Music Marketing Vlog

 

Music Marketing Research and Planning

 We have started working on a big project in media studies, which is half of our midterm grade. It is called Music Marketing. The first big portion of it was research. I am in a group of 4 and we all must choose an artist in a given category and study their marketing techniques. My group was given the "alternate" category. The music artist I picked was The Cure. Even though this is unrelated, they are one of my favorite bands and I saw them live in 2023, so I was excited to look into all of their marketing strategies for their 2024 album "Songs Of a Lost World". 

I was a bit lost on how to start my research, so I started with their biography. On their official website they have an "about us" tab, so I read it over and wrote the important points. I then decided to start on their non-digital marketing. After a couple of minutes of scrolling through google links, I found a blog of a marketing university professor that was praising the band for their amazing marketing. There he detailed how the band sent their fans secret "black cards", among other things. I obviously cannot just trust a random blog off the internet so I went item by item to verify that they actually happened. I went through several online articles and fan blogs to gather all of my examples of non-digital marketing. The digital marketing portion was easier as all of their social medias, websites, and streaming platforms are super accessible. I just scrolled through most of their social medias and wrote my important points. I did have to do some extra research for their "secret" website and WhatsApp channel, since the website is no longer available and you have to subscribe to the channel. Finally, I worked on the band identity last, since I had just researched all of their marketing strategies. 

Overall, I honestly learned a lot about marketing and how much it can impact fans and artists alike. 

I have attached my portion of the project below: 

Brief history    (Include information on group formation, artist background and other information pertinent to brand development)	Target Audience/Brand Identity    (Describe the target audience of the artist/band.  Describe the brand identity)	Digital Marketing and Distribution     (Explain how the artist/band uses marketing and distribution techniques and platforms.  Provide links or images of examples)	Non-digital Marketing and Distribution    (Focus on how the artist/band uses non-digital practices to market and distribute)
The Cure is an English band formed in 1976 in Crawley, West Sussex. The original band name was “Easy Cure” and it consisted of Robert Smith (vocals/guitar), Micheal Dempsey (bass), Lol Tholhurst (drums), and Porl Thimpson (guitar). Later in 1978 the band dropped “easy”, and Porl Thimpson. And the trio signed to Chris Parry’s “Fiction” label.  In May of 1979 their debut album “Three Imaginary Boys” was released.   They now have fourteen studio albums, six live albums, two remix albums, and seven compilation albums.  The band is known for constantly rotating its members, all for vocalist Robert Smith.    The Cure (2024)	Target Audience:   The Cure's target audience spans throughout multiple generations, from the younger audiences that are attracted to the timeless feel of their music, as well as original-older fans from the 1980s, who resonate with their post-punk and gothic rock sound. Their target audience are people who tend to appreciate their reflective lyrics and unique visuals. People who frequently connect with themes of romance, individualism, and melancholy. The Cure's unique aesthetic has influenced pop culture, as they were inspiring to other alternative bands in the 1980s, and to many artists and filmmakers in the present day.       Brand identity:  One thing that is clear about The Cures brand identity is that they are for the fans. When they started selling tickets for their 2023 tour, fans brought attention to the high maintenance fees Ticketmaster was placing (the maintenance fees were more expensive than the concert ticket itself). Robert Smith (lead vocalist) publicly criticized Ticketmaster online for implementing these high service fees that were significantly increasing the ticket costs for fans. The band has always tried to keep ticket prices affordable, so they opted out of dynamic pricing and came to an agreement with Ticketmaster to not charge the service fee. They successfully kept prices low to ensure accessibility for everyone.  The Cure's unique goth and alternative aesthetic defines their brand identity. They are known for both their ability to balance self-reflection as well as having a distinctive visual presence, like Robert Smith's signature stage style. The band is a symbol of sincerity, creative depth, and a dedication to music that appeals to listeners both young and old.	Website:   https://www.thecure.com/  The entire website is currently branded towards the new album. The color palette matches the album color and as you scroll you are shown al the new website merch available for “Songs of a Lost World”.       They also live stream performances from the band through their website. Moreover, there is a “news” tab where fans can stay updated with all “The Cure” related news.       “Secret” Website:  For the release of the new album, The Cure launched a “secret” website (www.songsofalost.world) that requires a password to enter, which are the same roman numerals from the black cards. Then you’ll see possible new album artwork, and a decaying statue, with an invite to sign up to a mailing list, and an invite to join The Cure’s WhatsApp community (channel). This sense of “secrecy” adds excitement to the fans, as they all feel “special” for being let in to the big secret.     WhatsApp Chanel:   After joining the WhatsApp channel, fans are greeted by the lyrics: “This is the end of every song that we sing… Where did it go?” from the song “Alone”. Through this channel fans also have access to behind the scenes, important announcements, and sneak peaks.        Social Media:     The Cure constantly uses social media platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook to connect with fans. They show behind-the-scenes footage, give updates, share things related to the new album, and tour/show announcements.     The Cures Instagram posts feature visual teasers, tour photos, and album-related images, which are all very engaging and captivating for fans. They have 1.2 million subscribers      The band uploads content on YouTube like official lyric videos to songs, which combine music with eye catching visuals that appeal to both newer fans and longtime fans. They currently have 1.55 million subscribers.      Their albums are available on all major streaming platforms like Spotify, easy reach for fans around the world.       The Cure utilizes Facebook to appeal to fans through engaging posts and video content. They use Facebook to announce concerts, photos, and live stream links. They also use it to promote merchandise and ticket sales. Facebook makes it possible to maintain relevance while strengthening relationships with fans of all ages.      ​	Magazines  Their new album “Songs of the Lost World” was reviewed in multiple newspapers and music related journals all around the world.   Examples: The Guardian, Paste magazine, Rolling Stone, Variety, RIFF, the RockPit.    Vinyl Records  Alongside the new album they released limited edition eco-friendly vinyl's that featured live recordings and unreleased tracks. It was marketed as a collaboration with “Naked record Club” and all profits going towards climate charity Earth Percent, founded by Brian Eno. These were limited edition as only 5 thousand copies were made, and only the first 100 were signed by Robert Smith. This brings together not only vinyl collectors, but eco-friendly enthusiast.     Easter Eggs:  Cryptic Cards  Select fans started receiving black cards in their mail, that when exposed to blacklight revealed roman numerals (I/XI/MMXXIV aka 1-11-2024). This caused a lot of chatter among the fans since it had been around 16 years since the last The Cure album.        Poster  On September 13, 2024, outside The Railway Inn in Crawley (previously named The Rocket), a gold and black poster was hung that had the same roman numerals and the album title. This was no mistake as it's where the band played their first show as The Cure in 1978.