On August 29th, I spent the last Saturday of my summer at Wrigley Field in Chicago listening to Foo Fighters play for a sold out crowd of around 40,000. Two weeks later, on September 11th, I spent the first Friday of the school year at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor listening to Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers play for a sold out crowd of around 150.
The audiences of these two artists have very little in common (other than yours truly). Here are my best guesses for some typical characteristics of an August 29th Foo Fighters concert goer and a September 11th Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers concert goer.
Foo Fighters audience member:Age: 30
Previous Foo Fighters concerts attended: 2
Dollars spent on this concert: $75
Dollars spent on previous Foo Fighters concerts, music, and merchandise: $200
Other artists of choice: Nirvana, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Genre of choice: Rock
Drink of choice: Beer
Common brand relationship quality as described by Susan Fournier: Love and Passion (Babin/Harris 121)
Important personality dimensions: Excitement, ruggedness (Babin/Harris 118-119)
Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers audience member:
Age: 21
Previous Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers concerts attended: 2Dollars spent on this concert: $15
Dollars spent on previous JHRS concerts, music, and merchandise: $15
Other artists of choice: Anthony D'Amato, Seryn, The Apache Relay
Genre of choice: Folk, Indie
Drink of choice: Sangria
Common brand relationship quality as described by Susan Fournier: Self-Connection (Babin/Harris 121)
Important personality traits: Openness to Experience, Sophistication (Babin/Harris 118-119)
Both artists were able to sell out their concerts, likely making a large margin. While Foo Fighters and Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers have very different marketing mixes and target audiences, they both are perceived as high quality and add immense hedonic value to their live audiences through energy and playfulness (Babin/Harris 34). Yet, their marketing mixes have little overlap:
Foo Fighters:
Product: Two and a half hours of heavy rock music, massive screens, and screams from frontman Dave Grohl (who sits on a movable throne due to his broken leg). Foo Fighters play 21 songs, 19 of which are their own, extending many of them to 7-10 minutes long.
Promotion: Sonic Highways the album, Sonic Highways the documentary series, interviews, word of mouth.
Price: $75
Distribution: Stadiums and large venues in big cities throughout the North America and Europe
Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers:
Product: One and a half hours of upbeat folk music with dancing from saxaphonist Wild Child. Wild Child and Frontman Joe Hertler dress in costume. The venue is decorated with flowers. The band plays 12 songs, 10 of which are their own, with two extended jam sessions.
Promotion: Terra Incognita the album, free summer concerts, the Blind Pig's website and social media.
Price: $15
Distribution: Small night clubs in medium sized towns in Michigan and throughout the midwest.
Despite these very different mixes, they are able to sell out and be winners in their categories. Foo Fighters dominate the U.S., Canadian, and Eurpean markets for live rock music, while Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers dominate the medium-sized Michigan town markets for live new folk music.
Both are perceived to be high quality players in their segments, creating experiential and social value. Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers add a third segment of value: economical value. Foo Fighters are able to do well with only two segments of value because of the extreme amount of value they generate in each of those two segments.
If you have a favorite artist and haven't seen them in concert, google them and look for an upcoming tour! It can give you an entirely new perspective on their music and you may begin to appreciate them even more. But make sure you think about who else is part of the target audience before inviting your friends: soft, indie music fans may not enjoy the performance or crowd at a Katy Perry concert.
