2. Contemporary Music Industry Production – refers to recording music, formatting music, designing & producing artwork (CD packaging) Distribution– getting music aired/ready for download (radio/TV/internet) Marketing – promoting music Exchange – obtaining music Consumption – what audience does with music e.g. sample/edit/produce something new.
3. Audiences Media institutions have various ways of getting their message and their products across to audiences. They can broadcast their message – this means aiming at a mass audience through a mass medium such as television or radio. They can go for narrowcasting, which means targeting a specific audience. This term is important in the current digital era Music radio is firmly fragmented along the lines of taste and musical genre e.g. Radio 1 is pop, Radio 2 middle of the road, Radio 3 classical etc. Many stations seek to broaden their audience base by moving gingerly into other genres e.g. Radio 3 has jazz on Fridays. In the evenings on Radio 2 there are many specialist shows for an even more fragmented audience e.g. folk music and cinema organ music. The BBC, the institution responsible for these stations, is trying to satisfy a large and diverse audience with many different musical tastes. It believes that as everyone pays the Licence Fee then as many people as possible in the UK should find something they like on BBC radio stations. Narrow casting is more attractive to institutions with a huge variety of digital radio stations now available on the internet. Large media institutions aim for global reach. This means aiming for a global audience in many countries.
4. Conglomerate A large business organisation made up of a number of different companies, often linked by the area of interest (e.g. the media) that they work in. It is the number of companies within a conglomerate (their subsidiary companies) and the range of sectors that they work in, that give conglomerates such power.
5.
6. The Big Four dominate the global music industry; EMI Universal Warner Music Sony BMG Individual companies within these conglomerates have at least two advantages over smaller independent companies: they can make use of the strengths of other companies in the same conglomerate (like members of a family co-operating) in combination within the conglomerate they can produce or distribute on a massive scale, which can be more cost-effective. This is known as economies of scale. One key debate is whether such consolidationor concentration of ownershipaffects consumer choice. What do you think? Is consumer choice limited by the majors? Support your argument with examples.
7. Media Ownership Concentration of media ownership (also known as media consolidation) also refers to the view that the majority of the major media outlets are owned by a proportionately small number of conglomeratesand corporations. In that sense, the term "media consolidation" is used especially by those who view such consolidation as sociologically detrimental, dangerous, or problematic. Source : Wikipedia Hence the Big four operate as an oligopoly as they dominate the music industry
8. How do the Big Four benefit from Synergy? Synergy Synergy is the term for using products to promote each other. For example, a film, its soundtrack and a game based on its characters and situations. Conglomerates that are diversified into a range of markets or industries can make most effective use of synergy. Contemporary example in the music industry http://www.hugeentertainment.co.uk/news.html?newsid=75 Music labels will sell music to films, TV etc. Which 1) generates profit for the label , instantly 2) is another means of promoting a song / artist. Can you think of other examples?
9. Task Using YouTube, Blogs and websites. Create an illustrated report which is centred around the debate concerning consumer choice. To what extent is consumer choice limited? You should refer to technological and digital convergence, the majors and media ownership. You must incorporate the appropriate media terminology into your debate and support your arguments with contemporary examples. To get you started www.themusicvoid.com, www.generator.org.uk , www.wired.com , www.readwriteweb.com, http://www.guardian.co.uk/media
