Before I started working in the musical-instrument
business, I played in a rock
band called Non-Fiction that
had both indie and major-label
record deals. Compared to some
signed bands, we really didn’t
accomplish all that much, but
we did manage to put out three
critically acclaimed albums,
got our music played on the
radio and on MTV, and toured
all over the U.S. and Europe
before we called it quits.
I remember speaking to a
record-industry guru during
that time who equated the success of a band to a giant jigsaw
puzzle. He explained that you
need several critical marketing
“pieces” assembled in the right
place and at the right time in
order to create the complete
picture of success.
For a band, these pieces used
to consist of great music, wide-range distribution through
record stores, radio and MTV
airplay, consistent touring
(preferably opening for a well-known headliner), and publicity in the form of exposure in
magazines and other media.
Nowadays, a few of these
requirements have changed—or
at least shifted their level of
importance—but we’ll get into
that in a future column.
Unfortunately for Non-
Fiction, we had all the pieces,
but they were assembled so
haphazardly that the full pic-
ture never took form. Our
major-label CD came out
before our managers could
land a booking agent, so by the
time we got a support slot on
a tour, all the radio and retail
promotions for the record were
already over. The label also
spent way too much money on
a video that they couldn’t get
onto MTV. More than a year
later, our guitarist called in a
favor that got us some spins on
Headbangers Ball, but by that
time our label had gone belly-
up and the band had pretty
much imploded. As they say,
timing is everything.
Why didn’t Non-Fiction succeed with our album Preface For one
thing, though we had all the requisite puzzle pieces, they were assembled too haphazardly for the full picture to take form.
seem to be pointing a lot of
marketing dollars at a fairly
small segment of the market.
So, the broader the appeal
of the pedal, the better chance
it will sell well—wow, now
there’s a complex formula!
Please note: I’m not trying to
discourage builders from making the absolute craziest and
most esoteric pedals imaginable. Bring ’em on! However,
I would equate these types of
effects to the indie bands and
record labels of the ’80s and
’90s that had a more focused
appeal and therefore a much
smaller, niche audience.
Of course, an indie band
can go on to become the
next Nirvana, and boutique
pedals can likewise become
mainstream. This has happened with brands like Z.Vex,
Fulltone, and Way Huge. All
three were virtually unknown
10 or 15 years ago, while today
they are household names (at
least in guitarists’ households).
Effect popularity can also
change based on the type of
music that’s currently popular,
which reveals an interesting
symbiosis that exists between
these two industries. A good
example of this is the compres-
sor: As country music (and
hot Tele picking) has moved
into the mainstream over the
past 10 years, compressors
have seen a renewed popularity
and markedly increased sales.
Compressors rank in the top
three effect types, according to
our company sales data.
KEVIN BOLEMBACH
is the President and
founder of Godlyke, Inc.
- the U.S.distributor for
many well-know boutique effect brands
Including Maxon,
