You’re about to see how a Billboard-charting artist used my MusicStory Formula to create a world-class brand.
I’ve revealed the power of the MusicStory™ Formula before. But to briefly review, it has three parts:
Struggle, catalyst, and ascension.
And smart musicians use it to attract the right people who love their music.
A word of caution…
Before we start, you might be wondering if the MusicStory is relevant to you.
If you are a musician. You want what’s best. And unless you’re famous for being famous, yes, the MusicStory is relevant to you.
As you read this article, consider how the examples can work in your situation. I think you’ll find many ways you can benefit from this formula immediately.
Watch the video version of this article below:
Let’s get started.
How The MusicStory Formula Works For A Billboard-charting Artist
“Manafest” (AKA Chris Greenwood) used the MusicStory Formula (struggle + catalyst + ascension) to create a world-class music brand.
This is his music story in a nutshell. Imagine yourself hearing it as a bio introduction on radio or TV:
Manafest is a Billboard-charting artist.
At 5 years old, his father committed suicide.
[…struggle]
Years later, he became a Christian and decided to use music to inspire others.
[…catalyst]
Today, his music helps hundreds of thousands of people overcome their struggles and pursue their dreams.
[…ascension]
Using The MusicStory Formula To Create A World-class Music Brand
There are 3 specific ways the artist used this formula to create his brand:
- His bio,
- Identity branding,
- Merchandise
Let’s start with the bio.
Using The MusicStory In A Bio
Branding music is all about congruence and consistency.
Your musician bio ties everything together, and a great one will draw people into your brand and get them addicted to your music.
Manafest used the MusicStory Formula to write the bio on his website.
The top section is struggle.
Struggle
The middle section is the catalyst.
Catalyst
And finally, ascension.
Ascension
I recommend using the MusicStory Formula on your bio/about page. Get the free worksheet here.
Using The MusicStory To Create An Identity
When you have a story, you can create an identity around it.
When people “title” their audience, or use special words, terms, or labels, that only people who know the brand understand, that’s identity branding.
Part of Manafest’s story is that he fought to make it in music despite multiple failures. That theme of “never give up” is the foundation of his MusicStory and it’s in all his music.
His fans identify with it. That’s why he doesn’t call his fans “fans” … he calls them “Fighters”.
Join the movement
There are several places Chris uses his MusicStory to create an identity.
Such as the “Fighter” headline on his About page and the title of his bio—instead of calling it a “bio”, he calls it the fighter “Origin Story”.
Another example, Manafest asks people to follow him on social media. But he doesn’t say, “follow me on social media.” He asks people to “join the movement.”
That’s why using the MusicStory Formula is so powerful.
It creates many fun opportunities to distinguish yourself from other artists and grow your fanbase.
Moving on…
Using A MusicStory To Create Merchandise
Branding music means doing the same music over and over, right?
Wrong!
It’s all about creating “Main-Brand / Sub-Brand” campaigns.
And if you’re not familiar with the main brand / sub-brand framework, this article explains it in detail.
Read that first, then come back here and continue. I’ll wait…
In short, whether it’s a new single, EP, album, or collaboration with another artist, every project he releases is a Manafest sub-brand.
To see how Manafest uses the MusicStory Formula to create sub-brand merchandise, take a look at these t-shirts.
“Won’t give up.”
“This is not the end.”
“Fighter.”
“No Plan-B”.
Again, these are all sub-brands. Just like creating a brand identity, every shirt is in some way related to his music story and the theme “never give up”.
Here’s how his fans reacted when he announced his new single and all the merch.
Grabs your attention, doesn’t it?
This is how he stands out and separates himself from other artists.
His fans love it. And if you use the MusicStory Formula, yours will too.
Pulling It All Together
In this article, I showed you how a Billboard-charting musician used my MusicStory™ Formula to stand out.
If you want to use the MusicStory Formula too, sign up for this worksheet (it’s free).
That wraps our case study, I hope it helped you.
If so, please share it with someone that needs it.
Thanks!
