An important aspect of product development is to get clarity on the actual problem you’re trying to solve for. This present a key step in developing a product which is going to meet the needs of your prospective users and to build empathy and rapport
The Music Industry is a complex one with lots of moving parts and stakeholders in the process from music manufacture to consumption. As a result, there a number of pain points that could be tackled.
From the outset, it was imperative for us to be clear on which part of the industry that’s needs to be addressed and direct laser focus on it.
Outreach
Once there was clarity on the area of the industry to focus on, we reached out to those who be best to engage and form initial relationships. These discussions enabled us to delve deep in the pain points of the various music stakeholders we were in discussions with.
To our initial surprise, the music industry people we met were willing to open up on some of the issues they were facing and how we could develop a better solution to deal with them.
Furthermore, in some cases, the preconceptions we held on how aspects of the music industry worked and what mattered were upended. We saw this as a good thing.
The Art of Listening
Being able to listen, and empathise with the musicians and other industry people we engaged with was a crucial component in creating connections and being able to listen without judgement.
This drove better conversations and led to great insights which enabled us to begin to develop a product which meets the needs of musicians, not one that was developed from our own beliefs about what a music platform should be
Ultimately this leads to greater sense of community with the industry, build bridges and ultimately leads to a product which serves the needs of the most important aspect of our business, the customers
Also published on Medium.
