International music history and cultural contexts

International of Music

Under the circumstances in which globalization has opened the barriers between geographical frontiers and has basically created a sort of unique international market, it is useless to say that this market is worth entering due to the numerous opportunities it present. The opportunities are available for any type of product or service, including a singer. Nevertheless it must be underlined that the international market offers more than opportunities, it presents numerous risks and challenges that one needs to face. The main threats are represented by the cultural differences and the finances needed to support the distribution channels and the communication campaigns.

Product description

The product s represented by an artist who is currently based in the United States of America. The artist is a male who has already achieved success at national level. The success achieved here can be translated into economic profits, but also into other advantages such as recognisability and awareness from the audience. The press coverage and the already achieved popularity can be considered strategic elements and a basis for a development of the market where the product can be sold.

SWOT

The main strong point is represented by the already achieved success. The fact that an artist has become popular in the United Sates proves that his art is appealing to a large number of people. Therefore he has all the premises to achieve success in other countries as well. Music is after all, an universal language. In addition, the fact of having already obtained success at a national level implies another strong point, that of having already developed relations and connections with the mass media. This as well is a strategic element which will help to expand the artist's market.

A further strong point is represented by the artist's very nationality. He can be considered a talented person, but he can also be perceived as an American product where the origin of the production becomes a guarantee for quality. It is worth underlining that the largest number of artists who are successful at an international level are American ones or have at least started by achieving success in the U.S.A.

Further explaining this advantage one could state that having success on a market which is as large as the American ones implies that the artist already has a well created image. This image is probably based on variables which are simple and universal, stereotypical enough in order to be easily recognised everywhere in the world. This is extremely important as it will allow for an easier recognition from audiences in other countries. It will also probably contribute to the achievement of awareness in a faster rhythm.

Another strong point is represented by the language that the artist uses. It must e underlined that while English is not the number one language in the world from the point-of-view of the number of people speaking it, it definitely is among the most popular ones, if not the most popular one. It is considered an universal language and this has a fundamental importance.

Music is a product which sells through two major attributes. One is the image which the artist benefits from. The other one is represented by the emotional impact. People buy music because it touches them at a psychological level. The psychological impact is increased when the words increase the intensity of the music itself.

The truth is that an artist sells not only his music but his image as well. Usually, the international success of an American artist has the audience liking his music, but also identifying themselves with him or desiring to be just like him.

There are however weaknesses that must be taken into consideration and not just strong points. It is interesting to notice that a factor which is considered a strong point from a certain point-of-view can also be regarded as a weak point if judged from another perspective. It has been stated that the nationality of the artist is an advantage and that it constitutes a type of guarantee for successful business.

This remark is supported by factual evidence consisting in the large number of artists operating on the American market who have achieved huge international success. It seems that the American recipe works, but it must be underlined that perception is not identical throughout the entire world.

In other words, while America is a brand which guarantees success in some parts of the world, it is just as true that it may cause failure in other parts where America is associated with concepts such as futility and superficiality.

Another weak point is represented by the lack of experience in dealing with a foreign audience. While a certain image has been created and has achieved success in the U.S., this does not guarantee the same rate of popularity abroad. People living within the American borders may be used to certain types of behaviour while the others living in Europe, Africa and Asia are most definitely accustomed to something else.

There are nevertheless a lot of opportunities that the artist can use in order to become successful. It is known that that the importance of the media is crucial when one desires to achieve international success. The fact that the artist has already achieved success at a national level implies that the American media knows him and has given him enough coverage as to make him recognizable and popular.

A medium the importance of which must be underlined right from the very beginning is MTV. It is true that the MTV channels differ from continent to continent, but it is just as true that all the artists which are promoted by MTV America usually get to be promoted in the other countries as well. This opportunity must be used in order to enter other markets. Entering foreign charts is the best way to become known and successful. What usually happens is that once an artist is promoted by MTV and he achieves success in the charts, other media will start to be interested in him and begin to promote him.

It is important to understand the mechanism of this process. Once an artist gets the attention of MTV, even at a new entry level, other media will publish him and try to make him popular because his popularity means more audience for them as well. apparently this functions in a cyclical manner, whereas more popularity for the artist means more audience for the medium which means more popularity for the artist.

Another opportunity is represented by the large dimension of the market. On the one hand there is the European continent where a very large number of people understand English and are open to products and services coming from the U.S.A.: on the other hand there is the huge Asian market. The main opportunity that it provides is represented by its size. Achieving success in Japan or China is definitely a very good way of earning a lot of money if we are to take into consideration the extremely large number of potential buyers.

Another opportunity is represented by the very nationality of the artist. When trying to sell one's image as a product abroad, in territories such as China or Japan, being a foreigner may become an advantage since one is perceived as being different, exotic and therefore appealing. From this point-of-view we could analyze the opportunity represented by the Japanese market.

Not only is this market very rich from the point-of-view of the potential customers. It is also a market which at least from this point-of-view is very open to products coming from abroad, as long as they are perceived as being appealing. The target audiences are represented by teenagers, young people and the adults. The first two categories are attracted y what is considered "cool" so the artist could use his image and its attributes in order to become popular in this cultural area.

The role of the media is very important again, since it is the media which creates this image up to a certain point. Young Japanese people are extremely fond of fashion. In a country where the latest trends in technology and innovation come from, it is normal for people to be willing to be up-to-date with the latest hip from all the areas including the one of entertainment. Therefore, the artist benefits from an important opportunity in term of positioning.

Another opportunity is represented by the market within which the product is sold. It is important to underline the fact that the U.S.A., but also the rest of the world is undergoing a financial crisis which has numerous consequences. The one with the most negative impact is represented by the diminishment of the power of acquisition. However, even in times of crisis people are willing to invest in leisure activities, going to a concert or buying a nice CD represent means of relaxation which is nothing but a normal reaction to the stress caused by work and everyday duties and happenings.

A further opportunity can be found in the very nature of the product. Music is something that reaches the soul. In other more pragmatic words we could state that its role is to answer psychological needs. From this pint of view the greatest opportunity that the artist benefits from is the one of making good quality music. Normally the high quality product should sell itself. In reality it will need a bit of promotion and advertising to achieve its purpose of becoming successful abroad.

Now that we have taken into consideration a multitude of strong points and opportunities, we should probably underline the fact that there are important threats that one must take into consideration. The first threat that we must analyze is represented by the competition. It is true that being a male could be an advantage on the international music market.

One may become the idol of the boys and a desired partner for the girls. Especially under the circumstances in which the number of international successful male singers is not very big. However, the competition includes the female artists as well. This means that the artist will have to provide a value added product which will boost sales through its intrinsic qualities.

The competition represents a threat because it has been on the international market for longer and has already acquired an important share of it. Having achieved popularity as an international artist means that international brands may have wanted to associate their image with them. From this point-of-view we may speak about an important barrier to entering this market. Internationally successful artists are perceived as stars and it is difficult to become a star over night. It is true that a hit single can bring you in the spotlight and the artist may benefit from international media coverage. But it is just as true that just a single hit is not enough.

A threat that no artist can afford to ignore is represented by the internet and free downloading. The international rights regarding copyright issues are very clear for everybody. Yet this has never prevented anyone from downloading songs and movies from the internet of with its help, from programs which allow users to share their resources. It is true that the sound quality of a song on an original CD or DVD is much bigger than the one of a song which one can download in an mp3 format from some website.

Nevertheless it is just as true that a CD implies a certain financial effort while downloading from the internet does not. The fact that this practice is illegal does not represent a moral dilemma anymore. People do it without remorse. In addition, it is worth underlining that while the laws are very clear, it is quite difficult to monitor and discover the act. This allows for the practice to be very wide spread and extremely difficult to control.

The main consequence that it as far as the artist is concerned is in terms of sales. More people downloading the songs from the internet without paying for them means less people buying the CDs and therefore smaller profits for the artist.

Another important barrier that one needs to be carefully taking into consideration is represented by the cultural one. And here there are two important aspects that must be analyzed. On the one hand there is the issue of perception of the product which differs according to the various geographical and cultural locations. On the other hand there is the challenge that the communication campaigns are faced with.

People have different ideas about beauty and the quality of a product. Something may be popular in a country and yet be negatively perceived in another according to the preferences of the inhabitants. In this area we are dealing with a factor which is very difficult to influence. Taste is based on certain values and it is an almost impossible task trying to change these values.

An artist can be considered as an incarnation of a single style. One can't be singing rock in Europe and pop in China while performing country music in Japan for example. Overlooking the trend of preferences, it could be stated that what one needs to do is target his clients properly. In addition, it may be suggested that quality sells regardless of the area the product comes from. In other words the artist should concentrate his efforts mainly upon the quality of his product.

The difference of perception of the product may also derive from the linguistic differences. This does not imply a need to change the language of his lyrics. Just as it has been already stated, music is an universal language which addresses emotions and not reason. Under these circumstances it can be stated that is enough for the artist to produce good music and people will like it. Japanese fans will end up learning the English lyrics if they like the song.

In the contemporary world the main focus is on the image. People are stressed and tired and compelled to do many things in short time intervals. They pay less and less attention to complex messages from the environment. Their attention is caught be attracting images with short messages which are easy to remember and recognize. From this point-of-view we could speak about an important cultural barrier.

Every product, regardless of its nature, needs to have a supportive marketing campaign behind it. Such is the case with art as well. Under these circumstance it can be clearly stated that an USA artist who has already achieved local success and wishes to become successful at an international level must use culture responsive marketing techniques.