Consistent vs. Varied Portfolio?

While responding to mafloral’s thread regarding what songs customers are looking for, I remembered another question I wanted to ask other authors here, which is: Do you feel it’s better to have a portfolio that is stylistically consistent, or more varied?

For example, I’ve tried to keep my JHunger portfolio relatively consistent (with maybe a couple of deviations), so that I have kind of a brand as “that guy who writes the folk music.” On the one hand it helps to guarantee to a customer that if he or she likes the style of music I play they can find other tracks available that are similar in my portfolio. On the other hand, it is limiting in that I’m not catering to a wider audience.

Stay the course, or eclectic mix? What do you think?

—Joel

I believe that a more diversified portfolio leads to more sales. In this case, the client must be sure that whatever style your music is quality. To search, you can create your own navigation in a profile of styles. And I think that this is a good idea it would be possible to search by tags in the portfolio of one author.

Of course, one style is better. 100%.

Of course, one style is better. 100%.

I think timing is more important than anything, and I am just about to test it out

What I mean is, I believe it’s more important to stay consistent while your customer base and portfolio are small. Buyers need to become confident in what they can expect from you.

Once you have a bit of a following however (and regular buyers who know what you are capable and will keep checking back even if a track is not their “style” a time or two around) then I believe it’s time to transition to deepen your portfolio stylistically so you can grow to another level. The challenge is to bring and maintain old buyers with you into the new and more diversified portfolio.

You want to be diverse, but not go off the deep end lest you lose your buyer bases all together. No matter who you are (assuming you actually write decent music!) if you walk this tightrope methodically and carefully, we will see you near the top on the top sellers page.

Joel, you look to be doing good and pretty steady… and have a large enough portfolio that I would say it definitely wouldn’t hurt to step into some unexplored areas to see what may be there

- Tim

plastic3 said
I don’t think so…Just take a look at Soundroll-music portfolio…

If you can pull the style off, go for it. I think that oddball track in a consistent portfolio might pull in a buyer your folk music might not attract normally. Then when they’re looking for folk, they’ll think of you maybe. You could always set up another account. I can’t see how diversifying could hurt really.

If it’s good quality, who cares about the genre?

garethcoker said
If it’s good quality, who cares about the genre?

Well, I believe that can be summed up in how many quality tracks there are around AJ that don’t sell. As much as I wish quality was always the determining factor for sales, I do not believe it is

I understand where you’re coming from, but for me I want all of my tracks to sell. What I mean is if people were used to expecting Folk from Joel, and he starts writing a few ambient tracks say, they most likely will not sell that well to start not because they aren’t good, but that isn’t what his regular buyers expect from him …yet.

So for me, the cost of diversifying a portfolio at the cost of sales would not be good, IF you were reliant upon steady sales.

If you know another folk track is going to produce sales, and really need those sales lets say, better to go with what always sells then to take a chance at a bad time.

If you got lots of time and money, and it doesn’t matter to you if you spend days or weeks on a track that doesn’t sell, well that’s completely different

Good points all,

Rob – actually I set up my SeaportSound portfolio last month for that very reason. I felt like it was a way to branch out while leaving my initial portfolio intact. Also I’m collaborating with a good friend of mine who has different musical tastes, which forces me to think differently when I’m composing and performing – definitely a very good thing. Sounds like you’re doing something similar with your other profile.

Gareth and Tim – both good points. I think that quality will eventually sell, but if you’ve got a profile that is mostly, say, dark ambient music, and then post a series of jaunty polka tunes after coming across your old high school clarinet, you might risk alienating your current audience as well as potential buyers who remember clicking on the polka stuff and don’t bother digging in to find your other stuff.

Not that I don’t think there’s a time and place for polka music.

—Joel