So, it looks like we’ll be heading to Pizza Hut soon.
Why, you may ask?
Well, for starters, it’s pizza.
But truth be told, I absolutely love what entrepreneur Tim Sparks is doing.
He purchased 80 Pizza Huts and is bringing back everything that made them iconic.
The red and white checkered table cloths, the red plastic cups, the booths for families, the salad bars, all of it!
Sparks says, “I want to rebuild places for families to connect.”
And there it is.
Real connections.
Maybe it’s just me, but it sure feels like people are starving for more “real” and less “manufactured.”
Perfectly tuned vocals, programmed drums, and songs built for 15-second clips are tired.
Like… big-yawn tired.
Give me fewer filters and more authenticity.
This nostalgic era we’re living in right now fits perfectly with the identity of 4th Door Media and the bands we sign.
Echostone and HANNAN — the first two bands we’ve brought into the 4th Door family — are perfect examples.
Listen to any one of their songs and you’ll hear exactly what we mean.
You feel both bands.
They are authentic, true to who they are, and bring a human, rock edge element to their shows that people are longing for once again.
It’s no coincidence that artists like Brad Arnold of 3 Doors Down, Scott Stapp of Creed, and Daughtry have all given the thumbs-up to Echostone.
It’s also not lost on anyone why Creed’s “Summer of ’99” reunion tour became one of the hottest rock tickets in North America, with multiple sold-out runs and more than 800,000 tickets sold.
Or why fans responded so emotionally to Brad Arnold’s recent passing.
Believe me when I say, we feel all of you who have reached out to us in support of our company and the remaining band members. We sincerely appreciate each and every one of you.
Bands like Blink-182, Green Day, and The Killers (among many others) are enjoying a massive resurgence with Millennials, Gen X, Gen Z… and probably Gen L, M, N, O, and P if those existed.
I know the DJ thing is big right now… and synth-driven arena shows can absolutely fill seats.
There’s a place for everything, I guess.
But to me, giant arenas where fans pay outrageous prices are getting old.
The Ticketmaster-fee experience is exhausting and taking the fun out of even the best shows.
Give me real bands, small to medium size venues, and real connections any day of the week.
And I’ll take a slice of pizza and a Coke in a giant plastic red cup while I’m at it.
I’ll pass on the side of AI for now.