I see a trend emerging. I have been writing about this topic for the past few months (Modern Marketing, etc.) on this blog. And now it is official – The New York Times is writing about it!
Here is a link to an article that will appear in this coming Sunday's New York Times “Arts & Leisure” section. The article is titled, “Rock of Ages,” and is written by Jeff Leeds. The AARP – formerly known as the “old fogies early bird special” association – has just signed on to sponsor a national tour for Tony Bennett. The very same Tony Bennett – 80 years young – that the Target corporation got behind. They were the major sponsor for last night's terrific TV Special “Tony Bennett: An American Classic.”
And what about the AARP? They hired Elton John to headline a sold-out concert at this year's “AARP: Life @ 50+” convention in Anaheim, CA. Next year – at their convention in Boston, MA – the headliners will be Rod Stewart and Earth, Wind and Fire. James Taylor is a super start with the AARP crowd. Hey – I grew up listening to each of these artists! I am over-50 and I still like to go to concerts and buy records. And so do a lot of people from my generation – the “Baby Boomers.”
In the “Rock of Ages” article, Leeds quotes statistics that show that the over-50 crowd now accounts for @ 25% of all audio recording sales – and they have about the same % of market share with on-line purchases (albeit buying CD's on-line via Amazon.com, etc. rather than downloading a digital file.) Marketers and advertisers fell over themselves trying to attract the “Baby Boomer” throughout the golden era of the '60s and '70s. And now, they are starting to realize that this generation has money, time and a great desire to continue to make and support music – the music that is the soundtrack of their lives.
So, if you are over-50 and you can't find the music you want at your local Tower Records – bankrupt and closing stores – and you can't find it on the radio or TV, where are you going to go? To Target? To Nordstom's? To Starbucks? Or to a concert tour sponsored by the AARP? Probably, to all of the above. I'll see you there!
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