Transcription
Today we're gonna talk about the top 1% of music artists. The top 1% don't just build audiences, they build cults and they build tribes.
To build these cults, there's a hidden psychology used by all your favorite music artists. This secret approach is how the best in the world do it. This is how they built their empires of financial and creative freedom, and how they can sell out venues all over the globe.
If you wanna play in the pros of the music world, you're going to need to become a master community builder and a tribe leader. And while this concept may seem simple, the way that most modern artists are building their communities today is wrong.
Now, this hidden tactic and method that I'm gonna talk about today has not only created the biggest music brands in the world, but also the most devout groups in history. Religions, cults, political movements all revolve around this one concept that changes how people see your brand.
You see, the way that human beings form tribes and communities around anything has been the same for centuries. It's part of our baked-in DNA to belong to groups, as it's part of our primal human need to survive. But why do we choose the tribes that we choose? Is there an exact psychological science to this?
There absolutely is, and you can use it to grow a fan base of millions should you choose. So today I'm gonna explain exactly how this method works, how to set it up for your own brand, and how to execute it to grow your audience. And as you know, if you can grow your audience and have them truly bond to you, you also can sit at the table with the other top 1%.
So in order to get into how to use the method, we need to first understand what's happening under the hood of human psychology.
Section one, why human beings form tribes. Human beings bond fastest through shared belief or conflict. And when it comes to shared beliefs, I actually have another video on the Neighboring Arts Play channel that goes deep into how to create a brand belief system, so definitely check that one out after this.
Because what you stand for is extremely important in brand building and storytelling, but what you stand against is even more powerful. The moment people clearly understand the enemy, conflict, or problem that your brand is fighting against, it then creates an emotional alignment and bonding with that person. If they also stand against what you stand against, there then is a deeper connection to the brand. It gives people something to rally around together, and this something is bigger than the music or the product of any brand.
And in many cases, this tension is what transforms an audience into a real tribe. Because when people feel like they're fighting against the same thing, they naturally become closer to each other. It creates an us versus them dynamic, and the stronger the conflict feels, the stronger the tribe becomes.
This is why in movies like Independence Day, the second the aliens attack Earth, all the fighting between the countries suddenly disappears. Nobody cares about politics, borders, or differences anymore because humanity now has one common enemy, and that needs to be defeated first. Conflict unifies people faster than almost anything else on Earth, because when you tie things subconsciously to survival, you unlock another gear of- in the human mind.
And once you see this pattern over and over, you realize it exists everywhere. Sports of all kinds thrive on rivalry. Cities will often have decades-long and generations-long rivalries between each other, and someone from a particular city may feel a way about someone from another rival city even without ever meeting this person just based on the rivalry alone. And then in the political world, groups are often built around opposing sides that often have stronger emotional pull around what the political party is against even rather than what it's for. And then religions of the world often define their belief systems around what they deeply believe in but what they also are deeply against.
Music or fashion subcultures like punk rock bond by the rejection of mainstream culture. Or if you look at a brand like Harley-Davidson, they aren't just selling motorcycles, they're selling rebellion and freedom against normal society. Even tech companies deeply understand this psychology. In the early days, Apple Computer built one of the strongest tribes in the world by having a common enemy, standing against the evil big brother computer companies like IBM or HP, and then later through the campaign Apple versus PC. That campaign was fully based around identity. Apple was the young, cool, artistic, progressive-thinking identity, and then PC was the older, lame, nerdy, corporate identity. You see, the people inside these groups feel emotionally connected because they believe they stand against something together. There's a common enemy, and a common enemy forms a tribe.
And as a quick note here, when I say enemy, it doesn't mean it needs to be an individual person. Actually, some of the strongest brands usually fight against an idea, a system, or a feeling. For example, your enemy could be something like superficiality, fake social media lifestyles, bullies, corporate culture, the status quo Real music and musicianship versus AI music, the concept of fighting against time, or even the idea of fighting yourself and your own mind.
The best artist storytellers make people feel like they're standing together against something that feels emotionally real in their everyday lives. That shared relatable frustration is what creates the connection. So for example, what if I were to tell you that the reason that I'm sitting here on a Saturday making this content for you is because I stand against the big corporations, the big tech companies, the gatekeepers that make it extremely difficult for artists, my people, to reach their audience? So I'm doing everything that I can and providing the information I provide so we can stand together and go with this system that seems to be built to make us fail.
Now, this is 100% truly why I'm here, but don't you feel a different emotional bond to myself or Neighbor2Arts Supply now, knowing what I stand against, instead of just being another guy on YouTube giving music marketing and branding advice? The reason and the emotion itself is different, and that's the point. Now you know more about me and my purpose and what this is all about, and if you're aligned, hopefully now we bond.
And this is where most artists miss the opportunity when it comes to growing an audience. They try to build fan bases around the music only, but music is just one piece of the brand. The real glue is in the shared beliefs, the shared frustrations, a shared point of view, and most important, shared enemies. The artists with the strongest communities today understand that fans don't just want songs They wanna feel like they're a part of something bigger than themselves. They subconsciously want a tribe, and again, this is all tied to our primal human need to survive.
And another big issue here is that many artists are afraid to truly stand for something or truly stand against something because they feel they may alienate potential audience members. But this is why, in my opinion, many artist brands today are soft. There's no real story or point of view there. If you're trying to be everything to everyone, you end up becoming nothing to no one, and in this, having a real pointed point of view is much more memorable.
So now we understand all this at a high level, but let me actually give you some real-world examples, and you can see how this works in action.
Section two, how great music brands clearly define their foes. So for this section, what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna give you six examples of real-world artists and how they've built huge followings around having clear brand foes in their stories. Of course, their fans love their music, but much of the audience is also bonded to their ideals, what they stand for and then what they stand against.
So let's look at these six artists and their brand foes, and we're gonna start with Rage Against the Machine, a band known for having strong beliefs and being extremely outspoken against their brand foes. Their music wasn't just about having an aggressive sound. It was about fighting against corporate greed, political corruption, government oppression, economic inequality, media manipulation, blind obedience to authority, and social injustice. Their fans didn't just connect to the music. They connected to the feeling of rebellion and resistance against the systems that they believed were broken. They even have a song called Killing in the Name of that has a repeated phrase, "F you, I won't do what they tell me," that's repeated over and over. Now, for Rage's brand foes and their ideals, does this feel on brand? Do you get a sense of who they're against? Is there an emotional charge there? For millions around the world, there was.
Next, let's look at an artist like John Summit. Now, while John's tone is much more fun, he also has very clear brand foes. His content constantly pushes against the over-serious world of dance culture. He's been very outspoken about the importance of being yourself, and he's against the fake cool guy energy that is a lot of the dance world. Through his content, he's created another brand foe of opportunity loss. He's explained how driven he's been to pursue his vision and how much he's against the idea of wasted potential. Much of his content and story deals with the feeling of getting trapped in a boring corporate nine-to-five life. For John, his audience doesn't just see him as a DJ. They see him as someone representing a regular, relatable, everyday guy chasing his dreams, taking on challenges as they come, and actually living life before it passes you by.
Next, let's look at an artist like Chappell Roan. So a lot of the Chappell Roan brand is built around the idea of rejecting the pressure to hide who you really are. Her enemies are things like shame around self-expression Conservative social expectations, the music industry pressure that you need to play it safe, not being too loud, and staying within the status quo. She's against the people who judge you for being weird, emotional, or expressive. Her audience bonds with her because she gives people permission to fully be themselves.
Or then, what about a brand like Blackpink? A lot of their brand's power comes from pushing back against the limitations often placed on women. Their story constantly fights against the ideas of being underestimated, being told to stay quiet, traditional gender expectations, industry control over identity, and then the criticism that comes towards women with ambition. Their fans don't just admire their confidence, they admire the strength, independence, and dominance in spaces that historically tried to limit women That admiration and shared point of view deeply bonds the audience with the group.
And next, let's go a completely different direction. We'll go with one of my parents' favorites. Let's look at Jimmy Buffett. Jimmy's brand foes were never political systems or aggressive rebellion. Instead, he built an entire world around escapism, escaping corporate culture, escaping the man, your boss, escaping material obsession, and escaping the idea that the only reason that you're alive is to work. His music and his brand story represented freedom, adventure, beaches, and slowing down enough to enjoy life. His fans weren't just listening to the songs, they were buying into an entire philosophy of what to live for. Before his passing, Jimmy built an audience of millions all around the world that aligned with his values and stood against his foes. He created the phrase that's culturally known around the world, "It's 5:00 somewhere. I'm done with work, and I'm ready for a drink and some fun and relaxation." And again, the Jimmy fans loved his music, but they also loved the brand and its value system. This is where so much of the bond was built with his audience.
And then lastly in our examples, let's look at a brand like Anyma. Anyma's entire artistic world is built around the tension between humanity and technology. He's taking that concept and doing it at the largest scale possible. His brand constantly explores the ideas of digital disconnection, emotional numbness, and our relationship to artificial identities. Through his artistic works, he explores themes and creates conflict around the idea of living online instead of in the real world and the fear of technology slowly replacing human emotion and soul. The reason people connect so deeply with the project is because those fears already exist in modern culture. The ideas and concepts that his brand reflects are actually happening today. The brand story and its position against the foes simply gives those feelings an artistic format. So not only is there the spectacle and the size of how he's presenting things, there's then the deeper themes that consciously or subconsciously hit the audience. The combination of the various elements and how he put them together grew the Anyma community around the world at an expedited rate.
So with those examples, and then having the understanding of why this concept works on a primal human level, let's get into exactly how to apply this to your own brand. Because now that you understand it and see it, the concept may seem simple, but if it's not executed correctly, it can actually hurt the brand that you're trying to build. So let me explain how to properly do this for yourself.
Section three: How to define your own brand foes. Okay, so now it's time to define your brand foes. Now, shouldn't this be easy? Isn't it just about making a list? It is that simple, but there is a specific way that we organize our brand foes with the clients we work with with the Cult Creatives that not only makes it easy for the client to understand but also for the audience to understand as well. The way we create our brand foes list with Cult is that it's organized in a hierarchy. From the worst foe, the big boss at the top, to the smaller, still a problem, but easier to defeat- bad guys.
So quickly as an example of a brand foe hierarchy, let's look at a franchise like Star Wars. In the Star Wars universe, there are multiple bad guys that stand in the way of the hero's mission, but there's a ranking system. The Empire as a whole is the big boss that the Rebel Alliance is fighting. But then lower on the totem pole is the Emperor, extremely powerful and difficult to beat. And then a little lower on that totem pole is Darth Vader. Then lower is a general, and lower than that is a stormtrooper. All these foes challenge the heroes in the Star Wars story, but some are harder to defeat than others. So you're gonna organize your brand foe list in the same way.
So for example, let's say you're a hero brand. Your brand is all about the hard things and going towards challenge to make the world a better place Your foe ranking system may look something like this. At number six, you have the haters, the trolls. These are the people who leave the hateful, negative comments on your stuff. Not a big boss to defeat, but on the wrong day can definitely hit you emotionally. This is fully Stormtrooper vibes. And usually, with these trolls or haters, if you've built your tribe the right way, your fans will take care of them themselves.
Then next up the list is not an individual or person, it's an idea. And this idea is the idea of not being seen and being overlooked. This is a very relatable enemy and a great brand foe. Many people feel like the world isn't seeing them for who they really are. Bringing more awareness to yourself and the things that you're creating and making could be its own enemy.
Then further up our hero brand totem pole is the idea of staying on the path. This is a concept or foe that revolves around the distractions of the world. Often, one of the biggest enemies for heroes is getting distracted from the main mission at hand. You can quickly and easily stray from your goals and your purpose. Fighting to stay focused on the path as a concept is its own foe.
Then next up the totem pole is the physical demands of the pursuit of building one's project. This is a simple concept for people to understand. Building anything is hard. You often push yourself to the limits and burn the candle at both ends. And then next up the totem pole is the idea of time. Time makes for a great brand foe, especially for hero brands. Everyone knows the challenge of not having enough time to accomplish something big. It's why most sporting events have a clock and even multiple clocks. For example, American football actually has 10 clocks in the layout of the game or story that the sport is presenting to the audience. There's the game clock, the play clock, the timeout clock, the two-minute warning clock. All these clocks create tension to the story by making time one of the foes. Time as a foe for a hero brand can make for great content that connects the audience to the story. And then lastly, the top of the totem pole, the big boss, the shadow self, the ego, your inner thoughts. This may be one of the most relatable villains there is. Most people battle the voices in their head every day. Overcoming fear, going towards challenge, and not taking the easy way out.
So those are examples of what could be the foes in a hero brand story, and if I were art directing that project, I would never deviate from that list. I would stay with these brand foes in various forms and find different ways to communicate the challenges and battles with these foes to the audience. But as another example, let's say that you're a rebel brand and you stand against societal norms, the status quo. And what they tell you you're supposed to be. Your foe ranking system might look something like this. At the bottom, number six, rule followers, the people who follow the rules that are handed to them by society. They may not actively be trying to take down the rebel, but they make it harder for the rebel to find freedom.
Then going up the totem pole, number five is fake people who edit themselves based on societal rules. These make for a good foe because many other rebel types also dislike this group. You can find strong alignment in a point of view by making this one of your enemies. And as a quick note, you don't want to just create an enemy because it's good for the brand. You should authentically be aligned and truly stand against that brand foe.
Next brand foe is a concept or idea, and it's the idea of dopamine culture. People who are addicted to a life of content, mindless entertainment, and the autopilot existence. A rebel might think that these people are not free and they're stuck inside of an invisible prison created for them.
Next up the totem pole at number three is the regulators, the people who tell you who you're supposed to be and what you're supposed to be. These types of people, because their own fears, discourage other people from chasing their own freedoms. They encourage them to be more obedient and fall in line with the status quo. So then next up the totem pole at number two is self-censorship. Now, this is more of an internal battle and concept. This is the voice that tells you to censor yourself and not speak out for what you believe or what you stand for. This is another example of a you versus you type foe, but done through a rebel lens. And then at the top of the list, our big boss to defeat is the established systems. This could be corporate entities, the gatekeepers, the people in power who purposefully try to control and manipulate the freedom of everyday people for their own gain.
So that's an example of what a foe list might look like for a rebel brand archetype, an archetype that's based in chasing freedom and setting their own rules instead of following the rules of others. And as a quick note here, your foe list can be longer than six, but I wouldn't go above 10. Above 10, it starts becoming too many villains and too many storylines for the audience to follow. And where creating this list can go really wrong is if the battles don't feel as though they're coming from a singular place. And if you don't have your brand archetype defined for your brand yet, I do have another video on the Neighbor to Art Supply channel that goes deeper into how to define your archetype, and you can see that here.
So once you have your brand foes laid out, it then becomes how do you story tell about the enemies and your position in the content that you're going to create? And it seems obvious, but it's worth saying this should 100% inform your artist brand and content strategy. Your foes and enemies should show up all over your brand. The audience should clearly know what you're for, but more importantly, what you're against. If your brand has no tension or no conflict, you may be missing a huge opportunity with audiences to bond. Almost every tribe in history was formed because people believed in something, and then they stood against something else.
So now all that's left is to go build your own tribe, your own cult. And should you want to build or collaborate with myself and the Cult Creatives, you know where to find us, all things The Cult Creatives, thecultcreatives.com. But I hope all this helps. And until next time, go get yourself some enemies, and I'll see you soon. Peace.