2. How has technology affected
the industry?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL0PHgIb
7Zg
• What issues arise from this short
documentary?
3. • Technological Convergence
• Coming together of 2 or more
technologies
• Iphone & Ipod Touch
• Consume music anywhere, have entire
music collection in your pocket
• Impacted on institutions and audiences
4. Production
• At the level of production music can be
generated using a standard networked
computer.
• How can this benefit unsigned acts?
5. Distribution
how albums get into shops. Distribution companies sign
deals with record labels (or very rarely, directly with
artists) that gives them the right to sell that label's
products to record stores that have an account with that
distributor. The distributor takes a cut of income from
each album sold and then pays the label the remaining
balance.
• Traditionally distribution of music used forms
such as the import > export model (majors
who want to reach an international audience)
• Increasingly the global reach of the internet is
becoming the focus for multimedia
distributors - as well as advertisers.
• Can you think of any examples?
7. Emergence of Web 2.0
• Web 1.0 was about info being pushed
onto us - it was mostly a space for
browsing and reading.
• As technology has advanced web 2.0
allows us to read, post and publish
content without the need for specialist
software.
• This has positives and negatives for the
music industry
• What are your initial thoughts?
8. Positives
• Unsigned acts - produce and distribute their own
music without a label using MySpace Music
• Indie Labels - Can operate solely online (production
& Distribution) keeping costs low hence they can
focus more on the actual music - taking more risk
• Majors - Can source bands who already have an
established fanbase
• Advertise online - using info on individuals profiles to
target them with music they’re seemingly interested
in.
• Wider audience can be reached
• Synergetic links with other companies e.g. Xfactor
and songs can be instantly downloaded from Itunes.
9. Creativity
• How can digital and technological
convergence harness individual creativity with
regards to music?
• Think about YouTube…………
• Mash Ups -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRHfd9Yto
0A
• Music Videos -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRV9tQCe
4gY
• Fan Videos –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nET4oT
A2kU
10. Negatives
• P2P sites such as Napster which
emerged in 1999
• Hits major companies in their core
markets (western world) as previous
pirate music came from the middle east
as black market CD’s.
• Impact on revenue streams
• Weakened the divide between
producers and consumers and forced a
transformation in the circulation of
media products
11. Apple
• Apple then benefit as majors have to
buy into Itunes to accommodate the
changing needs of
consumers, something they were
reluctant to do
• Consumers now have greater flexibility
and choice over their music
12. The Longtail
• Greater choice and flexibility over your music
is what Chris Anderson Refers to as The
Longtail
• Web 2.0 creating endless demand for almost
anything and everything
• A mass of products sourced from all kinds of
producers and distributors from sites such as
ebay and amazon alongside conducting a
google search.
13. Critics - for
• Talking about the benefit of technological and
digital convergence
• |”It gives them control of the journey, the
timing of the journey, and the space they are
moving through. It’s a generalization, but the
main use of the iPod is control. People like to
be in control. They are controlling their
space, their time, and their interaction… and
they’re having a good time. That can’t be
understated -- it gives them a lot of pleasure.”
(Bull in Kahney 2005)
14. Critics - against
• Arguing it’s not about the music but the
artefact
• “With vinyl, the aesthetic was in the cover of
the record. You had the sleeve, the
artwork, the liner notes. With the rise of
digital, the aesthetic has left the object – the
record sleeve – and now the aesthetic is in
the artefact: the iPod, not the music.”(Bull in
Levin 2004)
15. What do you think?
• In Pairs create an argument that
outlines the benefits and limitations of
technological and digital convergence
on both institutions and audiences.
• Feed your ideas to another pair.
