Some of the more popular recently released video games are centered around music. Take the Guitar Hero series. Some believed it would only be the focus of those who play the instrument, but the game has sparked interest from people from all walks of life. It has opened the eyes of all ages to come and play:
Some may say these types of games have a negative influence on children because of the amount of time they spend playing the games. Others may come to the conclusion that it is opening children and young people to listen to all kinds of music and maybe even get them interested in playing music and learning an instrument at an early age. This may just be needed today since many schools are starting to cut music education budgets, leading us to wonder where kids will find the resources to learn to play music. These types of games or even computer software may be the answer.
Recently, the Guitar Hero publisher has released a new version of the game in 80s form. Which demographic might this be aimed at? This makes me believe they are trying to span the spectrum of age with their games. Fun for the whole family!
Another trend in popular music is performers/shows targeted towards children. Pop music has always been, well, popular with all ages, but now the business is huge with the help of companies like Disney Music. Rarely does a day go by that we don't hear about Hannah Montana, whose concerts are selling out in record times and forcing some desperate parents to pay upwards of $3000 for a single ticket, but on average $240 for a ticket with a $26 face value. (Courtesy of ABCNEWS.COM, )
I've heard of this kind of scalping before, but its usually for a hall of fame rock band like the Rolling Stones or Bruce Springstein, not a 14-year-old pop star. Marketing genius! Not only will the kid(s) need a ticket, but all of their friends and one or more parents. Billboard reports that albums like Hannah Montana and the High School Musical soundtrack debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts, showing what kind of sales this group of music is making.
Personally, I see a trend in music being marketed greatly towards young people. They are the one's buying the merchandise and everything surrounding the industry and companies stand to make HUGE profits from it. Kids will always be looking for the next big thing everything that comes with it.
I think Itunes and other download stores have also opened to door to a music revolution. Now anyone, anywhere at any time can buy virtually any album they want instantly online. No need to go to a store or wait for it in the the mail. Kids no longer need a ride to the store, they can just click the mouse and have all the music they want and parents can even control what content is acceptable to be downloaded. According to Reuters, Apple often averages $18.5 million songs per week. Why wouldn't they? With such easy access and an average album price of $9.99, how can they go wrong? Not to mention a huge sales of Ipods to go along with those songs:
(Courtesy of Blackfriars.com)What affect does all this craze over music have on our society? Many argue that we are becoming desensitized to music in a way. We just want to hear something new and soon we will just forget about it. Other will argue that there has never been a better time for music with popular music sites popping up left and right daily. Websites such as Myspace have helped thousands of artists reach out to potential fans and even helped them get record deals.
Companies promoting music surely have their hands in marketing and promoting music to all ages though. They recognize that children can be greatly influenced, but so can adults. With many comeback tours and tons of old albums being remastered, adults and older generations are a large market in today's society.
Music will always have an influence on people and society and will forever be very important to us. We are now seeing trends in music being influenced by media and technology. Is this a good change? That's up to each of us as an individual to answer for ourselves, but we can assume that technology will continue to grow and change to way music is made, consumed, and advertised.
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