Rethinking Markets

I love stories about how industries/organizations/people react to big changes in their worlds, but have you ever read an article and come away with a suspicion that people don’t really know anything? I know, I know, political punditry (and any article that starts, ‘What Obama needs to do is..’). Anyhow, I somehow felt this nagging feeling all the way through this article on the fittest in the music industry:

Thanks to the role touring now plays with bands, it’s become increasingly common for your favorite act to come through town multiple times during the lifespan of a new album. “We never used to see third cycles for tours,” says Andy Cirzan, a promoter at Jam USA in Chicago. “It’s increasingly commonplace. Bands want to build momentum, or they just need money.” Yet that strategy has its pitfalls. “You have to make sure you don’t hit markets too much,” says Stevenson. “You might get a short-term financial gain, but it might hurt you – ‘Oh, I saw them already,’ or, ‘I’ll catch them next time.’ That’s the kiss of death. Familiarity breeds contempt.”

I’m sure these people do their jobs well. But, you know, birds of a feather flock together. But also, opposites attract. And like breeds like. And familiarity breeds contempt.