Apple Advice for Radio and Music Wednesday, January 19, 2011 By Jerry Del Colliano (Last minute registration for my Media Solutions Lab here). The news about Steve Jobs taking yet another medical leave of absence has rattled Wall Street and consumers as well. The iconic Jobs is so strange that he warrants his own college course.  His strategic planning is counter to what so-called successful media companies do that it would be a sin if we could not watch the master at work for a bit longer. I can name 5 ways Apple can help record labels and radio groups become more successful.   In this article, I’ve put together what I think Steve Jobs’ advice for radio and records would be based on Apple’s success. 1.  One critical financial move that every radio group and record label violates – every one!  Want to know what it is?  Heck, if they’re not going to learn from Steve Jobs, we can. 2.  How did Jobs get to be so irreplaceable and why isn’t Farid Suleman or Lew Dickey critical to the future success of their radio groups?  It doesn’t have anything to do with brains.  Dickey is a Harvard and Stanford grad.  Steve Jobs a college dropout who took only one course before giving up on higher education.  Here’s a clue:  it’s not even about the person at the top and how talented and brilliant they are.  I’m going to name for you the number one reason Steve Jobs is irreplaceable and I’ll bet you’ll never guess in what way. 3.  Radio has all it can do to post a 3-4% net gain in revenue in 2011 (and that gain is compared to some pretty favorable comps from an awful previous year).  What if I told you that the answer to radio’s sales problems are not at the radio station but in any Apple store.  Would you like to know how? 4.  Can you name the last cool thing radio did or the last cool thing a record label did?  I thought so.  Neither can I – okay, I tried.  But without cool in this day and age you can’t come up with TiVo or Netflix online or Facebook.  I’ve got some answers based on what Apple would do. 5.  Let’s settle it once and for all in this piece – is piracy killing the record business?  If the labels don’t want to see what would sell music like it’s 1999 then how about this advice for entrepreneurs who will be their successors.  It all starts here. This article is about 5 strategies that always win for Apple that radio and record labels never even consider.  If you would like to read this story, have access to my entire archive (over 1,100 pieces including another piece I wrote called “If Steve Jobs reinvented Radio”) and get the next month of my writing included, click “read more” for your choices.  My Media Solutions Lab is January 27th.  Preview the program, search for hotels and get a pre-conference discount by clicking here. Read more at Inside Music Media Join Jerry's Study Group This year every attendee of the January 27, 2011 Media Solutions Lab will have the option of joining my Study Group to continue the dialogue for the next 12 months as a free benefit. I will post additional content from time to time on this media network and you can reply and join the discussion.  The Study Group is available only to paid registrants of my conferences and professional meetings. The one-day Media Solutions Lab includes my 10 predictions for 2011 that will critically impact radio, the music industry, new media and social networking.   I will also do a presentation on the importance of understanding generational media before making costly business decisions. In the afternoon, four Innovation Labs will be operating – you get to choose the one that fits your goals and participate hands-on. XM and Tribune Creative DirectorLee Abrams facilitates one group on “Creating New Content for the iPad”. Bonneville/WTOP executive Jim Farley leads “Inventing the Digital Station of the Future”. Public Radio/WHYY, Philadelphia’s Chris Satullo brainstorms on “Harnessing Hyperlocal Media” – the hot, new neighborhood-targeted local solution for radio, TV, publishing and online media. Former SoundExchange Executive Director John Simson conducts a think tank on “Ways to Live with Music Royalties” – critical to would-be streamers and users of music in new media. Breakfast, lunch and breaks are included.  This is a non-commercial event so no sponsors will bend your ear or influence the day’s content.  The Media Solutions Lab is supported solely by your registrations. You can’t afford not to attend if you plan on being part of music and media’s new direction that will unfold in the 12 months ahead. And don’t forget – the only way to become part of Jerry’s Study Group for the next year is to make the investment in your career and attend the 2011 Media Solutions Lab. If you haven’t already registered for the upcoming Media Solutions Lab at The Phoenician Resort Thursday, January 27th in Scottsdale, please check out the entire program and register today. You are receiving this email because you are a subscriber to Inside Music Media Click here to unsubscribe or manage your account.