Music Fans

They can be quite different

BUT THERE ARE 5 COMMON categories THAT many music lovers fit into

Common Grounders

Identity Seekers

Trend Surfers

High Fidelity

Aural Flaneurs

THE CATEGORIES

COMMON GROUNDERS

Common Grounders

How do they listen? Chronic repetition increases rather than decreases enjoyment Exposed to, rather than seek out music Demonstrate and Copy performance is a key part of success to this stage (Wiggles, Macarena, PSY)

Common Grounders

PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTEXT Strong desire to bond over common interests. The more people that like what you like, the better Individual taste < Majority taste Idolize music heroes, will dress up as their favorite stars

Common Grounders

Purchase behaviors High disposable income but music purchase is partly curated by their parents Music purchases heavily influenced by peers Limited online capabilities means pirating is relatively low

Common Grounders

Online behaviors Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat/YouTube ‘Kids online games’ such as Club Penguin Supervised browsing on shared devices

Common Grounders

TYPICAL eRAS for this stage

IDENTITY SEEKERS

Identity seekers

HOW DO THEY LISTEN? Seeks out genres that they aren’t naturally exposed to Obsessed by the stories behind the artists (Kurt Cobain, Ian Curtis etc.) Quality of music is secondary to identity of the genre and emotions tied into the music

Identity seekers

Psychological context Genre they love shapes personal identity and values Use music escapism as a way to deal with intense psychological developments Music as a form of rebellion, consistent across genres (Gangster rap, Punk, Metal)

Identity seekers

Purchase behaviors Yeeaaarrrr I be a pirate! Whilst music purchase is low, purchase of music related items such as posters, merchandise and other identifying items is high All the concerts. Concert wristbands are badges of honor

Identity seekers

ONLINE BEHAVIOURS Snapchat/Instagram/Tumblr/Facebook/YouTube/Twitter Online shrines to the genres they love (Tumblrs/Facebook cover photos) Online fan groups and forums

Identity seekers

Typical music eras

TREND SURFERS

tREND SURFERS

HOW DO THEY LISTEN? Knowledge of genres > enjoyment of music Bell curve drop off for band’s popularity within this stage Return to radio and other media outlets for music discovery (Pitchfork, XLR8R)

tREND SURFERS

Psychological context Insecure, music listened to as a a social personality builder Concept of identity and self-image shifts quickly through phases Music is valuable social currency within the peer group

tREND SURFERS

Purchase behaviors Supporting the ‘scene’ starts to become important to some so a slight decrease in illegal downloads Physical copies of songs (vinyl) bought as decorative merchandise rather than listening material Going to concerts is a lifestyle purchase rather than a passion purchase

tREND SURFERS

Online behaviors Facebook/instagram/blogs/hypemachine/soundcloud/twitter/tumblr Online identity curation is critically important Digital brags in the form of first finds of songs/memes/interesting content

tREND SURFERS

TYPICAL MUSIC ERAS

HIGH FIDELITY

HIGH FIDELITY

hOW DO THEY LISTEN? Into one genre specifically Equally important to be aware of the genre’s past as well as up to date with new releases Collecting, knowledge of artist, production and instruments used is important. This stage is more intellectual than others

HIGH FIDELITY

Psychological context Music is a solitary experience, in this category fanatics would go to a gig alone Use the pressure of collecting and staying on top of the latest releases to replace real life pressures Music lovers in this category can be split into those who use their intense devotion to a genre as an escape and those who intellectualize music to a point where it helps them think about life

HIGH FIDELITY

PURCHASE BEHAVIORS They buy a lot! Respect for the genre and artist means pirating is lower than other stages Vinyl and the crate digging rituals that come with it is critical. Music becomes so important that it deserves physicality, a large collection of vinyl is a shrine to the genre. More money spent on audio equipment for listening

HIGH FIDELITY

Online behaviors Facebook/soundcloud/youtube/blogs/podcasts/forums/genre specific websites Active members of genre-specific forums for new release news and comprehensive discussions Digital brags only relevant within the dedicated communities, so communications within echo chambers such as private groups on facebook are common

HIGH FIDELITY

Typical music eras

AURAL FLANEUR

AURAL FLANEUR

How do they listen? Pure enjoyment music used for happiness, pleasure and nostalgia Exposed to music from a variety of genres and eras. Not too concerned with the relevancy of the source of exposure and loyalty to artists is low. Use music to aid their situations rather than escape from them, i.e work playlists and playlists for entertaining

AURAL FLANEUR

Psychological context Stressed with work and family Comfortable with identity, not easily influenced Happy to dip into cultural experiences but won’t adopt them as part of their personality as much as younger stages

AURAL FLANEUR

Purchase behaviors High income and relatively low digital knowledge means purchase is high Itunes is a convenient way for them to purchase the music they love, Spotify is also popular Happy to purchase albums before listening to the songs

AURAL FLANEUR

ONLINE behaviors Facebook/YouTube/Major Web/Spotify/Pandora Streaming podcasts from major media sources As easily influenced by online album reviews as friend recommendations

AURAL FLANEUR

Typical music eras

AURAL, BEHAVIOURAL AND CULTURAL PROGRESSION

Common Grounders

Identity Seekers

Trend Surfers

High Fidelity

Aural Flaneurs

aS WE GET OLDER OUR TASTE IN MUSIC CHANGES ALONG WITH OUR BEHAVIORS AROUND MUSIC. lET’S LOOK AT SOME PROGRESSIONS THROUGHOUT the categories

Common Grounders

Identity Seekers

Trend Surfers

High Fidelity

Aural Flaneurs

hOW THEY LISTEN

Exposed to music (pop)

Seek music they aren’t exposed to

Only listen to music that they are exposed to from relevant sources

Only exposed to music within a specific genre

Exposed to music (wide variety)

Common Grounders

Identity Seekers

Trend Surfers

High Fidelity

Aural Flaneurs

Psychological context

Use music to bond with the majority

Use music to create identity within a minority

Use music to build identity value

Identify with music

Use music for emotional pleasure

Common Grounders

Identity Seekers

Trend Surfers

High Fidelity

Aural Flaneurs

Purchase behaviors

Purchase influenced by majority

Purchase influenced by minority

Purchase deterred by majority influence

Purchase influenced by genre desires

Purchase influenced by enjoyment

Common Grounders

Identity Seekers

Trend Surfers

High Fidelity

Aural Flaneurs

Online behaviors

Supervised browsing

Digital identity search

Online curation

Browsing within digital echo chambers

Digital tourism

THANK YOU Michael goldstein, strategist at Mry nyc. @Mickeyg77

Email me questions and thoughts – Michaeldgoldstein77@gmail.com