The 2005/06 FOH subscriber survey has been compiled and I, for one, find it fascinating. About 7% of the magazine's total subscriber base took part in this year's survey, and the results are telling. First of all, let us remember that it is usually difficult to get 100% participation in any survey, and that most surveys are conducted with a cross section of the population. Political surveys usually conduct their fact-finding missions from a supposed cross section of the general population, and then, by using some complicated mathematical formula, the purveyors of the survey are able to understand the needs and wants of the American public. I usually find myself in the minority of each and every one of these political surveys, which means I neither have my finger on the pulse of the nation nor do I hang out with the right people. Despite these personal failings on my part, I–like most of the American public–rely upon these surveys to know where I stand in relation to the rest of the country, and because my views are usually aligned with the minority column of these surveys, it would be most beneficial to me if the survey conductors would publish the names and occupations of these survey participants. That said, I would like to make it clear that a survey of an audio trade magazine is different than a survey of the nation's political viewpoints, but serves the same purpose by delivering a demographic of a specific population to people and companies who might want to sell you a product or idea. Percentages always appear technical and based upon some scientific theory, but in essence, it is much the same as trying to establish a person's intellect and worth based upon their SAT scores. Of course, one needs to have some sort of barometer by which to measure against, and a survey is just that. But consider this–out of the 1,360 participants in the FOH survey, it appears that 51% of these people are over 40 years of age and 25% are between the ages of 31 and 40. Sixty percent of those surveyed have indicated that they are either managers or owners of their companies, and because 76% of those surveyed are older than 31, it might indicate that most owners and managers are above the age of 30. Or, looking at it from another perspective, it might mean that mostly owners and managers took the time to respond to the survey since they are the ones who care.
Regardless, my point is that once the numbers are in and tallied, then they must be analyzed and put into a perspective that makes sense to the people that care, and that means the advertisers and the people who are trying to sell products to those who subscribe to this magazine. These percentages indicate what the advertiser's market might be, and also give them an idea of how and where they might sell their product. It also give the magazine honchos an idea of how and to whom they can sell advertising space–so basically, these surveys help define the readership, content and advertisers of the magazine. I, too, have drawn some conclusions from the survey numbers that I am now going to share with a good percentage of you who read this magazine.
Not surprisingly, those surveyed said that they read about New Products 90% of the time, while 88% of the time they read the Road Test column. Eighty-seven percent of the time, the Product Gallery and News are read, while Welcome to My Nightmare is read 85% of the time. Mark Amundson's Theory and Practice gets an 84%, and this column is read 82% of the time. Production Profile is read 81% of the time and Showtime 80% of the time, but after that, the columns dip into the 70s. I was surprised to see that The Biz by Dan Daley is not read more than 73% of the time, as I think that he usually gives a very good indication of which way the wind is blowing in the business end of the audio world–information that could be very useful to the 60% of manager and owners that read this magazine, as well as the 40% of you worker bees.
Sound Sanctuary gets a 66% and On Broadway gets a 51%, which leads me to believe that FOH is read mostly by sinners and people who don't like show tunes. Another interesting number is the 84% who are satisfied with the technical level of the editorial content. This leaves 16% of those surveyed in an unhappy state regarding the technical content printed in this magazine. I will assume that none of those unhappy people read my column, so they won't be aware of me saying, "Who cares?" Go read Popular Mechanics, you geeks.
I'm kidding of course, but in conclusion and based upon this survey, my profile of the average FOH reader is that most subscribers are owners and managers (or deluded), and that most readers are either in a touring or regional one-off company or at a venue. After checking out New Products and how they work, a majority of readers enjoy reading about the nightmare gigs of other readers, after which they tend to read about Theory and Practice (makes sense). The acerbic insights of my column are well-received, which leads me to believe that the average FOH reader has some literary background. FOH readers then like to check out production profiles and get a sense of who's who in the business and how they are doing what they do. Oh, and before I forget, the Editor's Note is only read 69% of the time, and Bill Evans actually says some pretty interesting things. My guess is that his picture scares everyone away, but be aware that he is much better-looking in person.
Finally, I would say that the average reader is technical, but at the same time, somewhat of a people person who can bring a bit of the artist's emotional content into the workplace. Our reader is not the guy who designs the digital console, but the one who goes out and makes it work in an applied situation. Our readers have a sense of humor and camaraderie with their fellow engineers. They like to know what is going on in the audio world and who it is that is making it happen. All in all, the FOH advertisers should remember that FOH magazine should be entertaining as well as a great source for information. That said, I think that the advertisers in FOH should remember that naked girls always help sell products! Though I will probably receive hate mail from a good percentage (150%) of our female readers [As well as from the person who handles your invoice every month, Baker. –Assoc. Ed.], let me venture to say that it might be a good idea to have a Playmate foldout included in every issue of FOH magazine. She can be the FOH Girl of the Month, and believe me, she will sell more products and magazines than all those photos of speaker arrays, consoles and grisly engineers we always have…survey that!
