Real Geek Becomes Internet Rock Star

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008 by Janet Thaeler

Real Geek Becomes Internet Rock Star

36 year old geek Jonathan Coulton got sick of coding, he wanted to sing instead. He was a typical geek – no doubt working in a dark cube decorated with action figures and empty pop cans.

His diet was full of caffeine and junk food. He didn’t shave (which hasn’t changed). Then he decided to follow his dream of being a rock star – albeit on his own terms.

Now he makes a living from his very plain blog, selling music and performing. More than he did programming. Notice his branding is true geek – it’s authentic and despite doing little actual marketing it’s working.

I’m afraid as I write this that it could start a revolt and we need programmers! The saving grace is most would never actually appear before a group of people, let alone a team meeting.

In 2005, right after the birth of his first child, Coulton told his wife he was quitting his software job. I can’t imagine what fear overtook her. He wanted his daughter to follow her dreams and he thought he’d better walk the walk. It took him just a year to do it.

His strategy? Write one song every week for a year and post it free to his web site. A true startup – he traded a furnished cube for a tiny closet in his home that he converted into a recording studio. He wrote songs there inspired by what he saw, his former job, or whatever he could come up with. No matter how stupid or strange.

Now his fans do his marketing, and they ask him to perform (you need at least 100 people and they use the web site Eventful to coordinate concerts). They make things based on his music, in other words he brings out their creativity just by being himself. At one point, he asked for donations. His fans responded and he started selling music.

What a fairy tale! But this is true Internet marketing in my book – the Internet with its unlimited distribution is a platform for making dreams work.

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11 comments on “Real Geek Becomes Internet Rock Star”

Avi Says:

February 27th, 2008 at 2:29 pm

Great story Janet. Thanks for let us know about it.
Daniel Dessinger Says:

February 27th, 2008 at 2:31 pm

That’s a great story. Makes me want to do something radical and see if it works. I could totally do the free song thing if he hadn’t already done it (sigh).
Tom Beaton Says:

February 27th, 2008 at 2:58 pm

Everyone loves these inspiring stories. Truth is it takes a lot of guts and commitment to make it happen, so Jonathan deserves all the praise he can get.
Search Engine Optimization Journal Says:

February 27th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

Ok. Forget blogging! We’re going to trade in our blog for a mic!

No but really, what a great story! Those who go out on a limb to do things like this and do it with determination deserve to be rewarded. Congrats to Mr. Coulton!
Craig Says:

February 27th, 2008 at 3:57 pm

This is an inspiring article. Blogging can be a rewarding professional for many people with different interests.
Mike Montague Says:

February 28th, 2008 at 10:09 am

I would love to blog all day and get paid handsomely. Kudos to Mr. Coulton.
Steve Rosenbaum Says:

February 29th, 2008 at 12:21 am

Has he been able to keep up with a song a week?
Mobile guy Says:

February 29th, 2008 at 1:50 am

Blog is good way to monetize your free time.
Nicole Says:

February 29th, 2008 at 4:30 am

Unbelievable. I doubt he had himself believed his passion would work out so well for him. I for one am the kind who needs security first, passion can be for weekends.
Piper Says:

March 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 pm

1 song a week sounded crazy to me, too. Most of the artistic types I’ve known spend more time whining about inspiration than just sitting down and creating. Someone with that much drive is bound to succeed with even a moderate amount of talent. Good for him!
SEO guy Says:

March 3rd, 2008 at 8:38 am

There is hope then… there is hope…

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