BØRNS: Music and Merch

I recently went to a concert for one of my favorite artists: BØRNS. Garrett Borns and his band just released their first full album, Dopamine, a great set of indie psychedelic pop songs. As this was my third time seeing BØRNS but it was his first time as the headlining act, I was very curious to see what was different. One key difference was in how hist team sold merchandise. Given an audience of highly loyal customers who align well with the "Experiencer" VALS segment, they used strong situational influences to increase sales of t-shirts and albums.

Unlike at a concert of an established superstar artist or an artist with extensive airplay, most of the audience members for BØRNS were dedicated fans. Every person who I talked to at the concert mentioned that BØRNS was their favorite artist, that they were one of the first people to discover BØRNS, or that they had already seen BØRNS perform. We had emotional connections to his EP, Candy, and were so excited to see him headline. Many of us in the crowd were experiencers: we were self expressive, choosing music by what we feel the artist says about us (Babin / Harris 123). We are young: few people in the crowd looked to be over 24. We are certainly enthusiastic and we value the excitement of seeing live music.

Given our excitement and VALS segment, the BØRNS team tried to create a situation that would maximize our impulsive purchases. First, they created a feeling of time pressure. The first 50 purchasers of the Dopamine CD also received a ticket to hangout with BØRNS backstage. While there may have been many people who balked at the idea of a physical CD (who wants to carry those things around anymore?), getting to hangout with him backstage was unequivocally appealing and time pressure helped to increase the likelihood of a purchase decision (Babin / Harris 229). In addition to the time pressure, there was also an affective quality that made the experience of being at the venue feel like a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase a BØRNS t-shirt (Babin / Harris 240). While that seems silly (you can always find BØRNS merchandise here), we wanted to remember the experience of making the purchase at the concert, so we could always remember it.

While the band played differently than when I had previously seen them, the way they sold merchandise as a headlining act was also a significant difference. If you're compelled to purchase a CD because you can talk to the artist after the concert, I suggest opting for waiting outside the venue for them instead. You can always get lucky.

George Ezra: Too Much Sex Appeal

Towards the end of September, I went to a George Ezra concert at the Royal Oak Music Theatre. I went for a fun distraction from school work, but I learned an important lesson about market segments.

George Ezra is a 22 year old singer/songwriter whose hit song "Budapest" is one of the most streamed songs of 2015, with over 195 million plays on Spotify. His voice is most aptly described as sultry. His music is inspired by Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, musicians who hit their prime a generation before George Ezra's fans were born.

So who are George Ezra's fans? Based on his sound, I thought he would have a big range, varying from college aged indie fans to middle-aged soft rock fans. Clearly, I was not thinking about segmentation.

It turns out that Ezra's fans were almost exclusively women between the ages of 16 and 22 (this is not scientific research, simply what I gathered from being at the concert). It turns out that Ezra's fans were there as much for his looks as for his sound. It turns out that Ezra's fans thought his shoulder movements and hair flow were the most appealing parts of his concert.

Just like consumers often find sexually appealing advertisements to be persuasive, George's target audience found him to be persuasive (Babin/Harris 146). They will be a part of his following now for a long time. He has gotten his followers to have consistently positive affect, cognition, and behaviors towards him: they feel good when listening to his music, they think rationally that he has good quality music (like Dylan or Guthrie), and they buy his concert tickets and listen to his songs on Spotify.

Ezra focused on his market segment and turned off many of the men or older adults because of the behavior of his engaged target audience. Their high pitched voices masked his low voice and their constant snapchats blocked our view. I will still love listenign to "Blame It On Me" and "Cassy O'", but I will no longer want to listen to them at a live performance.

Two sold out shows, two completely different markets

My summer was a summer of music. I constantly listened to my Summer Driving Playlist, which I am convinced is the perfect playlist. It ranges from the sweet R&B of Frank Ocean's "Lost" to the energetic, electronic pop of Zella Day's "East of Eden."

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: 2
Dollars 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.