COVID-19 had a global impact on health, communities, and the economy. As a result of COVID-19, music festivals, gigs, and events were canceled or postponed across the world. This directly affected the incomes and practices of many artists and the revenue for many entities in the music business. Despite this crisis, however, there are pre-existing trends in the music business – the rise of the streaming economy, technological change (virtual and augmented reality, blockchain, etc.), and new copyright legislation. Some of these trends were impacted by the COVID-19 crisis while others were not.
This book addresses these challenges and trends by following a two-pronged approach: the first part focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on the music business, and the second features general perspectives. Throughout both parts, case studies bring various themes to life. The contributors address issues within the music business before and during COVID-19. Using various critical approaches for studying the music business, this research-based book addresses key questions concerning music contexts, rights, data, and COVID-19. Rethinking the music business is a valuable study aid for undergraduate and postgraduate students in subjects including the music business, cultural economics, cultural management, creative and cultural industries studies, business and management studies, and media and communications.
Author(s): Guy Morrow, Daniel Nordgård, Peter Tschmuck
Series: Music Business Research
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 260
City: Cham
Acknowledgments
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Book Design
1.2 Outline of Part 1
1.3 Outline of Part 2
1.4 Conclusion
Part I: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Music Business
Chapter 2: `Losing Work, Losing Purpose´: Representations of Musicians´ Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19
2.1 Introduction
2.1.1 Musicians and Mental Health
2.2 Method
2.3 Losing Work, Losing Purpose
2.3.1 Losing Work: Employment Anxieties
2.3.1.1 Live Music and Musicians´ Earnings
2.3.1.2 Musicians, Money and the Government: Are We Viable?
2.3.2 Losing Purpose: Status Anxieties
2.4 Conclusion
References
Chapter 3: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incomes of Freelance Classical Musicians in Austria
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Data Set
3.3 The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incomes of Freelance Classical Musicians in Austria
3.3.1 Absolute Income Losses in the Period from 15 March 2020 to 14 March 2021
3.3.2 Income Losses in 2020 in Relation to the Pre-pandemic Years
3.4 Summary and Conclusions
References
Chapter 4: Digital Transformation in the Music Industry: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Accelerated New Business Opportunities
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Music Industry
4.3 Digital Transformation and New Business Opportunities
4.4 Current Trends Within the Music Industry
4.4.1 The Evolution of Creators
4.4.2 Social Audio Platforms
4.4.3 The `Metaverse´
4.4.4 Blockchain and NFTs
4.4.5 The Evolution of Streaming
4.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Social `Capitalising´ the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Portrait of Three Zimbabwean Female Musicians
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The COVID-19 Watershed Moment
5.3 Findings
5.3.1 Traversing the COVID-19 Landscape
5.3.2 Anthropomorphising Multiple Identities
5.3.3 Performing the Female Musician
5.3.4 Family Matters: Motherhood and Wifehood
5.3.5 Capitalising on Social Capital Through Networks
5.4 Discussion of Findings
5.5 Conclusions and Recommendations
References
Chapter 6: The Shape of Clubs to Come: Exploring the Pandemic´s Impact on Live Music Venues in Germany
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Theoretical Background
6.2.1 Live Music and Its Ecologies
6.2.2 Locating Live Music Venues in Their Ecologies
6.2.3 COVID-19 and Culture: Early Studies and Findings
6.3 Methodology
6.4 Analysis
6.4.1 Lockdown Measures and Aid Programs
6.4.1.1 Cross-Sector Aid Programs
6.4.1.2 Live Music-Specific Aid Programs
6.4.2 Analysis of the COVID Lockdown´s Effect on the Economic, Cultural and Social Values of Live Music Venues
6.4.3 Evaluating the Impact of COVID-Related Measures
6.4.4 A Chance for Broader Policy Recognition?
6.5 Conclusion
Appendix
References
Chapter 7: Jazz Festivals in the Time of COVID-19: Exploring Exposed Fragilities, Community Resilience and Industry Recovery
7.1 Introduction
7.2 The Festivals: Four Case Studies
7.2.1 Brecon Jazz Festival, Wales
7.2.2 Brilliant Corners, Belfast, Northern Ireland
7.2.3 Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Scotland
7.2.4 Manchester Jazz Festival, England
7.3 Lessons Learnt: Fragilities, Community Resilience and Industry Recovery
7.4 Conclusions
References
Part II: The Music Business in General
Chapter 8: Straight Outta Mumbai: Exploring Informality and Innovation in Dharavi´s Hip-Hop Industry
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Growing Demand for Independent Music
8.3 Informality and Innovation in Dharavi
8.4 From the Streets to the `Gully´
8.5 Turning Streets into Stages
8.6 The Gully Hustle
8.7 Jugaad Is But a Way of Life
8.8 Back to School
8.9 Conclusion
References
Chapter 9: Optimisation of Musical Distribution in Streaming Services: Third-Party Playlist Promotion and Algorithmic Logics o...
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Not All Playlists Are Created Equal
9.3 Third-Party Playlists and Playlist Promotion
9.4 Algorithmic Logics of Distribution
9.5 Maintaining Legitimate Gatekeepers and Preselection
References
Chapter 10: The Music Modernization Act: Mechanical Copyright in the Age of Music Streaming
10.1 Introduction
10.2 What Exactly Is a Mechanical Copy in the Age of Music Streaming?
10.3 The Legal Calamities of Spotify
10.4 Legal Perspectives
10.5 History Repeating
10.6 A Win-Win Situation
10.7 Research Method
10.8 Kristiansand Roundtable Conference (KRC) Data
10.8.1 Theme 1: 115(c)(1) and Fixing Copyright Law
10.8.2 Theme 2: Meeting Different Needs
10.8.3 Theme 3: Finding Common Ground
10.9 Conclusion
References
Chapter 11: Musical Aspirations and DIY/DIO Practices in Online Communities of Amateur Independent Filipino Songwriters
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Brief Overview of Popular Music in the Philippines
11.2.1 The Filipino (Independent) Music Scene
11.2.2 Filipino Musicians During the Pandemic
11.3 Methods
11.4 Discussion
11.4.1 FMCs as Communities of Practice
11.4.2 DIY/DIO Music Production and Practice
11.4.3 Musical Aspirations, Trajectories and Implications for the Music Industries
11.5 Conclusion
References
Chapter 12: Market Readiness for the Digital Music Industries: A Case Study of Independent Artists
12.1 Introduction
12.2 The Digital Music Industries
12.3 The Artist Direct Segment
12.4 The Case for an Independent Artist Market Readiness Model
12.5 An Overview of Market Readiness Indicators
12.5.1 Recorded Music Product
12.5.2 Music Brand/Image
12.5.3 Industry Proof
12.5.4 Live Music Product
12.5.5 Digital Presence and Distribution
12.5.6 Social Proof
12.5.7 Business Structure
12.6 Methodology
12.7 Findings and Discussion
12.7.1 The Song as the Central Indicator
12.7.2 The Importance of Unique Talent and Sound Recording Quality
12.7.3 Live Performance Is Still a Key Indicator
12.7.4 The Need for an Authentic Brand Identity
12.7.5 Social Media Presence and Its Role in Reinforcing Brand Identity
12.7.6 Social Proof Is Not the Holy Grail for Intermediaries but an Important Indicator When Building an Artist´s Direct Audie...
12.7.7 An Artist Website Is Still Relevant Especially for the Artist Direct Segment
12.7.8 Industry Proof Connected to Business Structure
12.8 Conclusion
Appendix: Research Participants
References
Chapter 13: The Changing Role and Function of Music Charts in the Contemporary Music Economy
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Central Concepts: The Music Industries, Cultures of Listening, Agile Management
13.3 Music Streaming and the Big Getting Bigger
13.4 Research Design
13.4.1 Recruitment
13.4.2 Data Analysis
13.4.2.1 Semi-Structured Interviews
13.4.2.2 Supplemental Data
13.5 Findings: Chart Data
13.5.1 No Australian Number One Single in 2017
13.5.2 Chart Data Analysis: ARIA Singles and Albums Charts
13.6 Findings: Interview Data
13.6.1 The Dominance of Hip Hop and Pop
13.6.2 Spotify Playlists and Commercial Radio Airplay
13.6.3 General Optimism Prevailed
13.6.4 The Old and New Music Industries
13.6.5 Cultures of Listening: How People Use Streaming Services and What That Means
13.6.6 Active Listening Versus Passive Listening
13.6.7 Replacement Industry Data Sets
13.6.8 Algorithmic Listening and Consumption Versus Popularity
13.6.9 Passive Versus Active Social Media Metrics
13.6.10 Multiple Data Sets: Ambiguity, Storytelling and Experimentation
13.7 Conclusion
References
