Having a 'niche'?

It's very important for an upcoming artist or band to have a niche. This is something different that sets them apart from the competition. People don't want to hear/see something they've seen ten times before, difference leads to a talking point and generates more interest. By creating a niche, you are target a specific audience.

Below are some examples of how artists have used niche to generate large success.

• Lily Allen was an original and since then people have tried to copy her, with limited success. The idea of being 'The First' to use an idea/look/sound is a huge advantage as people have never seen/heard it before. Lily used the 'Rebellious Teenager' identity and developed her own image around her personality. The way she dressed herself was also unique as she was the only female pop star to wear trainers with a dress. This has also proved to be a trend setting idea, but will always be associated with her as she did it before others and become known for it. Lily's unique music style also helped create a fresh new image for the artist. She used her strong London accent and spoke/sang some of the lyrics in her songs. This was a new thing that people hadn't heard before and the uniqueness led to huge success.


• Paulo Nutini was a supporting act for the Rolling Stones, he had a unique new sound that people hadn't heard before which worked in his favour. He did impromptu performances in cafes until someone noticed his unique talent and he gained a record deal from such performances in 2005. In order to target his niche, Paulo Nutini uses a vast range of marketing strategies. He used the Internet to upload his music and put songs on Itunes for people to download for free. This would mean more people would take the opportunity to download and hear his music, generating a larger fan base.


• Blink 182 is a band who used having a niche/image to gain success. They are known today for their humour during performances and throughout all the products they promote. Their funny stage antics are what set them apart from other bands on stage whilst performing a gig before they were signed. They gained a record label for being a bit different and ever since they have developed this idea of humour and turned it into their star image. Blink 182 often use humour throughout their music video and toilet humour is a common feature. The video 'All The Small Things' takes elements of other genre's music videos and makes a parody of them. Some examples include, 'Backstreet Boys', 'Christina Aguilara' and 'Britney Spears' This originality has since been copied by bands such as 'Fall Out Boy', 'All Time Low' and 'Good Charlotte' but Blink 182 will always be the ones known for doing it first.