In the Music Industry, the power of marketing online is the most useful asset in the promotion of music products."

"In the Music Industry, the power of marketing online is the most useful asset in the promotion of music product" To what extent do you agree with the statement? [50 marks]

I strongly disagree with the above statement that in the music industry, the power of marketing online is the most useful asset in the promotion of music product because while I acknowledge that it is a useful asset, I do not believe it is the most useful asset. It would be ideal to find a method of marketing that balances between both old and new media, however the battle between the two means this is unlikely. For an artist to only promote their music through one production asset I believe is foolish, as they miss out on the other possibilities and opportunities that other more traditional methods of production, such as gigging, radio announcements and advertising, may provide. I will explore and explain the negatives of online marketing, the advantages of traditional promotion methods and then I will move on to acknowlede the benefits to online promotion.

The negatives of online marketing are essential to acknowledge before the advantages of traditional media methods can be highlighted. A prime recent example of an online marketing scheme gone wrong, is when U2 partnered with Apple and downloaded their album Songs of Innocence originally released in 2014, onto all iPhone devices. This action failed due to the push advertising method being the motive behind this, which caused a backlash of complaints from costumers as they felt they were being pressured with this unwanted material that was considered to be "worse than spam", especially since many listeners did not give positive feedback to the album when it was released in 2014. This case study shows that there are many setbacks to online marketing and mistakes can be easily made when it comes to online marketing strategies.

Traditional media methods, also known as old media, can be described as ways of music promotion that were used before the existence of the internet and have a proven and reliable success rate. Gigging is an example of traditional marketing and it allows the artist to have face to face interactions with their fans, which builds a personal bond and loyalty. It also gives the artist more performing experience which will help strengthen their knowledge and confidence on stage. Gigging is a good opportunity to use for the promotion of the artist as an individual through selling merchandise and CDs.

More traditional advertising assets to the promotion of music include billboards, newspapers, magazines, television and the radio. Television advertising, radio announcements and billboards are mostly used by companies with larger marketing budgets. These marketing assets have been used by companies for years and are known to be useful in the promotion of music products in multiple ways. The use of television is particularly beneficial with recent developments in the reach and sizes of audiences increasing at a phenomenal rate. In the application of television advertising, the reach refers to the total number of people exposed to the product being advertised. It is not uncommon to see that many channels will have hundreds of millions of viewers, with a reach and ratings that will fluctuate unpredictably. Advertising in between popular television shows on channel with the largest reach is smart and useful in terms of marketing as the promotion of a product or artist will be exposed to a larger audience. Television advertising is also an asset in the promotion of music product as it provides a multi sensory appeal, meaning it incorporates sounds, images and movements to make the promotion of the music product more interesting for consumers. Television will often promote a band or artist through the advertising of their work: by either using the artist`s song or showing a short trailer for a music video. It gives meaning and depth to the artist, instantly making them more memorable to the audience as they are able to understand and grow to like the person behind the music.

Another popular asset in the promotion of music product, is the radio which is cheaper and perhaps in a way, more effective than television advertising. Radio announcements directly target a music based audience who are more likely to follow up and research a new artist they come across on the radio, as that is why most of the radio audience tune in for: new songs, new sounds, new artists. Some Radio stations broadcast 24/7, such as Beats1, and others are more accessible, for example podcasts via iTunes. The biggest and most popular national radio stations, Classic FM, Cool FM and Absolute Radio are just a few examples of commercial radios that take years or work and experience to gain mention or appearance on. This is where many new artists become disheartened, when these national radio stations schedules are too busy to fit them in. This is where non-profit radios and community radios come in. These two types of radio are generally dedicated to the promotion of local music which will help build a local fanbase for new artists or rising bands.

An example that demonstates the how much of an asset traditional media is to the promotion of music production, is the marketing strategy used for Beyoncé`s most recent album Lemonade, released in 2016. She began making more public appearances while released sneak peeks and teaser trailers of new material no one had ever heard or seen before which created a palpable buzz among the "bey-hive" (the nickname Beyoncé fans have given themselves to represent their loyalty and admiration of the global superstar, naming her Queen Bey at the centre). Beyoncé partnered with the massively popular American television channel HBO, which broadcasts well known exclusive shows such as Game of Thrones. During this partnership, viewers and audiences around the world could turn over to HBO to witness the unveiling of Lemonade on television, which had been kept quiet until the moment of its global release. In a single hour, Lemonade rewrote the textbook definition of what a visual album should look like. According to a report by the New York Times, Lemonade was streamed over 300 million times worldwide within the first week of its release. The album`s astounding success is down to the ingenious marketing strategy used in its promotion.

More small scale traditional methods of marketing music products include flyers and posters. These are typically used in grassroots marketing. Instead of launching a message online that will appeal to may people, efforts are targeted to a smaller group in the hope that this small group will spread the message to a much larger audience. These smaller scale traditional methods are commonly used by street teams rather than larger companies. The term 'street team' describes a team of people who will walk the streets, promoting an local event or product through interacting with passing civilians.

However there are many people who would agree with the statement in question, that in the music industry, the power of marketing online is the most useful asset in the promotion of music product, for many reasons. There are many social media mediums that the internet provides, which are useful in online marketing for the promotion of music products and artists. Just like a television has an audience of viewers, social media sites have a global scale of users. Facebook is the largest social network in the world, with over 1,300,000,000 users. This massive reach is useful for artists to connect with their fans by posting regular updates, music videos and messages. Audiences and users of Facebook can view or listen to a track with the click of a button anywhere around the world. Facebook can be considered as an online marketing method for artists which is more effective than traditional methods such as billboards, flyers and gigging because it is not limited to a smaller area.

Online marketing commonly uses the 'pull' marketing strategy, rather than the 'push' tactic used by U2 to promote their album Songs of Innocence as previously mentioned. Pull strategies appeal to audiences by using methods like suggested playlists, feedback and recommended artists to attract listeners to a new artist, rather than forcing material onto the audience, who will feel pressured and lose interest. An example of a case study of someone who used the pull marketing strategy is Amanda Palmer with her #LOFNOTC trend.
Amanda Palmer effectively used the power of social media to make $11,000 in two hours and is an excellent example of a case study that shows how online marketing can be a major asset to the promotion of a music product. Amanda is widely known for her social media expertise and presence. Advertising Age said, "Palmer is more sophisticated than almost anyone on the internet - musician, brand or otherwise - when it comes to gathering her audience around her and keeping the conversation going.". On a Friday night Amanda tweeted about how she was alone again sitting in front of a computer. Others online reacted and retweeted this, saying how "we are all losers". This phrase began tradning across multiple social media sites at a rapid pace. Amanda created the hastag #LOFNOTC and thousands continued the trend. A fan based organisation was started called "The Losers of Friday Night on their Computers". Followers began suggesting ideas to help promote the hastag, one of the suggestions was a promotional tshirt. Amanda made her own shirt design using plain tshirts and a sharpie marker, selling them for $25 a piece on a new website dedicated to the sales of the tshirts. Two hours later, Amanda had made over $11,000.

A popular marketing technique used in association with online marketing, is the use of visual media which makes use of images, sounds and movement as previously described. Visual media is more and more common on social media, specifically Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter which are all used by hundreds of thousands of users every day. Visual media keeps things interesting for an audience that can come easily distracted or disinterested, which is what makes these social media sites so well known and popular as they are solely based on visual media. Fans see their favourite celebrities use these sites and will in return use them to connect with their favourite artists. Visual social media sites help create a more personal bond between artist and fan, and adds to the visual sides of digital and online marketing.

An important disadvantage to traditional media which must be acknowledged, is the fact that most traditional marketing campaigns use the 'push' marketing strategy, which can be in some cases damaging in the promotion of a music product or artist. Push marketing strategies often take longer to plan and develop and in the production of music, time is money.

So, in conclusion, I disagree with the statement that in the music industry, the power of marketing online is the most useful asset in the promotion of music product. While I recognise that it is a useful asset in the promotion of a music product, it is not the only useful asset. It would be ideal if both traditional media methods and online marketing methods could be combined to create a balance, however the constant battle between old and new media makes this unlikely.