I am a 53-year old, white, middle class woman. I love all kinds of music. Radiohead, The Ting Tings, Bright Eyes, Lady Gaga, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, The Beatles…you name it. Paul Anka and Wayne Newton were never in my wheelhouse, but I do like Susan Boyle and look what she has achieved. Ambient, country, Americana, punk, whatever you call your music isn’t that important any longer.

When you look at the American consumer profile, and the broadest demographic base, music should be aimed at women from the Boomer era. Everyone knows women are the most targeted consumer in this country. There are roughly 78 million people from the Boomer generation. They account for about one third of the American population; and they collect music more than any other commodity. My husband buys tons of music…from country to metal to rock…he loves it all. He was born in 1950…you can do the math.

The sad fact is we find out about new music from our kids who make up a very thin slice of the total population. If music were just for kids, then logically a conglomerate like Mattell would be a great distributor. But music is for everyone. Taste in music is very subjective, so why has the marketing model failed? Because most of the population was left out of the equation.

Boomers are extremely progressive thinkers worldwide. They built the former music industry into what it was. A very smart move would be to flip the model and mirror marketing efforts back at this very population. We have computers, iPhones, every application under the sun because we can afford them. We do not pirate music, because we know someone is making their living from selling it. We go to concerts in all different price brackets in many different cities worldwide.

We’re not dead yet, and don’t plan to be for about another 30-40 years. I’m pretty sure music will help us live longer healthier lives. This is the most logical marketing platform there is left aside from giving away the farm.

And just so you know, we own all Radiohead’s records.
Janet Hansen
Scout66.com

1. Most high visibilty, yet low-key reunion of the decade: Eno/Byrne
2. Silliest fun shiny disc of the decade–that 8-bit Beck EP
3. Guitar-centric downer of the decade: tie between Joe Strummer and Bo Diddley passing.

4. Most mean-spirited, yet somehow pathetically amusing music-related merch of the decade: The “Amy Crackhouse” t-shirt.

5. Unrealized Dada moment of the decade: Henry Rollins spoken word from Get In The Van never got mashed up with Barack Obama speeches with loops from It Takes A Nation Of Millions to Hold Us Back AND loops from any Porter Wagoner album circa 1967-1974.

Cark has spoken