The Engine Room’s Post

📚 Did you know it's not just Valentine's Day on the 14th but also Library Lovers Day? That’s right, bookworms, it’s time to get reading and show our libraries some love. At Muse, as part of our commitment to inspiring our team, we offer a generous training budget that can be used to buy books, training, or courses that will motivate and encourage us to grow. Here are 10 great reads we love: - “This Is Your Brain on Music” by Daniel J. Levitin - "The Culture Map" by Erin Meyer - “Songwriting Without Boundaries” by Pat Pattison - “Decoded” by Jay-Z - "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman - “Measure what matters” by John Doerr - "How Music Works" by David Byrne - “The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop” by Clover Hope - "Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain" by Oliver Sacks - "The Creative Act: A Way of Being," Rick Rubin What's on your reading rotation right now? Share in the comments! 📖 #musegroup #technology #musictech #musicindustry 

The collab we DID NOT see coming (but can't stop talking about?!) 🤯 Charli XCX and Billie Eilish. The IT girls of the moment. "GUESS" is a cultural reset 🔥 A masterclass in how to break the internet. Let's break it down ⤵️ 1️⃣ The Surprise Factor: ↳ There was no drawn out campaign. Charli gave her audience just 24 hrs to hype & guess the feature. 2️⃣ Perfect Timing: ↳ Charli let her album breathe before dropping this remix, maximising its impact. 3️⃣ Cultural Relevance: ↳ Charli owns the Brat aesthetic. Billie's amplifies it to new heights. This collab isn't just about the music. It's about: 💓 Understanding the cultural pulse.  ⏱️ Strategic timing & execution.  ✨ Authenticity that resonates. Smart. Strategic. Impactful. THIS is how you create a cultural moment 👏 Who agrees? *** 💚 If you enjoyed this post. ♻️ Repost so others can too. ✅ Follow me, Liz Stone for more.

🎆Happy Fourth of July! 🎆 As we celebrate today's festivities with extravagant firework shows, concerts, and other forms of noise exposure, it is most important to protect your hearing from loud noises that can ultimately damage your hearing. Below are 3 tips on how you can protect your hearing: 🎇 Maintain a safe distance from fireworks- Stand at least 500 ft away. 👂 Use hearing protection such as custom earplugs/earmuffs. ✅ Know your limits- Remove yourself from loud environments if you feel overwhelmed by noises or experience ringing in your ears. Have a safe and fun Fourth of July!

Finally got around to watching “The Greatest Night in Pop.” Some interesting observations: 1. We are so close with most pop stars/celebrities/jnfluencers/creators that we think we know them. There’s no mystery, allure, things that make us wonder about who they are. I could see some moving away from always being on in our algorithmic newsfeed world. 2. Lionel Ritchie, MJ, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones acted as the rally agents. They had to persuade many others to partake based on a domino effect philosophy. “So and so is gonna be there. Ooh, maybe I should do it.” Prince didn’t do it because he was literally exhausted from a pretty grueling tour. But they thought they could persuade him by getting someone close to him to participate (see point 4). 3. Tentpole geographic effect. The AMAs were a big deal for many years and they knew most artists would be in attendance or they could persuade others finishing their tours to get there. The logistics is important in that we can’t even rally 5 people to collaborate in this day and age of Zoom and Slack communication technology everywhere. 4. They used Sheila E to try to get Prince. I’m mad about this just watching it. We always use female connectors to get to bigger male stars and then just leave them out. 5. They had limited time. In this day and age of meetings, egos, senior roles holders who are arrogant with “we have to do it this way” attitudes, this would never happen. Quincy was so inclusive that not only did he rally a diversity of stars, he created the chemistry in the room by forcing them to sing in a chain one after the other. 6. Bob Geldof set the tone. True story, I had dinner with Geldof in 2001 in a dive Mexican restaurant on Lafayette Street in SoHo. He’s fascinating and I think by grounding people on why they were doing what they were doing, they all bought in. 7. Diana Ross didn’t want to leave. Sometimes the people we think who have the biggest egos, are really the true unifiers in the group. Hold your bias. If you haven’t watched I think you should. My Gen Z daughters even noted they liked it because it would be impossible to replicate in our fragmented and polarized world. Always be learning and always be uniting others to learn from one another when you can.

I see many of us are engrossed in our mobile devices, potentially missing out on real-life connections and moments with our loved ones. Often, we find ourselves capturing memories digitally rather than living them and being present in the moment. It's concerning to see fewer cheers and applause at important events like children's award ceremonies or convocations. This lack of real-time engagement can inadvertently impact our loved ones, especially children, making them feel undervalued and their achievements insignificant. Let's make a conscious effort to prioritize face-to-face interactions and limit screen time. By doing so, we can strengthen our relationships and create meaningful memories that go beyond the digital realm. It's essential to strike a balance and ensure we are actively participating in the moments that truly matter. #RealConnections #DigitalDetox #PrioritizePresence

Discussing your brand’s brat power? Put down that lime green marker now and read this now

Music fans were left disappointed as tickets for the much-anticipated Coldplay and Diljit Dosanjh concerts sold out within minutes! While this speaks to the massive popularity of these artists, it raises a serious question: Is ticket reselling on the black market driving prices up and making it harder for true fans to attend? We’ve all seen it happen – as soon as tickets are sold out, they appear on resale platforms at exorbitant prices, often well beyond what regular fans can afford. This practice leaves many wondering how fair the ticketing system really is. 🎟️ What’s the Solution? For events to be accessible to all, platforms must ensure secure and transparent ticket booking. If you’re organizing an event, it’s crucial to choose a system that not only protects against black market reselling but also ensures a smooth experience for attendees. 💡 That’s why we’ve built the Indian Community Event Booking platform – a reliable, user-friendly solution designed to make event bookings transparent and secure for everyone. Whether you’re planning a community event, concert, or cultural gathering, we’ve got you covered. Check out the platform here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/g_Xs4QXq Let’s make event ticketing fair and enjoyable for everyone! #Concerts #Coldplay #DiljitDosanjh #Ticketing #EventBooking #CommunityEvents #IndianCommunity #FairPricing #BlackMarket #TicketReselling #MusicFans #ConcertTickets #SecureTicketing

That event you want to be featured at? Sorry, but no. There was a deadline. You should've known that. And no, they can't, won't, and shouldn't make an exception for you. It's like the old Boy Scout motto, "Be prepared." It's also the subject of my blog for this week, posted today at the link below. Read it and plan better going forward so you don't miss out and/or turn off the organizer in the future. #musicbusiness #blog #entertainmentindustry

A couple of different ways to think that came at me from two different sources in a 24-hour period: I am taking a Design Thinking course with Ideo and they emphasize the idea of Listening with your eyes to see what people value and care about. I think this is important in all human interaction because there are many situations and environments where people do not explicitly state what is most important for them. If we are to help others, or work effectively with them, we need deeper understanding of what drives them.   Interestingly, I had a conversation with Fausto Cuevas, a Conga player (and drum designer) who was playing for Queen Latifah at the NOLA Jazz Fest, who said that you need to See with your ears when you are playing with unfamiliar musicians. He explained that he was given 2 days to learn Stevie Wonder's catalog of music before playing with him. How can you learn 100+ songs in 2 days? Listen to the direction that the lead is going and join them in a collaborative way. We may not know where a colleague or client is going, but by listening closely (word choice, tone, inflection, etc) we can effectively go alongside them for the journey and be a true collaborator.   

Whether you’re a public figure or not, this is must read. From the benign to the dangerous, know the faces and risks of fandom. Part one of a two-part series. Please share 🎶 https://lnkd.in/gWbSMSiX