Tweens (U.S.) are a $300-billion economic force, same as Miley Cyrus' or Jonas Brothers' weekly allowance. World's first marketing sociologist with an MBA in marketing and years of experience for nation's largest companies in marketing, public relations and journalism helps market to tweens.
The previous post addresses how to market yourself as a musician today and in the future. There are lessons for corporate America as well. It is interesting the biggest music stars of 2008, the Jonas Brothers, failed twice, as Barbara Walters noted.
“This time they got to experience failure together,” Walters said of their being dumped by Columbia Records in 2007. “With no money coming in, they found an audience on the Internet.”
What puzzles me is what road did Taylor Swift take to become such a huge success in seemingly less than a year? Her first CD was released in 2006, but 2008 was her big year, even before the release of “Fearless.” Maybe Wikipedia has the answer, “Swift has surpassed the 179 million mark for music streams on MySpace. She is currently ranked in the Top 10 for the most MySpace visits for all genres of music, and is MySpace's current top-ranking Country artist. Swift is the most searched musical artist on MySpace in 2008.”
Funny how 2008’s two largest bands – Jonas Brothers and Taylor Swift – used MySpace. I would add YouTube as well. Matter of fact, for three years I’ve been recommending these. When will corporate America listen and end this depression (recession for the namby-pamby)?
Looked at Warner Music stock recently? Its tumble reflects how music has changed in the past five years.
In Phoenix, there are few places to see a band anymore. How do musicians get exposure? Record labels are dead. No one listens to radio anymore. Television is dead. If I want a TV show, I go to YouTube – there’s gossip TV shows similar to TMZ that don’t go anywhere but Internet. Some call this guerilla marketing. I call it today and the future.
The answer of how musicians market today came when Malese Jow sent a request to be my “friend” on MySpace. Like record producers of olde, I listen to all the MySpace friends’ requests. I don’t accept everyone.
Anyone on my MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/greatimageltd is a very talented musician. Of course it helps when they look like Jessica Simpson, Brooke Hogan, Jordin Sparks and Hilary Duff. Even Yoko Ono is there! People I idolize like Eric Burdon, Edward Bernays and Joe Vitale too.
I am a rabid fan of Tiffany Giardina. See http://tweenmusic.blogspot.com/ Jow is as talented – plus she was in the movie “Bratz.”
Jow has a street team everywhere. This is how you market music now. Street teams, Face Book, MySpace, YouTube – and being on TV commercials didn’t hurt a wonderful songstress named Vanessa Hudgens. Then you post those ads to YouTube, MySpace – where ever you can.
I may be missing something Jow is doing, but I could not find any MP3s anywhere. I know MySpace will help you sell them, I was unable to find Jow’s music on Amazon, but that’s where I discovered she was in Bratz. She’s losing money here! Get those MP3s up everywhere possible. Same deal with a very creative guy from Tiffany Giardina’s neighborhood – Christoph; think Dirty Vegas meets Keith Emerson.
On the other hand, a new “friend,” The Fastest Kid Alive (guess their slogan is, a girl walks up and says got a minute – I say, it won’t take that long) know how to merchandise. You can buy the CD on MySpace for $5.99 or Amazon for $4.99. They also have “Click here for online merch store.” Nice touch. Guys, you might want to think of selling single MP3s on MySpace because someone like me might want to do a YouTube mash up with your’s and Miley Cyrus’ “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
Throughout MySpace, and Tiffany Giardina does it, bands list where they are playing. Seems like I get a daily blast from Scotty Johnson, Gin Blossoms guitarist, about where he is playing either with the band or solo.
Ironically, there is a bi-monthly “vinyl” album sale in Phoenix. People are still dealing in vinyl. The bad part is bands of olde don’t get any money from that.
The challenge for musicians right now is how to make money. How would the Rolling Stones market themselves today and build a following like they did in ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s?
The answer is post to YouTube, a MySpace, Face Book, Twitter presence. Also get on as many Internet radio stations as possible, Pandora, I heart whatever, AOL radio, Radio Disney, on and on. Make sure your MP3s are available to purchase EVERYWHERE, like MySpace, Amazon, iTunes-(really, that’s so olde school). I’ve been hyping the heck out of Giardina. I got a full album for under $2! I’m happy. That’s how you market.
Lastly, another marketing tactic from the olde days, the ‘90s. Bands like the Gin Blossoms and Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers tour, tour, tour. Yet, I see Scotty Johnson at many social functions, another marketing tool. Make those American Music Awards, Oscars; get your picture with Brad and Angie (my tween equivalent is Zac and Vanessa or Zack and Cody).
Think twice before you purchase that Hannah Montana Movie soundtrack
Miley's done it, Jonas Bros., Rhianna and Aly & AJ did it on two CDs, and you can bet this CD will do it - the deluxe version two months after this release.
Do you want to spend $15 bucks for your tweens, and then in June, 2009, another $20 for the deluxe version? That's $35. That's what I just bought a $180 Perry Ellis suit jacket for when it was on sale. SHOP SMART. Wait for the deluxe version, with the 2 videos included.
Feel sorry, very sorry for business in the U.S.A. Feb. 19, 2009, the First Brats, Malia, 10, and Sasha (Natasha), 7, Obama jumped up and down at The Kids’ Inaugural held in Washington, D.C., on the eve of their father’s coronation as president.
Other than Disney, businesses seem to have NO clue how to market to tweens. The concert featured Miley Cyrus opening the show and the Jonas Brothers closing. In between were Demi Lovato, Corbin Bleu and Bow Wow.
Lovato, Jonas, Cyrus, Bleu – all on Hollywood Records, which manages most of Disney’s stars. Bow Wow is on Sony.
It appears labels like Sony, Warner Bros and all the majors have missed the tween market. Hollywood Records exploits it well through its Disney affiliation. Add Aly & Aj, Hilary Duff, Vanessa Hudgens, Hayden Panettiere, Jordan Pruitt, The Cheetah Girls and soundtracks. The key to tween music is Radio Disney. This is tweens’ biggest marketing tool.
Radio giant Clear Channel ignores the tween market. Granted, all the Disney tween stars market their concerts through Clear Channel’s Live Nation, yet Clear Channel’s radio stations leave the tween market to Disney. That’s equivalent to Toyota, Honda, etc. leaving truck sales to Ford; wouldn’t happen. Even the auto industry is ignoring tweens.
Disney utilizes ABC television on Saturday mornings, Disney and Disney Family. They know media and how to reach tweens.
This is the largest marketing segment in the world. I saw a guy about 50 with two tween daughters at the mall; bags of Hollister in their hand (Why always Hollister? Inadvertently marketing to tweens through older sisters?). Tweens own the wallets of the latter-day baby-boomers.
Look at Malia and Sasha. Their dad now makes half-a-million a year. They got a concert with their favorite stars, Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. Tweens get what they want from their parents. From a disposable income perspective, tweens represent the largest audience, segment or group.
Here’s the future, too. You can bet the Obama Brats have iPods. When they are 15, they will have iPhones. Apple owns these children. Have never understood Microsoft’s recent campaigns about “I’m a PC.” Yet I do understand the future of laptop computing – and that is computing’s future – belongs to Apple. Microsoft targets geeks. Apple is targeting tweens through iPods and iPhones. Microsoft is confusing. Every three years you need to buy a new computer to get the latest operating system. With Apple, you update, not replace.
The U.S. is going to lose its financial future due to companies ignoring tweens
Nearly two years ago, Richard Kelleher penned in the Arizona Republic, “…the power to form music opinion still lies in the hands of broadcasters that use FCC licenses rather than Internet.”
His premise was that people create top selling music from what they hear on the radio rather than the Internet.
Let me declare Rihanna’s “Disturbia” to be the last song to be made popular by radio. In 2009, radio will die. The song became a hit without being on her CD. It proved so popular, her label had to issue a “Reloaded” work. Most people became aware of this song from traditional radio play.
Radio is killing itself off. Listen to morning shows. Are they music, or all following a pattern not originated, but made popular by Howard Stern, where it is the announcer talking about himself and his friends? Who cares? I have my own friends and it takes like $50 to create an Internet radio station, even less to create a podcast and post it on a blog. Clear Channel, one of the largest empires of the 21st Century, is popularizing this trend through its national KISS radio stations – I’m sure all 50 ADIs have a KISS station.
Revenues are extremely down for radio stations.
Today’s taste-makers in popular music, whether it be tween, 20-something or baby-boomers, will come from local communities. MySpace’s new emphasis on music will be the death-knell for commercial radio.
Guns & Roses, in a stupid move, distributed “Chinese Democracy” only through Best Buy. Yet, they put up a MySpace site where you could hear at least half the work for free. Smart marketing move; sales fell unexpectedly short of goal.
My projection is that at least 60 percent of music sold in 2008 was done through iTunes. Why would anyone offer exclusivity to retail outlets like Walmart and Best Buy? The old term for this thinking was “shooting yourself in the foot.”
Shopping malls will miss the mark again. They could be trendsetters in music tastes – high density, uniformity throughout the nation. How easy it is to set up a lighted banner throughout the store or mall with the sign, you are listening to….(whatever the song and artist is). If there were smart marketers out there, record companies, radio stations and mall owners would have implemented this more than four years ago. Hollister is doing it!
