Statistics is a dry subject but, there are some interesting points to be noted from the survey. Some are not surprises at all. And, as usual, some data probably may be relevant to the entire population but isn't really pertenent to Bluegrass Consumers or the Bluegrass community. So, we just take what we see as a peek but, certainly not an in-depth study, into the realm of the Bluegrass Consumer.

The reports says that there are a bit over 17-Million Bluegrass Consumers out of a total population of 217 Million people. Basically, the report indicates that about 8% of the US population could be considered a Bluegrass Consumer in some way. Also, out of these 17-Million Bluegrassers, they are equally divided between male and female respondents.

So, who are these 17-Million people? According to the survey, 20% are in the 55-64 age bracket and they constitute the largest number of people likely to purchase Bluegrass Music -- 30% are more likely. Those least likely to purchase Bluegrass are in the 18-24 age group at 28% less likely to make a purchase.

In an area of purchasing baking flour, we again see Bluegrass Consumers twice as likely than the US Population to purchase White Lily Flour and Martha White Flour. The surprise element was that White Lily Flour overtook Martha White - a long time favorite of Bluegrass. Another way to interpret this would be that those who purchase Bluegrass Music and flour, prefer to purchase White Lily Flour.

Some of the more interesting aspects of the survey were not expected. The Bluegrass Consumer most likely to purchase the music based on the occupation found Arts, Entertainment and Recreation as the highest percentage point while people interested Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting were the least likely. Since much of Bluegrass is based on festivals, and the music is the roots of country music, this was not an expected outcome. Even mining and construction ranked low with less than 10% likelihood. Public administrative, military and heal care occupations also rated quite high. Retail, manufacturing, real estate, and finance all rated as unlikely to purchase Bluegrass music.

The area of the survey that was the most interesting was on the subject of "Attitudes about Life." This classification was new and it was one that illustrates more about the Bluegrass Consumer in a non-monetary way. For the most part, the Bluegrass Consumer numbers were an accurate representation of the overall population but, there were a few areas where this just wasn't true. When it comes to "Music is an Important Part of My Life", Bluegrass Consumers jumped to 71% while the overall population rested at 57%. The Bluegrass Consumer was also more willing to volunteer their time to a good cause at 75% versus 67%.

When the "Attitudes about Life" topic came to money, Bluegrass Consumers were less likely to give up family time to advance and felt that how they spend their time was more important than money. The Bluegrass Consumer also likes to spend time at home with family more than the general population. Overall, the Bluegrass Consumer didn't feel like money was the best measure of success (14%) thus illustrating a higher value on quality of life and family life. In fact, in almost every quality of life attitude, Bluegrass Consumers rated better than the overall population.

As expected, outside musical preferences followed traditional lines with oldy classic rock, and country leading the pack. Due to the older population of Bluegrass Consumers, it was not surprising to see Teen Pop, New Age, and others receiving lower marks. Bluegrass as a musical preferences fell slightly below middle.

Other areas of the survey surrounded fast food chains and family eating out preferences. Again, for the most part, Bluegrass Consumers were right in line with the general population. Cracker Barrel edged slightly higher than the general population for Bluegrass but there were really no significant differences to report. Sweet-tooth Krispy Kremes consumers do apparently like Bluegrass music however with 50% Krispy Kreme consumers being more likely to purchase Bluegrass music.

Bluegrass Consumers tended to be well educated, married or had been married, older and wiser than the general population. What this means from a marketing position is still a double edged sword. We know who is most likely to purchase Bluegrass music so, do we primarily target that audience? Or, would we want to spend more effort, time and money trying to get those who are not likely to purchase Bluegrass music to do so? That's an exercise I'll leave to the marketing research people.

I believe the Simmons Research survey considers anybody who purchased at least one album during the entire period as a "Bluegrass Consumer." Thus, the definition isn't accurate coming right at the start and results in an overly optomistic figure of 17-Million Bluegrass Consumers. I should have probably clarified this in the beginning of this article. Anyway, that could mean just about anything. The Bluegrass Consumer got a CD at a Truck Stop or something. Not really a Bluegrass Consumer by my definition.

We do not have access to the Simmons questions which, would be a really big help in interpreting the data thus, we are left with their results as they are presented. This is kind of like only having the cover of a book but not the context and content inside. We also do not know if the questions asked to achieve a given result? Often surveys tell us a lot about the industry by the questions they are asking rather than the answers they receive. An interesting perspective.

The numbers that we were provided are a reflection of the questions asked and not necessarily the industry or the general population. That's true with Nielson, ARB, Pulse and other surveys as well. Again, I'm limited in what I can report based on the limited information I receive from the IBMA.

The music industry is changing and evolving and there will be many changes down the road. It will be an interesting adventure to watch the future of Bluegrass music unfold.

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