Liz Janik takes a look at where the industry is in 2009 in terms of demographics. How do you breakdown your audience? Are you listeners ACTIVE or PASSIVE fans of your station? Janik also breaks down age groups into decades, rather than the traditional 18-34, etc. groups.
By Liz Janik
As we come to the end of the first decade of the new millennium, it is a good time to rethink formats and how they should be positioned. Stations are programmed to appeal to specific demographics, usually expressed as age and gender. Since musical styles and eras continue to evolve, it is essential to understand how age and the passing of time affect our listeners’ music needs.
Who ‘is’ Your Audience?
I’m hoping that you didn’t say “a 31-year old woman.” I defy you to show me any one 31-year-old woman who typifies all your dream audience members. Fact is, she doesn’t exist. Two listeners who are the same age can have completely different music preferences and musical life histories – even if they lived next door to each other during high school. So, age cannot be used to define music style preferences, but it can be used to determine eras, and the right balance of new and gold selections.
In addition to identifying the right music styles, it is also important to understand how actively involved your listeners are with music – especially new music. Let’s break the general music-loving population into two groups — Active Music Fans, and Passive Music Fans.
ACTIVE Fans
These listeners love music, and are very eclectic in their tastes. They enjoy exploring new music, and build friendships around shared musical preferences, which can last a lifetime. They buy more music, and attend shows more frequently. They prefer current music formats where they can discover new songs and artists. As they age, they will need more of their gold songs in the music mix, along with new.
Uber-active: There is a small group of active fans who stay very interested in new music throughout their lives. Musicians and many radio programmers and music directors fall into this group. Even as they age, they maintain a higher-than-average interest in new music. They are completely different from most listeners, who become musically passive as they age.
PASSIVE Fans
These listeners enjoy music, but it is not the center of their lives. They prefer songs they know and love from when they were younger. Their songs generally come from a fifteen-year window, centered around when they were 20 years of age. They will tolerate unfamiliar music on the radio only if it is very melodic, and fits the overall sound and mood of the station. The majority of listeners are very passive about music by the time they turn forty.
Through the Decades
We all know that it’s harder to get a new listener than to keep an old one. And when it comes to programming music, keeping your listeners depends on your ability to understand how their music needs change as they age.
Teens
Everything is about NOW for teens. They are interested in what is new. Old music, from their point of view, is usually several weeks in age, and they are not interested in hearing it. Most 15-year-olds would choose to hear 100% new music on the radio. With little personal life history, they are looking for their next new thing.
Most people are active music fans when they are teens. They tend to be interested in an extremely wide range of musical styles. They begin to develop their own tastes around the music they embrace, and eventually these music preferences influence friendships, fashion and lifestyle choices. The songs and artists that people love in their early years (18 –24) will be carried forward with them throughout the rest of their lives as “their music.”
Teens would love radio, if radio cared about them. If radio would reflect their music needs and their lives, teens would listen. But for too long, radio has under-valued this audience, and neglected their needs on all levels – music, personalities and information. Pity, since radio can be a powerful social network, when it’s in synch with its target audience.
Young Adults in their 20s
While listeners’ active involvement with music continues as they move through their 20s, their lives get busier with jobs and families. Eventually they no longer have the time to keep up with the newer music that is coming onto the scene. After age 25, listeners tend to become more passive in their music demands. Their music universe only dates back 15 years. Songs from the ’80s are beyond their personal music histories.
30-Somethings
By the time listeners reach their mid-30s, their ability to absorb new music has decreased significantly. They need approximately 60% of the songs in their music mix to be familiar. That familiarity can be built around a higher percentage of re-currents. Their gold selections Music from the ’90s would define their gold music era.
To help put age and era into perspective in 2009: The traditional ‘Classic Rock’ and ‘Oldies’ formats were designed for the parents of these listeners back in the late ’70s, when they were in their 30s. And that was thirty years ago! We’re long overdue for the next generation of gold-based Hit and Rock formats.
After the age of 35 there is also a distinct shift in tuning as music fans increase their time with News, Talk and Information formats.
40-ish
By the age of 40, listeners have settled into their favorite, familiar songs. It takes them even longer to discover and absorb new music. Gold-based formats are much more to their liking. They would prefer a music mix that was 80% familiar, and 20% new. And “their music” comes mostly from the ’80s and early ’90s. Even most of the active music fans have become more passive by the time they reach their 40s.
One important note: the family lifestyles of people in their 40s can range dramatically. They could be brand new parents, or have kids at any level of schooling, or even be grandparents and empty-nesters!
One more significant music observation: Hip-Hop has been on the radio for over two decades now. In 2009, the upper end of the Hip Hop audience is now into their early 40s. Highly polarizing, this music style has divided listeners by age, not by ethnicity. As these fans age, could a Hip Hop ‘Oldies’ format be on the horizon?
50 is the new 40
Feeling younger than they ever thought they could feel after 50, these listeners are embracing a ‘Life is Too Short’ mentality. Contrary to popular marketing myths, they are still active consumers of new products.
Listeners in their 50s are right in the middle of one of the most powerful consumer groups ever: The Baby Boomers. Treasured by advertisers and broadcasters for decades while they were in the magic demo of 25 – 54, Baby Boomers are dropping off radio’s radar as they pass the ‘Freedom 55’ line. Will radio learn to adapt to sell older demos?
Even though they may be open to new ideas personally, these listeners want familiar music. “Their music” era is centered in the ’70s. Time seems to pass much faster the older one gets. This results in older listeners considering anything released in the last few years as being ‘new.’
Rock’n’Roll Seniors over 60
Yep, that Rock’n’Roll generation from the ’60s are now in their sixties! The generation that was taught to never trust anyone over thirty, is now likely to have children who are older than 30. These listeners are the leading edge of the Baby Boomers.
Rethink and Renew
Take another look at your target audience. The people who make up your demo today are a lot different than the people in that demo in 1999. Should your station age with them, or re-position to attract younger listeners?
Liz Janik, President of Janik Media, specializes in researching and strategic positioning of radio formats. She can be reached at 905.454.3865.
