Over the weekend I went to the Bell House to see a band from Portland called Blind Pilot. Although I was not entirely familiar with them, I had heard about the band and liked what I heard. However, I had never heard of the bands that opened for them. And after dedicating an hour of my time to the openers, my mind started turning.
Lately I’ve been doing a great deal of reading about creating positive brand experiences for consumers. It’s often a daunting task to reach out to a consumer, especially if it’s a brand that they have never even heard of! Yet in the case of the show I attended, the brands/bands that I had never heard, captured my attention for nearly a half hour each. I think the most obvious reason for this lies in the fact that I know and like Blind Pilot; meaning that the “no-name” bands established credibility through being paired with a reliable source. However, my mind delved a step deeper, and I began thinking about the modern consumer vs. the “traditional” consumer.
In the case of live music, consumption patterns have drastically changed over the past several decades. I’ve always found this interesting, and to illustrate my point, let’s consider the 1970’s audience that my dad’s bands played for vs. the 2000’s audience that my band played for.
In the 70’s, the audience wanted to hear the biggest and baddest hits. Considering this, local bands’ sets consisted of almost entirely cover songs. A small-time band was judged on their ability to accurately cover songs by the day’s most popular artists. The modern audience however, craves something unique. They want something new and exciting, it’s almost repulsive to sound like a popular band.
I think today’s brands can use this information. It reveals to us that the modern consumer does not want a rehashed experience, no matter how good it is. They want something cutting edge, something they can be the first to know about, and something they can share with their friends.
Live Music Consumption Patterns & Brand Experiences
Over the weekend I went to the Bell House to see a band from Portland called Blind Pilot. Although I was not entirely familiar with them, I had heard about the band and liked what I heard. However, I had never heard of the bands that opened for them. And after dedicating an hour of my time to the openers, my mind started turning.
Lately I’ve been doing a great deal of reading about creating positive brand experiences for consumers. It’s often a daunting task to reach out to a consumer, especially if it’s a brand that they have never even heard of! Yet in the case of the show I attended, the brands/bands that I had never heard, captured my attention for nearly a half hour each. I think the most obvious reason for this lies in the fact that I know and like Blind Pilot; meaning that the “no-name” bands established credibility through being paired with a reliable source. However, my mind delved a step deeper, and I began thinking about the modern consumer vs. the “traditional” consumer.
In the case of live music, consumption patterns have drastically changed over the past several decades. I’ve always found this interesting, and to illustrate my point, let’s consider the 1970’s audience that my dad’s bands played for vs. the 2000’s audience that my band played for.
In the 70’s, the audience wanted to hear the biggest and baddest hits. Considering this, local bands’ sets consisted of almost entirely cover songs. A small-time band was judged on their ability to accurately cover songs by the day’s most popular artists. The modern audience however, craves something unique. They want something new and exciting, it’s almost repulsive to sound like a popular band.
I think today’s brands can use this information. It reveals to us that the modern consumer does not want a rehashed experience, no matter how good it is. They want something cutting edge, something they can be the first to know about, and something they can share with their friends.