SUPERSONG CASE STUDY &
SONG STICKINESS MATRIX
HACKING MUSIC WEBINAR SERIES
NASHVILLE, LONDON
JUNE 1 2017

UNDERSTANDING THE SONG STICKINESS MATRIX
CLASSIC SONGS THAT FALL INTO EACH QUADRANT
WHICH QUADRANT GENERATES 80% OF PUBLISHING
REVENUES
WHICH QUADRANT HOUSES THE THE MAJORITY OF
ALL “SUPER SONGS”
WHICH QUADRANT IS PITCHED 90% MORE THAT THE
OTHERS
UNDERSTANDING WHICH QUADRANT GETS
SUBMITTED TO PUBLISHERS 8 OUT OF 10 TIMES, AND
ARE MOSTLY UN-PITCHABLE
AVOIDING WRITING IN THE CROWDED AND CLOGGED
QUADRANTS.
SHIFTING YOUR EFFORT AND CLARITY IN TARGETING
YOUR GO FORWARD WRITING/PRODUCTION EFFORTS
AVOIDING THE “QUADRANT OF DEATH”
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS INCLUDE:

1. SUPERSONGS HAVE A TENDENCY TO OUTLIVE
THE ARTIST - HITS WILL STAY AT THE TOP OF THE
CHARTS FOR A PERIOD OF TIME BUT, ONCE THEIR
RUN COMES TO AN END, THEY TYPICALLY TAKE A
BACK SEAT TO WHAT EVER THE NEXT HOT SONG
IS. SUPERSONGS, ON THE OTHER HAND, STAND
THE TEST OF TIME AND REMAIN A PART OF POP
CULTURE LONG AFTER THE ARTIST IS GONE.
THESE ARE SONGS THAT ARE UNIVERSALLY
LOVED ACROSS ALL GENERATIONS.
WHAT ARE SUPERSONGS?

2. SUPERSONGS MUST BE PERFORMED AT THE ARTIST’S
LIVE SHOWS - WHILE SOME ARTISTS HAVE AN EXTENSIVE
CATALOG OF HITS, WE MIGHT LEAVE A LIVE SHOW A BIT
DISAPPOINTED IF ONE OF THOSE HITS ISN’T PERFORMED
LIVE. SUPERSONGS ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, AND
WITHOUT EXCEPTION MUST BE PERFORMED AT EVERY LIVE
SHOW. IF NOT, THE MAJORITY OF FANS WILL WALK AWAY
FEELING MORE THAN A LITTLE UPSET; THEY WILL FEEL LIKE
THEY’VE BEEN RIPPED OFF BECAUSE THEY WERE
EXPECTING TO HEAR THAT SONG.
WHAT ARE SUPERSONGS?

3. SUPERSONGS HELP TELL THE LISTENER’S STORY, NOT
THE ARTIST’S STORY - THERE IS A SAYING IN THE MUSIC
BUSINESS THAT PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS DO IT FOR THEIR
FANS WHILE AMATEUR ARTISTS DO IT FOR THEMSELVES.
THIS SHOWS UP HEAVILY IN THE REALM OF SONGWRITING
AND IMPACTS A SONG’S ABILITY TO BE ELEVATED TO
SUPERSONG STATUS. PEOPLE CONNECT WITH
SUPERSONGS BECAUSE THEY CAN FIND THEIR OWN
STORIES AND PAST EXPERIENCES WITHIN THE LYRICS.
THEY MAKE PEOPLE CRANK UP THE VOLUME AND YELL,
“THIS IS MY SONG” AS SOON AS IT STARTS.
WHAT ARE SUPERSONGS?

4. SUPERSONGS USE CONCEPTS THAT ARE UNIVERSAL
THEMES - SUPERSONGS ALWAYS HAVE MASS APPEAL
BECAUSE THE THEMES OF THE SONGS ARE EASILY
RELATABLE. EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LOSE
SOMEBODY TO CANCER (LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING BY TIM
MCGRAW). EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT IT IS LIKE TO WORK
LONG WEEKS AND NOT LIKE YOUR JOB (9 TO 5 BY DOLLY
PARTON). EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT IT IS LIKE TO WANT
TO BLOW OFF STEAM AND HAVE A GOOD TIME (ROCK N’
ROLL ALL NIGHT BY KISS). SUPERSONGS ALWAYS STRIKE
CLOSE TO THE HEART OF MUSIC FANS.
WHAT ARE SUPERSONGS?

5. SUPERSONGS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS UPBEAT - WHILE
THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO EVERY RULE, SUPERSONGS ARE
ALMOST ALWAYS SONGS WITH A FAST TEMPO, MANY OF
THEM FALLING INTO THE RANGE OF 100 TO 115 BPMS.
THEY GRAB OUR ATTENTION AND QUICKLY CHANGE THE
LISTENER’S EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE BY
EXCITING US AND MAKING US WANT TO PHYSICALLY MOVE
OUR BODIES AND DANCE. THEY THRUST US INTO AN
ELEVATED STATE.
WHAT ARE SUPERSONGS?

Coheed Cambria
Early Rush
Joni Mitchel
Suzanne Vega

“Margaritaville”
“My Way"
“I’ve Got Friends in Low Places”
"Live Like you Were Dying"
"We are the World"
"Seventeen"

Don't Stop Believin'
“Living on a Prayer”
“I’m Every Woman”
“Like A Virgin”
“99 Problems”

1. Foundation Laying
06 LeftBrain-RightBrain-WholeBrain
09 ContentvsPlatform
11 HowArtiststhink.
15 TheLearningDoing ratio
3. Creative Differentiation
07 TheERRCFramework
16 SuperSongs-TheSongStickinessMatrix
20
SuperTeams
HowRewardWorks
20 TheExperienceEconomy
24
The InternalScorecard29
ONTENTS19 EntertainmentEcosystemMatrix
StrategyvsTactics22
2. Artist as Hacker
07 Forgiveness>Permission
16 1+1=3
22 Future>Nostalgia
Different>Good 20
100%Principle24
Missionaries>Mercenaries29
MakeCupcakes 33
38 Measure

5. Industry Overview The 6 Ps
06 Publishing
09 Production
11 Performance
15 Partnerships
19 Products
Platform25
ONTENTS
4. Living On Planet Reality
18
KPIs-KeyPerformanceIndicators
19
28 ToDo,DoingandDone
22 SmartSequencing
33
SWOT Matrix
37
37
37
UnderstandingRevenueCycles
BrandAnatomy
Cupcake-BirthdayCake-WeddingCake.
AnnualOverviewReview

06
09
11
15
07
ArtistOwned DIY Label 16
TheJointVentureLabel
Mega Model Label-LiveNation
7. 10 Record Label Models
YoutubeasaLabel
PublisherasaLabel
ProducerLabel
19
360MajorLabel - MultiRights 20
29
ArtistServicesLabel
UpstreamLabel
MotownModelLabel 25
ONTENT
6. 9KindsofPublishingDeals
07 SelfPublishing Agreements
16 SingleSongAgreements
20 SubPublisherDeal
18 IncomeParticipationAgreements
19 CatalogRepresentationAgreements
The"Traditional"PublishingAgreement20
Co-PublishingAgreement24
AdministrationAgreements29
22 SelfPublishingAgreement?