Artist Evaluation Brand Audit - heartspace

1. Artist Evaluation & Brand Audit
Student Name: Caitlyn Brumley
Artist Name: heartspace
Section 1: Artist Development Stages
Current Stage: Undiscovered Artist
Justification: Madelyn Amacher is an independent singer/songwriter from Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma who offers her audience a safe place where everyone can come together,
be themselves, and feel their emotions without being judged. The hues of pink and red
that she is known to wear give her an aesthetically pleasing stage presence that matches
the energy of the songs she sings. Madelyn created the stage name, heartspace (stylized in
all lowercase), like a play-off of headspace.
She is currently in the undiscovered stage. In March of 2022, she had 376 monthly
listeners on Spotify. Due to her touring and releasing her newest single “our last night”,
that number of listeners increased to over 6,500 in April. Currently, the number of
listeners has declined to 4,100 monthly listeners (Spotify, n.d.). With this information, I
can conclude the awareness of heartspace reached more people than usual with the
exciting news, but it decreased fairly quickly once the tour was over. When the new
single started to get older, the hype around heartspace died down slightly, and statistics
evened back out. She only has around 9,000 followers on TikTok and 1,600 on
Instagram. According to Viral Nation, heartspace is considered a “nano” influencer. This
is the lowest tier of influencers that usually have between 5,000 and 50,000 followers on
TikTok. The minimum Instagram follower count for this tier is 2,500, so heartspace is
below average (Viral Nation, 2020).
The awareness of heartspace is local to her hometown, Oklahoma City, because she
consistently books gigs at bars and clubs downtown. While she is not getting paid for
these shows, she is developing her brand and awareness. The graph that was made for the
stages of artist development has nothing to do with how much money is made. The graph
is about awareness only (Ogden, 2016).
Deane Ogden. (2016, August 8). 5 STAGES OF ARTIST DEVELOPMENT | University
Talks. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSpYv10rURc&t=193s
Heartspace. Spotify. (n.d.). https://open.spotify.com/artist/4TXauRyx1XUkg6hRkWdgrE
Micro, Macro, Celebrity: Get to Know Your Influencer Tiers. Viral Nation. (2020,
January 31). https://www.viralnation.com/blog/micro-macro-celebrity-get-to-know-your-
influencer-tiers/

2. Future Stage: Promising Artist
Justification: I believe heartspace will be able to be called a promising artist one year
from now. In April of 2022, heartspace joined Lisa Heller on tour as her supporting act.
She has now conquered a goal of hers by performing her music outside of Oklahoma by
playing in cities like Nashville, Atlanta, New York City, and Philadelphia. The
opportunity to network in different cities was something she was able to take advantage
of and not only meet artists and fans along the way but industry professionals as well.
Her newest single, “our last night” had also been featured on two Spotify playlists, Fresh
Finds, and Fresh Finds Indie. They are both playlists that are dedicated to small,
independent artists.
During these few months when all of this was taking place, she gained traction. Her
Spotify monthly listeners climbed at a consistent rate and the newest released single was
racking up views. This showed me a glimpse of what heartspace’s future could look like
with the right marketing tactics, branding, and songwriting. I can only imagine the hype
around this artist once she releases her debut album. This will be the way to move from
undiscovered to a promising artist if the process is done correctly.
The reason I believe heartspace will be recognized as a promising artist is that she
already has the drive to excel in whatever she wants to do. She now needs someone to
guide and teach her the small details about artist development and marketing. Heartspace
has found the specific genre of music and the style of writing her voice sounds best with.
She has also realized she loves writing songs with a lot of emotion and heartbreak. This
specific niche will help her find her fanbase quickly and smoothly. What sets her apart
from others is her clear vision for her project and brand. The hues of pink and red that she
is known to wear give her an amazing stage presence that matches the energy of the
songs she sings. Her hair is the first thing people usually notice, as it is bright and
colorful. Her fun and caring personality shine directly through her vivid hair and funky
clothing. This helps her become recognizable to potential fans, especially because pink
and red are not common color palettes for hair or clothing.
Fresh Finds. Spotify. (n.d.).
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWWjGdmeTyeJ6
Fresh Finds Indie. Spotify. (n.d.).
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWT0upuUFtT7o

3. Section 2: Sound Evaluation & Reference Points
Part 1: The genre of heartspace’s songs is overall pop, but would more specifically fit the
sad, indie-pop genre. This musical project is described as “a place where emotions are
never too much”. She effortlessly captivates everyone’s attention with her atmospheric
melodies, authentic storytelling, and undeniably rejuvenating hooks. Her forlorn words
that are sung to a euphoric sound give the listener a way to connect to her song in more
than one way. When listening to the voice of heartspace, you can easily picture a broken-
hearted fairy because of her ethereal vocals that are filled with vulnerability and the
lyricism is charismatic and alluring.
Part 2 - Main Genre: Pop
1. A-List Artists:
Artist Name: Billie Eilish – (electropop)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6qqNVTkY8uBg9cP3Jd7DAH
Artist Name: Phoebe Bridgers – (emo-folk, indie pop)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1r1uxoy19fzMxunt3ONAkG
Artist Name: Ellie Goulding – (synth-pop)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0X2BH1fck6amBIoJhDVmmJ
2. Emerging Artists:
Artist Name: Fletcher – (pop)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5qa31A9HySw3T7MKWI9bGg
Artist Name: Peach PRC – (sad indie-pop)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/006j2rer9tZJCYniu7SaWS
Artist Name: EZI – (electropop)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6JINIoM2HUR5ZNTJwoR9eC
3. Local/Regional Artists:
Artist Name: daena – (indie-pop)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6e00lwQmKeUN5Gdbl1LddA
Artist Name: Sophie Coran – (composer, indie-pop)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/60xnFDb5KhRaTUS9liYHld
Artist Name: Alyssa May – (indie-pop)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1tkVz9w6bcndlZEKbN0IEz

4. Section 3: Brand Identity Map
Vulnerable Authentic Raw Emotion Sensitive
“Feel more” Hues of Red and
Pink
Empathic “Songs wearing their
hearts on their
sleeves”
Creative Honest Inclusive Empowered
Ethereal Alluring “Emotions are never
too much”
Welcoming
Section 5: Target Audience
1. Target Audience - Demographics:
a. Age: 20-30 years old. According to Music Business Association, most
people that listen to pop music are between the ages of 20 and 34.
b. Primary gender: Female or Femme (Music Business Association, 2018).
c. Ethnic background: White
d. Education: In college or graduated from college
e. Income range: $25k-$32k
f. Relationship status: Single
g. Family life: Raised by both parents but possibly separated. Two or more
siblings.
2. Target Audience- Psychographics:
a. Hobbies/Lifestyle Choices:
This target audience has a fast-paced lifestyle, likes to sing and dance, is
tech-savvy, likes sports and fashion, and spends a good amount of time on
social media platforms (Gemtracks, 2022).
b. Clothing/Accessory Brands:
Youthful and gender-bending fashion (Sardone, 2021). Second-hand shops
for vintage items that are funky, retro, and back in style. This target
audience will shop for things that are trendy but cheaper. Cargo pants,
crochet clothing, and bulky white sneakers are very trendy items currently.
Stores include Aerie, Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters, DSW, Reformation,
ModCloth, Ulta, and Sephora (Battle, 2020).
c. Food/Restaurant Preferences
Fast-food and cafes are preferred for this target audience. They are
potentially vegetarian or enjoy eating cleaner. They love iced coffee and
milk alternatives (Vegconomist, 2019).
d. Other Artists they listen to: Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Justin
Bieber, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Drake, Post Malone, and Kelly Clarkson.

5. e. Movies and TV Shows: Dramas and Rom-Coms. TV shows include
Handmaid’s Tale, Grey’s Anatomy, Euphoria, and Bridgerton. Movies
include empowering women-led movies such as Little Women, Hidden
Figures, and The Help (Weaver, 2022).
References:
16 - 24-Year-Olds are Quitting Dairy Milk. Vegconomist. (2019, July 23).
https://vegconomist.com/market-and-trends/16-24-year-olds-are-quitting-dairy-milk/
Battle, M. (2020, April 5). The Best Places to Shop in Your Late Twenties And Early
Thirties. Buzzfeed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/marquaysa/the-best-places-places-to-
shop-in-your-late-twenties-and
Consumption by Genre. Music Business Association. (2018). https://musicbiz.org/wp-
content/uploads/2018/12/AudienceNet_GenreWebinar.pdf
Sardone, A. (2021, August 8). A Timeline of Music's Influence Over Fashion. University
of Fashion. https://www.universityoffashion.com/blog/a-timeline-of-musics-influence-
over-fashion/
Weaver, H. (2022, March 1). 20 Feminist Movies That Will Empower You to Be Your
Best Self for Women’s History Month. Parade.
https://parade.com/1005752/hilaryweaver/best-feminist-movies/
What Type of Audience Does Pop Music Appeal to in 2022? Listener Trends, Niche, and
Society. Gemtracks Beats. (2022, April 4).
https://www.gemtracks.com/guides/view.php?title=what-type-of-audience-does-pop-
music-appeal-to&id=482
Section 6: Identifying, Prioritizing, and Solving Problems
1. Problem 1: Lack of Marketing
The lack of marketing that heartspace has is truly hurting her awareness, brand,
and image. Without marketing, it makes it almost impossible for consumers and
new fans to find your music. It seems as though she does not care to promote
herself in any way, but in reality, she more than likely does not know how to
market herself. Many musicians do not fully understand how important it is to
their brand awareness (Letang 2022).
A potential and easy solution to this problem would be to find out where the
majority of the target market like to hang out and what they like to do. Heartspace
can meet them halfway. Shaun Letang (2022) has mentioned, “Not only will you

6. be able to see people instantly enjoying your music but as there are more people
finding out about you at the same time, the chances of ‘word of mouth marketing
are much higher as well.” (Para. 25).
Letang, S. (2022, March 3). Master music marketing in 2022, the art of getting people to
listen to your music! Music Industry How To.
https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/music-marketing/
2. Problem 2: Too many creative projects (photography, videography, music)
In my opinion, heartspace focuses on too many creative projects at a time. Writing,
editing, and recording music already take a lot of time. That does not include promoting
yourself and scheduling and playing gigs. She has many different Instagram pages that
separate all of her projects. This includes a regular Instagram page, a music page, a
photography page, a videography page, and a creative account that shows different
emotions with strangers.
Combining these pages into one or two separate accounts will allow more content to post.
It will also keep it simple for consumers. People do not want to follow five or more pages
from one artist.
3. Problem 3: Doesn’t show interest to be on all social media platforms
In today’s world of modern technology, artist and musicians work on many different
social media platforms to increase traffic to their brand and create a bigger awareness of
their musical projects. Most artists connect their accounts to each other to help consumers
find them quickly. After years of trying to keep up with all the platforms, stress can start
to weigh in on the artist. Leith Jopling from Hypebot (2022), stated “The recent protests
by music artists about the pressures of keeping up a constant presence on social media are
disconcerting in an age when many artists are struggling with mental health issues and
wellbeing.” (Para. 1).
I believe this may be happening to heartspace because she does not show interest in
updating Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, or YouTube. The main platforms she is on
consistently are Instagram and TikTok. Consistently posting is very important to a
musician’s awareness. Janie Whitefield (2021) said “Staying in a consistent cycle of
posting live updates and chatting with your followers will create the personal connection
that will later be incredibly valuable to the promotion of your music”. (Para. 5).
The solution to this problem would be to help heartspace set up automatic posting to free
up her time. This will help her not feel so overwhelmed, exhausted, or mentally drained
by social media.

7. Jopling, L. (2022, June 8). Why Music Marketing is so exhausting these days. Hypebot.
https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2022/06/why-music-marketing-is-so-exhausting-
these-days.html
Whitefield, J. (2021, February 2). Why artists should be invested in their social media.
Venture. https://www.venturemusic.com/blog/why-artists-should-be-invested-in-their-
social-media