What effect has new technology had on the

music industry?

Digital technology now accepted

Consumer has more control

Media is more “democratised” but “big 4” still have huge power

Institutions and Audiences – what you must know

• PRODUCTION (how is music made using technology – “means of production”)• DISTRIBUTION platforms (proliferation of formats – CD, radio, mobile phone, MP3, computer, TV etc)• MARKETING (advertising, PR – role of A&R)• EXCHANGE (downloading, CD shops, online shops like Amazon)

• At local, national and international level• As well as British audiences’ reception and consumption (e.g. Hertfordshire data)

• Section B: Institutions and Audiences

• 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. • This unit should be approached through contemporary examples in the form of case studies. Examples may

include the following:

• A study of a particular record label within the contemporary music industry that targets a British audience, including its patterns of production, distribution, marketing and consumption by audiences. This should be accompanied by the study of strategies used by the record labels to counter the practice of file sharing and their impact on music production, marketing and consumption.

Can you spot the odd “brand” out?

Globalisation and the Music industry

LO: To broaden understanding of globalisation in relation to music

What is globalisation?

• The integration of economies, cultures and societies

• It began with the telephone and has been speeded up with recent advances in modern technology

• Discuss - can you think of any advances in technology that have accelerated globalisation?

Advantages and disadvantages

• Sharing of “best practice”?

• “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer”?

• Does it result in integration or imperialism?– Loss of cultural identity?

• Exposing smaller organisations (or countries) to opportunities of global economy?

How does it apply to the music industry?

• The “Big 4”? – globalised?• The “Independents” – localised and genre

specific (e.g. grime in East End)?• More developed countries better equipped

to produce and distribute music?– For example, India “listens to” the US but

does the US “listen to” India?– Resulting in American (and British)

imperialism?

American Imperialism

• US cultural influence seen across the world (e.g. non-US artists appropriating US derived music styles or approaches so that they become cultural hybrids)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jay_Sean_-_2009_India_Day_Parade.jpg

Jay Sean Case Study

• Read article

• What parts of his upbringing were stereotypically ‘Asian’?

• How was Jay Sean initially treated by the press?

• How and why did this change?

• Why do you think he is more successful in the US than the UK?

Jay Sean article

• What parts of his upbringing were stereotypically ‘Asian’?– Caution (only quit job after signing contract) – Importance of education– Buying property to rent out– Father a businessman– High status professional qualification

Jay Sean article

• How was Jay Sean initially treated by the press?– As an ‘Asian’ rather than a ‘British’ R&B

singer– Headlines like “Top of the Popadums” and “All

the Raj”

• How and why did this change?– Re-modelled himself - ditched Indian samples

and his old, spiky-haired Asian look for a poppier R&B vibe

Jay Sean article

• Why do you think he is more successful in the US than the UK?– US care less (and know less) about his

ethnicity – “I had a clean slate”

• Are his Sikh roots still important to him?– Yes, he is still proud of his culture– He believes he has helped young Asians

aspire to him as a role model

Jay Sean

• Do you think he challenges traditional Asian (pop star) stereotypes? If so, how?• He has said that he wants to be judged on musical merit rather than his ethnic background:

“To be honest with you, people look at you harder, they analyse you deeper, they criticise you further. You hang a note and they’ll listen to it harder than they will if it’s sung by a black guy or a white guy,” told Jay. “I don’t really see it as pressure.You’re never going to appeal to everybody. There’s always going to be someone who will say, ‘What’s he up to? He should be singing bhangra and dancing like a chicken’. I’ve stopped trying to force people to listen. This is what I love doing, this is what I’ve been doing my whole life and if you’re with it, wicked, and if you’re not, then I can’t please you. That’s the best I can do.”

Jay Sean

• Does he appropriate (borrow from) conventions of black R&B and hip-hop? They often represent:

– overt masculinity (muscles, tattoos, dancing, aggressiveness, attractiveness to and domination over women)– ostentatious wealth (jewellery such as tooth caps, shades fast cars, champagne etc)– criminal or underworld associations– but how true is this of mainstream R&B and hip-hop?

• This area is dominated by black musicians – what examples of artists can you think of? • What similarities does Jay Sean’s music share with the artists you have thought of?

Asian stereotyping

• Hard working and studious• Business minded• Strong sense of family- close knit• Good at Maths (and cricket)• Money/status orientated• Religious/moral• Arranged marriages• Passive (except for terrorists)

Music news - homework

• 1 side of A4 – be prepared to summarise your answer to the group!

• Music news update for 2010 – choose 1 area from:– Production– Distribution– Marketing– Exchange

Case Studies

• Computer lesson – find recent (i.e. in 2010) news articles on 1 of the following companies:– Youtube– Myspace– Apple– EMI– Warner