Monica O’Brien is a guest writer from Twenty Set, a blog about personal and professional development for millennials. This is her first of hopefully many articles on YGG.
About a week ago my dad send me this email:
Subject: Riot! by Paramore
Message: Get a copy of this CD. There are at least 6 good songs it. My son lent me his copy.
Two things intrigued me about this email: 1) my father rarely recommends products and 2) my brother is 18 years old. So how in the world did my baby boomer father like music written by teenagers so much he sent an email to about 40 of his closest friends and family (of all ages) recommending this CD?
It turns out my dad isn't the only person over 35 who enjoys Paramore. The group has as many parents at the show as they have kids, and the parents love every minute of it. Intrigued, I went to Paramore's MySpace page and listened to some of their sampler music. It didn't take me long to realize this was the same band I'd heard (and liked) on the MTV reality show, The Hills. I also vaguely remember some of the songs from riding in my brother's car over Christmas break.
I checked out their list of hit singles on Wikipedia and noticed they've been gaining speed since the middle of 2007. Judging from their sold-out shows in the UK, I'm predicting they will continue to gain fans and hit super stardom in 2008. There are a few things I believe has contributed to Paramore's snowballing popularity that will serve all musicians (and businesses) well in the future:
Web 2.0 and the Fans
Traditional music labels are out and MySpace is in. We started seeing this trend when Radiohead gave their music away for donations, and as iTunes and Amazon gain traction in both music and TV show sales, digital distribution is soon going to dominate CD releases from major record labels. MTV als
o played a role in giving the band initial exposure in the US, though much of their business is online now through video streaming. Even before Paramore's appearance on the network, the band members were blogging about their touring experiences on MTV's website. I'm sure Paramore had other forms of offline advertising, but the web is where people go to find out more about any band and ultimately decide whether or not to purchase their music.
I liked the fact I could listen to a lot of Paramore's music on their MySpace page and website, as well as purchase the CD through instant download or fueledbyramen.com, their label's website. Paramore is represented well - Fueled By Ramen also produces Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is…, Panic! at the Disco, and Gym Class Heroes.
The band also did a ton of touring to promote both their albums and essentially built their fanbase with a grassroots strategy.
Diversified Music and Image
Riot! is a very diverse album, while still keeping Paramore's signature sound. I could imagine hearing some of their songs, such as “We Are Broken,” showcased on an easy rock radio station. Paramore's music has been compared to that of mainstream pop rock princess Kelly Clarkson's, yet still has the alternative, slightly emo edge with titles like “For A Pessimist I'm Pretty Optimistic.” The lead singer, Hayley Williams, is a modern day version of Patty Smyth or Pat Benatar, at least in looks and tone quality (perhaps why my father and other parents relate?). With all these factors combined, I can see how the band would appeal to many different types of people across many generations.
Repeated Exposure and Recommendations From People I Trust
I ended up buying Paramore's Riot! CD, and since I enjoyed it so much I also picked up their previous CD, All We Know Is Falling. I heard music from this band at least four times and received two endorsements (from my brother and my dad) before I decided to purchase these albums. If my father hadn't emailed me, I don' think I would have made a purchase, and I know I wouldn't have written about Paramore on a website with over 1200 feed readers and even more visitors in their target age group. This shows that one of the most powerful advertisements, especially amongst millennials, is word of mouth.
We can learn from Paramore's rise to fame and apply it to any business:
- Internet presence is essential
- A diversified brand appeals to more people and therefore has a better chance of going viral
- Going viral comes from people talking about you
Be diverse, remarkable, and worth talking about for a better business in 2008.
RSS
Pingback: Finger Linkin’ Good | Sentences