Music Marketing

Why Susan Boyle Became A Hit And What The Music Industry Can Learn From Her

As I wrote this morning on the MidemNet blog, there are several important lessons, beyond just the power of television, that the music industry can learn from the meteoric rise of Susan Boyle:

Susan boyle "How did a plain and dowdy 40 year old virgin become an overnight
sensation?  Many would say talent that launched Boyle and it is true
that she has an extraordinary vocal chords.  But talent, as anyone in
the music industry knows, only goes so far."
-  more on the MidemNet blog

Bruce Houghton on 04/20/2009 in Music Marketing | Permalink | Comments (5)
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5 Comments

  2. I would normally agree with you about the quick rise means a quick fall, but there’s one thing that I hope will moderate that: talent.
    Boyle’s “Cry Me a River” is great singing. If she put out an album of standards, she should have a very solid base of fans who go for the sound. Look at how well Eva Cassidy albums did. Hardly anyone knew of her until after she had died, but once her music made its way out to a wider audience, a large audience of people recognized her talent.
    When things settle down, Boyle may lose some fans, but those who are interested in a great voice will likely continue to pay attention to her.

  3. Given the amount of coverage Susan Boyle’s received, the 1st album is already set up in terms of plot – not even the labels own marketing department could screw it up! We’d be surprised if Cowell hasn’t already got something in the pipeline.
    However, an album of covers does not constitute longevity. As we said, the novelty factor, upon which any potential Boyle sales will inevitably be based, will wain significantly before the 2nd album of covers is even delivered & it will flop – the moments over by then (there’s the meteoric fall). Both press & market will have moved on to the next big thing – probably the latest Britain’s Got Talent or X-Factor winner.
    Comparing Susan Boyle with Eva Cassidy isn’t an accurate comparison to make – different route to market (impossible for Eva to do TV performances/interviews on key shows), different story, different media spend, different sales profile, different supplier… we could go on. Paul Potts on the other hand, lots of similarities…
    Remember Paul Potts? Where is he now?…
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DelJrP3P7tA

  4. I’m not concerned about the covers. If you are a jazz or blues singer, you are doing covers. If you do Gershwin, Porter, Sondheim, you are doing covers. I could see her doing a whole album of Sondheim.
    What might happen to her is after the mass interest, she retreats to the niche of singers who do Sinatra and Broadway standards. Then most people may no longer hear of her, but people who enjoy those songs will continue to follow her.
    I have a big collection of jazz vocal singer albums. Based on her voice, she would fit right in.

  5. I think she could develop a large niche following, but she’s not going to make much money off of albums. Those days are passing and her singing style is great for live performances…or she may just fall off the map. But she has developed a great personal brand and I hope she makes use of it.

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