The iBrand Shuffle

I have a major bone to pick with my iPod. Over the past few years, I have amassed an arsenal of diverse music. Some I like. Some I hate. 

And with “Home Sharing,” I’ve noticed an increase in Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, and lame ’80s Rock jams from Corey Hart, Bon Jovi, and Def Leppard.

This is perfectly fine. Sometimes you just want to hear “Sunglasses at Night” on a random occasion. Something different. But then I noticed something…

The iTunes Playlist Loves Mediocrity

Just how random is the shuffle? I’m not the first, nor will I be the last, to call Apple out on the shuffle discrepancy between the common and seldom appearing titles. But even worse, the most common tunes in the shuffle are all mediocre at best. 

So what do I do with these titles? I keep them as a reminder. Here’s why…

Bad Content is Always More Noticeable

I’m proud to say that my mp3 collection houses some of the best songs of all time. It also houses many of my particular all-time favorites, regardless of overall popularity. But when they play during the shuffle, I seldom notice. 

What I do notice, and very often, are the mediocre-to-bad tunes. Why? Because, like your brand’s content, the iTunes playlist is only as good as its worst song. 

How to Create a Killer Playlist

Avoid shipping mediocre content. Rather than creating content, products, and services for creation’s sake, build anticipation and ship only when it’s good. When it connects.

While content is bigger than ever before, it’s by no means king. Content worth spreading…is. 

Ship often. But not so often that your shipments lose their value.