Why The Middle Age Dad Jam Band Is Gen X's Wake-Up Call

Imagine this:

You're a middle-aged singer who spent decades honing your craft.

Now, picture going to a big record label and saying this...

I have a garage band with some of my very experienced middle-aged musician friends. We're pretty damn good and we have a great version of "Islands in the Stream." We think a big audience would love to hear it, and we'd like you to release it. Whatta ya say?

What are the odds they are going to say yes?

My guess is zero.

But lucky for them, they don’t need the record label to get in front of an audience.

They can skip the gatekeepers and go straight to the audience.

That is essentially what the Middle Age Dad Jam Band did.

They didn’t wait for permission.

Now, I don’t know if they actually went to a record label, but either way, they skipped the gatekeepers and went straight to their audience.

The result - 1.9 MILLION views in one month at the time of this post.

Check out their cover of “Islands in the Stream” by Kenny and Dolly, and then I’ll tell you why that matters for you. 

(Side note: Doesn’t that song, the vibe, the whole video just make you feel good? It does for me, and that says a lot coming from old Metalhead, who was annoyed by the song as a teen.)

The Gatekeeper Problem

It starts with a conversation I had on LinkedIn the other day.

I posted about ageism, and a consultant shared how her best friend – a Ph.D. with decades of experience – just got pushed out of her research position at 55.

It’s a reminder that ageism is real, and it’s closer than we think.

One comment jumped out at me:

"She's not in that [consulting/business] frame of mind right now." 

This is a huge mindset trap for Gen X. Weve been conditioned our entire lives to follow one path: college, job, retire at 65, play golf or volunteer, die. 

Along the way, we’ve relied on gatekeepers—employers, hiring managers, clients—to define our worth.

But just like the Middle Age Dad Jam Band, you don’t need those gatekeepers anymore.

How You Can Bypass Gatekeepers

Your employer has an audience. That’s why they exist in the first place—they’ve built a following for their products or services.

But here’s the problem: when you work for them, you’re hidden behind the scenes. They get all the benefits of having an audience, and you get whatever they decide to give you.

What are those benefits?

• Money: Employers monetize their audience through sales, subscriptions, products, and more.

• Reach: They control the message and decide what the audience sees.

• Data: They gather insights to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and what’s next.

• Trust: They build credibility and authority in the market, all while you’re doing the work behind the scenes.

Now, imagine flipping the script. What if you had an audience?

Having an audience makes you future-proof. It means you’re not dependent on one employer to decide your value. Instead of one vote (your boss’s), you have many.

Finding Your Audience: Google Method

Here’s the thing: You already have an audience—you just don’t see it yet. It’s hiding in plain sight.

About a year ago, I had a friend who told me she "fuckin' had it at work" (full story here).

She felt stuck. Like many of us, she assumed her skills were tied to her job title and didn’t realize they could stand on their own. So, I asked her two questions to help her see her value differently:

• What’s your job title? 

  This helps frame your expertise. For example, if you’re a project manager, marketer, or data analyst, you already have a starting point.

• What would people Google if they needed help with what you do? 

  This question shifts the focus from you to the problem you solve. Instead of thinking about your job title, think about the questions or problems your expertise addresses.

Here’s why this matters:

When people search on Google, they’re looking for solutions. If someone’s typing “how to organize a construction project” or “best Excel tips for beginners,” they’re essentially raising their hand and saying, “I need help.”

That’s your audience.

Google shows you exactly what people care about—what they’re struggling with and what they’re willing to invest time or money to solve.

Instead of guessing if your skills are valuable, you can see the demand right there in the search results.

(Another side note: This is why I fell in love with search engine marketing - yes, I'm geeky like that. You don't have to guess if there's demand for your expertise. The data's right there, showing precisely what people are searching for.)

Here’s How to Test This for Yourself:

1. List Your Skills and Expertise:

   Write down your top skills, the tools you’ve mastered, and the problems you solve. Be specific about your experience—for example, “Project manager with 15 years in construction” or “Excel expert helping teams analyze data” or for me “mechancial draftsman at custom architectural lighting company for 17 years.”

2. Google Search Ideas:

   Use Google to explore what people might search for related to your skills. Start with questions like:

   • “How to [solve this problem]”

   • “Best tools for [specific skill or job]”

   • “Common challenges in [your industry].”
     Watch autocomplete suggestions, the “People Also Ask” section, and related searches for insights.

3. Jam Band Example:

   Let’s say you’re like the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band, thinking, “We love playing ‘Islands in the Stream.’ I wonder if there’s still an audience for the song?”

   Well, looks like there is: 110,000 people search for it every month. There are even 1,300 searches for “islands in the stream cover” every month,

4. Head over to Google Gemini: 

   Copy/paste this prompt to really dig:

I have worked in [insert industry] as a [your role] for [insert number] years, and I want to start a blog or newsletter business. Please provide a detailed list of solutions, questions, or problems that people in this industry are actively searching for on search engines. Include approximate monthly search volumes for each topic, and prioritize ideas that demonstrate consistent demand. Focus on topics that align with my expertise and can help me establish authority while attracting an engaged audience.

Additionally, generate 20 seed keywords for [specific topics or industry focus] that include:

- Basic terms
- Subtopics
- Common questions
- User problems
- Purchase intent terms
- tools or software
- How-to searches

Sort these keywords by likely search volume and relevance to potential blog or newsletter topics. Aim to uncover both high-volume and niche opportunities.

5. Spot Trends and Opportunities:

4. Use the results from Google and Gemini to identify recurring themes, high-demand topics, and content gaps. Look for opportunities to address problems that others haven’t solved effectively.

Try it out and see what you come up with.

Redefine Your Future

Your audience is out there. The questions they’re asking on Google are clues leading you straight to them.

Gatekeepers don’t define your future anymore. You do.

Because your expertise isn’t just valuable to an employer, it’s valuable to a world of people looking for solutions that only you can provide.

And how do you give it to them?

Funny you should ask…

I just finished a guide on how to turn what you know into income using a blog slash newsletter (or blogletter for short).

Go check it:

Click here to read “What Is A Blogletter?”

See you over there,

Corey

P.S. Want to dive a little deeper? Watch this short Loom video where I show you how to use Google and free tools to uncover business opportunities. Using my draftsman career as an example, I’ll demonstrate how to find in-demand services, validate ideas, and uncover what people are searching for. Watch it here!