The Magic Startup Studio, indeed! Do you like the Red Hot Chili Peppers? We do! The band with millions of dedicated fans all over the world has a lot to teach startups today…and that is only because at some point the band was… a kind of a startup!
The Lean Startup methodology & the Magic Startup Studio
Looking at the Lean Startup methodology, it is obvious that the Red Hot Chili Peppers, long before they became famous, had to start working on a common startup hypothesis…What problem was there in music genres to solve, what they were going to build exactly and who was going to buy their music?
About the Red Hot Chili Peppers
For those who don’t know, Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in Los Angeles in 1983, Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak, “Flea” and Jack Irons were still students at Fairfax High School. At the beginning they used the name Flow, playing a mix of rock, funk and psychedelic rock. Their first ever “pitch” was performing live at the Rhythm Lounge in front of …30 people! They recorded this occasion as it was supposed to be an one time performance. However, they did so well that they were invited to play again and again.
The Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
By that time, the Flow had already created their own demo (from the live recordings) which actually served as their MVP (Minimum Viable Product) for lean startups today. With this in hand it took them only a few months to arrange several more appearances at local clubs and venues, right before they came up with their name “Red Hot Chili Peppers”.
They signed their first contract in early 1984 with EMI.
Hypothesis answered…MVP was tested…customers loved the product, investor was found. Success was under way. Or was it?
Uncertainty at its extreme! Just like how startups work in a startup studio.
Problem solved…
By that time the Red Hot Chili Peppers have managed to find the answers to the questions on their “lean startup hypothesis”. The problem they solved was that at the beginning of the 80’s no talented band in California could dare to successfully juxtaposition different music genres with dedicated fans on each side. They did it, and they did it very well straight from the beginning, creating an excellent demo which served as their Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Then, they literary took their MVP to the venues, happily finding out that the audience liked their product.
Team building is hard to do – Talent is hard to find!
From 1984 to 1988 the band made their first two albums, which were …not a big success. Struggling to build a stable team, they had to change crucial team members (musicians and producers) quite a few times. It is indeed hard for startups to find talent and build solid teams.
Bad mentors can cause trouble!
In 1986 EMI gave the band 5.000 dollars to prepare their next album. Rumors said that their newly appointed producer, Keith Levene, convinced Slovak (the band leader) to “save” 2.000 of the 5.000 dollars EMI in order to… buy drugs. This created tension between the members. The drummer Cliff Martinez was fired!
Rick Rubin’s “Magic Music Incubator”
In 1990, after their third album created some success, the band managed to hire famous producer Rick Rubin. Their first recordings sounded disappointing and Rubin arranged a proper incubation period for the band.
He set up a studio at the mansion that magician Harry Houdini once lived in!
They stayed in the mansion all throughout the recording period for their next album. Some band members were so frustrated and shocked that they thought the mansion was haunted! On September 1991 the album “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” was released with song “Give it Away” becoming very popular even until today!
