In the marketing world we talk a lot about the marketing mix. These are all the items and processes used to “sell” a product or service. They include the design of the product itself; the package it comes in, including the fonts, colors, images, and logos; how and where the product is advertised; and where the product is sold (online, big box retail, specialty shops, or its own branded storefronts).
This is one of those “business” decisions that many artists overlook, and the problem begins in the “packaging” phase of their career. This is because musicians focus on packaging the wrong element of their vocation.
You see, for years we have been accustomed to selling music. So when the idea of packaging comes up, we immediately focus on the packaging of our physical music products. We think about CD jackets, sales posters, digital artwork, ecommerce sites, etc. Now I am not saying that is a bad thing, but I AM saying that we are focusing on packaging the wrong piece of our marketing mix.
Listen, chances are, if you are reading this, you know that physical music sales are in the crapper. The consumers have spoken, and they have devalued what music is worth. They went from paying $16 for their favorite tune on a CD to 99¢ for just one track and now pennies to stream it online, if they choose to pay a monthly subscription in the first place. In today’s market, artists who succeed must focus on the other aspects of their career. These aspects include selling merchandise, concert tickets, and, for a lucky few, sponsorships. To achieve these newfound feats the artist must adjust the focus from their music to their overall brand, and with that the package design must shift from CD jackets to the artist themselves.
Truth is, even before the market shifted, the most successful artists understood the importance of promoting more than their music. Stop for a moment and think about some of the iconic entertainers of the last century. Think about Elvis, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Garth Brooks, The Beatles, Carlos Santana, Tupac, Tina Turner, The Grateful Dead, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Marley.
Now when you read their names do you just think about their music or does an image of what they look like pop-up in your head as well? I bet for about 98% of you reading this the latter is true. All of these icons have developed their image just as much, if not more, than their music, and that is still the case today.
I was recently speaking with a national DJ about booking him at one of my clubs and in the conversation we started to talk about his brand. He informed me that venues hire him for his image (which includes his name, his style, his sponsorship status) and not necessarily how many great mixes he put together. Don’t believe me? Take a look at Forbes 2013 list of the top earning DJ’s, and sitting at number 12 is DJ Pauly D who earned about $13 million from his DJ’ing gigs. Hell, Paris Hilton reportedly earns between $100K and $350K an hour for her beats, much to the chagrin of every other DJ on the planet.
I am not saying that Paris or Pauly are better or even bad deejays. I am saying that their image is a huge driving force behind their success. This part of the marketing mix called packaging goes a long way in any entertainment career. So if you seek stardom, you need to start developing your image right alongside your musical prowess.
But the importance of your image development goes even further, and in my next post I will discuss how image helps you psychologically attract the right audience for your tunes. So stay tuned!