Ad s s r e h s i l b Q Pu T OR P E R Ad Q S t u d i e s A Division of HARVEY RESEARCH, Inc. 6800 Pittsford-Palmyra Rd. Cedarwood Office Park, Suite 400 Fairport, New York 14450-3514 www.harveyresearch.com ONLINE ADsQ Issue: November 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page Introduction 1 Respondent Profile 2-11 Respondent Purchase Influence 12-15 Readership of PREMIER GUITAR 16 Readership of Competitive Publications 17-18 Technical Appendix 19
INTRODUCTION The Ad Q Publisher s Report is a historical analysis of respondents demographic profile, buying involvement, readership of the publication, and the buying actions stimulated by the publication. The Report is a valuable tool in assessing long-range trends in respondents responsibilities and involvements, and in monitoring reader traffic and editorial viability. Successive studies replicating identical methodology ensure the comparability and the precision of the results as the statistical base increases and the sampling tolerance is reduced. Results based upon 21,725 respondents surveyed cumulatively to date may be accepted as being statistically accurate within a sampling tolerance of plus or minus 0.62 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence. The November 2012 Online Ad Q Study is based on 6,358 qualified completed questionnaires and may be accepted as being statistically accurate within a sampling tolerance of plus or minus 1.15 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence. The Ad Q Publisher s Report may be retained as a confidential management document, or it may be shared with advertisers at the discretion of the publisher. The objectives of this research study have been met through utilization of Internet survey techniques. Like the 2011 Ad Q Study of PREMIER GUITAR, the statistical universe for this Web-mediated study is composed of a very large sample of guitar enthusiasts who either subscribe to PREMIER GUITAR's print and/or digital edition, have opted to receive PREMIER GUITAR's weekly electronic newsletter BACKSTAGE PASS, or who responded to the survey request posted on PREMIER GUITAR's Web site, www.premierguitar.com and on other guitar centric Web sites and on over 25 Web sites of manufacturers who produce guitars, amps, effects and accessories. As such, a total audience of 1,571,336 as of November 2012 (after elimination of duplicates) guitar enthusiasts across all PREMIER GUITAR proprietary platforms (excluding PREMIER GUITAR social media platforms) had the opportunity to respond to this Online questionnaire. As such, and as the study s findings demonstrate, this is not simply a study of PREMIER GUITAR subscribers, but also a measure of guitarists who do not normally receive/read PREMIER GUITAR's products, since each respondent did have access via an interactive link, to the digital edition of the November 2012 issue of PREMIER GUITAR so as to be able to answer the questions about measured advertisements and about readership of various guitar centric magazines and Web sites. All aspects of this study, including Internet hosting, sorting and editing, tabulation, and report preparation are conducted by staff personnel under the sole control of Ad Q Studies, a division of Harvey Research, Inc. 1
ONLINE Ad Q PREMIER GUITAR, UPDATED TO: November 2012 RESPONDENT PROFILE Into which of the following age ranges do you fall? Under 25 5 % 25-34 11 35-44 23 45-54 32 55+ 26 I prefer not to share my age 2 Total 99 %* The typical respondent is an average of 47.1 years of age. Base: 21,725 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (5 studies to date). *Note: The total may not equal 100% due to rounding. Note: Average reported is a median. 2
ONLINE Ad Q PREMIER GUITAR, UPDATED TO: November 2012 RESPONDENT PROFILE (cont.) What range best represents your annual household income before taxes? Less than $25,000 9 % $25,000 - $49,999 16 $50,000 - $74,999 18 $75,000 - $99,999 16 $100,000 - $199,999 20 $200,000 or more 4 I prefer not to share my income 17 Total 100 %* The typical respondent has an average annual household income of $87,618.08. Base: 21,725 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (5 studies to date). *Note: The total may not equal 100% due to rounding. Note: Average reported is a mean. 3
ONLINE Ad Q PREMIER GUITAR, UPDATED TO: November 2012 RESPONDENT PROFILE (cont.) Which instruments do you play? Acoustic guitar 81 % Electric guitar 95 Bass 43 N/A 5 100% 95% 90% 80% 81% 70% 60% 50% 43% 40% 30% 20% 10% 5% 0% Base: 21,725 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (5 studies to date). 4
ONLINE Ad Q PREMIER GUITAR, UPDATED TO: November 2012 RESPONDENT PROFILE (cont.) For how many years have you been playing? Less than 4 years 9 % 4-6 years 7 7-10 years 7 11-14 years 6 15-19 years 8 20 years or more 63 N/A 1 Total 101 %* The typical respondent has been playing for an average of 17.9 years. Base: 21,725 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (5 studies to date). *Note: The total may not equal 100% due to rounding. Note: Average reported is a median. 5
ONLINE Ad Q PREMIER GUITAR, UPDATED TO: November 2012 RESPONDENT PROFILE (cont.) Do you think of yourself as being a? Recreational guitarist 66 % Part-time professional musician 39 Full-time professional musician 8 Guitar collector 29 Guitar distributor/dealer 2 Product manufacturer 3 None of the above 1 70% 66% 60% 50% 40% 39% 30% 29% 20% 10% 8% 0% 2% 3% 1% Base: 21,725 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (5 studies to date). 6
RESPONDENT PROFILE (cont.) Who else in your household plays guitar? Spouse 7 % Child 22 Grandchild 2 Parent 4 Grandparent 1 N/A 64 70% 64% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 22% 10% 7% 2% 4% 1% 0% Base: 6,358 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (1 study to date). 7
RESPONDENT PROFILE (cont.) How many of the following gear items do you own? More 0 1-5 6-10 than 10 Mean Electric Guitars 2% 62% 20% 15% 5.2 Acoustic Guitars 8 81 5 2 3.2 Amps 2 80 11 4 3.8 Basses 33 47 3 1 2.1 Effects, Pedals 5 36 25 29 6.6 Home Recording Devices 21 64 4 3 2.7 Live Sound Equipment/Devices 35 42 7 5 2.7 Microphones 20 55 11 7 3.5 Base: 6,358 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (1 study to date). 8
RESPONDENT PROFILE (cont.) How often do you visit each of the following websites? Don t Constantly Regularly Occasionally Never Know www.acousticguitar.com 1% 5% 24% 56% 6% www.americanmusicalsupply.com 2 7 38 38 5 www.bassplayer.com 1 3 15 65 6 www.guitarcenter.com 5 21 47 17 2 www.guitarplayer.com 2 14 43 30 4 www.guitarworld.com 3 14 37 34 4 www.harmony-central.com 4 18 46 22 4 www.musiciansfriend.com 8 32 43 8 2 www.premierguitar.com 20 51 23 2 1 www.proguitarshop.com 8 20 27 31 4 www.samash.com 1 6 37 42 5 www.sweetwater.com 5 19 45 19 3 www.ultimate-guitar.com 6 16 34 32 5 www.vintageguitar.com 2 9 33 42 6 www.zzrounds.com 2 9 38 37 5 Other Guitar-related Website 10 22 40 8 10 Base: 6,358 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (1 study to date). 9
ONLINE Ad Q PREMIER GUITAR, UPDATED TO: November 2012 RESPONDENT PROFILE (cont.) Please check any of the following to describe your level of involvement with the various PREMIER GUITAR platforms. Regular Occasional Never Subscribe Reader/User Reader/User Read/Use PremierGuitar.com 34% 37% 22% 3% PG print magazine 23 12 25 30 PG Online/Digital Magazine 45 28 16 6 PG s Weekly enewsletter 33 25 18 16 PremierGuitar.com on a smartphone 5 5 10 69 PG Smartphone app 5 4 6 74 PG YouTube 8 19 29 32 PG Facebook 9 11 19 48 PG Twitter 2 3 5 74 PG Tablet App (ipad, Kindle Fire, etc.) 3 4 5 73 PG Perks Membership Newsletter 31 20 11 27 Base: 16,728 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (3 studies to date).. 10
RESPONDENT PROFILE (cont.) Please share with us your use of/involvement with guitar-oriented social media channels. Constantly Regularly Occasionally Rarely Never Use Use Use Use Use YouTube 35% 36% 19% 4% 5% Facebook 25 23 16 9 23 Twitter 5 6 8 10 63 Tumblr 1 1 4 8 77 Pinterest - 1 4 7 79 Google+ 5 9 12 13 55 Instagram 2 2 4 7 76 Stumbleupon 1 1 4 7 79 Reddit 1 1 3 6 81 Other Social Network(s) 2 3 9 11 64 Base: 6,358 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (1 study to date). 11
ONLINE Ad Q PREMIER GUITAR, UPDATED TO: November 2012 RESPONDENT PURCHASE INFLUENCE Which of the following would you like to purchase in the next 12 months? % Purchase Total Buyers/ Product Category Involvement Specifiers Reached Accessories 61 958,515 Acoustic Guitars 34 534,254 Amps 56 879,948 Basses 15 235,700 Cases 24 377,121 Effects, Pedals 68 1,068,508 Electric Guitars 58 911,375 Home Recording Gear 38 597,108 Instruction Books/CDs/DVDs 27 424,261 Live Sound Equipment 19 298,554 Microphones 26 408,547 Pickups, Parts 52 817,095 Strings 77 1,209,929 Other* 13 204,274 99% of all respondents would like to make a purchase in one or more of the above categories within the next 12 months. Base: 21,725 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (5 studies to date). *Base: 18,728 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (4 studies to date). Note: Total Buyers Reached is calculated by multiplying the percent of respondents with purchase involvement against the total multimedia audience of 1,571,336. 12
RESPONDENT PURCHASE INFLUENCE (cont.) How would you describe your gear-purchasing behavior? I primarily buy gear online 21 % I primarily buy gear in a brick-and-mortar store 21 I primarily "showroom" (try gear in a brick-and-mortar store and then purchase later online) 3 I shop and buy in a variety of ways 55 No Response - Total 100 %* Base: 6,358 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (1 study to date). *Note: The total may not equal 100% due to rounding. 13
RESPONDENT PURCHASE INFLUENCE (cont.) How has your gear-purchasing behavior changed over the past two years? I am more likely to buy online 37 % I am more likely to buy in brick-and-mortar stores 12 I am more likely to buy used gear 22 My shopping behavior hasn't changed 25 I am doing more research before buying 47 50% 47% 45% 40% 37% 35% 30% 25% 20% 22% 25% 15% 12% 10% 5% 0% Base: 6,358 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (1 study to date). *Note: The total may not equal 100% due to rounding. 14
RESPONDENT PURCHASE INFLUENCE (cont.) Which guitar resource do you rely on most for information when you make gear purchasing decisions? Premier Guitar 84 Guitar Player 21 Guitar World 17 Acoustic Guitar 7 Vintage Guitar 12 Harmony Central 21 Musician s Friend 24 The Gear Page 15 Other blogs and forums 24 Other 16 Base: 6,358 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (1 study to date). 15
READERSHIP OF PREMIER GUITAR How interesting do you find each of the following magazine content areas? (1 = Not at all interesting, 10 = Most interesting) Gear reviews 8.9 Gear pictures 8.4 How-to and DIY information 8.2 Instructional lessons 7.4 Artist interviews 7.4 Authentic guitar tab 7.1 Feature stories 7.5 Columns 7.2 CD/DVD reviews 5.9 Photo galleries 7.0 Contests/Giveaways 8.0 Video product demos 8.1 Rig Rundown videos 8.0 Gear demos from shows like HAMM, Musikmesse, etc. 8.1 Base: 6,358 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (1 study to date). 16
READERSHIP OF COMPETITIVE PUBLICATIONS Below you will find a list of guitar magazines. Please share with us the extent to which you use them. Use to Use for Use to Use to read about general research read about guitar reading gear artists instruction enjoyment Premier Guitar 85% 64% 56% 74% Acoustic Guitar 17 12 14 22 Bass Player 11 9 8 17 Fretboard Journal 4 5 4 14 Guitar Aficionado 7 7 3 18 Guitar Player 39 37 31 40 Guitar World 33 30 27 35 Vintage Guitar 29 17 9 31 Base: 6,358 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (1 study to date). 17
READERSHIP OF COMPETITIVE PUBLICATIONS (cont.) In thinking about the previously mentioned magazines, how would you describe your relationship with each? Will read Buy it on No someone else s Active Former newsstands longer read copy if I subscriber subscriber regularly it at all find it lying around Premier Guitar 67% 7% 11% 1% 10% Acoustic Guitar 6 9 6 14 40 Bass Player 3 5 4 21 37 Fretboard Journal 2 1 4 21 41 Guitar Aficionado 2 2 5 18 42 Guitar Player 19 20 11 8 28 Guitar World 15 16 10 11 30 Vintage Guitar 11 7 9 11 40 Base: 6,358 respondents surveyed via the Internet through November 2012 (1 study to date). 18
TECHNICAL APPENDIX The objectives of this research study have been met through utilization of Internet survey techniques. Online Ad Q respondents are selected on a structured random interval basis. The statistical universe for this study is composed of readers of PREMIER GUITAR having email addresses known to the publication. A portion of the universe received an email from the publication with a hyperlink to a Web site containing the Online questionnaire. In total, 93,198 email invitations were sent by the publication. This Online Ad Q Study is based on 6,358 qualified completed questionnaires. All aspects of this study, including Internet hosting, sorting and editing, tabulation, and report preparation are conducted by staff personnel under the sole control of Ad Q Studies, a division of Harvey Research, Inc. 19