Koerner certainly attributes part of Dre's success to his creative abilities, but says that alone isn't enough to account for his rapid and consistent success. He credits Dre with excellent execution of four basic business practices:
- Quality - "He'll record literally hundreds of tracks for a single album, 95 percent of which end up in the trash." Branding begins with a quality product.
- Repeatability - "Dre isn't just consistently good—he's good in a consistent way." Dre works primarily with up-and-coming artists who are willing to follow his formula: "the beats come first, and the lyrics are dessert."
- Rewards - "Dre also realizes that once he's created a star, he can no longer exert his preferred level of control," so he rewards them with their own labels. Intrapreneurship, subsidiaries and spin-offs.
- Supply and Demand - Not only does Dre limit the output of his own label, he rarely works on projects for other artists not on his label. "The scarcity of Dre's work ensures that each release is an event, one that garners lavish media and consumer attention."
Now this is certainly not the only model for a successful business, but if you're interested in sustained long-term growth, it's a great model. And Dre is certainly not the first to practice it in the entertainment industry. The most successful producers in music, TV and film have been those who were able to follow this model: Barry Gordy, Aaron Spelling, Garry Marshall, Steven Spielberg, et al. Even in the entertainment industry, success is much about basic business principles as talent.
Learn more about Dr. Dre from our Rap Guide, Henry Adaso