Music Business Models. Case Study #3: Linda Buratto

LLinda Buratto is an Italian guitar player and vocalist. She’s a grunge girl, her love for urban culture cannot go unnoticed, and her nickname is ‘BOOM’. In her mid-20s, she’s an active session musician, touring the globe with Kate Nash, while also building her own personal project: Echo Boom Generation.

Although she already makes a full-time living from working in other people’s projects, Linda is also dedicated to building her own music b(r)and. She’s always looking for synergies, collaborations and affiliations.

Linda Synergy

There is an important idea that drives Linda’s business: musical compositions are no longer the only differentiator – everyone can write great songs. Approaching music in a holistic way, though, can help her break through. She is a brand, attaching a theme and story around her sonic identity. Linda has created a culture that merges her own likes (urban & street lifestyle) with a powerful musical style (grunge and punk). This represents who else but the Millennials (AKA the ‘Echo Generation’).

This approach helps Linda expand her range of revenues, partners and activities. She can collaborate and profit with brands, reach out to fans through channels that resonate with the urban culture, and organise activities that involve not just music, but educational and inspiring talks, sports and fashion.

Does the synergetic artist collaborate with commercial brands aligned with his/her values – or are the artist’s values refined to attract more brand collaborations? I guess it has to work both ways:

Music Value Propositions

Linda’s Echo Boom Generation don’t just play music; they advocate an inspiring lifestyle: full of energy, determination, youthfulness and positivity. She lives by example. If you want to live like Linda, following her activities is the best way. This is her primary MuVaP.

Additionally, Linda makes statements about urban fashion and action sports through her performances, videos and public appearances. These statements continue to influence her young followers as her audience grows.

Finally, Linda represents the Millennials, who are characterised as ‘digital natives’, ‘idealists’ and ‘dreamers’, and she’s ready to pass on her experiences. Despite her own youth, Linda inspires young people (local communities, schools etc.) and motivates them.

Customer/Audience Groups

Linda’s work primarily attracts young dreamers who want the ‘ideal‘ lifestyle. Her message is a motivational force. She mainly targets the geographical regions that she can tour, as this message seems to work better in person – a form that she can showcase.

She also plans to work with urban fashion and action sports brands, which can bring more value to her audience. Experiences, shows, and deals are a few of the things she could co-create with them.

Last but not least, schools, local communities and colleges are a very important audience for Linda. They are the medium through which she shares her lessons and experiences, in the form of inspirational talks and mentoring.

Revenue $treams

Asides from her session work with Kate Nash, Linda makes money through music-related avenues, such as live performances, licensed music and branded, limited products. As her audience and influence grows, she also plans to initiate collaborations/affiliations with brands that support her values and share the same audience.

As for her educational vision, Linda is funded through grants (in order to initiate large-scale projects), direct speaking fees (in conferences) and workshop admissions (organised by herself or 3rd parties).

Communication/Relationships

As her lifestyle might suggest, Linda is very vocal and loves using social media to update her friends and followers. She spends a lot of time personally engaging in conversations about issues she cares about. Asides from using social media for personal communication, she also has a newsletter (semi-canned messages) to let her followers know what’s happening next.

In the future, Linda will have to scale up, so a representative (manager, assistant or intern) would come in handy.

Channels of Communication

Asides from her band’s website, Linda is an avid user of social media. She blogs online and also attends many events in person. At these events she makes direct contacts and spreads the word for her work. The schools and colleges provide a notable source of revenue, whilst also working as a channel to communicate her message.

Her greatest ambassadors, however, are her network and the fans themselves. In an era where ‘interesting stuff’ is talked about, the people that care about her message recruit more followers on her behalf.

Career Assets

A few things are critical to Linda’s vision. The most valuable of these are her personal brand (which attracts her audience and other brands), her experience and skillsets (gained from many years of touring with Kate Nash), as well as her network of fans and professional contacts (that build her brand value during her first steps).

In the future, the IP (her portfolio of songs) will play an important role, as Linda increases her efforts to get more music licensed in commercials, film and games.

Essential Activities

Linda practices her craft and composes new musical ideas, in order to refine her sonic identity. She also gives herself time to experiment with new and crazy ideas that might come handy in the future. She’s also an avid performer, ensuring that her band performs and tours as often as possible.

Regarding her business, at this stage Linda is developing her brand with the right collaborations. She enriches her online presence (videos, songs, coherent image), networks a lot – attending events and meeting people. She also updates her social media profiles as often as possible.

An intern from one of the universities she plans to collaborate with could be an ideal addition (perhaps for admin work and coordination).

Partners/Mediators

Since Linda is heavily involved with brands, she mainly partners with fashion businesses and young designers aligned with her values. She also works with endorsers that provide her with gear, and with her business mentors – who guide her during this long journey.

Expenses

Linda’s initial costs resulted from her online presence (website, branding, design, videos, studio time etc.). Additionally, she has minor costs regarding her travelling and gear (which is mostly endorsed).

Linda Synergy Music Business Model

Key components

What elements can’t Linda’s business do without?

Number one would go to her brand vision: being a successful brand is a long-term game, and it all comes down to having a bulletproof vision. Next comes her network – personal contacts and passionate fans are the first people to spread the word when nobody knows you. Finally, her multi-channel marketing. At some point, Linda will need to build a critical mass in order to attract more brands for collaboration. For this, seemingly being everywhere (within her niche) is key .

Find more info about Linda’s business: www.echoboomgeneration.com and www.lindaburatto.com.

The next day

What can you do next?

1. If you want to get in depth about the concept of Music Business Models, read my previous essay: MBM (101 | Design).
2. Please get in touch with me at tommy@tommydarker.com if you think that you or an artist you know has an interesting business model.

Most importantly, since you read this all the way to the end, you’re probably interested in music business models.

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Tommy Darker is the writing alter ego of an imaginative independent musician and thinker about the future of the music industry. His vision is to simplify scalable concepts and make them work for independent musicians.

Find him on Facebook and Twitter.