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Just Plain Folks 2001 Demographics Survey

 

What you will read below are the results of our annual Member Demographics Survey.  We asked app. 70 Questions on a wide variety of issues that affect our members and the music community at large.  After each question we’ve added some commentary on our thoughts or the meaning behind the question, or the new questions the results have raised in our minds.  We believe this is the most comprehensive survey of its kind in history and are very proud that our membership supported the process so vigorously. If you would like to read some of our member’s comments about Just Plain Folks in their own words, please click here for over 400 member quotes from this year’s survey. 

 

2001 Member Quotes: http://jpfolks.com/AboutUs/2001QuotesWeb.htm

 

If you have questions or comments about this survey, would like more information on any part of it, or would like to use or reprint any of it, please contact Brian Austin Whitney directly at jpfolkspro@aol.com. 

 

What is your gender, age and number of years of music career experience?

 

Gender:                      Age:                Experience:               

 

Male:                53%     (681)                37.9                 22.0

Female:            47%     (602)                34.7                 18.3

Total:              100%    (1,283)             36.3                 20.2

 

This is consistent with our previous demographic surveys.  It seems our male membership has increased a little more rapidly than our female membership. (Or perhaps our male members are more likely to answer our long demographic survey.) We still have the largest group of Female musicians, songwriters and industry members of any organization in the world! At the time of this survey, our total membership was about 10,000 showing a 1-year growth rate 60% from January 2000.

 

Where are our members from?

 

Please list State/Country.  (We also included the number of CD’s we received from each State/Country for the Music Awards.)

The total numbers figure is based on roughly 10,000 total members and will obviously increase throughout 2001.  

 

 

Location:                      Male                Female             Total                Population        CDs

                                    %                     %                     Members          Rank ( )            Sent In

 

Alabama:                      .93                   .28                   70                    (31)                  16

Alaska:                         .31                   .28                   30                    (37)                  05

Arizona:                        1.56                 .85                   131                  (18)                  27

Arkansas:                     .15                   .28                   20                    (41)                  05

California:                     14.19               16.19               1,490               (1)                    455

Colorado:                     1.71                 1.70                 171                  (17)                  18

Connecticut:                 .78                   1.42                 100                  (23)                  28

Delaware:                     .00                   .28                   10                    (47)                  09

Florida:                         4.83                 5.11                 493                  (5)                    75

Georgia:                       1.56                 4.54                 261                  (12)                  75

Hawaii:                         .31                   .00                   20                    (41)                  15

Idaho:                           .47                   .00                   30                    (37)                  04

Illinois:                          3.59                 2.84                 332                  (10)                  52

Indiana:                        3.27                 2.84                 312                  (11)                  54

Iowa:                            .15                   .28                   20                    (41)                  05

Kansas:                        .31                   .85                   50                    (33)                  03

Kentucky:                     1.09                 1.13                 110                  (22)                  25

Louisiana:                     .93                   1.70                 120                  (19)                  16

Maine:                          .15                   .00                   10                    (47)                  11

Maryland:                     .93                   .85                   80                    (28)                  32       

Massachusetts:             3.27                 3.97                 352                  (9)                    100

Michigan:                      2.34                 1.13                 191                  (16)                  25

Minnesota:                    2.18                 1.70                 201                  (14)                  37

Mississippi:                   .31                   .28                   30                    (37)                  06

Missouri:                      1.71                 .28                   120                  (19)                  06

Montana:                      .00                   .28                   10                    (47)                  06

Nebraska:                    .93                   .56                   80                    (28)                  06

Nevada:                       .47                   .00                   30                    (37)                  06

New Hampshire:           .93                   .28                   70                    (31)                  26

New Jersey:                 2.49                 5.39                 362                  (8)                    93

New Mexico:               .15                   .28                   20                    (41)                  10

New York:                   5.92                 9.37                 715                  (2)                    297

North Carolina:             1.40                 .85                   120                  (19)                  31

North Dakota:              .00                   .28                   10                    (47)                  01

Ohio:                            4.68                 4.26                 453                  (7)                    55

Oklahoma:                    1.24                 .56                   100                  (23)                  12

Oregon:                        .78                   1.42                 100                  (23)                  16

Pennsylvania:                5.30                 5.39                 533                  (3)                    123

Rhode Island:               .62                   1.13                 80                    (28)                  12

South Carolina:             .62                   .00                   40                    (34)                  04

South Dakota:              .31                   .00                   20                    (41)                  01

Tennessee:                    4.99                 5.68                 523                  (4)                    105

Texas:                          5.14                 4.54                 493                  (5)                    74

Utah:                            1.24                 .56                   100                  (23)                  08

Vermont:                      .31                   .00                   20                    (41)                  06

Virginia:                        2.34                 1.98                 221                  (13)                  41

Washington:                  2.02                 1.98                 201                  (14)                  48

Washington DC:           .46                   .28                   40                    (34)                  09

West Virginia:               .46                   .28                   40                    (34)                  05

Wisconsin:                    .93                   .85                   90                    (27)                  29

Wyoming:                     .15                   .00                   10                    (47)                  02

 

Australia:                      1.24                 1.13                 121                  (NA)                18

New Zealand:               .15                   .56                   30                    (NA)                03

Canada:                        2.80                 .85                   211                  (NA)                68

UK:                              2.80                 1.42                 231                  (NA)                47

International:                 2.34                 1.13                 191                  (NA)                40

 

There aren’t a huge number of surprises in the geographic locations of our members. Most follow population statistics, except for states like TN that are much higher because of the music industry population.  We are using this information to help us plan Roadtrips and Chapter locations.  I am interested in increasing our International numbers, which currently represent a little less than 10% of our total group.  Hopefully over the next year we can get that up to 15% or more.

 

What do our members do?

 

Please List All Your Occupations in the Music Industry:

 

                                                            Male:                Female:            Total:

Songwriter:                                           93%                 86%                 90%

Live Artist/Performer:                           76%                 75%                 76%

Studio Musician:                                   40%                 53%                 46%

Producer:                                             37%                 23%                 30%

Publisher:                                              24%                 20%                 22%

Record Label:                                       19%                 17%                 18%

Engineer:                                              26%                 05%                 16%

Recording Studio:                                 21%                 08%                 15%

Educator:                                              13%                 16%                 15%

Web/Graphic Designer:                         14%                 10%                 12%

Management:                                        07%                 15%                 11%

Publicist:                                               06%                 14%                 10%

Promoter:                                             06%                 14%                 10%

Media (TV, Radio, Print):                     08%                 07%                 08%

Journalist:                                             06%                 08%                 07%

Internet Music Resource:                      07%                 02%                 05%

Music Services/Consultant:                   03%                 03%                 03%

Music Retailer:                                      05%                 02%                 03%

A&R Representative:                            02%                 02%                 02%

Music Distribution:                                02%                 01%                 01%

Trade Organization:                              02%                 <1%                 01%

Booking Agent:                                     <1%                 01%                 01%

Entertainment Attorney:                         01%                 <1%                 01%

Music Equipment Mftr:                         <1%                 <1%                 <1%

Roadie:                                                 <1%                 <1%                 <1%

Music Ministry:                                     <1%                 <1%                 <1%

Fan Club Staff:                                     <1%                 <1%                 <1%

Engineer/Instr. Designer:                       <1%                 00%                 <1%

 

With over 9,000 Songwriters in our group (out of our 10,000+ to date), we clearly have the largest Songwriters group in the world of any organization.  I think the reason for the large number of publishers in the group is the ASCAP policy of most of their members being both writer and publisher. An interesting observation is that so many more Males are Producers, Engineers and Recording Studio operators and so many more Females are in Artist Management, Publicist and Promotions positions. There is no real surprise here, but it is always interesting to see that stereotypes are sometimes based in reality.  Males have always been nurtured towards using equipment and technology skills and Females have always been nurtured towards Public Relations and people skills. Overall, it seems we have great diversity among our numbers.

 

Do You Have A Website:

                                                            Yes                  No             In Progress

Male:                                                    52%                 32%                 16%

Female:                                                50%                 29%                 21%

Total:                                                    51%                 30%                 19%

 

These numbers are up from last year as predicted, but I still have to wonder how any musician who is already on line can find success without having their own website/page. We are considering offering some simple free webpages for our members in the next year. It looks like a third of our folks could use the service!

 

What Instruments Do You Play during Writing/Recording/Performing?

 

                                                            Male                Female             Total

Vocals:                                                 88%                 83%                 86%

Acoustic Guitar:                                    79%                 55%                 62%

Midi/Electronic Keyboard:                    50%                 39%                 45%

Electric Guitar:                                      64%                 20%                 42%

Acoustic Piano:                                     32%                 40%                 36%

Electric Bass Guitar:                              44%                 07%                 26%

Computer Program:                              32%                 12%                 22%

Drums:                                                 24%                 07%                 15%

Harmonica:                                           17%                 07%                 12%

Specialty/Hand Percussion:                   07%                 07%                 07%

DJ/Mix/Sampler:                                   09%                 04%                 06%

Mandolin:                                             09%                 04%                 06%

Acoustic Bass:                                      07%                 03%                 05%

Recorder:                                             03%                 07%                 05%

Banjo:                                                  08%                 <1%                 04%

Flute:                                                    03%                 05%                 04%

Violin/Fiddle:                                        05%                 03%                 04%

Accordion:                                           04%                 04%                 04%

Dulcimer:                                              03%                 04%                 03%

Tin Whistle:                                          04%                 03%                 03%

Xylophone:                                           02%                 04%                 03%

Custom/Experimental:                           05%                 01%                 03%

Trumpet:                                               03%                 03%                 03%

Other Strings:                                       04%                 01%                 02%

Other Woodwinds:                               02%                 02%                 02%

Clarinet:                                                <1%                 03%                 02%

Sax:                                                      02%                 02%                 02%

Harp:                                                    <1%                 01%                 01%

Cello:                                                   01%                 01%                 01%

Trombone:                                            01%                 01%                 01%

Other Brass:                                         01%                 01%                 01%

Theremin:                                             <1%                 <1%                 <1%

Ukulele:                                                <1%                 <1%                 <1%

Sitar:                                                    <1%                 <1%                 <1%

Didgeridoo:                                          <1%                 <1%                 <1%

Bagpipes:                                             <1%                 <1%                 <1%

 

The biggest gainers here are Midi/Electronic Keyboards and Computer Programs.  It seems nearly everyone who plays an instrument sings and plays more than one other instrument. It is a little surprising to see that although 55% of the females in our group play acoustic guitar, only 20% play electric and only 7% play bass.  I am sure that reflects the industry at large, but I’ve always been told it is just as easy (or easier) to play the electric guitar well as an acoustic guitar. (You can tell I am Keyboard player.)  Is play electric guitar really that much of a “macho” thing?  In general terms, with the amount of money our members spend and the vast array of instruments our members play, it is clear we are a Music Retailers dream.  Speaking of which….

 

How Much Money Will You Spend in 2001 on Musical Instruments and other equipment and supplies for your music performances, writing and recording?

 

Females:                       $4,545

Males:                          $5,931

Total:                            $5,238

 

This represents over $50,000,000 in Music Equipment Purchasing Power among our current members and could reach over $70,000,000 by the end of 2001. To get an idea of how much this really is, if a Music Retailer averaged 18% Gross Profit (they vary widely), that is more than 1 Million dollars a month in potential profit to some lucky sponsor.  10% of our members business is worth 100K in profit per month.  A measly 1% of our members business is worth 10K a month in profit.  Any marketing folks see a trend here? If not, pretty soon we are going to be tempted to sell the stuff ourselves! (Ack! My old retail music marketing blood is boiling!)

 

Favorite Music Publications:

 

                                                Female             Male                Total

Billboard                                  28%                 20%                 24%

Rolling Stone                            28%                 19%                 23%

Performing Songwriter           27%                 16%                 21%

Guitar Player                          10%                 25%                 18%

Acoustic Guitar                      14%                 18%                 16%

Recording                               06%                 20%                 13%

Muses News                          15%                 09%                 12%

Electronic Musician               07%                 15%                 11%

Keyboard Magazine              08%                 11%                 09%

American Songwriter             11%                 07%                 09%

Mix Magazine                           05%                 13%                 09%

Spin Magazine                          09%                 08%                 08%

Guitar World                            03%                 11%                 07%

Dirty Linen                               07%                 06%                 07%

Musicians Atlas                     08%                 05%                 07%

Home Recording                      02%                 11%                 07%

Music Connection                  06%                 06%                 06%                

Country Weekly                       10%                 02%                 06%

Gig                                          06%                 06%                 06%

Blue Chip Radio Report        09%                 03%                 06%

EQ                                           03%                 08%                 06%

Sing Out                                   07%                 03%                 05%

Guitar                                       02%                 07%                 05%

Music Dish                             05%                 04%                 05%

Songwriter                                05%                 03%                 04%

Music Row                               05%                 02%                 04%

Bass Player                            01%                 05%                 03%

CCM                                       02%                 02%                 02%

Modern Drummer                     01%                 02%                 02%

ProSound News                       02%                 01%                 02%

Southeast Performer              01%                 02%                 02%

Songwriters Monthly                 02%                 00%                 01%

BAM                                       01%                 01%                 01%

Audio Media                          01%                 01%                 01%

Film Music Magazine                01%                 01%                 01%

None (Other than JPNotes)      15%                 15%                 15%

 

It is interesting to note that 7 of the top 10 publications here have written an article about Just Plain Folks.  A correlation?  We are pleased to see our friends at Performing Songwriter (all longtime Just Plain Folks members), doing so well and nearly catching up to the massively large Billboard and Rolling Stone publications.  At their current rate, they may be #1 next year.  Kudos also go to Jodi Krangle’s Muses News Newsletter for finishing so well.  In fact, there are 3 Internet only publications on the list this year for the first time, including the Blue Chip Radio Report and Music Dish (all three are Just Plain Folks members as well.)  Our friends at the Musicians Atlas, the best Printed Music Resource in the world, finished 15th even though they only publish one issue a year.  All of the BOLD listings are publications that have either run an article about Just Plain Folks OR are active members of Just Plain Folks or both. If we missed an article in any of these, please let us know. 

 

List Your 3 Favorite Music Equipment Manufactures

 

                                                Female             Male                Total

Fender                                     18%                 29%                 23.5%

Yamaha                                    19%                 19%                 19%

Roland                                     17%                 20%                 18.5%

Gibson                                     15%                 19%                 17%

Martin                                      15.5%              16%                 16%

Shure                                       12%                 11%                 11.5%

Taylor                                      13%                 10%                 11.5%

Mackie                                     07%                 13%                 10%

Korg                                        07.5%              09.5%              08.5%

Alesis                                       05%                 11%                 08%

Tascam                                    06%                 08%                 07%

Peavey                                     05%                 09%                 07%

Steinway                                  08.5%              04%                 06%

Takamine                                 06.5%              04%                 05%

Ovation                                    04.5%              05%                 05%

Marshall                                   03%                 05%                 04%

Sony                                        06%                 02%                 04%

Guild                                        05%                 02.5%              03.5%

EMU/Ensoniq                           02%                 04.5%              03.5%

Kurzweil                                   03.5%              03%                 03%

JBL                                          02%                 03%                 02.5%

Washburn                                 02%                 03%                 02.5%

Casio                                       03%                 02%                 02.5%

AKG                                        02%                 02.5%              02.5%

Digidesign                                 02%                 02%                 02%

Fostex                                      01%                 03%                 02%

Rickenbacker                           00.5%              03.5%              02%

Line 6                                       01%                 03%                 02%

Mark of the Unicorn                 01%                 03%                 02%

Baldwin                                    03.5%              00.5%              02%

Digitech/DOD                          01%                 02%                 02%

Larivee                                     01%                 02%                 01.5%

Panasonic/Technics                   01.5%              01.5%              01.5%

Sonic Foundry                          01.5%              01.5%              01.5%

Carvin                                      01%                 02%                 01.5%

Mesa/Boogie                            01%                 01.5%              01%

Lexicon                                    01.5%              01%                 01%

Steinberg                                  01.5%              01%                 01%

Behringer                                  01%                 01%                 01%

Gemini                                      01%                 01%                 01%

tc electronic                              01%                 01%                 01%

Sennheiser                                01%                 01%                 01%

Paul Reed Smith                       01%                 01%                 01%

Tacoma                                    01%                 01%                 01%

Akai                                         01%                 01%                 01%

Ibanez                                      01%                 01%                 01%

Neumann                                  01%                 01%                 01%

EV                                           01%                 01%                 01%

Emagic                                     01%                 01%                 01%

Tech 21                                    01%                 01%                 01%

Event Electronics                      01%                 01%                 01%

Oberheim                                 01%                 01%                 01%

Samson                                    01%                 01%                 01%

Apogee                                    01%                 01%                 01%

dbx                                          01%                 01%                 01%

Veilette Guitars                         01%                 01%                 01%

Jensen                                      01%                 01%                 01%

Jackson                                    01%                 01%                 01%

 

Fender pulls ahead of the pack this year as favorite overall Music Equipment Manufacturer.  Yamaha finished first among our female members.  We are talking with some of these companies about working together on various projects and opportunities and hope to be able to make at least one major announcement very soon! We included all companies that had at least 1% of the vote this year.

 

What 3 retailers would you most likely make a purchase from this year?

 

                                                Female             Male                Total

Mom/Pop/Local Only               30%                 36%                 33%

Musicians Friend                      27%                 38%                 32.5%

Guitar Center                            25%                 32%                 28.5%

Mars Music                              22%                 22%                 22%

Sam Ash                                  16%                 21%                 17.5%

American Music Supply            07%                 09%                 08%

Sweetwater Sound                   06%                 08%                 07%

Daddy’s Junky Music               03%                 05%                 04%

Manny's                                   04%                 02%                 03%

West LA Music                        03%                 03%                 03%

Music Center                            03%                 02%                 02.5%

Full Compass                           01%                 03%                 02%

B&H Music                              01%                 02%                 01.5%

Music Go Round                      01%                 01%                 01%

Hermes                                    01%                 01%                 01%

L&M Music                             01%                 01%                 01%

Music 123                                01%                 01%                 01%

Leigh’s Computers                   01%                 01%                 01%

Elderly Music                           01%                 01%                 01%

Medley Music                          <1%                 01%                 <1%

Thoroughbred                           01%                 <1%                 <1%

 

Clearly many of these companies improved over last year.  The biggest gainer by far was Mars Music who increased from 9% up to 22%.  This is probably based in part on their expansion.  Musicians Friend had an impressive growth spurt as well. We plan to partner up with both the national chains and local Mom and Pop retailers to offer support through our Chapter programs we are launching in 2001.  We welcome the involvement of any of these companies who want to give back to and support our community and who could clearly benefit themselves from our 50-70 Million a year in equipment purchasing. 

 

Do You Plan To Record and Release at least 1 Album in 2001?

           

                                                Yes                  No

Males:                                      75%                 25%

Females:                                   60%                 40%

Total:                                        68%                 32%

 

This means our members will record and release over 6,000 Independent CD’s in 2001.  We received over 2400 for our music awards already and it looks like we’ll have plenty next year as well! With all the activity in the studio by our members, we plan to partner with Recording Studios, Producers, Engineers, Studio Musicians and CD Manufactures in local communities in conjunction with our Chapter programs. If you are one of these professionals and want to help launch a local chapter in your area, please contact us!

 

How Many Copies of your CD(s) Do You Plan to Manufacture for Sale in 2001?

 

                                                Male                Female             Total

0-10                                         01%                 04%                 03%

10-100                                     06%                 03%                 05%

101-500                                   12%                 07%                 10%

500-1000                                 21%                 18%                 19%

1001-2000                               17%                 13%                 15%

2001-3000                               05%                 03%                 04%

3001-4000                               02%                 02%                 02%

4001-5000                               03%                 01%                 02%

5001-6000                               01%                 01%                 01%

6001-7500                               01%                 01%                 01%

7501-10,000                            01%                 02%                 01%

10,001-20,000                         01%                 01%                 01%

20,001-50,000                         01%                 01%                 01%

More Than 50,000                   03%                 03%                 03%

Not Releasing 2001 CD           25%                 40%                 32%

 

Overall Average:                                                                       3280

 

I think a bit of reality has sunk in among our members.  Last year, the number was 25% higher (4550), in part because of the promise of the Internet and selling massive quantities.  But after NAPSTER and tepid success at some of the defunct Internet music sites, those inflated numbers have touched back down to earth.  Nevertheless, our members are going to produce a huge number of CD’s this year (over 20 Million according to these numbers!)

 

Who do you plan to manufacture your CD’s for you if you have someone in mind?

 

                                                Male                Female             Total

No Choice/Preference:             84%                 88%                 86%

 

Of those with a preference, the top choices are:

 

01. Oasis                                              3%

02. Discmakers                                    3%

03. Cinram                                           <1%

04. ADA                                              <1%

05. Music Masters                                <1%

06. Laser Press                                    <1%

07. Crystal Clear Sound                       <1%

08. Haven Records                               <1%

09. TGS                                               <1%

10. Groovehouse Records                    <1%

 

These are the only companies that got at least 2 votes.  With the massive dollars at stake I am puzzled by the complete lack of knowledge of any of the companies that produce CD’s among our membership, especially since so many of our members have a history of producing and manufacturing CD’s.  Some of these companies spend a lot of money advertising their services, but even the top two barely register among our members. We actually listed the top two companies, Discmakers and Oasis, in the question itself, which further indicates a big problem for CD Manufactures who have tried to get their message out. In general the numbers are way way way down over last year.  I am sure a little bit of it has to do with the ease of self recording CD’s and the increase in people using MP3 files instead of CD’s altogether, but it still shouldn’t impact this much on these mass manufactures.  We cross paths with the Oasis and Discmakers folks and they both do great work and have happy customers among our group. 

 

What Music Organizations/Associations Besides Just Plain Folks Do You Belong To? (Top 25 List Combined)

 

                                                            Male                Female             Total   

01. TAXI                                             15%                 12%                 14%                

02. NSAI                                             08%                 16%                 12%

03. Indiegrrl                                          <1%                 14%                 07%

04. AFM                                              05%                 09%                 07%

05. NARAS                                         03%                 11%                 07%

06. Folk Alliance                                  03%                 07%                 05%

07. SGA                                              02%                 06%                 04%                            

08. WAMA                                         <1%                 05%                 03%

09. SAW                                             01%                 01%                 01%

10. GMA                                             01%                 01%                 01%

11. LAWIM                                         00%                 02%                 01%

12. AFTRA                                          00%                 02%                 01%

13. ISA                                                02%                 00%                 01%

14. PSA                                               01%                 01%                 01%

15. Songscope                                     01%                 <1%                 <1%

16. NAPM                                           <1%                 01%                 <1%

17. CMA                                             <1%                 01%                 <1%

18. Songwriters Hall of Fame                <1%                 01%                 <1%

19. Go Girls Music                               <1%                 01%                 <1%

20. TONOS                                         <1%                 01%                 <1%

21. The Write Stuff                               <1%                 01%                 <1%

22. MENC                                           00%                 01%                 <1%

23. WIM                                              00%                 01%                 <1%

24. NCSA                                           <1%                 <1%                 <1%

25. TSAI                                              <1%                 <1%                 <1%

None:                                                   40%                 41%                 40%

 

We are thrilled to see our friends at TAXI topping the list for the second year in a row. NSAI finished second (first among our female members) and moving way up the list is our friends at Indiegrrl.  We will work hard to cooperate with all these fine organizations and associations in the coming year (assuming they are willing and interested themselves.)  Anyone associated with these or any other International, National, Regional or Local Music Organizations are encouraged to contact us to do some showcases and events with us in 2001.

 

Which Performing Rights Organization Do You Belong To?

 

                                    Male                Female             Total   

ASCAP                       21%                 25%                 23%

BMI                             19%                 23%                 21%

SOCAN                      03%                 01%                 02%

APRA                          <1%                 03%                 02%

PRS                             <1%                 <1%                 <1%

SESAC                        <1%                 <1%                 <1%

IMRO                          <1%                 <1%                 <1%

Bump Sterma               <1%                 <1%                 <1%

SAMRO                      <1%                 <1%                 <1%

NCB/Teosto                <1%                 <1%                 <1%

CASH                          <1%                 <1%                 <1%

SOZA                          <1%                 <1%                 <1%

SAG                            <1%                 <1%                 <1%

None                            51%                 45%                 48%    

 

These numbers are pretty similar to last years, though SESAC has practically fallen off the map.  It would seem to support the general feeling that they are not that interested in the Independent artist community and have chosen to be dramatically more restrictive in who they will represent.  The rest of the organizations have small numbers simply due to the smaller International communities we have in the group. We welcome more first hand involvement from any of these fine organizations and extend our hands warmly in their direction if they would like to get involved with us.

 

Please List Your Favorite Songwriting/Music Industry Books

 

Male Top Ten:

 

01. The Craft and Business of Songwriting                                John Braheny

02. Six Steps To Songwriting Success                                       Jason Blume

03. The 2001 Songwriters Market                                            Writers Digest Books

04. The Craft of Lyric Writing                                                   Sheila Davis

05. 88 Songwriter Wrongs and How To Write Them                Pat and Pete Luboff

06. This Business of Music                                M. William Krasilovsky & Sidney Shemel

07. Tunesmith                                                                           Jimmy Webb

08. Managing Lyric Structure                                                    Pat Pattison

09. Writing Music for Hit Songs                                                Jai Josefs

10. All You Need To Know About The Music Business            Donald Passman

 

Female Top Ten:

 

01. All You Need To Know About The Music Business            Donald Passman

02. The Craft of Lyric Writing                                                   Sheila Davis

03. Six Steps to Songwriting Success                                        Jason Blume

04. The Craft and Business of Songwriting                                John Braheny

05. This Business of Music                                M. William Krasilovsky & Sidney Shemel

06. The 2001 Songwriters Market                                            Writers Digest Books

07. The 2001 Musicians Atlas                                                   Music Resource Group

08. The Artists Way                                                                 Julia Cameron

09. How To Be Your Own Booking Agent                               Jeri Goldstein

10. Songwriters on Songwriting                                                 Paul Zollo

 

Overall Top Twenty-Five Favorite Songwriting/ Music Resource Books

 

01. The Craft and Business of Songwriting                                John Braheny

02. 6 Steps to Songwriting Success                                           Jason Blume

03. The Craft of Lyric Writing                                                   Sheila Davis

04. All You Need To Know About The Music Industry            Donald Passman

05. The 2001 Songwriters Market                                            Ian C. Bessler

06. This Business of Music                                M. William Krasilovsky & Sidney Shemel

07. 88 Songwriter Wrongs and How To Write Them                Pat and Pete Luboff

08. Tunesmith                                                                           Jimmy Webb

09.Writing Better Lyrics                                                            Pat Pattison

10. The Artists Way                                                                 Julia Cameron

11. Songwriters on Songwriting                                                 Paul Zollo

12. The 2001 Musicians Atlas                                                   Music Resource Group

13. Writing Music For Hit Songs                                               Jai Josefs

14. How To Be Your Own Booking Agent                               Jeri Goldstein

15. Songwriting : Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure   Pat Pattison

16. Songwriting Essential Guide To Rhyming                             Pat Pattison

17. Billboard Guide To Music Publicity                                     Jim Pettigrew

18. Becoming Remarkable                                                        Harriet Schock 

19. The Musicians Business and Legal Guide                             Mark Halloran

20. Songwriting : And the Creative Process                               Steve Gillette

21. Hit Men                                                                              Fredric Dannen

22. How to Make and Sell Your Own Recording          Diane Rapaport, Loreena McKennitt

23. Music Publishing: A Songwriters Guide                               Randy Poe

24. Music, Money and Success                                                Jeff & Todd Brabec

25. Stage Performance                                                             Livingston Taylor

 

Our Just Plain Folks Mentors are well represented on this list, which I am sure was positively affected by their involvement in helping our members through that program. We hope to form relationships with each of these authors in the coming year (we’ve already corresponded with a few of these folks), and add some of them to our Just Plain Folks Mentor program.  We are also considering selling these books through our website directly or via an Amazon affiliation.  Just Plain Folks Mentors and Members wrote all of the BOLD listings above.  (And soon we hope to invite the rest to join us!)

 

What Computer System Do You Use?

 

                                                                                    Male                Female             Total

486 or Older Windows Machine                                   02%                 <1%                 01%

Windows 95/98 Pentium 1                                            15%                 11%                 13%

Windows 95/98 Pentium 2                                            22%                 21%                 21%

Windows 95/98 Pentium 3                                            25%                 23%                 24%

Windows 95/98 Pentium 4                                            03%                 09%                 06%

Windows NT/2000 Machine                                        04%                 07%                 05%    

AMD/Cyrix/Celeron or other Processor                        05%                 02%                 03%

Macintosh G4                                                               05%                 05%                 05%

Macintosh G3                                                               10%                 11%                 11%

Older Macintosh                                                           06%                 09%                 08%

WebTV or Similar                                                        01%                 <1%                 01%

Any System Using Linux                                               01%                 <1%                 01%

Other Non Macintosh/Non Windows                            01%                 <1%                 01%    

 

Not only do we have the largest group of on-line musicians and songwriters, but we are also staying on the cutting edge of technology.  Less than 10% of our members use computers more than a few years old and most are a year or less. We have to be the most prime market imaginable for Music Software Manufacturers and their products, some of which are listed below.

 

Favorite Member Music Software Programs

 

Males Top 15:

 

Cakewalk

Easy CD Creator

Pro Tools

Musicmatch Jukebox

Acid

Cubase

Cool Edit Pro

Sound Forge

Real Player/Producer

Band In A Box

Logic Audio

Finale

Digital Performer

Performer

Encore

Studio Vision

Waves

 

Females Top 15:

 

Cakewalk

Pro Tools

Easy CD Creator

Musicmatch Jukebox

Real Player/Producer

Finale

Cubase

Acid

Toast

Studio Vision

Digital Performer

Band In A Box

Sound Forge

Logic Audio

Encore

Waves

 

Overall Top 15:

 

Cakewalk

Pro Tools

Easy CD Creator

Musicmatch Jukebox

Acid

Cubase

Finale

Real Player/Producer

Sound Forge

Digital Performer

Band In A Box

Studio Vision

Logic Audio

Encore

Waves

 

There really isn’t a huge consensus on these programs.  We had hundreds of different titles listed, but few that were overwhelming favorites.  Some of these titles are old standards and I am wondering when some newer titles will come on to the scene.  For a group that is 100% computer ready, we should really have some active partners/sponsors in the Software and Computer Sectors.  If anyone out there in the software company sector is interested in getting involved with our community, we’d love to hear from you.

 

How Many CD’s Do You Buy Per Month?

 

                                    Males               Females            Total

0                                  10%                 04%                 07%

1                                  37%                 36%                 36%

2                                  20%                 26%                 23%

3                                  15%                 14%                 15%

4                                  03%                 07%                 05%

5                                  06%                 06%                 06%

6-10                             06%                 05%                 06%

10-15                           02%                 01%                 01%

More than 15               01%                 01%                 01%

 

Our members, on average, buy 32 CD’s a year.  No big surprises here, as musicians typically buy more music than others.  (Anyone know what the average is for everyone?)  I really think this bodes well for us having a series of Compilation CD’s for promotional fundraisers.  We could probably sell 10K units a year or more. 

 

How Many Albums Have You Participated In Recording In Your Career?

 

            Male                Female             Total               

00        28%                 17%                 23%

01        14%                 12%                 13%

02        15%                 15%                 15%

03        10%                 15%                 12%

04        07%                 08%                 08%

05        06%                 09%                 07%                

06        03%                 05%                 04%

07        02%                 02%                 02%

08        01%                 03%                 02%

09        01%                 01%                 01%

10        03%                 05%                 04%

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