Disney (DIS) has caught the music industry by surprise with its smash music hits that have targeted the lucrative tween market. The two big hits "High School Musical" and "Hanna Montana" have topped the charts and caused the industry to take notice. The big thing about this is the tween demographic is one of the few groups still more likely to buy music on a CD.
High School Musical - We're All In This Together
Of course the industry is now belated trying to attempting copy Disney's success. One thing they've done is sign up some tween acts or distribute tween-targeted songs on music download sites.
Concerning the attempt by the music industry, general manager of Disney Music Group, David Agnew said, "I'd be surprised if labels don't try, but they don't have the multiple platforms."
While Agnew's comment is accurate, I think there's another element in the mix that needs to be included. The music industry has targeted the pop culture crowd for so long, that includes a lot of material not suitable in any way to younger kids. To suddenly think they can change their stripes, is a monumental task, to say the least. Personally, I don't think they're capable of it.
Hannah Montana - Who Said
Just to throw together a few music groups and market across what's available isn't going to come close to what Disney has done. The industry will find it extremely difficult to alter its mentality; if they're even willing to. By that I mean it won't put out the same type of material that Disney has become masters at, because the audience they serve is who they've been. When they went outside that audience, like they did in the past, their customers made them pay for it.
To compete successfully with a company that was created to target families and this demographic, and served it for decades, isn't something that can happen by simply finding a new market to serve that they haven't targeted before. Are they going to convince protective parents and grandparents, who spend about $170 billion on them a year, that the industry is suddenly kid-friendly?
This of course isn't going to stop the industry from trying. There will probably be some instances of occasional success, but these companies would really have to change if they expect any sustainable, long-term success with tweens.
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