Prospek’s March by Coldplay

Coldplay is not just one of my favorite bands of all time (primarily for amazingly simple yet haunting melodies, words that MEAN something, and an undeniable coolness that transcends most other rock/pop bands), they also are living the new way to succeed in the music business.

Its rather simple, really. I call it a rock/pop 12 step program:

1. Work tirelessly to craft memorable and sweeping melodies and hooks.

2. Build a solid foundation of repeating phrases and hooks that make it easy to quickly remember and hum/sing a song even after the first time you hear it.

3. Play cities, towns and venues of all sizes. Not just the big halls- play in the 500-2000 seat halls too.

4. Get to KNOW your fans. Talk to fans regularly. Hit them with emails and newsletters- not just to sell stuff, but to inform us of the music, the tour, free downloads, new pictures, media appearances, and more.

5. Provide a regular flow of new music. THIS IS THE BIGGIE. Don’t go up to the mountain or ivory tower, get inspired once every couple of years and then slowly bless the fans with 10-12 mediocre songs with one good cut every two years. Feed us intravenously. Keep it coming. New tracks trickling throughout the year. New mixes, new music videos. KEEP IT COMING!

6. Build your song structures in such a way as that average people that play guitar or keyboards can learn and play them easily. They are a sub-sub-core of the fan base and will stay with you for years.

7. When appearing on television or in other media be REAL. Don’t by coy, try to fake humbleness, poverty or being like the average guy. Embrace your talent, celebrate with the fans, give freely.

8. Keep lame celebrity type diarrhea of the mouth comments about politics to an absolute minimum.

9. Embrace a real cause that has a decent chance of making the world a better place. By the way, this does NOT include anything that has to do with global warming or PETA.

10. Let all the members of the band contribute and shine.

11. Write lyrics that make people wonder, think, feel, hurt, move, cry, and live life.

12. Show the people you LOVE what you do and you’re having fun.


Check out the NEW Coldplay EP “Prospek’s March” released today. It's truly brilliant.

Incidentally, it's released only a few months after their brand new full-length "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends" (masterpiece), and just a few short weeks since the last new single and other bonus cuts they've put out.

Genius, these Coldplay guys.