This document provides background information on Z0, an electronic dance music (EDM) artist, including his target audience, songwriting process, live performances, recording experience, and goals. The target audience is described as primarily 18-29 year old Caucasian males who enjoy nightclubs, EDM festivals, and artists like Hardwell. Z0 focuses on strong melodies inspired by video game soundtracks. For live shows, he performs as a DJ using CDJs and can read a crowd. Short term goals within the next year include getting signed to an indie label, releasing 15 tracks with 4-5 label releases, and growing his follower count to 2,500 on Soundcloud and 1,500 across other platforms.
2. FOUNDATION
1. Sean Figueroa & Tiffany McKinney
2. Z0 https://www.facebook.com/z0music/
3. Hardwell
TARGET AUDIENCE
4. Target Audience – Demographics:
Robbert van de Corput, also known Hardwell, is a Dutch EDM DJ and began DJ’ing at the age of
12 when he DJed his first gig which was a friend’s birthday party in front of 100 people and
aged 14 he signed his first record deal and between the ages 14 to 18 he was DJing at
numerous clubs around the Netherlands, playing alongside respected DJs such as Chuckie. The
target audience for the type of music that Hardwell, and the artist we chose, makes is around
ages 18-29, since this is the age around which people would start going out to nightclubs and
EDM festivals and are typically roughly 72% Caucasian males and 28% Caucasian females.
However, when it comes to people who attend festivals where Hardwell would be performing,
attendance would swing in favor of females attending festivals with about 56% female, 44%
male. Their income range is anywhere between mid to high lower class to low to mid middle
class with an income anywhere between $25,000 to $74,000. A lot of the people who listen to
EDM, and thus Hardwell and our artist’s music, are primarily single with no kids and his fan base
is international and growing due to EDM’s rise in the music world right now.
5. Target Audience – Psychographics:
i. Target audience enjoys going out to nightclubs, partying, going to EDM festivals,
and listening to other EDM artists such as Marshmello, Diplo, Borgor, KSHMR
and Afrojack.
ii. Target audience would shop at stores probably like JCPenny or Nordstrom and
wear nicer clothes like for the men a nice casual button down and either slimfit
or skinny jeans and females would typically either wear a dress or a nice top with
a skirt or skinny jeans to nightclubs and would probably shop at places like Hot
Topic or Amazon for clothes for an outfit for a music festival or rave.
iii. People in this target audience would most likely either eat at fast food places
such as Taco Bell, Little Caesars, Wendy’s, or at more healthy places such as
Crispers, Sweet Tomatoes, and Panera Bread.
iv. Target audience listens to artists like Nicky Romero, Bassjackers, Firebeatz,
KSHMR, Sick Individuals, Afrojack, and W&W.
v. Our artist’s target audience would enjoy watching movies and tv shows in the
comedy, action, and horror genres such as The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, and
Zero Dark Thirty.
3. 6. Target Audience – Description
The target audience consists of international 18-29 year old, primarily Caucasian, males
that enjoy the nightlife, wears nicer clothes for nightclubs or more festival appropriate
clothes for events such as festivals or raves, eats either fast food like Taco Bell or
healthier choices such as Crispers, and enjoy shows like The Walking Dead and Breaking
Bad and movies such as Zero Dark Thirty. Their income rate is anywhere between
$25,000 to $74,000 and are mainly single without any kids.
7. Target Audience – Geographic
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
i. City 1: Tampa, Florida
Venue: The RITZ YBOR
http://www.theritzybor.com/
ii. City 2: Jacksonville, Florida
Venue: Myth Nightclub & Bar
http://mythexperience.com/
iii. City 3: West Palm Beach, Florida
Venue: Respectable Street
http://sub-culture.org/respectable-street/
iv. City 4: Tallahassee, Florida
Venue: Bajas Beachclub
https://www.facebook.com/Bajas850/
v. City 5: Atlanta, Georgia
Venue: Tongue & Groove
http://www.tandgonline.com/
8. Provide at least two pictures of ideal members of the artist’s target audience.
Remember to consider psychographic information when choosing these images.
5. GETTING TO KNOW THE ARTIST:
1. SONGWRITING: Z0 has a unique component in his songwriting that he likes to focus on,
that being his strong melodies. He focuses on having a really great melody that is
inspired by orchestral music such as soundtracks created by Gareth Coker who
composed soundtracks for video games such as Ori and the Blind Forest and ARK:
Survival Evolved, in his music as well as having a special blend that could really make his
music work for not only being in a club but also having that sound like it could be in a
video game. He also takes influence from the EDM DJ, Hardwell. He also has a close knit
network of other EDM artists that he uses often to ask for feedback on his current
work(s) in progress as well as track that he is almost finished with and uses their
feedback to improve his tracks and get the best possible result in his music. Along with
having great melodies in his music, Z0 can work with a bunch of other styles of EDM
allowing him to bring that strength into other types of music.
2. LIVE PERFORMANCE: Since Z0 is a DJ, he does perform at nightclubs and parties. Playing
in those venues, people do come for the music and also the bar, if we are being
completely honest here, but with the club’s staff and lighting equipment, he is able to
bring together a live show that works well with the vibe of the venue as well as having
the lighting team of the club there to accompany his music with amazing lights and
sometimes amazing visuals, he brings the energy up to a whole other level. On top of
having the ability to work with a lighting team who is able to work as he plays, he is able
to read the room and match the music to how people are acting in the room. If he
notices that during one song that they aren’t really feeling it, he can switch up the vibe a
little bit and get a different reaction. And if he see they like a track, he can play more of
that style and keep the energy up.
3. As a DJ, Z0 performs live being a CDJ which is a specialized digital music player for DJing.
But that is his live performance. When making a track, he uses software such as FL
Studio or Pro Tools to create music with samples or original sounds. On top of that, he
might also use a MIDI keyboard to be able to play specific sounds like a piano and get a
certain song structure that he wants as well as being able to get specific notes that he
wants.
ELEMENTS OF EXPERIENCE
1. Recording: Z0 is very familiar with the recording process as he does make his own music
and records the parts himself. He is also a student in Full Sail University’s Music
Production Bachelor of Science degree program, so he does have experience in a
recording studio. He recently just was in the studio recording a part for his Portfolio 4
final project so he has a very good understanding of how to work in a studio and record
parts for his music. He is also fairly adept in mixing and mastering but does get help with
that so eventually he can full mix and master his own tracks and have a full
understanding of that.
2. Booking Themselves: In the past, though not getting many opportunities to perform,
was booking himself to play at smaller nightclubs in the downtown Orlando area. He has
6. played at Peek nightclub downtown, as well as other various nightclubs in the area. He
also does have connections to people that can help him get into contact with clubs to be
booked to perform. Though now with the introduction of his manager, Sean Figueroa,
he is working with him to use those connections to find the best places to get him
booked and get the biggest crowd.
3. Co-Writing: Z0 does do his own original works but he has recently collaborated on
works with other Full Sail University students. Recently, he created a track with a
student who graduated back in May that they are about to release. He likes to work
with people who write similarly to him and can make the sound and flow of the track
work really well. He tends to work with people that he does know personally, but he is
considering branching out and working with people that he doesn’t personally know but
that he does know can work with his style very well.
ARTIST SWOT ANALYSIS:
A. Strengths: Z0 is known to have really great melodies in his tracks which he uses to his
advantage. Having those great melodies in his music can lead to many different
opportunities in the music writing field. Another strength is his ability to create a diverse
range of styles of EDM. He can create tracks that are progressive house, bass house, and
big room styles of EDM which can really open doors not only in venues and
collaboration opportunities, but also create more opportunities for potential label
interest.
B. Weaknesses: One weakness that Z0 has is that he did start over from scratch sometime
last year and due to that, his fan base is very small at the moment being mainly people
he personally knows, few people who have been told about him through word of
mouth, or people who have looked him up from lineups that he has been on. He has 404
followers on Instagram currently and those are mainly people he knows or people who
have heard his music. But compared to other names, that is very small so that could
lead to him being looked over in the long run. Another weakness is that he doesn’t get
many live opportunities. This can also in a sense go hand and hand with having a small
fan base, but he does not get many chances to be booked live at venues. A lot of these
venues in downtown Orlando tend to constantly book the same DJs as soon as they find
one that they like and Z0 is not getting that chance to play at a club so they can see that
he is a good fit.
C. Opportunities: One opportunity for Z0 is for him to create small merchandise items such
as stickers, patches, and buttons. This would be a small start towards a brand-new
revenue stream and it could be a small side thing for some of his bigger fans to have a
piece of merchandise to be able to show off his name and also be a conversation starter
which could lead to him gaining more of a following. Another opportunity can be that
there are more opportunities for him to DJ at bigger events since they are popping up
more and more now. Some of these bigger events could be more well-known festivals
such as The Electric Daisy Carnival, EDC, Sunset Music Festival, or even local made
events such as Dubwub which was created by Gorse Management These big events are
always looking to feature local talent and it is a great opportunity to get him on a stage
7. that will grant him more exposure as well as have a great thing to put in his resume and
EPK.
D. Threats: A big threat is the big possibility for Z0 to be looked over as EDMgrows bigger.
There are more DJs and producers out there getting their name out there and if they are
growing rapidly with EDM, he might be looked over for some other artist with possibly a
bigger following. Another threat is that, as said before, there is a lot of competition for
DJs to play in downtown Orlando. Nightclubs find local DJs that they really like and know
can bring in a crowd and keep booking them and not giving the opportunities to smaller
local artists to get their names out there and Z0 will need to compete to be able to get
constant shows in the local area.
ACTION ITEMS
STRENGTH 1 – Great Melodies – Potential Revenue Streams
1. Ghost Production
2. Work For Hire producer
3. Appealing to listeners who love great melodies which will equal more listens or sales
which will equal more royalties
STRENGTH 2 – Diversity in Music – Potential Revenue Streams
1. More opportunities for shows in different venues
2. Can appeal to a larger audience which will equal more listens or sales for more royalties
3. More potential for label interest
WEAKNESS 1 – Small Fan Base – Potential Solutions
1. Paid ads for artist social media pages or new music
2. Street Team to help promote new music or upcoming shows he will be performing at
WEAKNESS 2 – Not getting many live opportunities – Potential Solutions
1. Booking Agent – Current manager/booking agent – Sean Figueroa
2. Make more personal connections between higher ups in clubs in the area and
surrounding cities and the artist and his team
Team Member Names: Sean Figueroa & Tiffany McKinney
Artist: Z0 (pronounced Zero)
1-Year Goals
1. Revenue Generating Goal:
a. In a year, our artist wants to be signed with an indie label and be able to produce
tracks that will get the exposure they deserve. Being signed to a label in a year
isn’t a small feat but with the right connections and the quality and confidence
our artist has, he will be able to make it to an indie label in a year and thus being
8. able to get more help with things such as merchandise and royalties and other
things such as touring that will bring the artist some income.
b. This time frame is attainable for this goal because it allows us and the artist the
time to be able to put together tracks that he feels are his best work and also
knowing people who have started up indie labels such as one person from the
Full Sail Electronic Dance Music club at Full Sail University who started his own
label called Menagerie Records, but will still review someone they know just as
any other label would to someone they don’t know, that is a big help. Or we
could even look at more well-known indie EDM record labels such as Monstercat
or Never Say Die Records. And it will also give us the time to really figure out
what the artist and his team want from a label and want in a contract from a
label that will help bring in the most revenue for the artist.
c. September 1, 2019. This will be a check point that we can use to see where we
are in the process and seeing if we have had meetings with labels that haven’t
signed our artist, looking at why that is and seeing what their feedback was and
building on that to push even harder to get the next label to sign the artist.
2. Content Creation Goal: 15 tracks released, 4-5 label releases
a. In 1 year, our artist wants to have 15 original tracks released, with 4-5 label
releases on Soundcloud. That way not only is his bigger audience seeing his posts
but the Soundcloud labels will post it and tag our artist and get him and his
music more exposure than he would be without them.
b. This time frame is attainable because he already has at least 5 or 6 originals in
the works and he is already getting noticed by some bigger named EDM DJs and
producers so with that support, finding labels to be able to release some of his
tracks through should not be too hard and with a year’s time, he can have 15 or
more tracks released.
c. July 10, 2019. This is a good check point mark to see how he is doing with putting
tracks out as well as seeing how Soundcloud labels are viewing his work and
seeing if there are any changes that need to be made to get them to release
them.
3. Audience Growth Goal: 2,500 followers on Soundcloud and average 1,500 followers on
all socials.
a. For our artist, in 1 year, we want to have him having at least 2,500 followers on
his Soundcloud profile as well as an average of about 1,500 followers on all of his
other social media platforms. We want to have people coming and following his
profiles from different avenues such as seeing his name on a line up at a
nightclub or for a show or festival he will be playing at.
9. b. This time frame is attainable because given a year, that will give the artist
enough time to be able to put out their desired number of tracks and be able to
market them appropriately. It also allows the artist enough time to be able to
keep getting his name out there and growing a following via live performances at
more clubs not only in the Orlando area but also in surrounding states for shows
that are offered. This time frame will actually really help because as the year goal
comes up, it allows the artist to grow his team even more to be able to help
promote himself and his music. It will be enough time to really nail down
promotion for all events in his career from shows to track releases.
c. Oct. 1, 2019. This date will allow us optimal time to be able to review how the
artist’s fan base is growing and provide enough time to be able to make a last
push to hopefully reach or come close to the desired goal either via a teaser for a
track or a social media paid ad push. His team will be able to help him really
grow his reach far enough to be able to expand farther than just the central
Orlando area.
6-Month Goals
1. Revenue Generating Goal: Start Touring locally or in surrounding states with
merchandise.
a. In 6 months, our artist wants to be able to go out on a mini tour in the state and
the surrounding states while being able to sell merchandise. These will be good
revenue streams since he will be getting paid to be playing at these venues as
well as getting income from his merchandise.
b. This is an attainable goal given the 6-month time frame because with that
amount of time, we can really put together a plan for the artist and put together
a small mini tour that would be able to provide some form of revenue. We can
even get a small local tour at different nightclubs in Orlando and the surrounding
cities by just building his reputation in the area.
c. March 20, 2019. We feel that this will be a good check point in the planning
process to check in and see how things are going and seeing if there are any
extra things that need to be covered and keep looking at contracts. This date will
also allow enough time to start working on merchandise right now and getting it
ready for a small tour.
2. Content Creation Goal: 7 tracks out and 3 label release
a. 6 months, we want to have the artist have 7 tracks out with 3 of them being
released on Soundcloud labels. This will help us gauge our artist’s growth at the
time and being able to put out 7 tracks in this time with appropriate listener
ratio.
10. b. This time frame will be attainable because it will allow us to gauge the growth of
the listener base of the artist and see how a Soundcloud label will be able to help
grow that.
c. March 9, 2019 is a good check point because it will help us see how the artist’s
listeners will react to the amount of content being pushed out.
3. Audience Growth Goal: Have an average of 900 followers across all social medias and
1,000 followers on Soundcloud
a. The artist will us paid ads to help grow the exposure of their name and see how
big of a reach they can gain. It will also help see if they are capable of being able
to grow a fan base from their current following to where they want to be
through targeting the right people to help expand his following.
b. This is attainable in 6 months since it will be using paid ads to help see if the
reach can get far enough to help truly grow their following while making sure
that we are reaching the appropriate audience.
c. April 1, 2019 is a good check point to see how the first paid ads have done and if
they will need more than one to reach their goal as well as seeing if we are truly
reaching the artist’s target audience with these ads.
3-Month Goals
1. Revenue Generating Goal: getting paid shows
a. This will help the artist be able to generate some income. It will also help the
artist be able to build an even bigger following in the scene so that he will be
able to get more paid shows.
b. This is attainable since currently he is already in good standing in the downtown
Orlando night clubs, such as Celine in downtown Orlando who has big name
EDM artists performing there weekly, and being asked to come back to a big club
downtown, such as Celine or Gilt nightclub, so eventually, we can work it into
him being paid to come and open for a bigger name DJ.
c. January 10, 2019 is a good point to check in since it will be just after the holidays
and we will be able to generate a new plan for the new year that can focus a lot
on getting him more into these clubs and gaining that reputation for the clubs to
bring him back.
2. Content Creation Goal: 4 tracks released, 1 label release
a. He will want 4 originals to be released and 1 to be released on a Soundcloud
label. A Soundcloud label is a profile with a big following that does the same
thing as a label, helps push the artist’s track out to the public and a bigger fan
base to help gain them more exposure.
11. b. This is attainable because he already makes high quality tracks and has good
mixing and mastering people, so he will be able to produce the quality in his
music that will be desirable to a SoundCloud label.
c. January 10, 2019 is a good point to check up and see how music production is
coming along. It will help us gauge when we can send them out to a label for
review.
3. Audience Growth Goal: 600 average followers across all socials and on SoundCloud
a. We want to grow our artist’s following by at least 200 followers in 3 months. It
will be mainly through word of mouth and shows but we want to push for the
growth given that it is a 3-month time span.
b. This is attainable in the timeframe because it is something that can be done
easily with the right marketing and promotion and our artist’s team has amazing
people who can work on that. We have a connection to Celine nightclub in
downtown Orlando and can have their team help us get the artist booked to do
smaller shows and he can play his originals and gain that exposure by his name
being on the set times for a well-known nightclub.
c. January 31, 2019 is a good check in point because then we can see where we
ended last year and how we are doing leading up to the end of the 3 months.
