today we're going to talk about the top
1% of music artists the main difference
between music artists that are at the
top and everyone else is storytelling
this is the biggest secret weapon used
by all of your favorite music artists
This Is How They Live the Life they live
of touring all over the world creative
and Financial Freedom and the fun toys
they get to have along the way if you
want to play in the pros of the music
world you have to become a master story
teller with your compelling story people
would notice you and your music in a
completely different way human beings
have been conditioned to listen and keep
up with great stories for centuries it's
part of our DNA and if you want people
all over the world to hear the music
you've worked so hard on you're going to
it having a brand that's just music with
no story is like having a soundtrack
with no movie The Modern audience
expects there to be a full movie it's
like when movies back in the day went
from Silent black and white films to
color and sound once color and sound are
arrived the audience expected that going
forward this is the same thing for
modern-day music artists the audience
expects the full picture so who am I to
even talk about this topic I have a
longer video that dives deeper into my
story on the neighborhood Art Supply
Channel but I'm Chris Alba I own a niche
creative agency called The Cult
creatives we've done tens of millions of
dollars in business over the last decade
and have worked with some of the world's
top music artists artists like Chris
lake side piece James hype isoxo and knu
Sullivan King and many many more as well
as has luxury fashion brands like otomar
PK and Fortune 500 companies like Puma
the cult creative's core competency is
creating the stories and Brands behind
the world's biggest artists DJs and
fashion brands today I'm going to give
you all the tricks and tools that you
need to craft a great Brand Story for
your music project so let's jump in and
before we get into the weeds of all the
different pieces let me first explain at
a high level all the sections that we're
going to cover and what it really takes
to have a memorable and engaging Brand
Story the anatomy of a good story is
like building a house so how do we at
cult build a house as brand builders and
storytellers the first question we ask
is where do we want to build the house
next we look at the foundation that the
house will sit on then we work on the
framing and the framework of the house
the characters setting plot and
structure and then we get into the
design and details and the style of the
house and finally we have the finishing
work where we look at everything as a
whole to see if it's a cohesive
intentional and beautifully built home
so now that you understand the framework
for this video let's get into all the
steps step one where are you building
the house for this component you need to
find the land where you're going to
build for story this is like choosing
the style of the story you want to
create in movie terms this would be
genre based like action drama romcom
buddy comedy horror future sci-fi before
you start creating the story you need to
know what Universe you're playing in the
best way to make this decision is to
listen to your music and then think of
your tastes if you you look back at your
life what are the stories movies and
shows that you loved growing up it's
helpful to make a list of those stories
and then mix and match the different
references from that list that would go
along with your current music think of
it as a movie and a story and that movie
and story is meeting the soundtrack of
your music they should go together
seamlessly and both align to what you
love and your taste step two creating
the foundation once you know where
you're building you'll now need to set
where the house will actually sit and
what kind of view you'll have from the
different parts of the house this is
figuring out how the story will be
unique by mixing and matching different
story and genre elements if it's an
action movie what makes the action movie
unique maybe this action movie is all
about cars and street race culture like
Joy Ride maybe it's a comedy movie but
this comedy movie is set in the future
and in space Maybe This is a hero's
journey story about an artist chasing
their dreams but it's shot and feels
more like a modern-day reality show
maybe it's a horror movie that's a
tragedy about consistantly facing one's
ego and losing and again the best way to
find this is to look at your list of
things that you love and loved growing
up and when you feel like you found
something a unique idea or a unique
blend line it up with your music does
the soundtrack match the movie and if
you can nail this you're in a great
space but without the next part the
house might be kind of shaky step three
designing the blueprints okay so now you
have the foundational elements of the
story so you can start to define the
rules of the universe when does the
story take place is it modern day the
past the future generally where does the
story take place is it in a city or a
certain part of the world this was huge
in the era of hip-hop so many of those
Brands were created on the backbone of
places where the rappers came from since
they were rapping about real things it
should be about where they were really
from for example Jay-Z has a New York
City brand position in perspective where
Kendrick Lamar has a West Coast Compton
point of view but your brand doesn't
necessarily need to have a real world
setting depending on the brand it could
be completely made up but either way
once you know where the story will take
place then you can Define the rules of
the universe so inside of the universe
what can happen what can't happen this
is important as it further defines the
story's uniqueness for example in enimo
Brand Story he has highly produced 3D
robotic characters and futuristic
environments where the characters use
performance movement and scenarios to
convey the feelings and emotions being
played during the show where Fran's
brand couldn't be more different his
brand is built on the authenticity of
his life and the real things that are
happening around him so he would never
present synthetic visuals for his brand
everything has to always feel real and
there's no right or wrong answers here
the right answer for you is what aligns
to you your beliefs your values and most
of all your taste if it feels deeply
authentic to you and your music you're
in the right place and let's quickly
Define authentic my definition of
authentic is that it genuinely comes
from you your life experience your taste
real opinions this is authenticity but
in the next section I'm going to talk
about character which is the reason that
people watch the movie and listen to the
story this next part is vital step four
framing the House characters who are the
characters inside of the story for some
artists this will be easy as they will
be the main character but for some
brands that are more built in a universe
this might not necessarily be the case
we have a saying at Colt that you either
play the brand or you play the man or
woman a brand like Tiesto has Tiesto as
the main character so all the
forward-facing brand elements and story
is about testo
it's his likeness on everything but
Brands like Eric prids or the gorillas
or excision for example these brands are
more about the universes that they exist
in many fans actually don't know what
Eric prids or excision even look like
but they can tell you all about the
visuals for the prids hollow show or the
metallic dinosaurs or evil Shrek visuals
at an excision show these artist
projects rely more heavily on the Brand
Story the universe and the visuals than
the person themselves once you define
who the characters will be the next
question is what are the character
archetypes for the characters in the
story there are 12 main archetypes that
help Define a character's personality
these are based on the writings of Swiss
psychiatrist Carl Young his hypothesis
was that before we were a global tribe
of people connected via the Internet
where every person on the planet was
connected human beings existed in small
tribes and although we are very complex
creatures sometimes we're funny
sometimes we're passionate sometimes
we're heroic sometimes we want to rebel
that the way that other humans process
us is they group us into buckets based
on what they think our primary
motivations are so in a small tribe
someone might think that guy he's the
funny guy in the tribe or that woman
she's our queen or the ruler of our
tribe or this guy he's always doing
heroic stuff he's one of our Warriors or
this other person that they're the
shaman or the Magician of our tribe so
this technique is not just evident in
screenwriting or character writing but
it's also very prevalent in the
corporate brand building World
modern-day corporate brands have
personalities and voices just like
people and they follow these archetypes
for example Nike is a hero brand where
their heroes are their athletes athletes
that are doing the hard work and facing
the challenges that it takes to be great
apple is a Creator brand so it's shot on
an iPhone made on a MacBook the things
that you can create with Apple products
now Apple started as a rebel brand they
ran these David and Goliath campaigns
where they positioned IBM and hulet
Packard the big computer companies at
the time as the evil empire and apple is
the young cool Rebels who thought
different and wanted to overthrow the
evil empire so understanding human
psychology and how the brain groups
personality types you can see why this
is such a big factor in creating a
character story for an audience and
whatever your archetype is this defines
the primary motivation for your brand
for example Diplo is an Explorer brand
he started as a rebel brand but now as
an Explorer most of what he posts has to
do with Explorations and this isn't just
travel Explorations this is also
exploring where he can go sonically and
where he can go with his music he rarely
stays in one place for too long he has
to go somewhere he hasn't been yet I had
a few friends that texted me when he
started making country and they were
like can you believe this Wes is going
country and I was like I can absolutely
believe it he hasn't been there yet and
that's totally on brand for him if he
started a techno punk rock band tomorrow
I wouldn't be surprised and the audience
probably wouldn't be surprised either
and then back to Testo so Tiesto is a
ruler or controller brand this archetype
is is driven by lifestyle and Status
every luxury brand in the world is
generally a ruler archetype for example
Rolex watches aren't just selling you a
watch on paper they are but what they're
really selling you is status no one
needs a watch to tell time in 2025 we
can all just look at our phones but what
Rolex is selling you is you are a better
version of yourself with a Rolex on than
without you raise your status just by
wearing it they're selling you status
and it's all done through storytelling
I've had friends that cried when they
got their otomar AP watch they cried
because of the story that they had about
the product and then the story that they
had about themselves and where those two
things met and that's the important
thing to call out here most people
subconsciously identify with certain
archetypes I've been an artist my whole
life so I identify with other creators
generally I've been the type of person
that if everyone is going one way I'll
usually want to go the other way and be
different which is maybe the rebel in me
and then my work ethic and my desire to
help others has been ingrained in me
since I was really young so a well- told
hero story will generally light up the
synapses in my brain and this is what's
happening with people in stories all
over the world people have stories about
themselves whether they are conscious or
subconscious they identify as certain
types of people so with your character
and your character writing if you can
create something that has a really
strong identity you will find people
that will be drawn towards that
character or characters and this is
truly what breeds the connection with
people in the audience the brand means
more than just the music it represents
something that's why when somebody wears
a Travis Scott piece of merch Rebel
brand they are saying something about
themselves they're using the artist and
their story to Define their own identity
an important thing to explain here is
that you can't be more than two
archetypes and even if you're choosing
two you should be 8020 or 9010 between
the two for example Fred again is 80% an
Everyman brand with 20% being a creator
for his brand story The main thing that
he is selling is relatability he just
seems like a normal guy
but the 20% Creator is the finger
drumming and how he approaches
delivering his art to the audience so as
the audience gets to know Fred in his
story they understand what he's about
and they relate to him he's a normal guy
whose main objective is to relate and
connect with you and doing it in a
creative way and to reiterate you can't
be more than two here as it will be too
confusing to the audience think of
characters in movies for example Star
Wars Luke Skywalker is the hero Obi-Wan
Kenobi and Yoda are the sage Han Solo is
the Rebel or outlaw the innocent or
Damsel in Distress is Princess Leia and
it's very clear to the audience who the
characters are and how they serve the
story and what they're all about but for
example mixing archetypes a character
like Han Solo he's a rebel archetype and
lines I like this thing but he's not the
comic relief for the movie that's not
why his character is there and once an
archetype is chosen it's important to
understand that this defines the
character's main motivation if you're an
Explorer brand your main motivation is
to explore and 80 90% of the time this
is what you're showing the audience
posting an in studio track breakdown
doesn't really do much to forward the
story of an Explorer if your Rebel brand
is dancing in the studio to your latest
song it may not convey what you're
rebelling against
but you get it the archetype defines the
motivation and as a note to this section
I think a lot of times this can be
really difficult for Creative people as
many of us are chameleons it depends on
the day sometimes we feel like exploring
sometimes we're passionate sometimes we
want to rebel but think of it like this
that you as a person you're all of these
things you're a complex human being but
what are you showing to the audience
with your music project it's similar to
you might not show all of yourself to
the Barista at the coffee shop you might
not show all of yourself to your
grandparents you might not show all of
yourself to the promoter at the party
you're showing them sides to yourself
based on the relationship and the
relationship you have with an audience
is that you are presenting a story that
has your music and what of the story do
you want to show them which brings us to
the next part of building the house
you're going to need strong walls to
house all the story that you've [Music]
created ever wonder how to truly cut
through the noise and get your music to
a broader audience the cult creatives is
a niche agency servicing the communities
and Brands surrounding the spaces of
music and fashion our unique backgrounds
of being highly involved with some of
the largest music and fashion brands in
the world gives us a unique perspective
on how to connect creator with their
audiences we offer a variety of services
including creative Direction design
photography videography and strategy
head to the cult creatives tocom to
learn more the cult creatives not to be
replicated but if you try we wouldn't blame
you step five putting up the walls
creating the sandbox for this section
it's coming up with what the story will
be about if it were a TV show is this a
reality show is it a documentary is it a
hero's journey show is it a comedy is it
about love sexuality intimacy is it a
high energy action movie is it scii is
it set in the future is it set in the
past finding this brings up the walls on
the house the positive protective
constraints that the brand and its story
will live inside it provides the
structure and the filter with which all
creat ideas having to do with the Brand
Story will run through going forward
where you go from here will Define all
future steps of the build you've
answered thousands of future questions
just by answering this one and the next
thing to think about is what is going to
happen in the show what is the audience
going to watch is this a story about
Ascension a hero wants to make it to the
top of the mountain to help others and
they're met with challenges along the
way is this a comedy story that
guarantees laugh s and smiles each time
the audience experiences the brand is
this a rebel story where the artist is
going to take on a group like the music
industry or the status quo and by being
different and rebelling are going to be
able to move closer to their goals if
you can answer these questions you also
just answer the majority of what your
content should look like for your
content strategy this is the show that
the audience is tuning in to watch and
once you have a sense of the story you
should very clearly be able to explain
your brand story and concept in a short
elevator pitch that's three sentences or
less and would be 30 to 60 seconds long
the time usually spent with somebody in
an elevator and here's a few examples of
music artists brand story elevator
pitches so isoxo and KNC 2 high energy
Rebel brands that focus on the freedom
of expression the brand will celebrate
outcasts and inight a feeling of
positive Rebellion at every turn the
visual identity will have an edge and
will have undertones of nostalgia with
Rock and metal influences two friends an
Everyman brand about two lifelong best
friends focused on relatability and fun
the two bring you into their normal
authentic world where extraordinary
moments happen enima a Creator brand
focused on merging the worlds of
futurism technology and art into
remarkable experiences for an audience
Fel Williams a multim medium Creator
full of color and inspiration themes of
celebrating one's uniqueness and
embracing change are evident all
throughout the Brand's touch points
Steve Aoki a high octane action-based
experience where energy is King themes
of Technology Rebellion punk rock and
memorable stunts make this brand
irresistible to Thrill Seekers gustlin a
ruler controller brand that matches
avantgard electronic music with high-end
elevated visuals the brand better
resembles an expensive luxury fashion
brand than it does a DJ producer project
Martin Garrick a hero brand where a pure
heart determination and an Undying Love
Of Music Drive the hero towards
accomplishing greatness themes of
relatability and challenging moments
connect the audience to Martin and his
story Dylan Francis a relatable comedy
brand that uses sarcasm ironic scenarios
and reoccurring characters to engage the
audience through laughter strong comedic
writing and sharable storylines are the
backbone to his brand so you see just by
having this elevator pitch it allows the
positive constraints of defining what
the story will be everything even when
you get into a simple one-off social
post It'll point back to this greater
narrative in story as a note here
sometimes artists will get scared of
locking into a story as it can feel
confining to their creativity but keep
in mind as long as you're aligned to
your Brand's value vales your mission
and your unique point of view you can
always update the movie or create a new
chapter and if you look at someone like
Kanye love him or hate him there are
different chapters in his overall story
that have been like different movies in
the same franchise there's College
Dropout Kanye there's 808 Kanye there's
Pablo Kanye there's da Kanye Etc but in
all these Kanye Kanye has always been
Kanye there through lines with all those
chapters of his career that tie back to
his greater story his motivations and
his position and for Kanye Chicago was a
big part of his story and that's what
we're going to talk about next the
setting step six overall design style
the setting where does the story exactly
take place so as we worked out before
where the story generally took place in
this area but now that we know who the
characters are and what the premise of
the story is we can then look at the
exact place where the story is going to
be set for example if your story is
generally set in a future city now that
we're at this phase what future city is
it maybe it's Tokyo and maybe even more
specifically it's the western part of
Tokyo near Shinjuku or shabuya or like
how he said Jay-Z's brand was a New York
City perspective maybe yours is also New
York but where in New York maybe it's
Brooklyn and maybe even more
specifically it happens in everyday
places in Brooklyn like bodegas coffee
shops or laundromats knowing exactly
where the story will take place will
help answer so many questions going
forward and many of the questions that
will come up in the future it's the
backing of where the story will take
place and is absolutely a key part to
the build process but this next section
will really Define what the house will
look like step seven design and details
interior design and Decor this is where
you get into the spices that truly start
to make the flavor of your home feel all
its own how does it actually look this
part of the story build will be like
styling what does the artist wear what's
their style what's the color palette for
the brand for static images what are the
fonts what might a piece of single
artwork look like what would a tour
flyer look like for video it's more like
what's the aesthetic what's the coloring
of the videos look like what kinds of
shots what's the pacing like is it fast
is it slow all these questions need to
be answered with the main question
you're trying to answer being what is
the overall visual language a great way
to define this is through mood boards
and bringing in visual references and a
way to find some of these images could
be watching movies or shows going to the
bookstore and looking through art books
uh look through old magazines or study
old album covers Pinterest is not a bad
place but a lot of people do this so
people are using the same references and
it can make things look a little
homogenized so it's better to go and dig
in places maybe where people aren't and
if this part's wrong it's likely not
going to connect with the audience think
about movies you've seen where you were
serve some kind of AD or trailer telling
you about the movie and you thought
that's a cool concept and then when you
saw it stylistically it just didn't hit
and it took you out of the story which
ultimately made it forgettable so just
like the soundtrack needing to match the
story the story needs to match the
visual language it should all be
cohesive coming from the same point of
view and as a note on this don't look at
other artists for this you won't stand
out look outside of your world of music
and find things that fit with your taste
the best is referencing things that you
grew up with this makes it 100%
authentic to you and your uniqueness and
not just something that's currently
trending with other artists and this is
you can really win with your uniqueness
and all the details around the things
that you've chosen you know your
references because those were the things
that moved you in your life and really
often the details are what the audience
actually remembers the details are what
brings the brand to life and burns it in
the minds of the people that are
experiencing it step eight finishing and
as I just mentioned the devil is in the
details one of the things I learned from
working with great producers is they are
obsessed with the last 5% on a song
where most new or intermediate producers
will call it good enough at 90 or 95%
the great will spend weeks sometimes
months working on the last 5% of
finishing a song your Brand Story should
be no different and you should handle it
with the same amount of care and this
last step of adding the final touches
and making sure all of your choices are
cohesive and everything fits together is
what makes the house your house house
it's now a complete house a complete
thought that came from you it's a
beautiful house on a beautiful plot of
land and this house feels like you and
your story you could spend years living
inside this house and expanding on the
property because the home the way that
it was built it was custom built for you
and your taste and it's built with
things that you love and it perfectly
houses your brand story and your music
and this house through expansion could
become a neighborhood or if you do it
right it could become a whole city if
you stuck with this video to this point
it means that you care deeply about your
project and getting better and I'm
confident that you can figure out how to
apply these learnings to your own
project now the reason that somebody May
hire or engage us with cult after seeing
a video like this isn't because the
knowledge isn't there the main reason is
that the people that we have as clients
they just want to go faster they want to
go more efficiently
they want to have more clarity around
the brand and work with us directly to
have us touch and oversee the story side
and brand build for their project and
then sign off on whatever is being
created they want someone to build and
create directly with them and what I've
noticed is that most of our clients are
the type of people that they greatly
value their time and they're Ultra
focused on growing getting better faster
stronger but regardless if we ever work
together if you give this time energy
and attention you can absolutely figure
this out and really make an impact with
your project I have a bunch of other
videos on the neighborhood to Art Supply
channel that go more in depth in a lot
of the things that I covered today so if
you found value here you can go and
check those out but appreciate you
hanging through this good luck with your
project much love from California and
Chrome Extension