Case study research tasks

The basics

Chosen industry: Music & TV (Online streaming)

Chosen case study (i.e. text/institution etc.): Apple music/Spotify

Approval for this case study: Y

Audience

How has new and digital media changed the audience experience in your chosen industry and has new and digital media changed the way the audience consume your chosen product?
New and digital media has largely translated the methods of distribution and availability for music and content peripheral to the music produced (interviews, videos etc). Online streaming has quickly become the primary source for everyday listeners and businesses using a music playlist.

Has the size of the audience changed as a result of new and digital media?
Record sales have lowered significantly, indicated by the change in system for rewarding (platinum, gold etc) becoming adapted for music streaming, by the number of plays.

What are the positive changes new and digital media have brought to the audience of your case study? (E.g. greater choice, easier access etc.)
Greater choice and easier access to more music, readily available.

What are the negative changes new and digital media have had on your chosen audience? (E.g. quality of product etc.)
Forgoes the physical copies which were once much adored; and music cannot be stored to save forever.

What about audience pleasures - have these changed as a result of new and digital media?
Audiences are gratified with more access than ever and music is dynamically presented in a format easy to use.

What is the target audience for your chosen case study? Write a demographic/psychographic profile.
Music streaming services are catered to all but it is undeniable that the primary range is of 12-40 year olds in an ABC1 demographic, living in a first-world nation. Psychographics attributed may include: explorer, mainstreamer, aspirer and reformer.

Institution

How has new and digital media had an impact on ownership or control in your chosen case study and how might new and digital media threaten your chosen industry?
Controversy has been raised about the payment to record labels, CEOs and artists for streaming music. It is widely feared that streaming could crash the music industry and spell disaster for performers and CEOs alike, so changes need to be made for this development to be more agreeable.

How has new and digital media changed the way institutions distribute their product?
Institutions are now selective with which platforms they distribute their music as musicians make deals to release music exclusively to certain services.

Marxism, Pluralism and Hegemony

What would be a Marxist perspective of the impact of new and digital media on your chosen case study?
Industry moguls are seizing power on content and can raise prices as they please by attempts to degrade other distribution platforms.

How would a pluralist view the impact of new and digital media in your chosen industry?
Great choice and selection of music.

Globalisation

How has globalisation impacted on your chosen industry or case study?
Music streaming is attemptedly adapted for worldwide use (in 58 countries)

In your opinion, has globalisation had a positive or negative impact on your chosen industry and case study? Why?
Positively impacts through access to music which may otherwise be unavailable.

Can you find examples of cultural imperialism in your case study or industry? (The 'Americanisation' of the world)
American music is prioritised on these services.

Social media

How has your industry or case study used social media to promote its products?
Social media is used vigorously alongside the corporate structure of promotion.

Provide examples of how your case study has used social media and explain the impact this would have on audiences.

Statistics

What statistics can you find to illustrate the impact new and digital media has had on your industry or case study?
Spotify : 60 million users / 15 million users

2) Looking at these statistics, what impact has new/digital media had on institutions in your chosen industry?
Evidently the uprise of online streaming services for music have influenced major alterations in the systematic function of music distribution. As a result of online streaming serving audiences with more valuable gratifications attained from accessing and listening to music have led to a greater emphasis on the streaming services as a result than traditional outlets of the kind such as CD sales and music downloads, which are now in a competing stance.

3) What has the impact been for audiences? These may be positive and negative.
Audiences have more access than ever to music due to the multiplying sources in the market. However, online streaming is a luxury troublesome to many due to the intra-competitiveness among rivaling services such as Tidal, Apple Music and Spotify - resultantly causing limitations to consumers due to exclusive deals with certain musicians/suppliers with the additional taxation embodied with a heftier £/month subscription.

Theories

1) What media theories can you apply to your chosen industry and case study? Select THREE media theories and explain how they are relevant to your case study. Note: these can be ANY of the theories we have learned over the whole of Year 12 and 13.

Issues/debates

1) What media issues and debates can you apply to your chosen industry and case study? Select THREE media issues/debates and explain how they are relevant to your case study.

Wider examples and secondary texts

1) What other texts or institutions are also relevant to your case study? What would be good secondary texts or examples to use to support the findings of your independent case study?

Ignite presentation

When you have completed your independent case study research, prepare a 20-slide, 5 minute Ignite presentation on your chosen industry and case study. You will present this in class to widen our overall knowledge of the impact of new and digital media on a variety of industries, examples and texts. Remember the Ignite rules:

20 slides
15-second auto-advance
No more than 20 words on each slide

You will not be able to include ALL of the above sections so be selective and choose the aspects you feel will be most interesting and relevant to your audience - the rest of the class.

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Distribution and Marketing

Once an artist has created their recording, it is then distributed and marketed in order to attempt to make a profit and cover the cost of its production. It is the record label’s responsibility to promote and distribute the product.

Record companies must market the music correctly in order to attract the intended target audience. The mass media, specifically the Internet, radio, television and the music press play an important role in the distribution and marketing of music to the intended target audience.

• • • • • Radio: plays an important role in promoting the artist via frequent airplay on popular channels. In 2004 the official downloads chart was launched and runs alongside the conventional music chart. This has provided artists with more opportunity for radio exposure.

• • • • • Television: the popularity of music channels such as MTV helps promote a recording artist’s image and sound to a global audience.

• • • • • The Music Press: have close relationship to the music industry and are very influential in the marketing and promotion of new recording artists.

• • • • • The Internet: official websites help reinforce the image and sound of the recording artist. Websites offer the opportunity for continual and up-to-date promotion and the popularity of chat rooms, message forums and blogs also enable fans to communicate with other fans. - This particular aspect of music distribution is growingly prevalent today as new/digital media changes the landscape of music with its streaming services.

Synergy is another way in which record companies generate income via advertising and marketing their artists in association with other brands or products. Synergy occurs when one branch of a company (e.g. Sony Music) uses another part of the company (the gaming division) to promote each other. In this example, synergy occurs when the gaming division uses an artist’s music on a game soundtrack. Synergy can occur between divisions of entertainment companies (music, film, television, gaming, books, magazines etc.) and also between the music industry and businesses outside entertainment. Two unrelated brands such as The Black Eyed Peas and Pepsi worked together to target a broader audience and this collaboration benefited both the band and the soft drink. With regards to streaming services, Tidal for one instance exemplifies synergy with its branding of in-app skins and banners/promotional material to complement the designs incorporated by musicians in their artwork and brand identity.

Traditional insight -

• The audience relies on the media for information and this removes audiences from creative ‘street level’ or original music

• Audiences can only access what the media offers them and they do not have access to all musical choices that are available

• The industry only invests in the types of music that audiences are familiar with and, therefore, only offer what has been proven to be successful in the past

• This reduces music into formulaic and predictable formats means past successes are replicated often o For audiences this means they can only access more of the same o For the record companies there is less financial risk and more potential profit o Ultimately, this means less choice for consumers

The growing emphasis on UGC through the internet's available social media services have combined with tech developments enabling both the distribution of video and audio content. Soundcloud and YouTube have astoundingly claimed benefits from such advancements.