Shelby Lee Walsh — October 25, 2010 — Art & Design
References: onerepublic.net
OneRepublic is a heartfelt band consisting of five music-loving gentleman by the names of Ryan Tedder, Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Brent Kutzle and Eddie Fisher.
The boys of OneRepublic are not strangers to success. In 2008, the band was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. With over 2 million albums sold and 8 million singles purchased, their determination and talent have led them to dream big and accomplish even more.
Check out Trend Hunter’s interview with OneRepublic below to learn more about them and their secrets!
1. How did you first get involved in music?
We all grew up playing music in school. We actually all either dropped out of college or lost scholarships and barely graduated because of music. We had all been writing and playing in bands for years before we all moved to Los Angeles to start 1R. In retrospect, it was a weird move to make and Los Angeles might be the worst place to start a band or build a fan base, but we didn’t know any better.
2. What motivates you to continue working in the music industry?
The music industry has changed so much since we’ve started out, but there’s something exciting and new about wherever it’s headed. It’s definitely a lot harder to make a living off of music than it was when we were growing up, because people don’t buy albums the way they used to. They don’t see new bands on MTV, and they hardly hear any diversity on the radio. The exciting thing about all of this is that the future of the industry is still waiting for the next great business model and it’s going to be defined by the artists who are breaking rules and finding or inventing new ways to get their music out.
3. What is an important trend you are seeing in the music industry?
The acts that I see doing things right are all being realistic and proactive about giving things to their fans for free. In the post-napster age of music, the most important thing for any artist should be building and nurturing their fan base. The ones who are succeeding see the importance of giving music away and are taking advantage of the right kind of content they put on YouTube/Flickr/Twitter/Myspace/etc…
4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Everything. We’re traveling more than we are actually home, so a lot of inspiration comes from being in different surroundings around different people. The spectrum of human feeling is something that everyone feels and can relate to. When you get inspired and create something that reflects a thought or an idea that moves you, there’s a good chance that what you create is going to move others too.
5. Do you have any rituals to reset yourself to be creative?
We know a lot of artists who have very specific creative rituals, but our lifestyle really doesn’t afford it. It is definitely refreshing to come home and reflect on where you have just been and jump into creating something in that controlled state, but most of the time we are writing and recording onto our laptops in waiting rooms and busses and planes.
6. How do you spot trends?
We try to pay attention to what the kids are into. The generation of people growing up now moves a lot faster than we did from thing to thing to thing, so it’s like observing a perpetual science project.
7. What are your most important hobbies?
As it relates to our careers and our band, I suppose the fact that we all spend a lot of time making and writing music in our own free time would be considered an “Important Hobby”. We’re also avid fans of fly fishing, skiing, motorcycles, cooking, long walks, etc…..
8. What other artist(s) do you admire and why?
Loads. We just got off the road with U2, so I’ll use them as an example. They have managed to out-sustain almost every successful rock and roll band, and they’ve managed to do it without compromising their integrity or their vision of what they wanted to be. They’ve been the biggest band in the world, but they’ve also been critically panned at times. They’ve put out albums that were so ahead of their time that they actually cost them fans. They’ve had tours fail, and fail on an epic scale, but they have never not done what they wanted to, and that is what makes them untouchable.
The boys of OneRepublic are not strangers to success. In 2008, the band was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. With over 2 million albums sold and 8 million singles purchased, their determination and talent have led them to dream big and accomplish even more.
Check out Trend Hunter’s interview with OneRepublic below to learn more about them and their secrets!
1. How did you first get involved in music?
We all grew up playing music in school. We actually all either dropped out of college or lost scholarships and barely graduated because of music. We had all been writing and playing in bands for years before we all moved to Los Angeles to start 1R. In retrospect, it was a weird move to make and Los Angeles might be the worst place to start a band or build a fan base, but we didn’t know any better.
2. What motivates you to continue working in the music industry?
The music industry has changed so much since we’ve started out, but there’s something exciting and new about wherever it’s headed. It’s definitely a lot harder to make a living off of music than it was when we were growing up, because people don’t buy albums the way they used to. They don’t see new bands on MTV, and they hardly hear any diversity on the radio. The exciting thing about all of this is that the future of the industry is still waiting for the next great business model and it’s going to be defined by the artists who are breaking rules and finding or inventing new ways to get their music out.
3. What is an important trend you are seeing in the music industry?
The acts that I see doing things right are all being realistic and proactive about giving things to their fans for free. In the post-napster age of music, the most important thing for any artist should be building and nurturing their fan base. The ones who are succeeding see the importance of giving music away and are taking advantage of the right kind of content they put on YouTube/Flickr/Twitter/Myspace/etc…
4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Everything. We’re traveling more than we are actually home, so a lot of inspiration comes from being in different surroundings around different people. The spectrum of human feeling is something that everyone feels and can relate to. When you get inspired and create something that reflects a thought or an idea that moves you, there’s a good chance that what you create is going to move others too.
5. Do you have any rituals to reset yourself to be creative?
We know a lot of artists who have very specific creative rituals, but our lifestyle really doesn’t afford it. It is definitely refreshing to come home and reflect on where you have just been and jump into creating something in that controlled state, but most of the time we are writing and recording onto our laptops in waiting rooms and busses and planes.
6. How do you spot trends?
We try to pay attention to what the kids are into. The generation of people growing up now moves a lot faster than we did from thing to thing to thing, so it’s like observing a perpetual science project.
7. What are your most important hobbies?
As it relates to our careers and our band, I suppose the fact that we all spend a lot of time making and writing music in our own free time would be considered an “Important Hobby”. We’re also avid fans of fly fishing, skiing, motorcycles, cooking, long walks, etc…..
8. What other artist(s) do you admire and why?
Loads. We just got off the road with U2, so I’ll use them as an example. They have managed to out-sustain almost every successful rock and roll band, and they’ve managed to do it without compromising their integrity or their vision of what they wanted to be. They’ve been the biggest band in the world, but they’ve also been critically panned at times. They’ve put out albums that were so ahead of their time that they actually cost them fans. They’ve had tours fail, and fail on an epic scale, but they have never not done what they wanted to, and that is what makes them untouchable.
Trend Themes
1. Music Industry Shift - The future of the industry is waiting for the next great business model, creating opportunities for disruptive innovation.
2. Fan Base Building - Successful artists are focused on nurturing their fan base and finding new ways to engage with them, offering opportunities for disruptive innovation in fan engagement strategies.
3. Free Content Strategy - Giving music away for free and leveraging platforms like YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, and Myspace can be a successful approach in the post-napster age of music, presenting disruptive innovation opportunities in content distribution.
Industry Implications
1. Music Industry - The changing landscape of the music industry and the need for new business models create opportunities for disruptive innovation.
2. Fan Engagement - The focus on building and nurturing fan bases opens up opportunities for disruptive innovation in fan engagement strategies and technologies.
3. Content Distribution - The shift towards free content strategies and leveraging online platforms presents opportunities for disruptive innovation in content distribution methods.
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