Target Audience & Genre

Generally, the target audience for this genre is female teenagers (14) - young adults (25)

I produced a questionnaire  to see what other people thought about my chosen genre and who it is most likely to appeal to. These were the questions:

1. What age group would you associate with RnB/Pop music?.......................................................
2. What gender do you think listen to RnB/Pop more and why?.........................................................
3. What do you expect to see in a RnB/Pop music video?.......................................................
4. How would you say female RnB/Pop artists represent themselves to their audiences?..........................................
5.  How do you think male RnB artists represent women?.......................................................

I gave my questionnaire to 20 people. The answers were very similar; 95% of the people I asked said that they would associate RnB/Pop music with 14 - 25 year olds, showing that this genre is aimed for the younger generations. A couple of people said that they would associate the genre with younger people but with artists such as Willow Smith (age 10) and Justin Beiber (age 16)it is no surprise that a younger fan base will form.  

The second question also gave similar answers, most people said that they thought females listened to RnB music more than males. Their reasons were more varied. Some said because the female audiences are more attracted to the male RnB artists so they are attracted to their music and that males would probably opt for other genres such as Rap or Hip Hop. Others said females because the female artists are inspiring and females want to be just like them; other factors like RnB lyrics and themes normally relate back to women. For example, males lyrics normally talk about women and relationships, whereas female artists lyrics talk about males and relationships which is comforting to women. A small minority said that they thought males listened to RnB more because it will give them a 'hard' image.

Every one answered virtually the same for question three. They said that they expected to see choreographed dancing; a narrative based on love or relationships; shots of women dressed in little or provocative clothing and expensive props such as cars, jewelery and settings. 

The answers for question 4 were more diverse. A third of the people that completed the questionnaire said that they thought women represented themselves negatively as some artists wear little clothing and that teenage audiences may want to copy them. The majority said that they thought women represented themselves positively to the audience, being independent, strong and beautiful.

The answers (to question 5) show that everybody agrees that women are represented as being objects to male artists or males in general. One person answered "I think women are shown to be like slaves, the way they dance around them, serve them drinks and do every little thing for them in their videos... and the fact the women are generally always skinny, big busted and are wearing hardly any clothes" The rest of the answers basically said the same thing.

So all in all, I have come to the conclusion that the RnB/Pop genre is aimed mainly at young women between the ages of 14 and 25.


I now know from this research what I need to do to cater for my target audience. I need to include a narrative based on love (depending on whether the lyrics apply) I need to use expensive props (i.e. cars, jewellery and clothes) and set my music video in posh locations such as a mansion or in an exclusive bar. At points I might want to include some choreography, however depending on the music, it may not be appropriate. 


Another important thing I should do in the video to cater for the audience is ensure that there are shots of the singer in little or provocative clothing as most people answered that, that is what they expected to see. As this genre is associated with a commercial exhibitionist performance, it is essential that I include a range of shots focusing on the artists features and make-up. 


As my research shows, I should focus on making my music video appeal more to females rather than males, so making sure that the video is shot from a woman's point of view and making the female artist inspiring.