If you want to make the big money in the music business, one of the ways to do it is to invent something that catches on. The "invention" doesn't have to be something brand new...it can be an offshoot of or an improvement on something which already exists.

Think about creating a style of music (or specific song) which is associated with a type of dance. Even better is having somebody develop a dance, just for your song. The easier the better... Go to a wedding and you'll see what I mean.

People like songs like Macarena, YMCA, Electric Slide, Cha Cha Slide, etc.  Why?  Because people love to dance. Unfortunately, it's not that easy for most. Dancing in front of people in a bigger fear than public speaking.

If you want to make really big money, what you develop has to be easy and something which everybody can do...of at least thinks they can do.  Again, think Macarena, YMCA, Electric Slide, Cha Cha Slide, etc.

There are hundreds of ways to use this concept to make money. The video below is of a dance based in Memphis, which has helped to get some great publicity for the entire city.  Although not something your grandmother or frat boys will be able to take on, it works, because it's very interesting to watch.

This isn't the first time something like this has come from Memphis. Rufus Thomas had a number of hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, notably a string of songs that were tied to a then-current dance craze: "Do the Funky Chicken," "(Do the) Push and Pull," "The Breakdown," and "Do the Funky Penguin." In 1972, at his Wattstax performance, he lead a crowd of 40,000 in the "Funky Chicken." If you want your song to really take off, the dance associated with it has to be that easy.

Every scene, band, and genre of music has the opportunity to do this. Are you doing anything specific in your area or with your music which is similar? Post comments below...