Music Matters Campaign

The Campaign:
- The Music Matters campaign is a collective of artists and people from across the industry, which has formed to remind music fans of the significance and value of music.
- The Music Matters trust mark will act as a guide for music fans and help differentiate legal music services from illegal ones.

- With a downloading service, tracks are stored on an individual’s iPod, iPhone or preferred device and can be listened to when and where the consumer chooses. Online streaming services make the music available to listen to online without purchasing and downloading the files.
-Every creator has a right to be paid for the time, effort and money invested in producing quality music for us to enjoy.

Issues raised regarding change in the music industry.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/mar/18/death-ipod-apple-music

• iPod is a converged media device
• Before users had no way of burning their own CDs and DVDs onto a computer/laptop
• iMac is a "new digital ecosystem"
• Apple is set to be the world's most valuable company
• Apple is one of the top music providers
• Apple has changed the way we think about technology and design and the way we consume media
• It allows other methods of technology to come into our lives
• iPod was the first cultural icon of the 21st century
• iPod was the first MP3 player that worked
• It was the desire for a technological freedom
• iPod was technology that let you fit the whole world in your pocket
• For MP3 files they stripped out as much data as possible - the stuff we wouldn't miss
• iPod design - a cigarette packet-sized box with a mobile phone like screen and buttons on the base
• Accessible in three pushes of the button
• Louder than any other MP3 player
• The products of Apple are "beautiful and well resolved and impossible to copy"
• Allowed independent accessory market to arise
• Playlists replaced albums
• iTunes became a one-stop digital superstore
• Customers register with iTunes and so Apple can stay in touch with them

Exam Question - Discuss the issues raised by the increasing globalisation of media institutions and their ability to target national (specifically British) audiences.

The online revolution has proved as damaging to independent labels as to multinational companies. How far do you agree?

The internet has made it very easy for people to get hold and access music whether it be for a fee or for free. It has 'damaged' both independent and multinational labels because if people are downloading their music illegally, the labels are going to get less money from sales because the more people that are downloading illegally, the less amount of people will be paying for the single/album. Also the more wide spread the artist is over the internet, generally the more well know they will become because it will be easy getting hold of their music online. I think the online revolution has been more damaging to independent labels as they don't have as many artists signed to them as multinational labels which means that the money that they lose out on from illegal downloads will show significantly rather than a lose for a multinational label. In the long run this could mean that independent record labels will not have enough money to produce as much music which could lead to the artist fading away from the music industry itself.

But on the other hand, the online revolution has helped labels because they can help an artist to become more well known because they can put up free downloads so that people can download it for free and listen to it and decide whether or not they like the artist before they go and buy more of their music especially if they are signed to independent labels where promotion isn't as wide-spread. This is easily accessed by hundreds/thousands of people who use the internet practically every day. The internet has made it very easy to download music straight away and listen to it quickly rather than having to go to a shop and buy the physical copy of the CD and having to wait till you get home before you can listen to it again. Also with the access of iTunes on iPhones and iPod Touches means that you can buy your music on the go and listen to it whilst out and about.
The internet has also helped it easier to share music with other people. This means that you can suggest a good song you've heard on the radio to your friends and they can go home and look it up on YouTube or Myspace and decide whether they do like the same artist without having to pay to listen to their music only to decide they don't like the artist and have wasted their money.

Results from the Survey

Survey on Music Audiences

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HLCLSZT

Convergence in the Music Industry

Benefits:
- It narrows the gap between the audience and the producers of the music.
- It allows the audience to have instant access to the music.
- Opens up opportunities for artists to promote their work.
- There is free distribution -> it can be done electronically so less money is wasted on producing large amounts of CDs.
- Once people have bought the music they can do whatever they want with it because that copy is now theirs -> this means they can put in on their iPod or phone to listen to.
- Artists can set up Twitter accounts so that they can become instantly connected to their audience
- More people will hear their music because they can go and listen to it in many different ways which are easy for them.

Disadvantages:
- It allows people to 'steal' music because they can illegally download them for free off several different websites.
- You don't get to hold the physical copy (eg CD) and you don't get anything free with it (CD covers containing lyrics to the songs)

Explain how UMG uses subsidiaries to maximise the success of artists from other genres:

If there are smaller companies in a large company (Island Records is a subsidiary of UMG) it helps the record label specialise in specific genres and particular artists so they can maximise their success because the whole label is one genre so people who work within the company can use their knowledge to help the artist become successful. So Island Records focus on reggae music so mainly all the artists are reggae artists and the people who work for Island Records know a lot about reggae and know the right music they need to produce to connect with the target audience of the artist.
From the Island Records website, you can tell that it is quite laid back and also relates to Islands because the logo is of a palm tree on an island and if you just saw that part of the logo you can immediately link it back to an island maybe one in the Caribbean. Also the main colours used are yellow and red which give the impression of a sunset beach. Also the icons are a record and an old fashioned tv and the whole website is placed on ‘selves’ which shows that it offers more of an older genre of music and also gives the beach hut look to the website.

From the Fascination Records website, you can tell that they specialise in pop music because the website comes across as being very modern and pop music is modern. Also the top half of the page is at a slant including the writing inside to show that it’s different as no other website seems to be laid out like that. I think that Fascination Records target audience is 16-25 because all the images are of the current pop musicians, most of whom have appear in the top 40. The top 40 appeals to teenagers because they like to keep on top of the music world by seeing what music is the best selling at the time.

Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group:

Who owns the company?
• Vivendi SA

Where is it based?
• New York city

What other countries does it have offices?
- Has offices in 72 countries:
• Argentina
• Austria
• Australia
• Baltics
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• India
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Korea
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Polska
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• Singapore
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Venezuela

Is it part of the same company as:
- a music publishing group – YES – Universal Music Publishing Group
- a music distribution company – YES – Universal Music Group Distribution
- a film or television studio – YES – Canal Plus Group
- a radio station – NO
- a company which makes hardware/software – NO
- a video games company – YES – Activation Blizzard
- a telecommunications company – YES – Global Village Telecom

Record Sales:
• $6.14 billion (2007)

Record Labels Bought By Universal Music Group:
• Interscope Geffen A&G
• Verve Records
• Decca label Group
• Island Def Jam Music Group
• Universal Motown Republic Group

How far do you think developments in technology have changed the way the music industry operates? Consider how new technologies have changed the relationship between audiences and artists.

I think that the music industry has changed a lot over the past 40 years. The way we listen and get hold of music has changed as well because of the technologies available to us.

   40 years ago, people first heard new music on the radio and a rare few heard it on the TV. When anything happened to an artist, people usually found out about it by reading the newspaper, hearing about it on the radio and in the rare occasion it might make it into the news on the TV.

   When people wanted to listen to music, they either listened to it on the radio, or they went to a shop and brought a record if they had a record player to play it on. If they wanted to play the music to other people, they would have to invite them round, perhaps for dinner or a catch up and play the music in the background.

   Nowadays people hear music through other people talking/playing their music whether it is on their computer or iPod or even on their mobile phones. If they are at home and they have found a new artist/song, they can share links from YouTube on Facebook where everyone can see it. For the more traditional people, you can still buy music in a CD form.

   It is really easy to get hold of music; you can download it for a price straight from your iPod or iPhone. Or you can also illegally download it from loads of websites on the internet. Once you have the song, you can even send it to other people via Bluetooth on your phone.

   For news about music, they can be found in celebrity/music magazines, on the TV on music channels, in the newspaper and if it’s a major crisis it sometimes makes it onto the main news for example Michael Jackson’s death was all over the media for weeks after his death.

   All the different technologies have made it easier for artists to engage with their fans. Social Networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook make it easier for artists to talk to their fans and keep them up to date with all the latest news and what gigs they will be playing at. This also makes the audience feel like they know the artist more and will be more likely to buy their music and attend their concerts.

   To conclude I think that the music industry has changed considerably in 40 years. This is because of the way people think and listen to music and the amount of technology available to us to get hold of music has increased.

Record Labels

a) What does a record label do?
- A record label enables artists to treat music making as a full-time career. They exploit the artists' recordings commercially and collect and pay the resulting royalties on their behalf.

b) Give four examples of services a record label might provide for an artist
- Pay for the recording and mixing of albums
- Manufacture and Distribute the recordings (to retailers)
- Promote and artists and their music
- Enforce the copyright laws

c) Why might an artist want to be signed to a record label?
- A record label can help to promote you as a new artist so that the public can recognize your music and you as an artist. They can also help to provide the financial support system which allows them to pursue music full-time.

d) Give four examples of ways in which record labels make money (Revenue Streams)?
- Selling albums/singles of the artist
- Money from tour tickets
- Royalties
- Investment

e) Name the 'big four' record labels (majors) and name two well-known artists who are signed to each one.
- EMI:
  - Kylie Minogue
  - Dizzee Rascal

- Sony BMG:
  - Beyonce
  - Justin Timberlake

- Universal Music Group:
  - Justin Bieber
  - Black Eyed Peas

- Warner Music Group:
  - Michael Buble
  - Madonna

AS Media Studies Unit G323 - exam

Section B: Institutions and Audiences:

For Section B, we shall be studying the music industry. We shall focus on case studies of two record labels within the contemporary music industry which target British audiences, including their patterns of production, distribution, marketing and consumption by audiences. This will be accompanied by study of the strategies used by record labels to counter the practice of file sharing and their impact on music production, marketing and consumption.

Candidates should be prepared to understand and discuss the processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange as they relate to contemporary media institutions, as well as, the nature of audience consumption and the relationship between audiences and institutions. In addition candidates should be familiar with:

·         the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;

·         the importance of cross media convergence and synergy, in production, distribution and marketing;

·         the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, marketing and exchange;

·         the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences;

·         the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences;

·         the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international and global institutions;

·         the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.