

“It's pretty well-known that our economy--and society--is transforming from one where wealth and prosperity came from industrial products and material goods to a system where new ideas, human creativity, and experiences play a greater and greater role... Music was one of the first industries to experience the brutal effects of the digital transition, and it's clear that the ability to make money has shifted--even for the most established acts--from selling albums, CDs, and even digital downloads to live performance and, well, designing experiences." 

Read the rest. If you haven't read his latest book, The Great Reset, you should.