Marketing is often misunderstood as being merely advertising a product, such that it will sell. This is just a small part of the marketing activity. But marketing has also to do with conceptualising your product, such that it will meet the demands of your clients. And it is especially these clients, which are essential. Effective marketing thus is not only an 'after-production phase', but should be an integral part of the whole process - starting at the planning-stage.
Music - especially its performance - and marketing, are two fields, which people often consider not going together. Going to concerts is not considered a tangible service, as you would expect from visit at your doctor's or financial advisor. And consequently, many musicians miss some thorough understanding of marketing themselves. Many (not all) are focussing throughout their entire studies on practicing etudes and prepare for a mandatory solo-concert every semester, happy if they get a gig in an orchestra or ensemble once in a while to earn some extra pocket-money, but after they leave school, this state of mind hardly changes. I witness many who rely on the fact that a suitable vacancy will open sometime, send in their resume and prepare for the auditions - and since they are not the only one, the chance of getting the job is quite small. Then they passively wait for the next vacancy to pop up (of course, there are exceptions), perhaps slowly resulting in a pattern of long-term unemployment.
Marketing includes also, making yourself visible. Nowadays, through the help of internet, making yourself visible is not a big issue any longer (up to the point, that there's perhaps too much of it going on). Last week, as I was in Vienna, a young Korean piano student constructed a trolley, such that she could safely transport her piano through the streets, situated it near the Stephans-Dom in the centre, where thousands of tourists pass by, played Chopin and Liszt, while posters of her personal website were attached to her piano. Even though the weather was spring-like, to sit there and play would still be a schivering experience, but the young lady addressed the crowds directly, convincing them of her playing abilities. It reminded me almost of the scene in Oliver Twist, where the young orphan dared to address the orphanage staff to ask for more porridge. But she appealed to the crowds, people with shopping bags - obviously came first to do some shopping and not listening to a concert -, sat down on the benches and pavement and were visibly impressed. And therefore making time for her. It's like the concept of a super-market; once the customer takes a product which lies within his reach in his hands, he tends to buy it much easier, rather than if it were only a distant offer from a brochure or 2-dimension internet-page.
Marketing music needs indeed a bit more than showing your picture on the internet, or list your repertoire; you must truly convince your (future) audience, that your product (music) is definitely worth listening to - maybe even (audibly) different from other offers. I am not much in favour of popularising music - classical music - for the sake of making it palatable to the masses, by flashing disco-lights when playing Rossini or flickering video effects along with a Tchaikovsky, no huge speaker installations. Nothing of that, but that's only my own subjective view. It's the personal interaction with your customers that makes the difference.
Musicians should be made aware that their product must be well conceptualised - have a maturity and well-thought genuine interpretation; not another mere rendition of Kreisler or Paganini. The quality comes first (in this, it is the responsibility of music institutions too, to offer high-quality and strategic methodologies).
Then the audience (the client) needs to be convinced; impossible? Try asking someone, who (e.g.) listened his entire life only to hard-rock and for the first time attended a live-concert - they are usually smitten with awe, never expecting such an experience coming from a live classical concert (at least listening to a CD never made them convinced). So when new audiences are so impressed, why don't we address them more effectively?
Make them show, that even for the general manager of a big multinational, who deals every day with strategic business issues like sales, yield, profit margins, or investment it is also sexy to go to a live concert, and where music for him does not mean just showing off his top design hi-fi 3D all-surround system. The real sound experience comes from the concert halls. And he regularly can meet perhaps a colleague or a friend-couple, keeping his social and business contacts also alive instead of only e-mailing or phoning.
Classical music is (still) hip enough, so show it to the world! The bottom line is educating your audience by offering them convincing quality.
regards
MS
Music - especially its performance - and marketing, are two fields, which people often consider not going together. Going to concerts is not considered a tangible service, as you would expect from visit at your doctor's or financial advisor. And consequently, many musicians miss some thorough understanding of marketing themselves. Many (not all) are focussing throughout their entire studies on practicing etudes and prepare for a mandatory solo-concert every semester, happy if they get a gig in an orchestra or ensemble once in a while to earn some extra pocket-money, but after they leave school, this state of mind hardly changes. I witness many who rely on the fact that a suitable vacancy will open sometime, send in their resume and prepare for the auditions - and since they are not the only one, the chance of getting the job is quite small. Then they passively wait for the next vacancy to pop up (of course, there are exceptions), perhaps slowly resulting in a pattern of long-term unemployment.
Marketing includes also, making yourself visible. Nowadays, through the help of internet, making yourself visible is not a big issue any longer (up to the point, that there's perhaps too much of it going on). Last week, as I was in Vienna, a young Korean piano student constructed a trolley, such that she could safely transport her piano through the streets, situated it near the Stephans-Dom in the centre, where thousands of tourists pass by, played Chopin and Liszt, while posters of her personal website were attached to her piano. Even though the weather was spring-like, to sit there and play would still be a schivering experience, but the young lady addressed the crowds directly, convincing them of her playing abilities. It reminded me almost of the scene in Oliver Twist, where the young orphan dared to address the orphanage staff to ask for more porridge. But she appealed to the crowds, people with shopping bags - obviously came first to do some shopping and not listening to a concert -, sat down on the benches and pavement and were visibly impressed. And therefore making time for her. It's like the concept of a super-market; once the customer takes a product which lies within his reach in his hands, he tends to buy it much easier, rather than if it were only a distant offer from a brochure or 2-dimension internet-page.
Marketing music needs indeed a bit more than showing your picture on the internet, or list your repertoire; you must truly convince your (future) audience, that your product (music) is definitely worth listening to - maybe even (audibly) different from other offers. I am not much in favour of popularising music - classical music - for the sake of making it palatable to the masses, by flashing disco-lights when playing Rossini or flickering video effects along with a Tchaikovsky, no huge speaker installations. Nothing of that, but that's only my own subjective view. It's the personal interaction with your customers that makes the difference.
Musicians should be made aware that their product must be well conceptualised - have a maturity and well-thought genuine interpretation; not another mere rendition of Kreisler or Paganini. The quality comes first (in this, it is the responsibility of music institutions too, to offer high-quality and strategic methodologies).
Then the audience (the client) needs to be convinced; impossible? Try asking someone, who (e.g.) listened his entire life only to hard-rock and for the first time attended a live-concert - they are usually smitten with awe, never expecting such an experience coming from a live classical concert (at least listening to a CD never made them convinced). So when new audiences are so impressed, why don't we address them more effectively?
Make them show, that even for the general manager of a big multinational, who deals every day with strategic business issues like sales, yield, profit margins, or investment it is also sexy to go to a live concert, and where music for him does not mean just showing off his top design hi-fi 3D all-surround system. The real sound experience comes from the concert halls. And he regularly can meet perhaps a colleague or a friend-couple, keeping his social and business contacts also alive instead of only e-mailing or phoning.
Classical music is (still) hip enough, so show it to the world! The bottom line is educating your audience by offering them convincing quality.
regards
MS
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