Over the years I found that "irrelevant" information to be very helpful in understanding what type of person will purchase CD's and Tapes by a band or artist that is not that well known, as well as what type of person gets on board later on, as their career develops, and what type of person waits a long time before they will shell out a few bucks to purchase the CD.

In addition, I became interested in knowing what category would the important Gatekeepers of the music business be placed in? Those people who control whether or not an unknown artist gets signed to a record label, gets gigs at a club, receives radio airplay, is reviewed in the press, and gets their product distributed to stores. I noticed over the years that the personalities of my peers in the music business fit neatly into one of these three categories. So, let's take a quick look at the habits and lifestyle of early, middle and late adopters of music products, and see if there isn't something we can learn about them that will help us market our music.

An "Early Adopter" of music product is a die-hard fan. They are the type of person who know everything about a certain band, and usually about a certain specific genre of music. You can recognize this type of person easily. They have an encyclopedic knowledge of their favorite bands and artists. They usually have a large collection of music in their homes. They attend many concerts throughout the month. They read music fanzines, and other genre specific music publications in order to stay up on what is going on in their field of interest. They are in other words, insiders who are "up" on what is going on in their respective scenes.

A "Middle Adopter" of music product is best described as the casual fan. Music is very important to them, but not to exclusion of everything else. They have other interests besides music. Comparing them to "Early Adopters" when it comes to going to live shows, for example, a "Middle Adopter" might attend 1 to 3 concerts a month, while the "Early Adopter" is usually out in their scene several nights a week, and knows who is coming to town next week, even next month. When it comes to buying CD's and Tapes the "Middle Adopter" might purchase 1 or 2 new items a month, compared with the "Early Adopter" who may literally buy 5 to 10 new CD's or Tapes a week!.

That leaves the "Late Adopters" Who are they? They are everybody else. They are the last to get on board. "Late Adopters" nevertheless, are very important. They are in fact, the main target for the mainstream music business, and they become the type of music purchaser who make stars Superstars. It's just that unlike early and middle adopters, "Late Adopters" have other interests in life, and music is near the bottom of their priority list when it comes to spending their disposable income.If you find yourself feeling smug as you read this, and judgmental about these "Late Adopters"; if you smile knowingly when you realize they need to hear a song 18 times before the song makes an impression on their mind...you are probably an "Early or Middle Adopter" yourself.

I have spent all of my 30 years in this business as an "Early Adopter", and did my part in slamming "Late Adopters" accusing them of having no taste, or at least no curiosity about all the great music that our and other cultures of the world have created. But now, over the last ten years I have made peace somewhat with these folks. I realized that I was a "Late Adopter" myself when it came to non-music interests, and that if everybody else was like myself, we would not have films to go see, gourmet foods to eat, novels and poetry to read, highways to drive on, cars to drive on the highways, doctors to heal us, athletes to admire, etc. etc.

So, realizing that the world might just be perfect the way it is, and realizing that everyone has their own station in life, as well as their own passions to pursue, let's turn back now to the idea that in the music business world there are indeed "Gatekeepers" who stand between an artist's music and that artist's audience. Let's remember that when it comes to letting people know about your music... you need to deal everyday with these Gatekeepers. and everyone of them (from my experience) is either an "Early, Middle, or Late Adopter" themselves. Actually... everybody worth their salt in this business is either an "Early Adopter" or at least a "Middle Adopter" How could it be otherwise? And you? what type are you?...I would hope you are an "Early Adopter", if you hope to "make it" in this business. As a "Middle Adopter" you better have a whole lot of "Early Adopter" friends in high places because a passion for music is what makes the wheels of this industry turn. How passionate are you?

Some Tips For Marketing Your Music

1. Ask yourself questions about your customer; who are they specifically? How old are they? Where do they live? Where do they hangout? What other interests and hobbies do they have?
2. Think up creative and useful promotions to inspire Gatekeepers in radio, the press, distributors and stores, and live venues to want to work with you.
3. Read the music business trades (Billboard, R&R, Gavin, Hits, NEXT, CMJ etc.,). These publications are what the people you want to meet read, and they contain vital information about the ever changing business of music.
4. Leave your home. Get out of the studio. If you want to meet people in the business, the business of music is out in the clubs, and other places where music is played. This is where you will find the A&R Reps, Managers, Agents, Attorneys, Booking Agents, and other Gatekeepers.
5. Save some money to educate yourself about the business of music. You spend thousands of dollars on your instruments, equipment, and supplies. Spend a little on education.