COMM 150: Long-tail marketing, an English folk singer and an Afropop-hip-hop-funk-soul urban fusion band from Boston with a whiff of '50s R&B harmony

Here are a couple of examples of artists who keep successful careers going by catering to a niche audience. Where would they fit on the "long tail" frequency distribution graph?

(For an example of a frequency distribution with - literally - a long tail, go to Matt Powell's blog post "Chasing the Long Tail." It also has some tips on how to advertise a niche product in Google. It's worth absorbing the psychology behind them, even if you're not yet selling a product. Someday it'll come in handy.)

Kate Rusby

A 33-year-old folk singer from Yorkshire in the North of Englad, Kate Rusby has a small but dedicated fan base and has been performing at festivals and smaller clubs for 20 years. Her record label is a family enterprise. In the embedded clip (to 6:05) from the British TV show My Music, she explains how it works:



(This clip and the rest of Kate Rusby's show available on YouTube.)

Rusby's definitely a niche artist. A review of her CD Awkward Annie by James Fryer in Gloucestershire Music catches the appeal of music like hers perfectly, if unintentionally. The magazine covers the music scene in Gloucestershire "[f]rom alternative to zydeco," and Fryer sounds like he wasn't too thrilled to be reviewing a folk album:

While Awkward Annie and English folk music in general might not be everyone’s cup of tea, for those not familiar with Kate Rusby this new album would make a welcome addition to almost any collection. It’s perfect for an autumn stroll with nothing more than an iPod to keep you company, and won’t fail to touch your heart on a cold Sunday afternoon in front of the fire. Awkward Annie is well worth giving the time of day and, if you want to catch the songstress live, she’s currently on a jam-packed tour of modest venues across the country.

But doesn't that catch the appeal of a niche artist perfectly? "Not everyone's cup of tea," but playing a "jam-packed tour of modest venues."

Derrick N. Ashong and Soulfège

Born in Africa and educated at Harvard, Derrick N. Ashong (DNA) fronts a Boston urban fusion band called Soulfège. He is also a presenter, or announcer, for The Stream a social media aggregator - a website that links to other media - that also has a daily TV show on the Arab network Al Jazeera.

Ashong's blog at http://www.derrickashong.com/ to promote the band and sell CDs and downloads. In a recent post, he included a clip (5:25) of a local TV news pop in Washington, D.C., publicizing his new album AFropolitan.

Soulfege Visited FOX 5 with New Album 'Afropolitan': MyFoxDC.com

Reviewer Delonte Briggs for the Examiner in Washington, D.C., said, "It took a little replay to get the background and history of the songs but after a little inspection, one can hear the songs are about spiritual warfare, political change, love for three women (mom, daughter & any woman who loves musicians). The artistry, story-telling and world influence makes this a top pick for quality independent international music leaving something for everyone one to grasp onto." Again, like Kate Rusby's, a kind of music that is intended to appeal to a sophisticated audience rather than a mass-market common denominator.

There's nothing particularly fancy about Ashong's website. It has pages on "My Music," Lyrics, The Stream, Videos, Photos, Press information, "About Me" and a store where you can buy CDs or downloads.

"These are songs for ALL the people," he says. "Listen, Download and SHARE the music."

In fact, there's nothing very fancy about either of the two websites. But Internet marketing allows both Derrick Ashong and Kate Rusby to keep a pretty specialized artistic vision intact without starving in an attic like so many artists had to do in years past.