Over the years, “Because we’ve always done it that way” has become a bit of a caricature. We picture someone in the boardroom answering “Why are we doing that?” with the dreaded habitual response. I don’t remember the last time I heard someone say that, and yet…it is done repeatedly.
It’s not to say that “because we’ve always done it that way” should never be the answer. When something works well, it should be done again with an open mind to how it should perhaps evolve. As we sit on the cusp of 2025, “because we’ve always done it that way” somehow just feels more dangerous, more alarming, and potentially more detrimental than ever.
When you consider the concert business, you’ll find lots of “because we’ve always done it that way”. Since ticket sales shifted from in-person (anyone else ever camp overnight to get tickets to their favorite artist?) to online, the model has largely remained the same. On-sales are marketed through typical channels (email databases, digital, and some traditional media), and live events are more often than not announced and go on sale many months or even more than a year in advance. When they are announced, they come out of nowhere, dropped in your lap.
Just last week, my kid informed me that Avril Lavigne would be playing in our town in June 2025. He won’t be buying them now for a multitude of reasons. As my son explained, “You want me to pay hundreds of dollars for a show next summer when I don’t have the slightest idea if I’ll be in town?” He will inevitably forget about the show until next spring, only (maybe) reminded as it gets closer when he sees a social media post.
This is “because we’ve always done it that way”.
Then, there is Jack White’s way.
Transparently, I’ve been a Jack White fan since a record rep took me to see the White Stripes’ Elephant Tour in 2003. Jack White shows followed the concert on-sale norm until he flipped it upside down in 2024 beginning when he released his latest album, No Name.
Jack White performs at Michigan Central Station (Photo credit: Jgphotographydetroit / Shutterstock.com)
The record release gave us the first whiff of something new in the air.
- With no lead up whatsoever, White released the album on a Friday in July, but only on vinyl for fans who were shopping at his Third Man Records stores in Detroit, Nashville, or London. This, of course, generated buzz.
- It wasn’t for another week (August 2nd) that White dropped the album on streaming services. This, of course, generated buzz.
- His first show playing songs from the new album took place at American Legion Post 82 in Nashville (Capacity: around 600) as a benefit show so the venue could buy a new sound system. This, of course, generated buzz.
- What happened next was extraordinary. He started announcing other shows at intimate venues. Sometimes a few days in advance, sometimes the same day. As the show crisscrossed the country, and sometimes the world, he played a game of “will he or won’t he” with your city. When he played Washington, DC, might he go west to West Virginia or north to Pennsylvania? (It was PA). Any other Wisconsin shows after Milwaukee? (Yes, Madison). How many shows in each city? Some cities got one. Some got multiple shows in different venues in the same city. Sometimes on the same day. I followed this sequence, visiting his social media platforms every single day. Hoping he’d play my town certainly, but more importantly, watching with fascination. This absolutely generated buzz.
- Then finally, White announced an actual world tour, with more traditional routing but smaller venues than he typically plays. Unsurprisingly, the entire thing sold out nearly right away.
When you have that conversation to consider how to get more eyes and ears on your brand in 2025, watch out for the negative obstacles and roadblocks you’re putting up before you even get started. If you’re in the entertainment business, how can you leverage your brand to generate buzz in unique and different ways?
“Because we’ve always done it that way” will only end one way. And you won’t like it very much.
