In some ways it’s like we’re running on a highway going the opposite direction to everybody else

Thomas Bangalter, half of Daft Punk

As a small business owner or entrepreneur you could do worse than study Daft Punk and the way they manage their brand. Yes, the music is ground-breaking, brilliant, insert superlative here, as every rock journalist is killing themselves to do in an attempt to describe Daft Punk’s new album - Random Access Memories.

But I could argue the way Banghalter and Daft Punk partner, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, continually innovate, experiment, and ultimately keep their music and their brand fresh after 20 years in the fickle music biz is just as impressive. 

“It’s a problem that confronts many innovators: When the rest of the world catches up with you, where do you go next?” asks Simon Reynolds in his fine NYT profile of the band. “In a paradox that informs the entire project, doing something new for Daft Punk involved embracing the methods and mind-set of the past. The result is an album that is impressive but backward-looking, drawing on influences like soft rock, progressive rock and New Wave. … In part, the promotional campaign for the album also looked back to an era before Twitter and free downloads. Daft Punk and its team orchestrated a suspense-building trail of hints about a new project with billboard ads and teaser minicommercials on TV. Deliberately frustrating fans who have become used to instant gratification, Daft Punk stoked anticipation and created an aura of mystery around “Random Access Memories.”

As a small business owner, here’s my takeaway from two brilliant French guys in shiny robot costumes: Trust your gut, your talent, and your team. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain. Believe in your ideas and your vision. Dip into the past for inspiration, but don’t dwell on it. Innovate relentlessly. … and find a robot costume.