Music Marketing Blog Post #2Researching and Brainstorming
Research is a crucial initial step before any planning can be done. My group researched four heavy metal bands that have released music in the last five years. Through our research, we compiled tactics that we could utilize for our own marketing and make our campaign a force to be reckoned with.
Our research was not only limited to information found on a particular website but content directly sourced from the bands:
- Social Media Platforms
- Websites
- Merchandise
- Distribution Applications
- Demographic Data
Our group soon realized that our target audience need not be limited to a single demographic but remain loyal to the primary audience, middle-aged adult males while appealing to the younger generation of teenagers and young adults.
In order to attract the middle-aged adult male demographic, we stuck to typical characteristics of a heavy metal band: hardcore music, grunge name, and rock logo.
In order to attract the teenage and young adult demographic, we decided for our band to have a youthful and inclusive "look," a young trio containing two girls and one boy, all with spunky personalities. Additionally, we promoted our band on several social media platforms and made the music accessible on multiple applications. This will be addressed later. Planning
Once we decided on our band's "look," we needed to figure out how to approach marketing them. We created an outline of our marketing and distribution plan:
- Create Social Media Accounts
- Create a Website
- Release First Single on Major Platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, etc.)
- Create Merchandise
- Decide on a Guerilla Marketing Tactic
- Release First Single Music Video
- Create More Music
- Gain Publicity and Go On Tour
We broke up our marketing plan into digestible steps and established different branches within our group. (A Social Media Component, A Merchandise Component, A Website Component, A Music Video Component, and A Brainstorm Component) We did this so each group member didn't feel overwhelmed with too many tasks.
A screenshot of our schedule and member responsibility breakdown.
Production
For our band to encapsulate the heavy metal genre, we decided on the band name Moral Bargain with a logo that contained a skull and would be visually appealing on merchandise. In juxtaposition with the logo, we decided on the song name "Cost of Life."
Regarding our music video, we decided to make it a storytelling and promotional video. We wanted to represent our band members as "grunge-rock" looking and portray a fast-paced story on anger issues, which is fitting for the genre and is fast enough to keep the attention of our viewers. We made our filming time also a photoshoot. We took individual pictures as well as the album cover and group photos. Again, we dressed each member in grunge-looking clothing.
The "Cost of Life" by Moral Bargain Single Cover
The filming process was highly entertaining. We filmed on a Saturday night in an outdoor shopping area. We felt that the darker, fluorescent-lit atmosphere was best for our video's theme. We had to ask permission to use certain restaurants, so we did this filming earlier in the night and then filmed the band.
A Shot from the Restaraunt
When we took shots of the band, we faced a significant problem! Lack of instruments! In order to improvise, we had our band jump around and look funky and appealing, maintaining a promotional style by promoting the aesthetic and feel of the band even without instruments. I had to hype up my group members in order to "let loose." And they did just that.
Motivating the Band Members
Post-Production
The motivation did work because the band shots and story shots came out beautifully. Our outstanding group member, Zoey, edited the video, and I told her what seemed to work and what did not. The video came out great: fast-paced, well balanced, and genre-encompassing. We even edited a music video teaser that we posted on social media platforms.
The Editing Process:
Glimpses of the Final Result:
Presentation
A pitch or a presentation designed to introduce our group to the public must be created in all great marketing campaigns. We decided to create a PowerPoint of all the marketing strategies and ideas to make our group different from the norm.
- Introducing Moral Bargain
Each band member is an appeal to the younger demographic. Ricky, the lead vocalist, is the face behind the band. Ren and Lilian, the drummer and bassist, respectively, appeal to young adult women who dream of pursuing music, especially amongst a male-dominated genre.
- Our Target Audience
Our target audience was clear and direct. The music entices the loyal, middle-aged male demographic. The "grunge-look," merchandise, and social media pages attract a younger audience to the music.
- Social Media Presence
Our team intentionally created multiple social media pages. Each social media platform typically has a specific age demographic (Twitter - Young Adult; Facebook - Adults; Instagram - Young Adults and Teenagers; YouTube - Varies). If we are active on various platforms, we are reaching more and more potential fans of multiple ages; thus, building a loyal fanbase.
- Merchandise
We created a wide array of merchandise to appeal to the many desires of our fanbase.
NOTE: Each design has a hoodie, beer jacket, or hat that goes with it.
- Marketing and Distribution Trends
Our team noted that our band's music must be accessible. If we were to heavily market Moral Bargain's music but there was nowhere to stream, that would be counterproductive; therefore, we placed Moral Bargain's music on a wide variety of platforms. Additionally, our research of the bands Deftones and Trivium emphasized the importance of interviews, live performances, streaming services, and websites as factors of a great marketing and distribution plan; thus, we included them in ours.
- The Website
Because of technological convergence, a website is vital. Our website contains EVERYTHING: Merchandise, Tour Information, Contact Information, Social Media Information, Frequently Asked Questions, and Song Information. Our website is user-friendly and provides the link to all that is Moral Bargain.
- The Bargaining Tour
To gain attention publically and through word-of-mouth, we intend to go on tour after our band has released an album. Each location varies in popularity and size. Additionally, we created a tour logo, a skull with a gas mask.
- Guerilla Marketing
Placing old junkyard motorcycles around popular locations. The motorcycle would contain the name Moral Bargain on it, and people would be encouraged to sign their name. Guerilla marketing is a cheap way to gain publicity: the quirky display interests people enough to search up who or what "Moral Bargain" is.
Our final PowerPoint slide intended to highlight what makes our band unique. Our final promoter. Our band is unique. Moral Bargain keeps its music consistent but defies typical heavy metal genre characteristics by making its band members young and primarily female. Each team member presented their portion of the presentation based on their assigned component. Overall, the presentation flowed, and the audience's critiques were minor, but positive feedback nonetheless.
Reflection
I was given a group of people I didn't quite know and a genre that I do not normally listen to. To say this project pushed me is an understatement. I learned the importance of time managing and hearing other people's perspectives on creativity. There is no one way to approach a project, everyone has to make decisions collectively. The music marketing project was considerably long but we were given sufficient class time to complete it, as long as we utilized it properly. When approaching the upcoming Cambridge Portfolio Project I intend to make use of the class time I have been given, make a schedule like I did with this project, and don't go off track. The music marketing project seemed like a giant before I started it, but once I broke it down into digestible parts, it was a lot easier to approach.
