I guess it is strange I'm writing this blog here on my personal website but somehow it seems to be a good place to workshop ideas. This is another 'thought experiment' to think out the ideas I have had about my business idea of Musiterania.
What IS Musiterania?
First and foremost, the concept behind Musiterania is built on the idea of providing a way for independent musicians to earn a recurring income as well as be able to access services at a reduced group rates. The ideal situation would be that Musiterania is an economy all its own. The company is not supposed to be "dependent" on outside sources but rather rely solely on the participation of members in the company's affiliate program. This means that the company will not seek financial support of sponsors, donors, investors, or government grants or programs.
Why?
Because when a company becomes dependent on outside resources it places itself at risk when one or all of those sources stop supporting it. Investors is how companies achieve mega wealth. Of course it would be amazing to be able to raise millions of dollars through investors, but that would mean that investors get to profit from the company and not go directly to the membership. If people really want to support Musiterania then they can join as a member and pay their monthly dues like everybody else. There is also no favorable treatment for anyone. Musiterania doesn't hand out 'honorary' memberships to people out of a way to have it seem they support Musiterania. Musiterania highlights its members and won't be paying millions to "celebrities" in an attempt to validate the brand.
Musiterania has explored different ways for the equitable distribution of income to its members through various models. But, the only one that stands the test is the Affiliate Referral Model. There is no other way to balance length of time being a member coupled with the amount of work a member does for the company, refer new members, than this model. There are a couple of elements of the Affiliate approach that are less than ideal. One is the fact that some people aren't good at referring new members. The other is that some members may live in areas where there are fewer people and over time a market area may become saturated making growth for affiliates who start later more difficult. However, there are many people on earth and everyone loves music so actually there is little chance of this network to max out of people. The important thing for everyone to remember is that they are joining Musiterania because they want to be a part of it, the affiliate income is basically a way for Musiterania to effectively market itself through a referral system. In other words, Musiterania pays its affiliates to market for it and not marketing companies.
The only thing that can equal this out is that a lot of people turn 18 years old every year. So, there are always new members to be created because of this.
Musiterania could not offer an affiliate program, keep the cost of being a member low, but that would end the mission of helping independent musicians grow their income over time.
So, what are the different business 'models' used to conceive Musiterania?
Number one is the Affiliate Referral Marketing Business model, where every membership can only be joined, purchased, through a member's affiliate code. This referral relationship stays in place for life, or as long as both parties remain members.
Secondly, the model of fitness studios, golf clubs, and churches is used to form a picture in people's minds about what Musiterania can be. Like a Golf, Tennis, or Fitness Club musicians need a place they can go to practice as musicians in a place catering to them. There is no such place in our society for musicians to work.
Thirdly, the office sharing concept is another model that Musiterania wants to use. The idea of sharing space makes having a place to work much less expensive for the musician while offering an infrastructure of high quality. Plus, the office sharing model is duplicatable for either franchising or a company owned network of facilities.
Fourth, the worldwide reach of the internet makes it possible for Musiterania to spread around the world very quickly. By using a networking model Musiterania can create chapters in cities and towns all over the world in advance of building facilities in these places. In these chapters members can organize events, workshops, and concerts so they have a framework to work in and to utilize the power of cooperation within the Musiterania world.
Fifth, the members of Musiterania can help create content on the website to enhance the value of the membership. By, adding content, meaning education, tips, and experiences, the cumulative effect of members input can create a knowledge base which can rival any that exist. Something like Huffington Post, where members can post meaningful content from around the world. This not only grows Musiterania's influence in the world of music, it also can validate contributors as being reliable sources of information.
Musiterania is a world unto itself. In other words, it operates independently and has its own economy. The dream is that members can rely on Musiterania to pay the bills while they are busy becoming better musicians in the world. It is an infrastructure built for and by musicians.
Lastly, Musiterania can become an animated world that presents problems and solutions unique to musicians.