TIM COOK

Is a bad lead singer. The Doors could never replace Jim Morrison and Queen could never find a singer to step in for Freddie Mercury. Talent and skill are important, but never forget charisma, that indefinable element that draws us to you. Not only did Jobs know the product presentations were a show, but that he was the star. Watching Tim Cook headline today’s keynote is like having Lucian Grainge headline Staples Center. Huh?

FREE MAVERICKS

It gets everybody on the same page. Something the music business did with the CD and has never done since (yes, they killed the vinyl record to make way for the CD.) Unless you’re moving into the future, you’re going to be dragged down by the past. The music business should have switched everybody to files, they should now switch everybody to streaming, having a fire sale on files while they do it. Every track a quarter! Come and get ’em!

FREE MAVERICKS 2

People are cheap. Charge a dollar and most people will shy away. Give them something for free and they embrace it, assuming they want it.

APPS

Are all free now. If you’re charging for one, you’ve missed the business model. Apps are service elements, add-ons to your core business.

NEW MAC PRO

Ridiculously high-priced, a middle finger to its core audience. Doesn’t Apple have enough cash reserves?

And stop teasing its introduction. Tell me when it finally ships, not before. This is like Katy Perry telling us she has a new album…years in advance.

MAVERICKS 3

Everybody likes a surprise. Give us what we don’t expect earlier than we thought possible.

As Seth Godin says, it’s all about shipping, and by making Mavericks a free download TODAY, Apple wowed us, rendered us speechless.

DAVID POGUE

How does the “New York Times” let him go? This is like a label without any stars, or Pacha without famous deejays. That’s what the “Times” no longer realizes, that we live in an era where we follow personalities more than faceless monoliths. As for Yahoo picking him up, it’s the blockbuster strategy at work, suddenly there’s a reason to go to the site, something that didn’t exist previously. This is not AOL picking up the “Huffington Post,” which is all traffic and no substance, Pogue is the public’s tech guru. Better for him to be there than for AllThingsD to go solo, because Pogue’s a star and nobody at AllThingsD is.

NEW iPADS

Apple upgrades them every year.

Isn’t it interesting that Apple has a steady stream of product but in the music business acts can take years between albums? Apple stays in the public eye, we’re always wondering what the company is up to.

SAMSUNG

Has no innovation. But mobile phones are now a commodity. And tablets will be too soon. Then it’s all about a race to the bottom re price. Apple cannot win this war with its present strategy. It needs a new blockbuster product. At some point the iPad you have is good enough.

iPODS

Notice they weren’t upgraded this year? It’s a dying paradigm. Music goes with your phone. If you want one, they’ll sell you one, but they’re not gonna waste time redesigning and promoting them, unlike Sony, which keeps polishing old products until we no longer want them.

ATTENTION

Earned by Steve Jobs over fifteen years. With a bunch of hit singles. Miley Cyrus got us all to pay attention with no underpinnings. Her strategy would have worked better if she’d had more hits under her belt. As for Jay-Z, he’d have been better off writing an ANTI-Samsung song, that’s how you get ahead as an artist, speaking truth to corporations, which rule our world…and our government!

APPLE STOCK PRICE

A better game to follow than SoundScan.

ONE MORE THING

That’s what we miss about Steve Jobs, the gleam in his eye, the anticipation…that he would blow our minds.

This is what musicians used to specialize in, before they became crybabies only interested in the money. It’s about the conception, the art, that’s what resonates, that’s what gives you power. Jobs was not only about innovation, but design. Because it’s the little things that matter. The shiny silver back to the original iPod, the color of the original iMac. Sure, you need a great song, but the stray instrument at the right spot can make all the difference.

So set your mind free.

That’s why Steve Jobs was so successful, he was a child of the sixties, an era of freedom and exploration. Furthermore, he knew it was about excellence.

ATTENTION 2

When artists are all whored out to the corporation, it’s more interesting to go directly to the source, to hear what the corporation has to say. Hell, I’d rather listen to Samsung than Jay-Z any day. Apple has the whole world’s attention. And grabs it every couple of months. The Cupertino company knows entertainment better than Hollywood.

FREE

If you’re not giving something away, you’re missing the point. That’s how you bond your fans to you. It started over a decade ago with the free iTunes. And now we’ve got Mavericks and so much more. We already bought into the platform, this Halloween candy makes us stick.