Over at Hypebot.com, George Howard, an Associate Professor of Music Business/Management at Berklee College of Music, has presented the idea of Pokemon Go ’s success being attributed to its social, fun, and competitive (SFC) framework. According to Howard, this SFC formula could be indicative of a breakthrough in regards to making a product internationally successful and recognised. Pokemon Go’s huge success he posits, may present a golden opportunity for the music industry to hop on this SFC bandwagon and create a music-related product that could take the world by storm.
“Even while I’m delighted to watch this articulation of my SFC theory taking over the world, I’m equally distressed by the fact… we really have not seen a music-related product truly explode in this manner. Objectively, we should have. In other words, where has our Pokémon GO for music been, and/or when will our Pokémon GO for music emerge?” he asks in an article published on Hypebot.
Aside from his Berklee position Howard is a co-founder of Music Audience Exchange, and a firm believer in a product’s success being determined by its ability to cater towards the three elements of his SFC theory. “…If I can’t quickly determine that a product passes the “Social, Fun, and Competitive Test,” I’m not interested.”
Howard’s article goes on to discuss the potential for the music industry to implement his SFC formula, in order to create a new and current music-related product that will not only attain success, but longevity.
“…If some music-related product does not emerge and capture the world’s attention – even if only a fraction of the attention that Pokemon Go – via an artful Social, Fun, and Competitive implementation – that presents a problem…My sense, however, is that we are approaching some degree of breakthrough.”
It’s an interesting theory: after all, in our ever-advancing technological world, paying attention to trends with apps and products is highly important in order to gauge what will be successful in today’s digital society.
