The Production and Consumption of Music in the Digital Age

Hracs, Brian J.; Seman, Michael; Virani, Tarek E.

doi:10.4324/9781315724003

Cited by 34 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Research in this area is timely given the, for decades now, repeatedly cited ‘crisis’ regarding a sharp decline not only in music criticism but in all form of art journalism ( Boenisch, 2008 ; Kristensen, 2010 ; Caduff, 2014 ; Jaakkola, 2015 ; Heikkilö et al, 2017 ; Melnyk, 2019 ; Widholm et al, 2021 ) and, not least, also due to the new music consumption behaviors and peer-communication channels in the digital age ( Varriale, 2012 ; Hracs et al 2016 ; Baldassarre and Alessandri, 2022 ). Digital technologies have revolutionized the way we listen to and discuss music, giving artists more direct access to their audiences, creating platforms for peer-opinion, and empowering listeners with new means and resources to facilitate decision making with regards to purchasing and listening ( Carboni, 2012 ; Datta et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The critic’s voice: On the role and function of criticism of classical music recordings

2022

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In the Western classical tradition music criticism represents one of the most complex and influential forms of performance assessment and evaluation. However, in the age of peer opinion sharing and quick communication channels it is not clear what place music critics’ judgments still hold in the classical music market. This article presents expert music critics’ view on their role, function, and influence. It is based on semi-structured interviews with 14 native English- and German-speaking critics who had an average of 32 years professional activity in classical music review. We present the first visual model to summarize music critics’ descriptions of their role and responsibilities, writing processes, and their influences (on the market and on artists). The model distinguishes six roles (hats): consumer adviser, teacher, judge, writer, stakeholder, and artist advocate. It identifies core principles governing critical writing for music as well as challenges that arise from balancing the above six responsibilities whilst remaining true to an implicit code of conduct. Finally, it highlights the factors that inform critics’ writing in terms of the topics they discuss and the discursive tools they employ. We show that music critics self-identify as highly skilled mediators between artists, producers and consumers, and justify their roles as judge and teacher based on a wealth of experience as against the influx of pervasive amateur reviews. Our research approach also offers occupation-based insights into professional music review standards, including the challenges of maintaining objectivity and resisting commercial pressures. This article offers a new viewpoint on music critics’ judgments and recommendations that helps to explain their expectations and reflections.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The critic’s voice: On the role and function of criticism of classical music recordings

2022

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“…Inexpensive computers, software and equipment have democratized the production of music by allowing recording, editing, mixing and mastering to be performed in home studios instead of capital-intensive recording studios (Watson, 2014). Digital technologies and online retail spaces have also allowed musicians to enter the world of marketing, fundraising and distribution for the first time (Hracs et al, 2016;Langley and Leyshon, 2017). This resulted in declining entry barriers, the profusion of independent music production and a wave of disintermediation which allowed consumers to circumvent traditional producers, curators and distributors and to get directly involved through co-creation and co-promotion (Hracs et al, 2013;Lange and Bu¨rkner, 2013;Potts et al, 2008;Winter, 2012).…”

Section: The Case Of Music and The Evolving Role Of Music Curatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After removing the activities that were not addressed, we put the remaining terms into five categories which we developed based on the explanations and examples given by our respondents and our wider knowledge of the music marketplace (Hracs et al 2016). This process allowed us to develop a better understanding of how, why and where curation-related activities are practiced and understood within our sample.…”

Section: 'What' Is Curation?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptualizing curation in the age of abundance: The case of recorded music

Jansson

Hracs

2018

Environ Plan A

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The contemporary marketplace for cultural products, such as music, fashion and film, features an abundance of goods, services and experiences. While producers struggle to differentiate and monetize their offerings, some consumers are overwhelmed by the amount of choice and information available to them. As a result, many consumers are turning to a range of intermediaries who help them make sense of the marketplace. While intermediation is nothing new, its value is increasing and there has been a shift in relative importance from those who create products to those who curate products. As curation remains a 'fuzzy concept' -with definitions and connotations that vary by industry and occupation -this paper aims to contribute to existing conceptualizations by focusing on the case of recorded music. Based on interviews and observation with a subset of curators, including record shops and music writers, the paper provides a typology of curation-related activities and highlights the range of economic and non-economic rewards that motivate different actors to perform curation. It also interrogates the importance and role of space by identifying physical, temporary and virtual spaces where curation is performed and relationships between specific spatial dynamics and curation-related processes.

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“…New and often relatively unknown fashion designers also struggle to gain support early in their career. Many had the impression that fashion, similar to industries like music (Hracs ), funding is more likely to go established acts with a clear track record and reputation.…”

Section: Level 5: Policy Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

An “Orphan” Creative Industry: Exploring the Institutional Factors Constraining the Canadian Fashion Industry

Brydges¹,

Pugh²

2017

Growth and Change

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In recent years, tier‐two fashion countries have been making gains in the global fashion industry, with hip young brands, buzz‐worthy fashion weeks and export‐oriented designers. The Canadian fashion industry, on the other hand, continues to fall behind and instead has experienced recent high‐profile closures of leading domestic fashion names. This paper explores why this is the case by considering a wide range of factors from a historical and institutional perspective. We argue that Canadian fashion is facing a number of systemic problems relating to wider institutional and policy weaknesses, rather than a lack of talent and know‐how within the entrepreneurs and businesses in the sector. While the fashion industry is indeed global, we argue that it is in fact national and local level factors—political, economic, and cultural—that structure and constrain the Canadian fashion industry for independent designers. Through exploring the experiences of this group of actors—entrepreneurial fashion designers—in this particular context, we not only learn about Canada as an economy but also what is needed in order to develop the fashion industry more broadly. We provide a framework for analysing the range of socio‐economic, historical, and political factors at the national level which affect the performance of the fashion sector and the operation of fashion designers as the entrepreneurial actors at the heart of the industry.

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The Production and Consumption of Music in the Digital Age

Cited by 34 publications

References 0 publications

The critic’s voice: On the role and function of criticism of classical music recordings

The critic’s voice: On the role and function of criticism of classical music recordings

Conceptualizing curation in the age of abundance: The case of recorded music

An “Orphan” Creative Industry: Exploring the Institutional Factors Constraining the Canadian Fashion Industry

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