I recently switched topics (from Social Media and Mental Health to Technology and Music). I am still in the midst of research.
Exercise 4: Prospectus Brainstorming
The major groups I did were: Technology, Consumers, Artists/Producers, and Labels/Companies.
For each of these groups, I thought of various things I could potentially talk about. For technology, I thought that I could expand the complications between the music industry and streaming, AI, and music production equipment. Looking at the diagram (image 4), that a way for me to organize my big ideas.
The major topics that I would like to dive deeper into are: Business/Economics, Technology, and Perspectives (of consumers, artists, and companies).
I wrote the main, initial questions for this topic, which is shown in images 2 and 3. I tried to create questions that, in my opinion, will spark discussion, in terms of controversy, complication, and irony. For the purpose of reading off a screen:
1. As online streaming continues to capture consumers' eyes, how is it affecting music companies and their artists? Are they affected the same way? What are the music companies striving for? What do the artists want?
2. Looking at how online streaming services have been so successful over the years, why are the people (consumers) willing to pay for them when the purpose of streaming services is for people to have legal access to music?
3. Do all record labels and music companies have the same mindset? Do indie record labels strive for something different from the 3 big music companies?
4. How is AI affecting the music industry - business and artists? Why are people willing to go listen and watch AI or cyber musical synthesizer perform? Will it go on long-term or will it be a short-term event? Will AI drive artists out of the industry?
5. VR is becoming more and more prevalent in society - started in the gaming industry and now, the music industry. VR can help consumers (fans) worldwide enjoy their artists, but in what ways it is harming or benefiting the artists and record labels? Why would artists and record labels push for VR-based performances - music videos and concerts?
6. Although there are streaming services available to consumers, why are there consumers who prefer the traditional methods of listening to music, such as vinyls, CDs, cassette tapes, etc.? Do music companies target these consumers when their artists release new music? Since there are not that many consumers who prefer traditional methods compared to those who stream, how do companies satisfy their consumers while fulfilling their own desires? What is ironic about the consumers' decisions to purchase CDs and vinyls? How are the music companies struggling with satisfying consumers, artists, and themselves while technology is advancing?
7. How is the music-creating technology/equipment affecting music in general? With the advancement of technology, more and more music genres are being created, such as techno or electric dance music. What are the artists' perspectives on the new technology - is it pulling them away rom creativity and traditional music production or is it simply expanding the music world?
Since I am still researching this topic, I have a lot to do. But looking at these questions, I need to research a lot of the economy of music as economics focuses on the production, distribution, and the consumption of things. It also focuses on consumers and producers behaviors and interactions, which, in this case, would be music companies, artists, and consumers/fans.
Exercise 5: Searching for Scholarly Sources
CD Companion Introduction: Power and Responsibility: Converted to Streaming between Machines
Van Belle, Guy. “CD Companion Introduction: Power and Responsibility: Converted to Streaming between Machines.” Leonardo Music Journal, vol. 9, 1999, pp. 123–126. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1513491.
Summary: This article takes a 3rd person perspectives on the music industry, particularly between artists and consumers. This article was released 1999, so it focused a lot on the fairly new technology at the time, CDs. This would be useful for my topic because it can show how music has grown to streaming. One of the main point that caught my attention was how the author wrote that artists have to potential to be the bridge between technology and its application.
The Economics of Music
TSCHMUCK, PETER. The Economics of Music. Agenda Publishing, 2017. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv5cg90z.
Summary: This book was released in 2017, so it will include recent events regarding music and technology. I didn't choose specific chapters because I believe the book will have certain points that I want to make throughout the book. It provides a brief economic history of the music business, which will be useful when I mention how the business has grown throughout the years. The book mentions multiple topics, such as the music economy, sound recording, music labour markets, and the digital music business, which is big topic in this subject.
Online Music Consumption in Today's Technological Context: Putting the Influence of Ethics in Perspective
Weijters, Bert, et al. “Online Music Consumption in Today's Technological Context: Putting the Influence of Ethics in Perspective.” Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 124, no. 4, 2014, pp. 537–550., www.jstor.org/stable/24033176.
Summary: This paper is based off of a literature review and a quantitative study regarding streaming, illegal downloading, and consumers' preferences. The preferences in this study are major for me because, in this subject that I am researching, it would be useful to see what the consumers are thinking and what they desire.
Exercise 6: Digital Searches for Primary Sources
I found 3 digital images and audio that I think will be useful for my research.
Title: KLOK Radio Personality Frank Darien, Jr. On Air
Date: 1945/1955
Collection: Del Carlo (Arnold) Photograph Collection
Owning Institution: Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History
Source: Calisphere
Date of access: October 18 2018 04:35
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/ark:/13030/kt9v19s2hx/
The first image shows a radio personality person with vinyl record turntables, playing music to his audience over the radio. I want to use this image to show how people in the 1950s were listening to music, when they didn't have smartphones or their laptops to stream music.
Title: N.H. man makes treble clef sign look even more like $
Date: 1953
Collection: Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Owning Institution: Los Angeles Public Library
Source: Calisphere
Date of access: October 18 2018 06:07
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/2cc643168abbb7d80ed10eac3213bad8/
This image shows a man recording a disc using two banjos, two guitars, two ukes, a mandolin, and bass fiddle. This image will be used to point out how artists used to create music and how artists are using synthesizer to create music.
Title: Graflex Record Player
Date: 1961/04/12
Collection: Center for Sacramento History Photo Collection
Owning Institution: Center for Sacramento History
Source: Calisphere
Date of access: October 18 2018 04:49
Permalink: https://calisphere.org/item/ac409e81abcfa188551764f0653fe493/
This image is just a simple record player, but it shows a lot because I want to show how convenient streaming is nowadays.
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