Music industry marketing: methods, strategy, plan

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Competition in show business has led to the emergence of music industry marketing. When the audio art became a business, he needed tools to market his products. Music marketing relies on traditional strategies and methods, but certainly has many specific features and characteristics.

Marketing concept

The consolidation of production, the release of more and more high-quality goods leads to the fact that special efforts become necessary to stimulate consumer activity. As productivity increases, the first marketing concepts emerge. Initially, it was aimed at improving the product and production, but modern ideas are gradually being formed about promotion as a special activity aimed at satisfying needs through exchange. Today, marketing is understood as a special communication between the manufacturer and the buyer, which leads to the satisfaction of needs. Hedesigned to help the buyer and seller achieve their goals. In this sense, music industry marketing is also a specific interaction between producer and consumer. A producer offers a product on the audio market that will allow the listener to satisfy their needs.

The Emergence of Music Marketing

The emergence of music marketing is associated with the formation of the entertainment and leisure industry. When show business appears, an area in which people earn money by providing entertainment services, there is a need to satisfy the needs of the market as fully as possible. The more competition grew, the stronger the need for special efforts to implement the product being created was felt. The beginnings of music marketing can be traced back to ancient times. For example, Mozart's father performed, in fact, the function of a musician's producer: he selected the repertoire, carried out propaganda activities in order to organize concerts. The composer and performer was a means to profit and to satisfy the needs of the public for entertainment. But in the full sense of the word, music marketing appears only at the stage of high development of the entertainment industry. Only with a glut of the market and great competition does the need for a well-thought-out promotion of a music product arise.

Shaping the music industry

Show business includes several industries: cinema, theater and spectacle, music. The audio industry is a branch of the worldan economy that makes a profit through the sale of a musical product or service. A person has felt the need to listen to music since ancient times, the phenomenon of its impact on the psyche has not been fully studied. However, it is obvious that it is closely related to emotions, which are a deep human experience. It is with them that the importance of music in human life is associated. Once there is a demand, then, of course, there is a supply. The music industry arises along with the possibilities of mass distribution of an audio product, that is, along with technological progress. Show business appears along with public spectacles; researchers determine the date of its birth in different ways: from the 11th to the 19th century. But since the first legislative acts regulating the organization of public shows appeared only in the middle of the 19th century, it is from here that the countdown is traditionally taken. The music industry is formed with the advent of the gramophone record, which begins to spread the musical product to the masses. The next revolutionary stages are associated with the emergence of radio and television. Subsequently, the industry is only gaining momentum, sound carriers are improving, circulation and competition are growing. Every year, the music industry market continues to grow by several percent, growth is especially noticeable in the Internet segment. Today, without promotion, it is impossible to realize any musical project, even with the most talented performers.

Music as a commodity

Songs, performances of audio works, musical groups and soloists are the meansextracting profit. The peculiarity of music as an object of promotion is that it simultaneously combines the properties of a product and a service. An audio product must satisfy the needs of the listener, have a certain quality and a corresponding price, it must have prestige and consumer value, like any product. In addition, music, like a service, is inseparable from the performer, it is intangible, the result of its consumption cannot be predicted. At the same time, an audio product is a commodity, since it has a price, quality, can satisfy a need and requires promotion from the manufacturer to the buyer.

Profession: Producer

A music producer plays the most important role in creating and promoting a music product. He conceives a product, selects a performer and material in accordance with the needs of the market. He understands market trends well, can influence the tastes and desires of the public, and is able to anticipate the needs of listeners. A music producer also financially provides for the creation of a product, he finds equipment, buys music, texts, pays for the work of performers and accompanying personnel. And another important function of the producer is to ensure the sales of the product, he plans marketing activities, organizes tours and concerts. The producer is a central figure in the music industry, he is a specialist in marketing and management at the same time.

Goals and objectives of marketing

Marketing the music industry, like any other, has the most important goal - is to increase sales. But for thatto increase demand, it is necessary to solve related problems. An important goal of music marketing is to spread information about the product and the artist. Only high awareness can lead to a purchase. Another task of marketing is to create a product that satisfies the needs of the listeners. Therefore, each performer must have not only a unique quality, but also a unique positioning. Music marketing must maintain constant communication between the listener and the performer, take into account changes in the perception of the product, form a loyal attitude towards the product on the part of the consumer.

Promotion Items

There are several promotional objects in music marketing. First of all, it is a performer or a group. When a new name appears on the music market, the marketing task is to create awareness of it among the target audience. The promotion of groups and soloists begins with the development of positioning, and only then communication is planned, demand is formed and stimulated. The performer also needs branding, every musician strives to become a brand, because this leads to constant high sales. Also, the object of promotion can be an audio product. A record, a concert, a film, all require a well-thought-out promotional plan to maximize demand and profit. Musical hits are most often the result of thoughtful marketing efforts.

Marketing strategy

The long-term product development plan is called a marketing strategy. Forto develop a strategy, you need to have a good idea of the state of the market and the specifics of the segment to which the product is being promoted. Music marketing as a specific activity cannot apply all existing marketing strategies. Here we need a special approach that will take into account the features of the musical product. The most acceptable strategies are intensive growth, which are based on increasing marketing efforts in existing markets. It is also possible to apply a strategy of deep market penetration, in which case marketing programs stimulate the purchase of more goods, as well as related products and services. Strategies need to drive long-term and sustainable demand, which is why the artist's image is extremely important in the music market and needs to be carefully planned and maintained.

Music Marketing Target Audience

Music industry marketing is based on the concept of market segmentation, that is, on identifying a specific target audience for which a given product is being developed. The definition of a segment is extremely important for the successful marketing of a product. The selection of the target audience in the music market is most often made according to the following parameters: age, gender and lifestyle. There is a product for youth, children and mature people, music for men and women. Lifestyle, interests, tastes are also a criterion for selecting the target audience. You can see that today in all markets, including the music market, demassification is taking place, products are being produced for ever narroweraudiences. So, there is music for fans of Korean series or for goths. This allows you to sell more product.

Promotion methods

There are four main methods of achieving goals in marketing: demand stimulation, direct sales, PR and advertising. All four elements of the marketing mix are used in promoting a music product, but advertising and public relations are used more often than demand promotion. Promotion of a song without advertising and PR is impossible. In order to buy albums, it is necessary to create awareness and demand, and for this, methods such as direct media advertising - placement of information materials in the media, as well as BTL tools - event marketing, communication through social networks, Internet marketing are used.

Music Product Promotion Plan

Based on the chosen marketing strategy, a promotion plan for the artist or group is developed. At the first stage, it is necessary to determine the goals of the promotion, this can be, for example, creating awareness or maintaining fame. Then, activities are planned in three areas: promotion (placement of the product in television and radio programs), publicity (creation of information noise around the product, launching legends and gossip, giving interviews, placement in ratings, creation of journalistic materials), performance (organization of live communication between the performer and listener, organization of concert performances, autograph sessions). Musical groups and soloists must be constantly heard, so it is necessary to use a variety of meansadvertising and PR to ensure the constant presence of the performer in the information field of the listener.

Brands in music

Marketing in the art of music was originally associated with the creation of stars, that is, brands. In order for the listener to trust the performer, to feel sympathy and affection for him, it is necessary to carefully consider the image of the future star. The promotion of groups or soloists begins with the creation of a name, which should contain a certain philosophy, a message, on the basis of which communication with listeners will subsequently be planned. The next step is to create a personal story. Fans want to know everything about their idol, so they will start looking for information about his personal life, past, and the producer must take care of the selling myth in advance. For example, the legend of the mega-popular group "Tender May" was a story about children from an orphanage, this gave the team an additional halo of pity and contributed to popularity. It is also necessary to think over the appearance of the performer so that it meets the expectations of the target audience. In addition, you should formulate a brand platform, a key message that will need to be fixed in the minds of listeners. For example, Stas Mikhailov is positioned as a singer for mature, divorced women, and this is his competitive advantage. After all the elements of the brand are created, it is necessary to systematically maintain the image of the artist.

Global Music Marketing Experience

Today, musical hits are born not only thanks to the talent of composers and performers, but most often thanks to the efforts of producers. The modern industry has put the process of the birth of stars on stream. Of course, talented material is needed to start, but a competent producer who is familiar with effective marketing methods for the production of music brands is more needed. A striking example of such work of producers are, for example, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber or the Viagra group.