Collaborative classification of popular music on the internet and its social implications

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss how collaborative classification works in online music information retrieval systems and its impacts on the construction, fixation and orientation of the social uses of popular music on the internet.Design/methodology/approachUsing a comparative method, the paper examines the logic behind music classification in Recommender Systems by studying the case of Last.fm, one of the most popular web sites of this type on the web. Data collected about users' ritual classifications are compared with the classification used by the music industry, represented by the AllMusic web site.FindingsThe paper identifies the differences between the criteria used for the collaborative classification of popular music, which is defined by users, and the traditional standards of commercial classification, used by the cultural industries, and discusses why commercial and non‐commercial classification methods vary.Practical implicationsCollaborative ritual classification reveals a shift in the demand for cultural information that may affect the way in which this demand is organized, as well as the classification criteria for works on the digital music market.Social implicationsCollective creation of a music classification in recommender systems represents a new model of cultural mediation that might change the way of building new uses, tastes and patterns of musical consumption in online environments.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the way in which the classification process might influence the behavior of the users of music information retrieval systems, and vice versa.

Emergence of Market Orders: Audience Interaction and Vanguard Influence

“…But it is not unknown: vanguards such as critics, or fan groups, may shun interaction with the rest of the audience. In some music genres, for example, fans with in-depth knowledge keep a deliberate distance from commercial music and its classification system (Santini, 2011).…”

“…The strength of vanguard influence on authorities and mediators varies across markets. Santini’s (2011) comparison of a folksonomy and a commercial classification for music reveals considerable variance across genres in the degree to which these two classification systems match. She explains that genres with dedicated fans who establish their cultural identities through genre boundaries exhibit a better match with the commercial classification because these fans pressure the industry to adapt the commercial classification system to their preferred classification system.…”

“…In some music genres, for example, fans with in-depth knowledge keep a deliberate distance from commercial music and its classification system (Santini, 2011).…”

A informatividade da música eletrônica

“…Santini (2011) escreve como na Ciência da Informação, a classificação e a categorização de arquivos musicais são processos controversos e que os estudos que lidam com a classificação da música popular ainda são subrepresentados no campo científico, apesar do crescimento dessas pesquisas nos últimos anos. Nesse contexto, o seguinte questionamento de Santini sobre sistemas de classificação é essencial para esta pesquisa informacional sobre música eletrônica aqui proposta:…”

“…Williams (1992) notou como nenhum aspecto da produção cultural é somente "especialização", mas é também um elemento de reprodução social e geral: "Nenhum relato completo sobre determinada formação ou tipo de formação pode ser feito sem estender a descrição e a análise para a história geral (ordem social)" (WILLIAMS, 1992, p. 85). Eagleton (2003) Santini (2011) observou como terminologias e ontologias da música popular são produtivos objetos de estudos a partir do seu gerenciamento e mudanças, revelando "complexas naturezas" -essas "naturezas", como buscamos ilustrar aqui, são aspectos não só estéticos e de organização da massa informacional, mas também de cultura.…”