Quizzing The Bellwethers At Bandwidth

Preview #2: To kick off the Bandwidth Music | Technology Conference next week, Larry Weintraub, of Fanscape will  delve into the minds of the future itself – a panel "bellwethers" or young people 18-22 – to ascertain how they discover, interact with, and (sometimes) purchase music.  To develop questions, Larry went to the other end of the spectrum – his industry connections in.  He sent a message to 500 LinkedIn contacts and asked:  "If you could ask a young person a question about how they consume music, what would it be?". He was buried in 150 responses that not only offer a multitude of questions; they reveal much about those asking and what is on their minds when it comes to music and the future of the industry.

Many of the questions revolve around pricing: "What would it take to make you purchase music?" or "What are you willing to pay for a full album?"   Other questions asked what sites they visit, and how they hear about new bands.  Some wanted to know about packaging…

with the askers clearly remembering a time when album artwork was an art
form:  "How much do they care about artwork & lyrics?" One
explained, "I ask because for us who grew up on vinyl, the artwork and
liner notes were as much fun as the songs themselves." 

Some asked about the listening experience, perhaps fondly
remembering the time when speakers and woofers made your body vibrate. Are youhappy with the current mp3 players?"  What about mobile phone playback? "
"Use headphones or just buds?"   Some just want to know, "Do you still listen to the radio?"

Tune in for post-conference coverage on Hypebot or come join the
fun August 14th & 15th.