Assured Reciprocity

Not many of us are willing to sublimate their contributions in the hopes that someone will one day return the favor. That, and a host of other reasons we will outline later, is the most common reason why bands and businesses don’t survive. Once the trust is gone in our band/teammates ability or desire to reciprocate, dissatisfaction starts to creep in. This is where a lot of musicians start listening to outside influences, or bring their instrument away from a healthy creative relationship. You know the kind of people I am talking about- the ones that tell you that “you don’t need those people, you are better off on your own/ those guys are dragging you down/ you are the real star of the band- just go solo!!” In our business example, it is “YOU deserved that promotion, not him, YOU should be the lead on this team, YOU should have gotten to brief the General, etc. etc.” Once you lose the assurance that the rest of the band will support you when it is time to take your solo, or you lose your sense of trust in the organization that you are willing to let others take temporary lead in a project while you fill the supporting role, trust will break down. In either case, the ability of the team to function properly is compromised when there is not a direct link between what I contribute and what I am recognized for.

Sometimes, the problem is in the worker. While I would love to drum like Keith Moon- it is just not my style. Plus, the barbiturate toll alone would make this a serious “non-starter.” What I need to focus on is not what Keith has put on a record, but what Keith brought to the instrument. Too many times we settle for the easy way out- to regurgitate what we hear others doing (or what other companies are doing). We don’t take the time to translate what is being expressed in the song into something that resonates deeply in our soul; we merely parrot what the others in the room are saying. What needs to be done is to be constantly aware of how we as musician/workers are affecting the song/product or service. When things start to break down (and they will) the collective needs a way to find their way back to thier creative space. The existance of "Assured Reciprocity" creates the possibility of a bridge being built to get this done.

In a lot of ways, U2 was uniquely blessed by not having the burden of being able to replicate the latest songs when they got together. It allowed them to grow and develop a brand that was uniquely singular, and spectacularly successful. The only way they could create songs was to rely on each other to help the guy next to him get through. This wasn't a band with the guitar player that spent his life carefully mimicing Eddie Van Halen's solos, leaving you to do your best Alex, Mike or Dave (yikes!) impersonation. While it is luck that they got together and that these bands had pieces that fit (especially in the case of The Who), but it is not luck that these bands ended up with a business partnership that lasted longer than 90% of most marriages and 95% longer than most companies. It is WORK. Put that longevity with the dominance that they have experienced, and that makes it doubly (or is it Dolby?) remarkable!

Assured reciprocity is not a subservient or passive arrangement. Quite the contrary. It is its most effective when all of the members of the group have the strength and the motivation to apply their given gifts towards the greater good. It can work in the context of The Who, but it also works in the context of a more dare I say fascist leadership arrangement.

Take, for instance, the situation of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. With the exception of one unfortunate 5 year period, Bruce has played with the same line-up of Max Weinberg (drums), Garry Tallent (bass), Roy Bittan (piano), Nils Lofgren (guitar), Steve Van Zant (guitar), Dan Federici (organ- played until his passing in 2007), and Clarence Clemons (sax) for the better part of 30 years (yes, I know Nils came and Little Steven went in 1984, then Stevie came back in 1996 to play with Nils since, just play along). The reciprocity piece in this organization plays out in the way that Springsteen is able to arrange his band to consistently get the most and best performances out of them, all the while keeping them satisfied and enthusiastic employees. Bruce is able to manipulate arrangements as well as song choices in his live act to give each player a chance to shine. While Clemons does garner a large dose of the solos, each member is seamlessly brought in to weave their instruments through the fabric of the song. While The Who relied on each other to provide the trust that each of them will be heard, Bruce took on that piece of the leadership himself. The fact that he still maintains an incredible pace as a live musician and each of his albums are met with fanatical interest and combine it with the limited amount of turnover (think what he saves on his training budget!) gives his brand a consistency and a level of integrity that isn’t often seen in today’s music world, or business world.

So, why aren’t there more leaders like Bruce, or bands like U2 or The Who? One reason is the approach of the music business. They have tweaked the market so badly that the only way the record company thinks it can make a profit is by getting a hit single right away, not promoting the synergy generated by the existence of Implied Reciprocity. The labels themselves have to have the same kind of relationship that is internal to the group- the label has to believe that the act that they sign will be successful and return the money invested in them if they are given a chance to develop. The problem is most bands aren’t given the chance or the time to grow together and develop a sense of camaraderie and mutual purpose that is essential to any business relationship.

By the same token, companies are guilty of getting caught up in the bottom line. Too many times, companies sacrifice long term success in the name of short term market dominance. If they tempered their short term plan to include a healthy approach to development, they would be able to have the kind of teams (bands) and make the kind of product (songs) that make for long term success.

Why is it that reunion tours are so successful?? Perhaps it is pure nostalgia, a desire to return to days of our youth through the portal of the popular songs of the day. Or, perhaps it is that those songs and those artists were so much better developed than the artists of today ( I suppose I’ll have to wait another 20 year to test this hypothesis). People like the familiar, are comfortable with the familiar, will gladly spend money on the familiar. So, why aren’t more companies working towards being more familiar? Why aren’t record labels developing artists that will be familiar to fans in 20 years? The easy answer is a lack of initial profitability, but the real answer is that it is a lot easier to “shuffle the deck” and change the make-up of your workforce rather than work together with existing workforce to drive towards a common goal.

When Bruce ditched his band in the mid 90’s, it was to see how the music sounded when poured through different artists. What he soon found, though, was that most people weren’t ready to accept the same notes played by different people. He had done such a thorough job in developing his brand that he painted himself into a corner. Realizing this, he still had enough integrity and emotional capital to be able to call the guys back up and say “hey, let’s get the band back together.” He accomplished this by both properly acknowledging his band when they were together, and trying his best to explain why he needed to move on when he did. It is not realistic to think management won’t make mistakes, it will (even though there were a few artistic highlights- the E Street band-less era is commonly known as a disappointing time in Springsteen’s career), it is blindingly obvious that most bad mistakes could have been rectified had management just done the things that they needed to do at the beginning of the relationship. Chris Martin of Coldplay said it best when he said “the rest of the band is standing behind you, telling you to speak to the crowd all of the time constantly, then when you say one thing wrong they are insulted for a year.” It is important that workers appreciate the stress that leaders are under. Remember, it is they who have the “Sword of Damocles” dangling by a single thread above their heads.

So, no matter if you are a four piece rock band, or a 15 piece folk band, or even a 23 piece monstrosity like The Polyphonic Spree (check them out!), you need to find a successful model that reflects our situation and figure out how and why they made it happen. As Bob Dylan said “All you need is a red guitar, three chords, and the truth….. The rest is up to you.”