AI is a Sample Track. Here's How to Make a Hit.

Let's be honest about the state of your data. Organizations and Growth-stage companies (OG’s) are investing massively in AI, expecting the all-knowing tech Wizard to magically produce wicked-smart, chart-topping results. But many are discovering a common obstacle: the outputs and resulting strategies are only as good as the data you feed it. 

The nexus of data, strategy, and AI for OG’s is currently functioning like a Brooklyn-based rap producer in the early-90’s: it has infinite potential, but scalable constraints. If you use noisy, low-quality source material, you're going to get a track that nobody wants to listen to. Hard Truth: Your organization’s marketing strategy may be the modern-day equivalent of early-stage Limewire bootlegs. New and exciting tech wrapped around time-sucking and unfulfilling outcomes.

That’s because generic AI can only remix what it's heard before. But an AI fueled by zero-party data insights can help craft something entirely new and personal.

Here’s how my colleague, Aaron Walker, framed it: In order to connect, creative content “must be built on data and an understanding of how people perceive messaging with all the nuance, risk and other pieces that inevitably come with it.“ 

Does this pattern sound familiar? Your strategy overwhelmingly relies on third-party data: which is like a rumor from ‘a guy who knows a guy’ or the paparazzi shot from a distance. When pressed for first-party data, your disparate sources and uneven formatting yields a ‘chopped-and-screwed’ version of the original track.It’s time to stop vibing from the back row and get a backstage pass instead. This is where Zero-Party Data changes the game.

Zero-Party Data is the information your advocates or customers willingly share with you. It’s the artist inviting you into the studio, handing you their notebook, and telling you exactly what they want their next album to sound like. It’s the clean, undisputed master track.

When you combine that pristine data with the power of an AI producer, you don't just get a song—you get a hit.

The Producer's Guide to Making a Hit

Here’s how to set up the session:

1. Get the Story Behind the Track (The Collab): Be transparent. Let your audience know why you're asking for information. "Help us tune your experience" is far more effective than silence. When people know their input will lead to a favorable result for them, they are happy to collaborate. And you reap the benefits. 

   
   

2. Offer a "Feature" (The Dilemma): You can't ask a top-tier artist to jump on your track for free. You have to give your advocates/customers something real in return for exchanging their data—a truly personalized recommendation, a smoother experience, an exclusive club/giveaway or premium content. Make them feel like a featured artist, not just a sample source.

   
   

3. Make it a Banger, Not a Bait-and-Switch (Taylor’s Version): Don't make giving feedback feel like a chore or contractual obligation. Invest in crafting engaging formats like gamified clout-gainers, quizzes, interactive polls, self-selection criteria and preference centers which can evolve over time. Most importantly, make your advocate or buyer feel like they’re in a creative collaboration where their voice matters and they have control.

   
   

4. Press Play and Listen (The Aftermath): This is the most critical part. Once you have that golden sample, use it. Act on the data they provide! If an advocate or customer tells you they prefer mellow beats, don't bombard them with hype tracks. Show them you were listening, and they'll become part of your ride-or-die crew.

   
   

The future doesn't belong to the OG’s with the most expensive AI setup. It belongs to the ones with the most authentic relationship with the artist – your advocate or customer – combined with the ability to act on it.

Stop chasing bootlegs.

Start co-producing hits.

LET'S TALK MORE