Target Markets

 

Demographics

 

Who is your music aimed at? Will it be bought by the over 30s? Teenagers? Urban or Rural people? Male or female?

 

How can you target your advertising and promotion to your market?

 

Is you record more likely to be bought in record shops or supermarkets?

 

Is it a mass market style or a niche market?

 

Which type of radio stations are most likely to play your music?

 

Is it appropriate to night-club promotion?

 

Is your market large enough and broad enough to justify TV advertising?

 

Four “P”s of Marketing

 

Product

Style and quality of the artist – mainstream, niche

Packaging of the product

 

Price

Full price – usually established artists

Introductory price  - for promoting new artists

Budget price – for back catalogue

 

Promotion

Airplay – radio, record shop, MTV, etc. (radio is still considered the primary means of

    promoting a song

Retail – adverts in shops

Samplers – free giveaway tasters of your music

Listening posts – getting your CD onto the listening posts in your music shop

 

Place

Records shops, and non-music outlets

A good, visible place within the shop

Place in time – where is your CD in the record company release schedule? Which

other acts are releasing in the same week? – traditionally January is the time to launch new acts. All the big acts got their records out for Christmas and so things are quiet. Also it’s a new year and the radio is looking for new things.

 

Do your market research.

 

Play your music to people whose opinions you think are valid. Ask them questions about it. Try to get honest answers.

 

Monitor radio stations. Are any playing music similar to yours?

 

Reaching Your Audience

 

Radio and TV are most effective – especially with younger buyers

 

Record shop browsers and word of mouth are 2^nd

 

Newspaper ads and articles can be effective with 20 somethings

 

Clubs and college radio (US) can also be effective

 

Younger listeners are usually more open to innovative music

 

Remember

 

The population is ageing

 

Younger buyers are more likely to illegally download (in 2002 70% of downloaders were under 25% and 2/3 were male – traditionally the best music buying audience)