Unleashing the Ideavirus

Unleashing the Ideavirus
120
 www.ideavirus.com
For some reason, history is repeating itself. Rather than embracing Napster, the software that
lets millions of people listen to each other’s CD collections, music moguls, fronted by the
hard rock band Metallica, are once again complaining about the free distribution model.
Even if the record companies are able to beat Napster in court (a likely outcome) it won’t
matter. There are already dozens of technologies (like gnutella) waiting to take its place, and
each will be harder to stamp out than the one before.
Patience! Instead of hassling Napster, they ought to figure out how to license Napster and
the others, probably in exchange for intensive promotion of their hottest acts. Why not let
me subscribe to my favorite bands, paying for live performances or attending private concerts
or buying T-shirts. I’m certain that if the Grateful Dead were still around, their primary
income source would be souvenirs, followed closely by live concerts. Is that what the record
companies want? Doesn’t matter. It’s what the network is going to deliver, regardless of how
they feel.
Is the CD going to disappear? Absolutely, regardless of what happens to Napster. What will
determine the future of the record business is whether music execs are able to redefine their
jobs around what happens after they ignite a virus over Napster or its successor.

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Unleashing the Ideavirus
121
 www.ideavirus.com
Is That Your Final Answer?
When a sneezer is ready to spread your ideavirus, 
what should he say?
It sounds like a simple, almost silly question, but it goes to the core of how smooth you can
make your virus. If you give sneezers easy-to-follow, effective instructions, they’re likely to
follow them, because, after all, their goal is to spread the virus.
On “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” the producers insist that Regis Philbin repeat the
catchphrase, “Is that your final answer?” almost to distraction. But now it’s become a
powerful, smooth tool for sneezers who want to spread the virus. I must have heard the
phrase fifty times and read it in dozens of newspaper columns before I saw the show for the
first time.
By giving loyal watchers a five-word catchphrase, the producers created (intentionally or not)
a powerful shorthand for referencing the show. Hotmail did the same thing with the sig file
in the free email each person sent. Right there at the bottom of each email, with no
additional work on the part of the sneezer, were specific instructions on how to get Hotmail.
Buffalo Springfield and the Beatles did the same thing with some of their songs. It took just a
few notes—an investment by the listener of seconds, not minutes—for them to expose their
“idea” to a new listener. By working so hard on the first chords of the song, pop music
producers (and Beethoven for that matter) made their products far smoother. It’s easier to
share the song when you can hum the riff.
For most ideas, the web can be a powerful tool to help with this. What might a website for
sneezers look like?
The first touch, the first impression and first visit, must go beautifully. It’s got to be fast.
It should contain exactly what you’ve tested and discovered that most effectively captures the
attention of the first time-visitor. You’re in control in this moment, and you can make it
work or not.

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