What goes around comes around. No matter which technology is used to deliver it, from the hand-cranked Victrola machine to micro-chips embedded into eyeglasses, people want to hear their music.

Along with the introduction of the personal computer came the ability for people to produce their own music directly from their desktops. This was a real boon to musicians, but it introduced a whole new problem: with so much music out there on the web and bricks-and-mortar music stores rapidly disappearing, how do we actually FIND new, independent music?

In the not-so-distant past, we could go to our neighborhood music store and sample the newest releases. We could subscribe to the Record of the Month Club and receive our choices delivered via the mail, right to our door.

Well, guess what? What is old is new again! Enter: Rough Trade, “Independent purveyors of great music since 1976.” Specializing in collecting independent releases, they have two (soon to be three) actual record stores and an online presence. They put a twist on the old “Record of the Month Club” subscription concept. They incorporated new technologies to deliver to your email “Tracks of the week” as mp3’s and their “Album of the Month” delivered in either mp3 or CD formats.

But what really sets them apart is the exclusivity of access to a private collection and that they have removed the effort and work by curating for us. We receive their own personally selected favorites chosen from their archives of tens-of-thousands of recordings, delivered on schedule.

While the concept of a “month club” is an old idea, there is nothing old about what Rough Trade delivers and how the deliver it. Even their visual branding has a bright, fresh feel while still remaining true to the rugged, individualistic counter-culture music scene look.

The Rough Trade brand has several things going for it:

  • Focused niche
  • Exclusive access to a private collection
  • Reinventing the Month Club delivery system using new technologies
  • Removing the work and effort for us by curating and selecting
  • Consistent visual branding

Don’t hesitate to take a look backward. Consider your delivery system and ask if there might be a tried-and-true method that you could put a twist on to get your product or service into the homes, on the screens, or in the headphones of your target market.  How can you simply for your end user?  Is there something you can do to make their choices more effortless?

You don’t need to be a DJ to put a spin, or a twist, on your brand. New technologies are emerging all the time and you need to be able to evaluate which methods will provide the longest play for your business. Brand School, our highly effective, premier branding program, gives you the strategies and tools you need to spin your brand to the top of the charts. Receive more information about Brand School’s next session and get free brand-building tools and tips when you join our mailing list.

This post is part of our Brands That Twist series celebrating innovative brands. Read about other breakthrough brands and more ways to grow your business and brand here

 
“I learned a lot from Brand School.  It inspired me to think outside the box. I have a much deeper understanding of how to effectively build a brand.” – Mike Sass, Entrepreneur
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Julie
Julie is the Founder and CEO of BrandTwist, a brand consultancy that helps entrepreneurs and corporations build stronger, more profitable brands.

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