How hot are your steel band charts?

While taking a break from trying to understand the music publishing industry, I watched one of my favorite YouTube Channels, "First We Feast," which has a reoccurring show titled "Hot Ones," a show that has celebrities taste the entire spectrum of hot sauces from table hot sauce to mirco-batch-taste-bud-murderers. Today, it became incredibly clear that the hot sauce industry has the same battle of appeal versus individuality that composers and arrangers fight each time they put pen to paper. 

Taco Bell Hot Sauce and the Bad Arrangement 

The goal of any fast food restaurant is mass appeal. When they started making a hot sauce using the same mentality, the end result was a hot sauce that no one looks forward to. Yeah, I'll take a handful of those packets for free but don't be surprised when half of them end up in the trash can.
A steel band arrangement that leaves the band and audience feeling like it was a fun ride but I wouldn't do it again is a surefire trash can filler come time to plan the next concert. Don't be the Taco Bell Hot Sauce arranger.
Example - Pop covers that don't translate to pan 
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Tabasco and the Widely Loved Arrangement

 If you walk into a restaurant today, the odds of a Tabasco bottle being available on your table or by request is incredibly high. The sauce doesn't offend your taste buds and is a step above ketchup when it comes to spicing up your meal. It goes on breakfast, lunch and dinner foods and can be found everywhere.
​ In the same way, an arrangement or composition that matches Tabasco's versatility would be ideal for mass appeal. All of the elements of the piece would have to be in line with the majority's capabilities, keeping in mind that most steel bands are in educational settings. Though the piece needs to be easy to learn, the end result has to be more exciting than ketchup! ​Example - Pop Covers that translate to pan

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Cholula and the Authentic Beginner Chart

Cholula diversifies itself by creating a comparable heat level, a thousand Scoville's hotter than Tobasco to be exact, but with different ingredients. The experience of Cholula adds bite and a unique flavor to the food it graces but is slightly less available. 
​This steel band chart gives you a look into the true culture behind pan literature without excluding beginner and intermediate bands. Maybe this piece becomes a gateway experience for the students to search out more intense pieces of the same genre.
​Example - Beginning Soca/Calypso

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Sriracha and the Unexpected Original Hit

Sriracha has made it's way into hipster glory by being a powerhouse brand that doesn't care that they are a powerhouse brand. This Vietnamese hot sauce stands out in flavor and on the shelf due to is unique colors, which are to signify the combination of chili sauce and jalapenos. Sriracha started as a house made sauce that was sold at farmer's markets but last year sold $60 million worth globally.
This is definitely the sweet spot where compositions should be landing, combining two or more styles or techniques to create something truly unique. They may not receive praise and distribution right away, but as it spreads naturally, bands will return to this composition sooner than others. The end result must leave audiences and musicians wow'ed, without excluding because of difficulty level. 

Example - Memorable Composition for All Levels of Difficulty

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Tapatio and the Satisfying Challenge

Despite similar packaging and the same Scoville rating as Cholula, Tapatio is spicier. Many website forums have discussed the cause and the final word is simply because it is. Without explanation, Tapatio has a smaller yet hardcore following of people who know the difference between these and believe Tapatio ideal table hot sauce.
Difficult charts exclude the beginning demographic, which is arguably the largest, but can still create a lasting impact on the pan community because of its quality. Sure, every band can't play it, but those who do know it's top notch. 
​Example - The Perfect Arrangement for Medium Difficulty

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Hot One's Fiery Chipotle and the Shrinking Audience

Hot One's partnered with a small hot sauce factory to make micro batches of their premiere hot sauce, which takes about a month to deliver once purchased. On their YouTube Channel, celebrities continually commented that it's a fruity heat amidst the other hot sauces. Because it's a show about pushing the limits, it has kick but is undercut with a citrus blend to add an unlikely flavor.
 When a composer gets the idea that they are going to write a real note-fest, colleges quickly become the target demographic. College is also a playground for new music and concepts. Unfortunately, there is so much demand for the college ensembles to play new music, composers may end up waiting a semester or two till they can get their music played. 
Example - College Level Compositions

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Pain is Good "Louisiana Style" and the Semester-long Challenge

Here is a hot sauce that takes pride in excluding those who want a pleasant experience. The grimace on this bottle may be a slight exaggeration but this sauce is just for a small faction of enthusiasts who have clearly spent a lifetime building their tolerance towards a piquant experience. 
​A composition equivalent is definitely meant for a tiny niche of musicians that have spent years perfecting their craft and are looking for the perfect challenge to impress their recital committee. Unfortunately, the market for this level of difficulty is vastly smaller than beginner material and can only yield an interested buyer maybe once a year. 
Example - Advanced College Composition

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Mad Dog 357 and the "Betcha Can't Play This" Composition

The warning labels on Mad Dog's 357​ explain that the contents of the bottle are not meant for consumption and should only be used under the most controlled conditions. My personal experience with this sauce includes carefully watching a single drop fall into a mixture of other condiments to create a tamer experience. There are reaction videos online of people eating the sauce and immediately regretting it, except for this guy because he is from Trinidad. 
If you wrote a piece so difficult that no one else could play it, you'd have a pretty good idea of what it must be like to sell Mad Dog 357. I own a bottle and will not purchase another for years because of how slowly I am getting through it. I have also experienced writing down the hardest licks on pan that I can come up with to only realize that I can't sell any copies of it, despite having views of YouTube.
Example - Graduate Level and Beyond Composition

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Writing this was a great exercise in admitting what's wrong with my own arrangements and compositions.
I have charts that fall into each of these categories, which of course was never the intention. Composers don't open up Finale (or Sibelius for you circus animals) with the intention of writing a flop, but it still happens. The  cure for missing your target audience is communicating with those who work closest to the age of students you're hoping to engage and figuring out what they're not getting from their current library. 
"What do you need this semester?"
"What style do you want more of?"
"What pop tune are you students asking to play?"
"Is one section doing better than another? Let me write a challenging cello part in this next tune."

What are your favorite steel band charts and what hot sauce are they?