NHT Blog

Perhaps there should be a sub-head for that title.  Or maybe the headline should be longer.  Regardless, rest assured that this blog is about branding and putting the best face possible on your business.  These are not thoughts that would imply vanity or promoting materialism.

There was an Alan Parsons Project song back in the day called, “Games People Play.”  The lyric, “Where do we go from here” comes to mind as this new year begins.  It’s actually kind of sad that I even have to write this blog to say this to the unmotivated, because you already know what you have to do.  And for that matter, Nike has already issued a three-word edict that should be plain and clear.

There are no doubt countless other blogs, articles, features, etc. being written this time of year with that same headline – or something awfully close.  In this particular case you’re probably expecting a look back at the major music news headlines from 2014.  You’re thinking this is going to be a recap of which artists’ new albums soared and then those that flopped.

I’m starting off this week with a persistent cough that started as a sore throat.  Not fun when Christmas is just a couple days away.  It’s also bad timing what with being scheduled as a guest on a radio program tomorrow.

The clock is ticking.  Christmas is just ten days away.  Last minute shoppers are, well, waiting until the last minute.  Travelers are starting to think about preparations for heading out on the roads.

Radio stations, music-on-demand channels, and even video fireplaces are all playing holiday music in full force by now.  Indeed, Christmas is less than three weeks away.

It’s Cyber Monday, which means that shoppers don’t have to put up tents and sleep outside to get into a store at a ridiculous hour of the morning to jockey for position on limited quantity deals.  Instead, the so-called bargains are all online.  You can make purchases dressed in a manner that you’d never go to the Black Friday sales in.

This Thursday is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.  Some people will blog about what they’re thankful for.  Others will post about how we should be thankful the whole year through and not just that one Thursday in late November (and I agree with that).

But what about musicians?  What about songwriters and performers?  What’s the approach there?

This week – today in particular – the meteorologists are busy scaring everyone into home improvement stores, scurrying to buy snow shovels, getting their snow throwers tuned up, and generally battening down the hatches.  Hopefully the musicians and songwriters are pursuing their instruments and writing devices, respectively, with the same fervor.

Most people are familiar with “Just Do It” as Nike’s tagline.  Many years ago there was “Just Say No To Drugs,” which was a national campaign to keep kids ‘on the right track.’  These phrases roll off your tongue with great familiarity.  But how about everyday phrases, such as, “Yes, I’ll do it,” or “No, I’m not available,” or “I’m checking but will get back to you”?