Music Business, a Conspectus

Ethan Blagden

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Fionn Kirk Radio Station Verification

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Evidence of Contracts between ::Huni:: and Fionn Kirk

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Studio Sessions

The first studio session I participated in was on the 25th of March 2019. As I hadn’t been able to attend the first, Aaron walked me through a couple of the basics in setting up and organising equipment, such as setting up a mic stand and the correct way to channel equipment to the mixing desk while in the studio. When Fionn arrived, myself, Aaron, Arta and Esme who were working alongside him discussed the outline for the session and what we hope to accomplish. The plan was to complete the percussive track for one of Fionn’s tracks. 

Over the course of the session, we discovered issues in regards to the way the recording studio was absorbing the sound produced, which way too much being reflected back at the microphone. We combated this by creating a small box out of acoustic panels. It was evident in the situation that Aaron had experience in dealing with these sort of issues before.

As time pressed on and it was reaching late into the evening Arta left to participate in the backstage work for a gig. After another hour or so it became apparent between the 3 of us remaining that little work in respect to producing the percussive track would be completed in the evening, due to the equipment as well as the drive of the artist. We pressed onwards for a little afterwards but ultimately the session ended when Aaron made the decision to end it early due to 3/4 of the team experience a mental breakdown. 

In this situation, Aaron had assumed a decisional managerial role, in this case, he was a disturbance handler and analysed the situation and made a decision in favour of the artist and other members involved even though time was running out for the EP to be produced.

7th April 2019

There was due to be a studio session on this day however we received a message from Aaron in the morning stating that the artist Fionn had ‘gone out’ the previous night and was in no fit state to produce music. It was clear that Aaron has once again managed the situation and made a decision beneficial to the artist involved. We tried to rearrange and schedule another session however this ultimately didn't happen.

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Introduction to Artist Management

The second Semester started on the 7th of January 2019, one of the modules in which I studied was Music Management Principles. This involved managing an artist and applying key principles we learnt in lectures to real-life situations.

29th January 2019

An email was released regarding a 2nd-year student requiring assistance in managing a selection of 2nd-year popular music students. Upon receiving the email I responded almost immediately and was thrilled to receive a place working alongside Aaron Jones managing these artists.

After a few days, we’d formed a group of 1st-year students willing to assist Aaron in the management of his acts: Huni, Fionn and Ellery and Blackbird. This group consisted of myself, Arta Kalnina, Jasmine Johal and Laurie Johnson.

1st February 2019

A week later the group was introduced to the selection of artists via a meeting organised by Aaron, this meeting ended up with only half of the acts turning up with a third arriving 45 minutes late, this was the first time we saw Aaron’s ‘patience of a saint’ in action. It was clear through the meeting however that Aaron maintained loose boundaries with his artists and communicated with them as friends with a degree of control and professionalism.

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Reading List - Research Task 3

Text 1: Here Comes Everybody - Clay Shirky

Shirky, C. (2009). Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations. London: Penguin.

This covers the concept of the New Audience and the way in we interact with others socially to converse and the networks and webs that we create and how technological advancements such as the internet have affected these.

Text 2:  Making is Connecting - David Gauntlett

Gauntlett, D. (2011). Making is connecting. 2nd ed. Wiley Publishers.

This text looks at the concept of how technological developments have caused us to adapt our understanding of content as well as commenting on the style of content being produced and the social power held behind creativity.

Text 3: The Gig Economy - Diane Mulcahy

Mulcahy, D. (2017). The gig economy. 1st ed. New York, NY: AMACOM.

Mulcahy explores the gig economy and the way in which we can take ownership of this to further careers and take control of your working life.

Text 4: Blockchain Revolution - Don and Andrew Tapscott

Tapscott, D. and Tapscott, A. (2016). Blockchain Revolution. 1st ed. Penguin Books.

This particular text comments on the discovery and implication of blockchain technology and its applications beyond the standard ideas of Cryptocurrency and Bitcoin.

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Spotify Analysis of Leicester

TOP 10 - SPOTIFY MAP - LEICESTER

When You're Smiling - Jersey Budd

Run Away - Yung Haych, JB Scofield

Ice Cream - Easy Life

Real Love - D-Block Europe, Yxng Bane

Wild and Winning - K-Trap, Sharna Bass

Droptop - Yung Fume, M Huncho

Gucci - Stardom

Statement - Ay Em

I Aint Fussed - M Huncho

Associate - Charly Black

I was surprised at how large a hold Alternative, Rap, Hip-Hop etc.. had in Leicester as this is the case for almost all of the 100 tracks for the city. It also could help provide an idea into the demographic of Spotify Users within Leicester.

For artists or record label in the area, it shows an up to date list of the style of music and the type of artists trending and being listened to. This can help tailor when you choose to release certain tracks as well as the type of music you choose to release. It could also be used to keep an up to date track on how your music is faring against competition within the area.

The Map displays a combination of : Distinctive Music: played there disproportionately relative to in other countries Emerging Music: just starting to take hold Popular Music: streaming from windows, headphones and cars Viral Music: shared left and right

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Digital Footprint Task

Social Media and Accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, Reddit, Discord, WhatsApp, Spotify, Microsoft Office, BBC, Netflix, Amazon, eBay, Dropbox, Mega, Sonos, PlayStation, Food@Uni, Unidays, Uber, Strava, Deliveroo, JustEat

Most Used: Snapchat and Instagram

Instagram: people I follow, things I like, things I watch, hashtags I post with, search history, photos I DM, photos I post, email, phone number, facebook account, educational institution, gender, full name, birth date, access to my camera roll

Snapchat: people I’ve added, chats I’ve sent, photos I take, things I post on my story, my location, birth date, name, email, phone number, access to my camera roll, frequency to which I message people

These two main forms of my social interaction have the ability to pass onwards and distribute any of my data unless specifically specified by the data policy or terms and conditions.

Instagram: 

States that my information will be used to provide, personalise their products (Information across Facebook Platforms, Location-related, product R&D, Face Recognition, Ads and Sponsored content)

Provide measurements, analytics and other business services

Promote safety, integrity, security

Instagram also states that it will share information with third-party apps for analytics, to advertisers, partners offering goods or services in their products, vendors and service providers, researchers and academics, law enforcement and legal requests.

Snapchat:

Uses the information to develop, operate, improve, deliver, maintain and protect our products and services

Send communications including email, for responses to support inquiries and promotional offers

Monitor and Analyse trends and usage

Contextualising your experience in the app

Enhance the safety and security of their products and services

Verification of identity to prevent fraud or other unauthorized and illegal activities.

Snapchat also shares this data with other Snapchatters, Business Partners, General Public, Affiliates, Third Parties (Service Providers, Legal Requests, Meger or Acquisitions)

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The 7P’s Marketing Mix

Product - A product should be developed to fulfil a need or want within the market. It is important for producers to research their market to ensure their product is beneficial to their consumers. In the context of music, this could be physical media, digital media, streaming service, tickets, merchandise and more.

Price - Products are only worth what customers will pay for it, the price should be competitive however that doesn’t mean it should be cheap. By providing a better service towards your customers or offering things at a better value for money then smaller companies can easily compete with larger rivals. Price is also the only element of the 7P’s that generates revenue and as such should also be creating profit. Generation of revenue in relation for music can come through a variety of streams. Artists mainly see this through royalties from Radio and TV but also in the form of ticket and merch sales from events.

Place - Accessibility to the product should be in line with the market in which you’re selling. The Location, Time and Quantity of a product should be effective for the market while keeping Storage, Inventory and Distribution costs within a goal. 

Promotion - This covers how a company chooses to communicate their workings and offers to their customers. It includes branding, advertising, PR, corporate identity, social media outreach, sales management, special offers and exhibitions. The promotion of a product must be appealing to customers while maintaining a consistent message and giving customers a reason to value this product over others.

Process - Customers no longer buy a product alone they invest in a journey which includes discovering, purchasing, receiving and experiencing the product. Tailoring and adapting this experience enhances the effect it provides on a customer base.

People - This covers the aspect of customer satisfaction. Your product will leave an impression on those it comes in contact with as well as those who provide access and physically lease with the customers. Hence it is important to present the people and product in a suitable way.

Physical Evidence - Persuading customers to buy a new or unfamiliar product is ‘risky’ as they won’t know how good the product is until after purchase. By providing an opportunity for customers to interact with the product it helps reduce this risk. Physical Evidence is an important area within a music sense of marketing as having access to some form of a copy of an artists music through previews (iTunes) allows the customers to sample their work before purchase.

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How have technology and changing format influenced the way we listen to, create and value music?

“Technology is all about using the power of science to make life better for people” and this holds true for the modern day. Over the last few decades, we have seen not only development in technology but also a development in the way we apply and utilize this technology. This is strongly evident in the music industry. Developments in the industry have been beneficial to all practitioners in the way they not only access but also create, distribute and market music. Technology has helped advancements such as the creation of portable music and the personalised listening experience that accompanies this as well as the development of the internet and the plethora of opportunities this opened up for the music industry.  The way in which we engage and access with music has, in recent years, been heavily influenced by technology and changes in format. Our ability to listen and preview music alongside the way in which we download and store said music is almost completely digitally controlled. With companies like Spotify and YouTube which allow us to freely access and stream music as well as digital libraries such as Amazon Music or iTunes. It is clear to see that technology not only advances itself but also all aspects of its predecessors. In the last 150 years, the development of one aspect of storing and listening to sound has developed so far. The first concept of this would have been the phonograph in 1877 in which sound could be etched into a metal cylinder and reproduced in a different location and setting to that of the original, this has only since progressed. The cylinder used on a phonograph was adapted and developed into a disk for using the gramophone. Both of these inventions utilized physical labour to wind up the device to produce the energy required to work. The disk used for the Gramophone was originally made of glass and was eventually replaced with plastic records to allow for mass production. In the 1970s the cassette was introduced which featured the use of a magnetic strip to store and play music, this was groundbreaking as it featured the ability to record onto two sides of a medium. Shortly after came the compact CD which quickly beat the cassette due to being able to skip to specific songs. 1979 brought the first portable player, the Walkman, as developed by Sony it was the first opportunity people had to easily listen to music outside of their homes and as such it sold incredibly well and even now are still highly valued. Portable CD players were slowly transitioned in around the 1990s however at the start of the 00s the invention of the iPod came to existence opening allowing the possibility to listen to hundreds of songs from a singular device. The iPod is seen as the true point in which music had officially transitioned into the digital era. Previously CDs, while easier to burn lacked the ability to store the vast number of tracks that could be held upon Apple’s invention. As we move further into the present day we see this gap close with CDs now able to store a quantity of music equal to that of a digital device.