Joe Cocker died at the age of 70 after a battle with cancer. If 2014 had one thing in the world of podcasting it was the year of the podcast formula. You tack “on fire” to the end of your show, release with three episodes, get into new and noteworthy, and watch money trickle. While this system has worked for some, it is my prediction in 2015 you will people complaining that they connected all the dots and they don't have a six figure bank account.
To this I say look at Joe Cocker. Click and listen to the beginning of the two videos. Here is the Beatles version.
Here is Joe's version
now obviously one singer is Joe and the other is, well, Ringo. That's not fair.
But you never heard Joe on the radio and asked, “Is that Cliff Richard?” You knew because Joe was an original. NOBODY sounds like Joe Cocker. He took other people's music and added soul, feeling, passion and a whole lot of JOE. I love the fact that the last note of his hit “You are so beautiful to me” was pretty much “bad.” (his voice cracked, but the emotion is what made the note not the pitch). That brings up another point. JOE GAVE IT ALL. At the end of every song you thought, “Well that's got to be the last song his voice is gone, but then another one would come complete with another gallon of sweat.
I don't think people will be talking about Bang Tango in 40 years (a hair metal band from the 80's – heck we aren't talking about them now), but realize Joe was famous in the 1968. That was 47 years ago.
Yes there are best practices in podcasting, but I'm looking forward to see who breaks some of the rules in podcasting in 2015 and comes out with something original.
It's time to extinguish the fire and come up with something original.
