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Nobody Knows Anything
And great work isn't enough.
Jaime Solis
20 Jun
Welcome to Red Threads
It’s Friday and welcome to Red Threads–your insider guide to strategies and tools at the intersection of music, podcasting, marketing, AI, and culture.
“Work finally begins when the fear of doing nothing, exceeds the fear of doing it badly.”
—Alain de Botton
Today we’re using a conversation with musicians as the catalyst for exploring the “secret sauce” of a hit, and whether or not engineering a hit is even possible.
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⏰ 5-Second Summary
The Red Thread — Why “Nobody knows anything” is the creative truth every artist, founder, and builder needs to embrace.
The Unlock — 5 mindset shifts to help you build momentum, connection, and growth, even when your work doesn’t “go viral”.
Creative Edge — Navigating the long game: why consistent output beats explosive launches.
Prompt Playground — A fill-in-the-blank prompt to design your next creative release for real impact.
Industry Pulse — Instagram’s 15th birthday campaign, OpenAI’s $200M DoD contract, live podcasting’s rise, and Cannes’ creator-as-studio moment.
Trending AI Tools — TikTok Symphony, Deepgram voice agents, photo enhancers, and tools to sharpen your story and grow your audience.
Open Opportunities — New roles at Wondery, ART19, Universal Music Group, BMG, and more.
⏳Estimated read time: ~5 minutes
The Red Thread This Week
Nobody Knows Anything
That’s what screenwriter William Goldman said about Hollywood. And if you’ve ever put something you loved into the world—a song, a startup, a podcast, a post—only to watch it go… nowhere, you’ve experienced what he meant.
Last week, I sat with a group of musicians about to release new music. They were asking all the right questions:
“How do we cut through this time?”
“What should we be doing differently?”
“How do we avoid the crickets?”
But under those questions was something more personal:
“Was it even good last time?”
“Did it matter?”
And that’s the trap.
Because we’ve all been sold a lie; that quality guarantees success.
That talent finds its audience.
That great work is all the marketing you need.
But look closer:
Van Gogh sold one painting in his lifetime.
The Beatles were rejected by Decca Records because “guitar music is on the way out.”
J.K. Rowling was rejected by a dozen major book publishers.
Yet… some dumb ear-worm of a song goes viral, while your thoughtfully crafted work barely registers.
This isn’t a problem with your output.
It’s a problem with the story we’ve been told, (and the story we tell ourselves), about how making an impact happens.
Hits aren’t made. They emerge.
They’re shaped by timing, taste, repetition, network effects, and a dash of chaotic luck.
The people who “break through” aren’t always the most brilliant.
They’re the ones still taking swings when the market finally looks their way.
So this week’s Red Thread is for anyone—musician, founder, creative—who’s done great work, and watched it quietly fizzle.
Because the game is actually about building a body of work that compounds.
Choosing persistence over “game the algorithm” tactics.
And learning to measure success by meaningful metrics, not the empty calories of virality.
You can’t control the outcome.
But you can control continuing to show up.
And that’s the part that matters.
Let’s dig in.
~ Jaime
🔑 The Unlock
What to Focus on When a Hit Isn’t Guaranteed
If nobody knows anything, then what should you do?
You do what the pros do when a “hit” is a coin toss:
You stop trying to predict and start trying to persist.
Here’s what that looks like:
1️⃣ Shrink the stage.
Forget mass appeal. Find your smallest viable audience. What Kevin Kelly calls your “1000 True Fans”, the people most likely to care, show up, and share. Talk to them like they matter. Because they do.
2️⃣ Stack the work.
Don’t aim for one big swing. Great careers are built on volume, not moon-shot flashes of genius. Treat publishing your work like a muscle, not a lottery. Think catalog, not Ad campaigns. Reps, not “Grand Openings”.
3️⃣ Build the bridge.
Success isn’t just about quality, it’s about meaningful distribution. If people can’t find your work, it doesn’t matter how good it is. Where can we find you online? Can you communicate directly with people who want to hear from you? If your social media disappeared tomorrow, how do you still reach your audience?
4️⃣ Prioritize momentum over perfection.
Reid Hoffman said it well: “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” A small wave you control beats waiting on a tidal wave that never comes. Ship the work.
5️⃣ Define what “enough” looks like.
Is 100 views a failure, or success? 10,000 views? Why? Be honest with yourself about what’s sufficient, and whether or not that amount allows you to continue doing your work or art. What if 150 of the right people saw it—and one of them was the person who helps open your next door?
📌 Reminder: Most of the success stories we admire look inevitable in hindsight. But in real time? They were just people who kept going.
💡 Creative Edge
The Slow Burn Beats the Spark
Want to know the hardest part of being a creative today?
It’s not the work.
It’s managing your expectations about the work.
We’re wired to want fireworks. Big debuts. Instant results.
But most creative breakthroughs aren’t explosive. They’re cumulative.
They don’t arrive with confetti and streamers.
They arrive like a slow drip filling a reservoir—then one day, something overflows.
The artist you admire didn’t “blow up.”
They built up. One project, one fan, one generous gesture at a time.
So instead of asking: “Why didn’t this thing I made take off?”
Try asking: “What did this thing teach me? Who did it reach? What did it move forward?”
Every release is a brick. Every post is a step.
You’re not launching a rocket. You’re laying a foundation.
📌 Test this mindset shift:
The next time you hit publish, assume it will not go viral. Now… what would make it still worth doing?
If you can answer that, you’re playing the long game. And the long game is where real impact lives.
🎲 Your AI Prompt Playground
Design Your Next Release for Maximum Impact, Without the Guesswork.
If you’re about to drop a new project (song, EP, product, or podcast) don’t just release it.
Design it.
This week’s prompt helps you build a smarter, sharper release plan by treating AI as your strategic partner. Not your shortcut machine.
Copy + paste the prompt below into ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity, fill in the blanks, and see what happens!
Prompt:
You are my creative marketing strategist and audience development coach. I’m preparing to release a new [song / EP / album / creative project] and want to build a strategy that prioritizes connection and momentum, not vanity metrics.
Here’s what I’m working on:
Type of release: [describe briefly]
Previous release lessons: [what didn’t work or what felt flat?]
Audience description: [who it’s for, even if small, in as specific detail as possible]
Timeline: [e.g., releasing in 3 weeks]
Primary goal: [e.g., grow email list, land playlist placement, build community]
I want a simple, sustainable plan that includes:
One core message for this release
3 lightweight ways to activate my existing fans
2 creative content ideas that highlight the story behind the work
A plan for post-release momentum
One mindset shift to help me stay focused if the metrics aren’t big
Make it clear, human, and tailored to independent creators.
Avoid hype tactics or vague platitudes.
✅ Bonus prompt:
Ask AI to help you reposition your last release that didn’t land the way you hoped.
Prompt: Given my last project, how can I reframe or repackage it for a new audience today, without pretending it’s brand new?
Try this with:
A single that never got playlisted
A podcast episode that got low downloads
A launch that never quite hit its stride
Because no release is wasted, unless you stop learning from it.
📌 Reply to this email and send me your favorite result! I’ll send you my free AI prompting guide to help you unlock even more fun and productivity.
📡 Industry Pulse
Instagram Turns 15 with ‘Anyway’ Campaign
To mark its 15th birthday, Instagram launched a new global campaign spotlighting artists like Tyler, The Creator who use the platform in unexpected ways. The message: if you’re unsure, post it anyway.
Read more ›Music Fan Growth Starts at the Edges
A new MBW op-ed argues that real fandom isn’t built by doubling down on diehards—it grows by reaching the curious middle and turning casual observers into loyal supporters.
Read more ›OpenAI Secures $200M National Security Contract
The Department of Defense awarded OpenAI a $200M contract to provide AI tools for strategic analysis and decision-making.
Read more ›The Live Connection: Why Podcasts Need to Get Off the Internet
In an era where AI churns out infinite content, podcasting enters an authenticity arms race. New research from Sounds Profitable and Signal Hill Insights highlights how live podcast shows aren’t just fan service—they’re strategic assets.
Read more ›Cannes Dispatch: Creators Are Now Studios
Digiday’s Cannes coverage highlights how creators are becoming full-fledged studios, crafting narratives for brands that blur the lines between influencer, storyteller, and production house.
Read more ›
🛠️ Trending AI Tools
TikTok Symphony – A new suite of AI tools from TikTok to generate scripts, edit videos, and create ready-to-publish ads in minutes.
Deepgram Voice Agent API – Build realistic, conversational AI voice agents for customer support and sales with speed and accuracy.
Seedance – ByteDance’s new leaderboard-topping video model.
Final Interview – Simulate real job interviews and get AI-powered feedback on your answers, tone, and body language.
HyperEnhancer – Instantly upscale and sharpen low-res photos to stunning high-definition.
💼 Open Opportunities
📌 Know someone looking? Forward this to them!
⚡ Final Note
Want more Red Threads in your life?
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. My weekly Red Threads newsletter goes out every Friday. Move my emails to your primary inbox so you see the next edition!
P.P.S. Could you use some help with a project you’re working on? Let’s talk!
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