Serve the Niche

I have odd tastes. The shows I watch have low Neilson ratings, the music I listen to is almost never on the top 40, and you probably haven't seen (or even heard of) most of my favorite movies. Like I said, I have odd tastes. I'm a niche man. Most people don't see the value in what I like, but there is a small group of us that does. Niches are often overlooked by marketers and companies that are looking to sell to the "Top 40" crowd. I think this is a mistake, and I think the internet is the answer to fixing it. 

A Japanese gaming company created a game this year to celebrate the 15th anniversary of a franchise. This franchise was once popular in the United States, and is still very popular in Japan. By about the middle of the last decade, this franchise no longer had the mass appeal in the U.S. that it had when it first started. For this reason the Japanese company has so far decided no to release the game in the U.S. I understand the reasoning. If the franchise is no longer popular enough to reach a mass audience, it probably is not cost effective to manufacture and distribute the game to the small niche that desires it.

 I think there is a different answer though. All major gaming systems have internet capability, so why not sell the game to English speaking customers through digital download? That would eliminate the cost of manufacturing and distributing the physical game. This company could be profiting from the U.S. niche of gamers who want the product simply by translating it into English and offering at a downloadable game on the device. 

This idea goes beyond just video games. TV shows are another area where companies could be making a profit off of niches. One of my favorite shows is the 90s sitcom Just Shoot Me. I have the first three seasons on DVD. There were seven seasons of the show, but I only have three on DVD because they stopped producing the show on DVD after producing season 3. I'm guessing that between manufacturing the DVDs and distributing them, that the company that owns the rights to Just Shoot Me wasn't making much of a profit. If these companies wanted to make a profit off of the fans of shows like Just Shoot Me, why not offer all of the seasons of the show for purchase by digital download or internet streaming? Again, this avoids a lot of the costs associated with serving the niche through DVD sales, but it companies could make money off of die hard fans of the show. I would probably pay a little too much just to have access to the entire series. If you want my money as a consumer, the ball is in your court to start serving the niche.   

Review: Francesca Battistelli Christmas

I was talking with my friend recently about some Christmas albums that come out this year, and said I would let her know if they were any good. She suggested that I just write up the reviews on here, and so I am. The first album on the list is Francesca Battistelli Christmas. This album actually came out last year and quickly became one of my Christmas favorites. There are two reasons I'm reviewing it this year. The first is that I had every intention of reviewing it last year, but all of my writing time was consumed by my work on the campus magazine. The second reason is that this year, Francesca released the album as a two pack with a DVD of a Christmas concert she performed in Nashville. So, my first album review on here will actually be an album/DVD review.

Francesca Battistelli Christmas:

Francesca Battistelli is the kind of artist you want making a Christmas album. First of all, she has an amazing voice that lends itself perfectly to Christmas songs. She is also not one of those singers that feels the need to make every old song "her own." Many artists I really like have turned me off of their Christmas albums because they changed the arrangement of classic songs way too much. When Batistelli changes up the arrangement of a song, it is nothing drastic, and usually accentuates the natural qualities of the song instead of trying to alter them.

The songs on the album are a good mix of traditional Christmas songs and Battistelli's own original Christmas songs. As I said above, her voice is perfect for singing the traditional songs. With songs such as "The Christmas Song", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", and "Marshmallow World," Battistelli adds punches of energy to the album by giving them an up tempo feel. This is especially effective with "The Christmas Song" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" because these songs were originally slower songs that even had a bit of a somber feel to them. I like the somber feel of the originals, but this energetic feel also works really well. I also love how Battistelli changes the line from "if the fates allow" to "if the Lord allows." As someone who doesn't believe in fate, I personally relate to this change more.

One of the aspects of Christmas albums done by Christian artists is that they have more traditional Christian Christmas songs. For me, this is where Battistelli hits her sweet spot. Songs such as "What Child Is This? (First Noel Prelude)" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" are slower more emotive points in the album. These songs are where Battistelli's vocals really shine. In the other two traditional Christian songs, "Joy To The World" and "Go, Tell It On The Mountain" Battistelli strips down the music to a more acoustic sound and really lets her vocals carry the songs. This works really well because it gives the songs a free feeling, but still maintains the seriousness of the messages within the songs. It is worth mentioning that "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" and "Go Tell It On The Mountain" are my two all time favorite Christmas songs, and I think she handles them perfectly here.

The final aspect of the album are Battistelli's four original songs: "Heaven Everywhere", "Christmas Is", "You're Here", and "Christmas Dreams." A lot of times, I'm not a huge fan of modern original Christmas songs. The classics are amazing and these days it seems like few have the ability to write new Christmas songs that are enjoyable to listen to and that have a message worth spreading. Battistelli's original songs, however, have both of these qualities. "Heaven Everywhere" is an emotive reminder of the spirit of Christmas and how we should carry that on throughout the year. There is also a very well placed transition that Battistelli does into "Angels We Have Heard On High" in the middle of the song that sounds great and adds another dimension to the song. The song "Christmas Is" is a fun song about Christmas traditions with an awesome shout out to A Charlie Brown Christmas. "You're Here" is a very well written look at Jesus Birth through Mary's eyes. Finally, "Christmas Dreams" take a look the excitement of Christmas from the perspective of a parent with small children. All of these original songs add a personal touch that makes the whole album even better.

Overall, I could not recommend this album more. It has quickly become a classic for my Christmas playlist.

Track Listing:
Track 1: The Christmas Song
Track 2: Heaven Everywhere
Track 3: Christmas Is
Track 4: What Child Is This? (First Noel Prelude)
Track 5: Marshmallow World
Track 6: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Track 7: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Track 8: You're Here
Track 9: Joy To The World
Track 10: Christmas Dreams
Track 11: Go, Tell It On The Mountain

Christmas Live In Nashville:

Being such a fan of Batistelli's Christmas album, I was really hoping that this added concert DVD would be just as special. After watching it, I was not disappointed. The concert has mostly the same lineup of songs as the album, but with a few songs in a slightly different order. It is great to see Battistelli sing these songs, because you can see the sheer joy and excitement she has for Christmas music. Battistelli's vocals do not falter during the concert either, something I often worry about with live recordings.

The benefit of having the DVD is the added content from Battistelli. In between songs, Battistelli gives you some insight into why she chose certain songs for the album, or what personal connection she derives from some of the songs. It makes the album and the concert that much more meaningful. There are also segments of the DVD where it cuts away from the concert and shows interview clips of Battistelli answering questions about her feelings and memories of Christmas. After the concert is over, there is also a series of interview clips you can watch that were not shown during the concert. These clips give viewers an added insight into Battistelli's relationship with Christmas.

It is worth keeping in mind that the two disc CD/DVD combo is a few dollars more than just buying the individual CD, but I think it is money well spent. If you really want to avoid paying too much for it, get it from your local Christian store when they have a sale on it or a coupon that applies. That's what I did. After watching the concert DVD, I knew right away that watching it would become an annual Christmas tradition.