White rapper. 19 years old. From Pittsburgh. I know what you’re thinking…who? Exactly. I’d heard my kids mention his name once or twice and I thought the same thing. It turns out that this teenage sensation has over 1.2 million Twitter followers, 1.5 Facebook “Likes” and his latest record was #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 144,000 copies in the first week. That’s rare, for someone you’ve never heard of. On top of that, he’s got dozens of videos on Youtube, most with over 20 million views. The biggest has over 42 million views. This guy’s pulling in some hefty digits on Youtube ad revenue alone.

This is what I’ve learned. Number one…you don’t necessarily need to be good to be popular. In fact, being really good actually means you’ll probably sell almost no records and end up becoming a subculture icon for many decades. But, still, you sell no records (Note: Compare The Ramones’ album sales versus Rebecca Black sales – btw, 147 million+ Youtube views for Ms. Black). Numero dos: Find something that works, vis a vis the white rapper thing, college kegger frat boy entertainment and smoking weed in your videos tip, and amplify it and bring it to the masses via viral social networks. Kids love free. They share free. They live and breathe free. And yet, somehow, in some way it turns into 144,000+ album sales in one week. Here’s a groundbreaking idea: Use the Internet efficiently and to your advantage. Take note, all you Facebook event invite stalkers. I’d bet that Mac Miller isn’t sending out FB invites for his crappy shows at that sweat lodge in Indiana (well, maybe he is). Find new avenues to promote yourself and become viral. Easier said than done, but it’s not this guy’s music theory acumen that is making him rich. And C, make everything you do a party. The most active music market (outside of Country I’m guessing) is the college kid party market (I’m guessing, again). Kids + free shtuff + party atmosphere that brings boys and girls together = paycheck. Doesn’t matter if there is dope being smoked there or not, girls spend money to impress boys and boys waste money to attract girls. It’s the law of the land. And while I don’t necessarily agree or get inspired by this kid’s general message, style of music, or lack of originality, one thing that is undeniable is his knack for exploiting what works and not caring about what doesn’t. He’s not re-inventing the wheel, only making it slightly worse and then exploiting the crap out of it.

So, what the hell is a Mac Miller? Success, my good people. The American Dream. Get your nuts kissed…haters.
This is what I’ve learned. Number one…you don’t necessarily need to be good to be popular. In fact, being really good actually means you’ll probably sell almost no records and end up becoming a subculture icon for many decades. But, still, you sell no records (Note: Compare The Ramones’ album sales versus Rebecca Black sales – btw, 147 million+ Youtube views for Ms. Black). Numero dos: Find something that works, vis a vis the white rapper thing, college kegger frat boy entertainment and smoking weed in your videos tip, and amplify it and bring it to the masses via viral social networks. Kids love free. They share free. They live and breathe free. And yet, somehow, in some way it turns into 144,000+ album sales in one week. Here’s a groundbreaking idea: Use the Internet efficiently and to your advantage. Take note, all you Facebook event invite stalkers. I’d bet that Mac Miller isn’t sending out FB invites for his crappy shows at that sweat lodge in Indiana (well, maybe he is). Find new avenues to promote yourself and become viral. Easier said than done, but it’s not this guy’s music theory acumen that is making him rich. And C, make everything you do a party. The most active music market (outside of Country I’m guessing) is the college kid party market (I’m guessing, again). Kids + free shtuff + party atmosphere that brings boys and girls together = paycheck. Doesn’t matter if there is dope being smoked there or not, girls spend money to impress boys and boys waste money to attract girls. It’s the law of the land. And while I don’t necessarily agree or get inspired by this kid’s general message, style of music, or lack of originality, one thing that is undeniable is his knack for exploiting what works and not caring about what doesn’t. He’s not re-inventing the wheel, only making it slightly worse and then exploiting the crap out of it.

So, what the hell is a Mac Miller? Success, my good people. The American Dream.