Guns n' Roses and Web 2.0

Guns n' Roses was, at one point in history, the biggest band in the world.

If you ask many of their die-hard fans, they still are the biggest band in the world (even if it has been over 15 years since they released an original feature length album).

What's the secret to having that kind of brand -- the kind of brand that won't go away? And what's the secret to being one of the most successful bands of all time?

1. NO FEAR. As Seth Godin has correctly pointed out, one of the leading culprits that stops most people from reaching their creative peak is fear: fear of being different, and fear of failing. Here's some Axl Rose quotes on fear. Needless to say, if your on-stage schtick involves wearing makeup, poofing your hair, and running around screaming on stage, then you better be ready to give up your fear of looking like an idiot.

2. Combine The Best of Everyone's Ideas. The genius of Gn'R was that they managed to combine the guitar riffs of ACDC and Aerosmith, the screeching vocals of Led Zeppelin, the 80's glam of hair bands like Poison, and the dance moves of Shark Island. It was pop meets blues meets rock meets glam. They took the old and made it new. Better yet, they took the old and made it theirs.

3. Tell a Story. I consider Axl Rose to be a musical genius for two primary reasons: (1) he has the ability to break out of conventional songwriting structures while still creating moving and compelling pieces (i.e. November Rain, Estranged) and (2) he tells powerful stories with his lyrics. Reason #1 will appease musical snobs and psuedo-intellectuals; reason #2 gets the rabid fans that buy anything you create, word of mouth sales, and the long-term brand. Seth Godin has talked extensively about storytelling and marketing -- see All Marketers are Liars.

Below is what is probably my favorite Guns n' Roses song (hard to pick just one, so many great ones to choose from!), "Out Ta Get Me." It's a song that calls for fearlessness, employs techniques characteristic of hard rock predecessors like ACDC, and tells a story that inspires.