My research has not yielded the backstory, but that's the star of the evening. It's always about the idea more than the execution, and this one was brilliant, because it has an afterlife.
Jimmy Kimmel told me it was not about the show, but creating viral moments that live online. That's the ticket.
And that's the world we live in, one in which we all consume different items at different times, and if you criticize me for being late I can point to a ton of stuff you were unaware of.
I saw the DJ on the flat screen last night. I had no idea what he was doing, I was just passing by on my way out the door. I can't listen to these people rant and rave forever. Life's too short, I can find the highlights later online.
And that's what I did. I sampled all the videos served up to me, in bite-sized fashion.
Keep it brief. That's the mantra of virality. Or, keep it really long, if it's unique and great. It's either hit and run or pure dedication. There is no such thing as a short attention span, that's a canard cooked up by traditional media to explain why younger generations are not glued to their content. The oldsters grew up in an era where there was little. But when there is much, you keep clicking next until you find what you want, and then you go deep. Which is why you find kids who weren't even alive when "Friends" went off the air bingeing that series.
Bingeing is an immersive process that the aged still don't get. They think that the drip of every week keeps viewers coming back, keeps them subscribing. What they don't understand is bingeing is not only about content, but mood. We want to be taken away to a special place, where the real world doesn't exist. And this depends on high quality, which most can't achieve, so they berate the system.
For all the b.s. about endless smartphone use, the truth is we're dying to disconnect, it's just what we disconnect for must be better than what's on the phone.
Let's take dating. How many nights did you waste in a bar or a club just hoping to meet someone. It was endless and depressing. And despite all the present blowback about internet dating, it's a much more efficient use of one's time.
Which is why I don't watch the convention live. I don't want to find out after the fact that it was a waste when I can cherry-pick content later or avoid it entirely.
So I'm on the cesspool known as X right after I wake up and...
Yes, I'm like those zombies in "Dawn of the Dead," who go to the mall, because that's their instinct. I love instant news, you can't get it anywhere else. But in truth X is a cesspool unless you're a virgin bro or a dyed-in-the-wool Trumper or both. It's so frustrating.
But Meghan McCain said:
"I'm sorry but this #DNC2024 roll call with DJ Cassidy, themed state music and party/club atmosphere is blowing the RNC's roll call out of the water. It looks like a giant party and celebration and everyone in that room looks like they're having a blast."
Then I knew something happened. Although more reasonable than many, McCain is a dedicated Republican, for her to put them down...
You know you're on the losing team when your own members criticize you. This is exactly what was happening with Biden before he stepped down. There was all this public agitation from those in power. And if Biden refused to listen for weeks, what are the odds that Trump will change course? So far, nil.
So reading McCain's tweet made me aware of the fact that something happened.
And it wasn't long before I came across another reference, maybe in X, maybe in Apple News+, I was intrigued.
And then I found the playlist. The Spotify playlist.
BINGO!
You want to go back to the pre-internet era when people had to buy an overpriced CD to hear one good track? The ability to stick all these cuts together, instantly...allowed every news outlet to write about it and draw people to it, get them to listen.
And that's the power of music.
Playlist - "DNC roll call": shorturl.at/rRbGc
Click, you can't help but check out the picks.
The obvious ones, with the names of the states in the title, the other references. This is how you get people to listen, THEY'RE INTRIGUED!
I don't care if you're a Democrat, Republican or Independent, you're interested in the choices. And if you rain on the parade, nitpick... You're a hater. No one likes a party pooper, NO ONE!
And the music covered all bases, unlike the Spotify Top 50. There were songs both old and new, it was a celebration.
So how can you do this?
Well, virality can't be your sole motivation, that almost never works. Your idea must work on the surface. And if it's cool enough, interesting enough...people will spread the word.
This is creativity, this is art, this is what's missing in today's music business, especially at the major labels. You can sell anything if it's good and marketed well. But thinking outside the box? That's anathema.
Everybody wants to go viral, but how do you do this?
Once again, you can pour a ton of cash on execution, but it really comes down to the idea. Is it unique enough to draw attention without looking like you're doing it solely to draw attention?
And what will be the lifespan of this viral moment? Could be only two days.
That's what old marketers don't understand. That it's nearly impossible to get noticed, but when you do, it doesn't last, especially if it's something universal. If you start from nowhere, with an act or event that few know about, it can grow over time. But if everybody is aware of the underlying cause, whether it be the convention or a concert or...virality lasts a very short time.
That's what we're waiting to see with Kamalamania. Will it last all the way to November, Election Day?
WE DON'T KNOW! We've never been in this situation before!
That's how it used to be with music. We were surprised constantly. And in tech fifteen and twenty years ago there was a new app, a new platform, constantly, but those days of excitement are through. Apple stopped making the iPod, a huge hit that reached the end of its lifespan and then KAPUT!
So if you're a band...
You can go on the road and do the same thing every night and wonder why you don't get any traction outside the building or...
You can make it different every night. Instead of synching to hard drive, you can do something human, unique.
And the studio version... Rework your songs ad infinitum. The days of the pristine track are done. You need to cut it more quickly, to preserve the life. And then you can have alternate takes, acoustic versions, live versions, stems distributed to the fans... You want to enable virality, not shut it down.
It's the public that made DJ Cassidy and this playlist go viral. It was spontaneous. In the old days, it would all be premeditated, there'd be a PR person who'd spread the word to major media outlets and a concentrated campaign to spread the news. Now each individual is a media outlet, if they see something amazing they tell everybody about it.
And it's not only the playlist, which evidences its own creativity... Who is this DJ Cassidy guy? You WANT to Google him!
And the overall effect is to burnish the Democratic party and its convention and candidate. It all boils down to cool. And people want to be on the cool team. And in many cases, that's more of a driver than the issues, which most people don't understand, other than abortion.
Sure, the Republicans have Kid Rock, but not a whole hell of a lot more. That looks like a cult. Whereas all the performers of different stripes and colors at the Democratic convention...looks like the big tent the Democrats always say they are.
People want to belong. As a matter of fact, that's what has solidified the MAGA cult. It's them versus us. It's about team sports. And so far, the Democrats haven't found a way to counter this.
But now they have. They threw out the old for the new, not only getting rid of Biden but creating a viral moment with DJ Cassidy.
What other tricks do they have up their sleeve?
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE!
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