THE PALACE MUSIC GROUP EXPERIENCE

THE PALACE MUSIC GROUP EXPERIENCE

1. 1.      PRINCIPLE 1: MAKE IT YOUR OWN

• Palace Music Group, LLC’s Business leaders want their employees to be fully engaged in the work they do instead of simply going through the motions. Senior management must find ways to get its A&R’s to fully engage their passions and talents every day, while ensuring that individual A&Rs’ differences are blended into a good uniform experience for its customers.
• It can admittedly be very awkward to find a balance between these two vital – yet sometimes divergent – leadership responsibilities. Through its principle of Make It Your Own, however, Palace Music Group, LLC has managed to create a model that encourages A&R’s at all levels to pour their creative energy and dedication into their jobs and inspire customers in legendary ways.

1. 2.      This structure is known as the “Five Ways of Being”.
2. 3.      PRINCIPLE 1: MAKE IT YOUR OWN

• THE FIVE WAYS OF BEING
• WAY #1 : Be welcoming
  • Palace Music Group, LLC, “being welcoming” is an essential way to get the artist’s visit off to a positive start, and is also the foundation for producing a warm and comfortable environment. It lets A&Rs forge bonds with artists.
  • “ Being welcoming”, at its essence, is defined as “offering everyone a sense of belonging”. A&R’s should do all they can to create a place where artist feel that they are a priority and where their day can be brightened, at least for a moment.
  • Welcoming people by name and remembering them from visit to visit is a small thing, but it counts very much. People fear just being another member of the herd; they want to have their uniqueness recognized.

1. 4.      PRINCIPLE 1: MAKE IT YOUR OWN

• THE FIVE WAYS OF BEING
• WAY #2: Be genuine
• At Palace Music Group, LLC, being genuine means to “connect, discover, and respond”. Focusing on these three elements in each artist interaction forms a quality relationship:
  • Connect. Legendary service comes from a desire and effort to exceed what the customer expects. Customers have repeatedly shared experiences of  Palace Music Group, LLC A&Rs making a connection well beyond some formulaic greeting. Individual staff uniqueness gives them a special way to connect with others.

1. 5.      PRINCIPLE 1: MAKE IT YOUR OWN

• 2. Discover. Business success requires the discovery of each artist’s needs and individual situation. Discovery is essential to developing a unique and genuine bond. The special qualities and needs of each artist must be determined.
• 3. Respond. A lot of businesses do manage to achieve the first two elements, but they don’t always act on what they learn. Palace Music Group, LLC’s A&R’s not only listen to their artists, but also take action immediately based on what they hear and learn from these experiences for future artist interactions.

1. 6.      PRINCIPLE 1: MAKE IT YOUR OWN

• THE FIVE WAYS OF BEING
• WAY #3: Be considerate
• Palace Music Group, LLCs A&Rs look beyond their needs and consider the needs of others – artists, artist customers, critics, co-workers, other shareholders, and even the environment – in sum, the entire universe of people and things Palace Music Group, LLC affects.
• At the corporate level, “being considerate” means exploring the long-term well-being of A&Rs and those individuals whose lives the A&Rs touch
• Thoughtfulness should become a part of a our company’s culture. Leaders should place a priority on consideration and encourage our staff to put their own twist on the concept.

1. 7.      PRINCIPLE 1: MAKE IT YOUR OWN

• THE FIVE WAYS OF BEING
• WAY #4: Be knowledgeable
• What does being knowledgeable mean in this context? Palace Music Group, LLC A&Rs are always encouraged to love what they do and share it with others.
• A&Rs are encouraged to enhance their expertise in customer service. Value is always added to A&Rs’ efforts when they gain work-related knowledge. In addition, as they become more informed, their value to the business, self-confidence, and the impact they have on others all increase.
• Palace Music Group, LLC upper management also offers formal training opportunities to develop their knowledge of the music business that can lead to personal insights for artists.

1. 8.      PRINCIPLE 1: MAKE IT YOUR OWN

• THE FIVE WAYS OF BEING
• WAY#5: Be involved
• This means nothing less than active participation in the company and in the community – a “yes, I will” attitude where breakthrough products and service are created. There must be a move away from a “bare minimum is OK” mentality.
• A&Rs look around the business for clues on how to make the artist experiences and the business better and to improve the manner in which artist needs are served.

1. 9.      PRINCIPLE 1: MAKE IT YOUR OWN

• WAY #5: BE INVOLVED
• continued
• The management makes it a point to listen and respond to the ideas and suggestions of A&Rs – as a result, A&Rs frequently take responsibility for suggesting and championing new product ideas based on the inputs from their artists.
• Lastly, there is community involvement, which can take many forms – from creating a community meeting place to staff volunteering in community-related activities, all of which are encouraged and supported by Palace Music Group, LLC leadership.

10.  PRINCIPLE 2: EVERYTHING MATTERS

• All business is detail. When details are overlooked or missed, even the most patient artists can be frustrated and costly errors can occur. What’s more, only a handful of unhappy artists bring their complaints to management – the rest simply bring their dollars elsewhere, and share their grievances with family members, friends, and acquaintances. (People are more likely to talk about unpleasant experiences than pleasant ones.)
• Leaders have to understand that they must take care of both the “below-deck” (unseen aspects) and the “above-deck” (artist-facing) components of the customer experience. In the world of music business, everything truly does matter.

11.  PRINCIPLE 2: EVERYTHING MATTERS

A small detail can sometimes make the difference between success and failure. Important details live in both that which is seen and that which is unseen by the artist. There is absolutely no way to hide poor quality in anything. Hide it though some may try, it always becomes evident in the end.

12.  PRINCIPLE 2: EVERYTHING MATTERS

• Website environment, product quality, training (doesn’t need to be boring, conventional or mundane), the development of a playful culture (a playful and positive work environment produces vital and engaged members), and a social conscience all matter a great deal.
  • The “Palace sensation” is driven not just by the quality of its products, but by the entire atmosphere surrounding the purchase of its entertainment packages, the openness of its webstore staff, interesting site, and other things besides.
  • The art of retailing MP3’s – and indeed many other things as well – goes way beyond product. The details of the total experience matter, from DOWNLOAD to delivery.

13.  PRINCIPLE 2: EVERYTHING MATTERS

• Details affect the emotional connection (the “felt sense”) that others have with you and your service or product.
• A&R’s should go out and ask what details artists notice about their businesses, in order to know exactly what to focus on (this doesn’t mean however that whatever’s invisible to the artists can be neglected, of course).
• Acknowledge the importance of everything, celebrate all the details, and play – have fun while working hard to make sure that everything is as good as you can make it!
• Lastly, not only does everything matter; everyone matters as well.

14.  PRINCIPLE 3: SURPRISE AND DELIGHT

• This idea behind the importance of this principle is hardly a new one. As early back as 1912, the Rueckheim brothers, who are behind the successful candy brand Cracker Jack, already knew that adding a surprise to each package would dramatically increase the appeal of their product.
• In that vein, delight is the caramelized popcorn – the basic product that your artists get – while surprise is the prize they get! Artists want the predictable and the consistent, while hoping for an occasional positive twist or added value thrown in.
• Nowadays, people have a certain anticipation for something special with just about every purchasing experience, or hope they will get surprised, even in the most mundane experiences.

15.  PRINCIPLE 3: SURPRISE AND DELIGHT

• Today’s artists are far more discerning than ever before and far harder to please than any others who came before them.
• To make matters worse, they have developed an insatiable appetite for what is unique and amazing in just about everything they buy. Most artists have such a high threshold for the cutting-edge and the most up-to-date that they thumb their noses at almost everything that doesn’t qualify as such.
• The most effective events are natural and spontaneous, not artificial or forced. Look first for a need, and then step in and fill it in the most genuine and spontaneous way possible.
• Surprise can result from as simple a series of events as offering a little guidance, and then stepping in and getting out of the way and watching (and learning) as people search for the things that bring them joy.

16.  PRINCIPLE 3: SURPRISE AND DELIGHT

• Your efforts to surprise others are a contagious force. Look for genuine opportunities to do the positively unexpected. This creates a “ripple effect” that will have artists talking and not only will help bring people to the web store, but will also serve to spread good word about our product quality and level of service. And, artists often end up surprising the web staff and/or one another as well!
• Artist delight comes from surprise as well as predictability. You should ensure that your artists rely on you and your staff to provide both products and experiences at a consistently high level of quality. The occasional surprise will only serve to sweeten the pot and bring people back for more.

17.  PRINCIPLE 3: SURPRISE AND DELIGHT

• When breakdowns occur, businesses can still delight customers by making things right. You can and should view breakdowns as unexpected (and not entirely unwelcome) opportunities to improve your artist experience.
• Delight is the result of an unwavering commitment to creating a comfortable and trusted relationship. If extra time and energy has been invested in delighting others and not simply satisfying them, you will be rewarded with nothing less than extraordinary results.

18.  PRINCIPLE 4: EMBRACE RESISTANCE

It was once noted that a person only profits from praise when he values criticism, and

Palace Music Group, LLC management has taken this to heart. Valuing criticism is a major part of the Palace Music Group, LLC puzzle. Embracing resistance involves a complex set of skills that can enable businesses and individuals to create business and relationship opportunities when confronted with irritation, skepticism, and/or wariness. This principle requires leaders to distinguish between artists who want their concerns to be resolved and those individuals who just can’t seem to stop complaining or seem to find it impossible to be satisfied. Embracing resistance is more than simply placating these groups; it focuses on learning from those individuals who don’t always make it easy to listen.

19.  PRINCIPLE 4: EMBRACE RESISTANCE

• The ball and chain of unintended obligations – virtually all successful companies make such obligations with their employees and communities and often they can prove difficult to fulfill.
• The warning signs of volume obsession:
• Guideline-free, ad hoc spending – the company has “more interesting” and “more challenging” things to think of instead of controlling costs.
• Functional-level cost centers – profit and loss are always calculated at the corporate level, even though it may no longer be efficient or sensible to do so.
• A culture of cross-subsidies – the success of one business unit is used to conceal the failure of another one.
• Truth in numbers – the company’s auditors, stock prices, or industry analysts are saying that the numbers are not in the company’s favor.

20.  PRINCIPLE 4: EMBRACE RESISTANCE

• It’s important to realize that nothing in nature grows without facing limiting forces, and businesses are no different. Therefore it’s best to learn to live with such challenges – and even use them to your advantage.
• To work with resistance effectively, you must distinguish between those people who really do want their concerns resolved and those who simply want to complain.
  • For some concerns, listening is all that is required. It offers space for commentary and constructive discussion.
  • For other types of resistance, direct action is required; management should know when listening is simply not enough.

21.  PRINCIPLE 4: EMBRACE RESISTANCE

• While it’s natural to want to avoid complicating the issue and avoid contact with one’s detractors altogether, quite a lot can be gained by welcoming these people to the early stages of problem-focused discussions. Their grievances can thus be voiced and their inputs incorporated early on – when doing so matters most.
• If and when the concerns of critics are allayed, these people can and often do become your most ardent supporters.
• It’s vital to correct misinformation as swiftly and rapidly as you can. Misinformation has a way of spreading and becoming even more complex and convoluted as it is spread, and the further this goes the harder and costlier it is to deal with.
• If and when errors are made, it’s important to take direct, unequivocal responsibility and follow this up with corrective action.

22.  PRINCIPLE 5: LEAVE YOUR MARK

We all end up leaving some mark on the world. What varies – and what is most important – is whether that mark is positive or negative. Do we give back more than we take, or do we take more than we give? This is particularly significant in the world of business, where managers’ actions have profound effects on individuals and societies. Some leaders believe that an important part of their business success is linked to the powerful and positive impact they have on their communities. Successful leaders realize that a key component of their success is leaving a powerful and positive mark in the communities in which their businesses operate.

23.  PRINCIPLE 5: LEAVE YOUR MARK

• Many business executives initially decide to be good corporate citizens because they hope it will improve their business.
  • Almost all who sustain this type of commitment do so because it becomes patently obvious that this is the right way – indeed, the only way – to do business.
• People want to do business with, work for, invest in, and patronize socially conscious companies.
• The most talented and qualified A&Rs increasingly consider a company’s ethics and community support when selecting an employer.

24.  PRINCIPLE 5: LEAVE YOUR MARK

• A&R morale is three times higher in those companies where community development is an integral part of the business model than in their less-involved counterparts.
• When A&Rs’ work environments match their personal values, they become far more productive than employees whose work environments don’t match what they value or uphold.
• By participating in community-based activities, A&Rs are given the chance to build leadership skills and grow as teams.

25.  PRINCIPLE 5: LEAVE YOUR MARK

• The value of a business’s brand is 100 percent linked to the trust people place in the company to do what it says it will do.
• Corporate social responsibility shouldn’t be seen as a passing fad or fancy. Instead, it should be valued as the way global business really gets done.
• We can all be the change we want to see in the world!