Music and Entrepreneurship

Fernando Anitelli, 2019. Foto: Divulgação.

It was about time, wasn’t it? Sooner or later, I was going to write something on this topic.

If you don’t know me, let me explain: I come from a family with strong genetics — not just in appearance (some say I look like my younger brother’s twin, which I take as a huge compliment because he’s gorgeous), but also musically.

My brother and I — do we look alike?

On my father’s side, since at least my great-grandfather, everyone has had some musical streak.

My grandfather was a well-known musician — ask your grandmothers if they’ve ever heard of Uccio Gaeta. TV Tupi, Nino o Italianinho, all of that. Go ahead, Google it.

Then came my uncles, all talented musicians. And my father, who, though shy, always played guitar.

He’s the reason I have this photo:

Yes, that’s me in 2004, 14 years old, playing guitar at Café Piu Piu in São Paulo. That little guitar was a gift from my dad.

Also, for those who know me, I’m deeply passionate about marketing, management, and entrepreneurship. I’ve worked in the field for nearly a decade — and I’ve always been fascinated by music.

In that spirit, I want to share this incredible story of O Teatro Mágico, a visionary Brazilian band led by the brilliant Fernando Anitelli, from the lens of innovation and paradigm-shifting.

I’m referencing a TED Talk where Fernando speaks about music as a tool for connection. He talks about growing up in the church, getting familiar with instruments and sounds, and dreaming of signing with a major record label. When he finally did, he was pressured to make his music more “commercial” — think forró and ska. When he pushed back, the label shelved them.

And if you don’t know, “shelving” a band means their contract restricts them from releasing their own music independently. The label owns the rights. In practice, it’s like artistic imprisonment.

That golden dream turned out to be a gag order.

But Fernando didn’t stop. That’s the first entrepreneurial lesson here: don’t stop. Odds are, it won’t work out at first. Fellow founders might say he had to pivot — and yes, that’s pretty much what happened.

His father, Eudácio, decided to help. He uploaded the “shelved” songs online — without strategy, without permission, but with purpose.

Those songs, made free, found their way to people. That’s how the band began building their audience — with free content that delivered value. That was the top of their funnel.

What today’s digital marketers call inbound marketing — sharing high-value content, with personality, for free, to attract and engage. Fernando was doing it long before it had a name.

Fast forward — if you don’t know OTM, O Teatro Mágico is much more than a band. Their show is a full experience. There’s choreography, circus, poetry, theater, music, dance. It’s all one thing. The music is just a fraction of the magic.

At that stage, no one was paying to see a Teatro Mágico show — no one even knew them yet. So giving value for free helped them find fans who would later pay for the experience.

That’s the core of funnel thinking: reach first, convert later.

People got to know the band, connected with their message, and eventually showed up. Once you’ve built trust, a free sample becomes the bridge to something greater — in OTM’s case, a ticketed event.

It’s a meeting: the art finds the audience, and the audience finds the art.

Their show is an event. It’s theater, poetry, circus, and music. Theater has rhythm. Music has poetry. It’s all the same fabric. That’s the point — and the music is just the entry point.

Fernando’s deeper message is powerful: know why you do what you do.

If I had to guess, I’d say the “why” of O Teatro Mágico is exactly that: because it’s all one thing. I hope Fernando confirms that one day.

Golden Circle - Simon Sinek.

Simon Sinek would love this. If you haven’t seen his Golden Circle talk yet, now’s a great time. Watch it, then come back — this story isn’t over.

As their music reached more people, the band built a tribe — a loyal, emotionally connected audience. Being a fan of OTM became a signal that you “got it.” That you had found them.

They had one popular graduation song back in the 2010s, but beyond that, they were never mainstream. Not radio-famous. Not at the CD store.

That’s what makes this model so interesting.

If you’ve heard of Seth Godin, you know what I’m talking about. His book Tribes explains how great leaders form communities around shared beliefs. The internet makes that easier than ever — people with a common vision can now find each other.

And O Teatro Mágico built one. Their fans connected with the lyrics, the poetry, the philosophy.

This isn’t about forcing a product onto people through ads. It’s about creating something that resonates — and inviting your people in. It’s about questioning the system that doesn’t serve us.

After each show, fans would buy CDs, t-shirts, symbols that signaled “I belong.”

No record label. No middlemen. Just people.

And because fans could share the music freely online, the tribe kept growing.

Fernando Anitelli anticipated the shift — before Spotify, before the cloud. Now that music is in the cloud, it’s no longer about protecting distribution — it’s about creating connection. Reproducing a song isn’t piracy. It’s partnership.

The public handles the reach. The artist delivers an authentic experience.

That’s the model.

Artist, entrepreneur: step off the pedestal. Get to know your audience. Know what they need from you.

Fernando openly says that sometimes he writes 10 songs a week — and none of them are good. You need volume. You need testing. You need feedback.

And from that, you’ll find the one that hits.

So yes, we talked about music. About innovation. About the Golden Circle, Tribes, inbound strategy, product-market fit.

It’s all one thing.

If you want to watch Fernando’s full TED Talk, here it is. It’s worth your time.

And if you liked this story, I recommend reading:

• Entrepreneurship with Popcorn (a story about a visionary street vendor)

• Entrepreneurship with Brownies (on mindset and creative resilience)

Love,

Alê