Mark C. Samples

Writing and Videos

Music and branding, research, teaching, music.

Posts in Music and Branding
The Humbug and the Nightingale: What we can learn about music promotion from P. T. Barnum
The Humbug and the Nightingale: What we can learn about music promotion from P. T. Barnum

In a brand new academic article published by Musical Quarterly, I tell the story of how P. T. Barnum used strategies of branding to create the most successful music tour of the 19th century. The singer he brought to America was Jenny Lind. Lind was already a star in Europe, but was relatively unknown in America before signing a contract with Barnum.

Barnum did something unprecedented:

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Arts and Entrepreneurship, Music and BrandingMark Samplesbranding, musicology, music industry, music promotion, music professionals
Yoda Would Never Say This to Young Musicians (On Arts and Entrepreneurship)

Yoda would never say this to a young musician apprentice:

“Are you an artist or an entrepreneur? Choose you must.”

He also wouldn’t say: 

“Anger, fear, entrepreneurship. The dark side of the Force are they.”

But he might say: 

“You must unlearn what you have learned.”

When I was growing up, practicing my Bach and Chopin...

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Arts and Entrepreneurship, Classical Music, Music and BrandingMark Samplesarts and entrepreneurship, yoda, composing