At the blog of Jupiter analyst David Card I found a Variety article that says MTV has put into production a reality dating show featuring MySpace star Tila Tequila.

Not so long ago, Tequila was being trumped as a MySpace success story. Her publicist certainly performed valiantly. I never bought into it, never thought she would have a hit album or single. I could see that for Tequila, MySpace and a short-lived stab at the music charts were a means to an end. Her fans don't care about her music, but they care about her personality (in marketing terms, her brand). MySpace helped get her a following and she immediately launched so many brand extensions that hip hop stars should have sat up and taken notice. That following got her a deal with MTV. Mission accomplished.

Compare Tequila's MySpace story against that of Cage the Elephant, a five-piece rock band from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Cage the Elephant is with CAA's Nashville office and plays here often. The young, unsigned (as far as I know) band has been on the road a lot. It played both Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. A New York showcase a few months back was practically empty other than a few A&R folks, me and a friend, and Capitol Music Group head Jason Flom.

In contrast to the ways young bands build awareness today, this band's existence is almost entirely its live show. I've seen Cage the Elephant five or six times this year, and they have no merch table. No T-shirts. No stickers (that I've seen). No CDRs. No vinyl 7". Not even a mailing list sign-up sheet. If you want to hear Cage the Elephant, you have to stream their songs at MySpace or see them live. In the digital, DIY era, it's rare for a band not to have all the usual merchandise offerings or at least a few free MP3s (the band's only website is actually its MySpace page). Scarcity might not be a good strategy for the short term, but it will produce a better future result for a band thinking long term.

What will drive the band is good ol' word of mouth. Without the usual branding elements to offer fans, word of mouth will be fueled by the band's (really great) live shows. For this kind of rock band, which is courting a far different crowd than did Tequila, it's important to grow with as much legitimacy as possible. First impressions -- and there's only one to make -- of the band's recorded music won't be sloppy demos or a rushed indie release. The band will build, build, build...and then spring when the time is right.

Rock bands should consider the gluttony vs. scarcity debate. It's easier to control the perception of a brand when there are fewer opinion drivers (fewer levels to pull, more control over those levers). Rather than hit listeners over the head with YouTube videos, posters, tank tops, demos and emails, why not let the music do the talking? After all, artist development should be based on the music, not the merchandise. Labels tend not to have the patience to let such a long-term plan play out and act like awareness is a land grab that must be rushed. A scarcity strategy, however, would lower the risk of any given project and build a better connection with fans.