Derek Sivers

from the book “”:

If you target sharp enough, you will own your niche.


Let’s say you’ve decided that your style of music should be proudly called “power-pop”.

If you say, “We’re power-pop!” in the very first sentence or paragraph of all of your marketing. If your email address is “[email protected]” If your album title is “Powerpop Drip and Drop” If the license plate on your band van is “POWRPOP”

When someone asks me for a music recommendation and says they like power-pop, guess who I’m going to tell them to buy?


If you do it persistently enough, you will own that niche. People will not be able to imagine that niche without you.

Don’t forget you can use your city or country as a niche! Amplify your regional influence on your genre of music, and declare it to be an official sub-genre, of which you’re the originator. Think of past examples: Minneapolis funk, Seattle grunge, Korean K-pop, Icelandic avant-garde, and of course the different kinds of hip hop from every corner of the world.

You can make your own niche, if you’re brave. You might be the best “a capella medieval metal” artist in the world.