Everything In Its Right Place

How categories, genres, and labels shape your work.

Author

Jaime Solis
14 Mar

Welcome to Red Threads

A weekly newsletter of curated insights for creators and builders–people shaping businesses, industries, and communities.

"When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge." – Tuli Kupferberg

The Red Thread This Week

Categories, Genres, and Labels

We love categories. We use them to organize products, rank movies, and sort people. Categories help us navigate the world—but they also shape what we see, what gets built, what gets rewarded, and what gets ignored.

But why do we label and categorize everything?

Well, because there’s a long history of categories helping us:

  • Find things faster – Supermarket aisles, Amazon product listings, even your kitchen drawer. Categories create order, allowing us to quickly locate things.

  • Rank things – Bestseller lists, “Top 10” rankings, award shows—they tell us what “matters”, allowing us to filter for “quality”.

  • Predict behavior – Birds fly, fish swim. Labels give us confidence in what to expect. Especially when we encounter something new.

  • Understand the universe – Scientists classify species. Astronomers label planets and galaxies. Categories help us make sense of the world around us.

  • Divide us – Political labels. Industry silos. Categories also reinforce biases, separating “us” from “them.”

But here’s the catch—categories aren’t neutral.

They’re controlled. The New York Times Bestseller List isn’t just a reflection of what’s selling—it’s curated, and it can be gamed.

The Grammys used to have a “Best Polka Album” category… until one artist won it 18 times and they retired it. If something doesn’t fit a category, the system often ignores it, or actively works to push it out.

This impacts creators, entrepreneurs, and businesses. If your work doesn’t fit neatly into an existing category or genre, it can struggle to be seen.

But that’s not a flaw—it’s an opportunity.

The real power lies in seeing the categories, understanding their purpose, knowing when or when not to follow them—and when to remix them.

~ Jaime

📌 Are you trying to succeed within a genre that doesn’t serve you? Is it time to define your own?

🔑 The Unlock

Create Your Own Lane.

  • Don’t fight for a seat at the table—build a new table. Hamilton wasn’t a traditional show. It was hip-hop + history + Broadway. Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t fight for space in old Broadway—he created a new lane.

  • Blend categories to make something new. Starbucks fused tech with coffee and changed how we order. Power Metal + Mythology = Fantasy Pirate Metal. Miami Vice was pitched to network executives as “MTV Cops” – police procedural meets MTV culture.

📌 Take Action: If the system of existing categories isn’t built for your work, remix. Where can you cross-pollinate ideas to create something fresh?

💡 Creative Edge

The Illusion of "Best"

We like to believe the best ideas, the best art, the best businesses rise to the top. But that’s a myth.

The truth? What wins tends to fit inside existing categories.

  • The best films don’t always get made. The ones that fit a marketable genre do.

  • The best musicians don’t always top the charts. The ones that fit a format that radio and playlists can slot them into do.

  • The best books don’t always become bestsellers. The ones that fit the model that publishers know how to sell do.

📌 Try This: Instead of asking, “How do I make my work fit existing categories?” start asking, “What does the full grid of categories in my space really look like?”

Identify gaps between those categories that you can fill with your work, by blending things to create something new.

Cat Cafés. Silent Discos. Escape Rooms. Pop-up gyms at the airport… MTV Cops.

📡 Industry Pulse

  • The Streaming Wars Are Over. Bundling Won. – Subscription fatigue has led platforms to bundle rather than compete, mirroring how cable once worked. The future? More packages, fewer standalone services. Read more

  • AI-Powered Ads Are Taking Over Streaming – Streaming services are betting big on AI for ad targeting and pushing gamified ads and brand experiences to keep users engaged. Expect advertising to become more personalized—and harder to ignore. Read more

  • Spotify Expands Short-Form Audiobooks – Spotify is accepting submissions for short-form audiobooks, a new category meant to attract more authors and expand listening options beyond music and podcasts. Read more

  • Sony Music Sues USC Over Music in Social Media Posts – Major labels continue to crack down on unauthorized music use, with Sony suing USC over music featured in student and institutional social posts. Read more

  • BMI’s New ‘Spark’ Program Targets Emerging Artists – BMI has launched Spark, a new initiative offering resources, mentorship, and tools for rising music creators—a move to strengthen relationships with independent artists early in their careers. Read more

  • Spotify’s Artist Earnings Data Highlights Inequality – Of the 12 million artists who uploaded music to Spotify last year, less than 0.6% made $10K+ in royalties. The vast majority of artists earn little to nothing from streaming, reinforcing concerns about payout structures. Read more

  • Metallica’s Mexico Concert Is Coming to Apple Vision Pro – The first major rock concert filmed for Apple’s Vision Pro headset is Metallica’s Mexico City performance. A glimpse into the future of immersive concert experiences. Read more

  • How Indie Labels Can Compete in the AI Era – AI-generated music is here. Independent labels need to adapt fast—leveraging AI for discovery, rights management, and audience engagement—or risk losing ground to major players. Read more

📈 By The Numbers

What it says: The percentage of Americans 18+ who are aware of, have tried, and use podcasting regularly. (2024 data)

What it means: 50% of those who try podcasting use it weekly. Is that a good ratio? It could be better - there’s opportunity for creators to drive daily podcast usage by reliably fitting into listeners’ spare time, similar to other media channels.

🛠️ Trending AI Tools

  • Perplexity Windows App - New desktop app for AI-powered web search

  • Harvey - AI for law firms, service providers, and Fortune 500 companies

  • Wispr Flow for Windows - Use voice to write 3x faster in every application

  • Fyxer AI - An AI Executive Assistant to help you gain an hour daily with organized emails, tone-matched replies, and crisp meeting notes

  • OpenAI Agents SDK - OpenAI’s DIY tools for custom agents

⚡ Final Note

You’ve got an idea. A message. A story worth telling. The only thing standing between you and your own podcast? Getting started.

That’s why I put together The 7-Day Podcast Challenge—a simple, step-by-step guide to getting your podcast live in a week. No fluff, no wasted motion. Just a clear path from idea to launch.

And thank you for spending time with Red Threads this week. I’m glad you’re here.

~ Jaime

P.S. Could you use some help with a project you’re working on? Let’s talk! 

📌 If this issue sparked something for you, forward it to a friend.

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BONUS!

 🎵 New Music Friday

Note: Many releases are subject to last-minute adjustments, so this list may change.

New Albums / Deluxe / EPs

Friday, March 14

  • Playboi Carti: I AM MUSIC

  • Curren$y & Harry Fraud: Never Catch Us

  • K Camp: Built Different

  • clipping.: Dead Channel Sky

  • Rufus feat. Chaka Khan: Stompin’ At the Savoy/Seal in Red (Reissue)

  • Circuit des Yeux: Halo on the Inside

  • 44 Bird: Vagabond 2

  • ZZ Ward: Liberation

  • Coheed and Cambria: Vaxis – Act III: The Father of Make Believe

  • Whatever the Weather: Whatever the Weather II

  • Tyler Watts: Youngin’

  • Throwing Muses: Moonlight Concessions

  • DJ Elmoe: Battle Zone

  • Courting: Lust for Life, Or: How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story

  • Charley Crockett: Lonesome Drifter

  • Bambara: Birthmarks

  • Stela Cole: I Die Where You Begin

  • 44th Move: Anthem

  • Jordana Bryant: Right Key, Wrong Porch

  • cleopatrick: FAKE MOON

  • Jasiah: No Holds Barred

  • DeeBaby: Ms. Salazar

  • B.G.: Freedom of Speech

  • Gianni Suave: Ich Falle In Frieden

  • Celly Ru: East Baby

  • DJ.Fresh: Late Night Freeway Vibez 6

  • Barto Katt & Soulpete: Do trzech razy sztuka

  • RXKMISSIONARYMAN: Luv Songs 4 the Trap

  • No Guidnce: Confessions of a Lover Boy (EP)

  • No Guidnce: OPUS (The Moretti EP)

  • Coast Contra: In Case You Forgot (EP) [Streaming Release]

  • TyFontaine & FendiMadePrada: Fendi Made Fontaine (EP)

  • PARTYOF2: We Owe You an Explanation (EP)

  • Sherrie: Yours Deeply (EP)

  • Luhh Dyl: Intrude (Deluxe)

  • Benny the Butcher & 38 Spesh: Stabbed & Shot 2 (Deluxe)

  • Carly Pearce: hummingbird: no rain, no flowers (deluxe)

  • Of Montreal: The Sunlandic Twins (20th Anniversary Edition)

  • Makaya McCraven: In the Moment (IA11 Edition)

  • The Faint: Blank-Wave Arcade / Wet From Birth (Deluxe Edition)