Good time to be a Rock Band

Today marks a first for music. Motley Crue, probably one of the most hated bands by parents of the 1980’s released a new single yesterday exclusively on Xbox Live Marketplace. Sweet karmic revenge! You thought your parents were just too old when they told you to “turn off that crap!” Now your kids will drive you nuts jamming to the same band you loved in the 80’s! Technology and licensing is stretching brands to levels that either make us feel older or young again, I am not sure yet.

Already 6 million songs have been downloaded in 90 days on a game that was touted as too expensive to make it. Take an old brand like the Crue and revive it with an entirely new generation. It just shows you that creativity is the only barrier when it comes to great licensing. As I looked at the available list of downloads I see a giant opportunity still hanging out of the school bus, preschoolers. I know it would be about the most un-cool thing your parents would ever tell you, “we got the latest Wiggles song on Rock Band, let Wendy jam with you and your friends for awhile.” I am dead serious here, why make it metal exclusive, would older kids really stop playing just because their sister can jam with Elmo?

Licensing is all about combining strengths to make something even stronger. I remember when Elvis Enterprises was only a few banana peanut butter sandwiches away from selling the mansion to pay the bills, now they are doing 40 million a year. Robert Sillerman now owns 85% of all the trademarks rights film, music publishing, intellectual property and photographs really all the licensing rights in the world to the King. In 2004 he paid Lisa Marie 100 Million for the 85%. At the time many thought he had lost his touch. Sillerman is not a novice, he has amassed a billion dollar fortune moving in and out of media properties with the latest coup being the American Idol franchise he scooped up for about 192 million in 2006.

The Idol is a giant licensing machine. The way they merchandise that show is really incredible. From downloads to product placements and all the production rights to the contestants during and after the show. Simon Fuller the founder of Idol and now just a minority shareholder in his baby is also worth about a billion dollars.

So what can we learn from music and software moguls to apply in our own business today? What is the absolute one thing you are great at? Where are you a complete disaster? Remember, the King was a larger than life performer but a disaster of a business man. Someone needs to be the performer, someone needs to pull the curtain and someone needs to sell tickets. Which one are you? The King is making more dead than alive thanks to Sillerman and Motley Crue has new life thanks to Bill Gates. Today nerds and rock stars can coexist as long as they play their parts. Stick with what you know, rock on Whale watchers!