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"Demand everything. Expect nothing."
—Bill Kreutzmann, cofounder and drummer, the Grateful Dead
"I miss Jerry. And I wonder . . . is your brand iconic? Why not? Hint: it has nothing whatsoever to do with hemp brownies. Becoming iconic is a choice."
—Seth Godin, author of Linchpin, blogger, Deadhead
"Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead is like a powerful, hard-charging anthem that fills in so many blanks while closing the circle of life. Like the Grateful Dead, Brian and David are transformational visionaries with a keen eye for the second set."
—Bill Walton, basketball legend and Deadhead
The Grateful Dead broke almost every rule in the music industry book. They encouraged their fans to record shows and trade tapes; they built a mailing list and sold concert tickets directly to fans; and they built their business model on live concerts, not album sales. By cultivating a dedicated, active community, collaborating with their audience to co-create the Deadhead lifestyle, and giving away "freemium" content, the Dead pioneered many social media and inbound marketing concepts successfully used by businesses across all industries today.
