Essay Question- 'How important is Convergence to the Music Industry?'

How important is Convergence to the Music Industry?
Consider the impact on institutions and audiences,
including an exploration of a UK based record label in your response.

Convergence in the music industry in when one product has the ability to do more than one function, for example a phone can ring, text, take photos, browse the Internet, listen to music and record videos.

Convergence has also had an impact on the audience that listens to music, mainly through the different music formats like CD and MP3 for example. For audiences new advanced technology and convergence means that there are not rigid and separate media as due to convergence they can all be put into one item, this therefore means there is now the merging of different media sectors and there are now cross media products. For the consumer and audiences this means that different media products are now linked together. This more sophisticated technology now allows audiences to not have too carry around loads of different products now can now carry just one which can carry out all the different functions, for example instead of having to carry round a camera, a computer, a CD player and so on, consumers now just need a mobile phone as due to convergence it can take photos, listen to music and browse the Internet as well as the usual functions of a mobile phone like calling and texting. This makes music a more social event as before you would have to listen to your CD player and gives audiences a more graphic experience but at the same time is much more convenient as you don't have to carry around lots of different products with you.

The Music Industry itself has felt a big impact from convergence as well as the consumer audience, mainly through the record labels having to make changes to keep up with the new technologies and way of music distribution. Due to convergence people are consuming music differently so therefore record labels have to distribute there music through different musical formats like MP3 downloads, web 2.0 is responsible for a change in the distribution of music with the user generated content on the Internet. Record labels have to make sure they keep up with these changes so they make sure that they still keep making money. Vertical Integration is one way that producers are making sure they keep making profit, vertical integration is when one company makes lots of different products so for example 'Apple' make Macs, ipods, ipads, iphones and so on. Also record labels are using things like social networking sites as links on their websites to make sure they keep up with the changes in the industry, Synergy is a way that companies are joining together to try and make profit, for example you have orange Wednesdays at the cinema and companies like 'O2' and the iphone have teamed up. The physical formats of music are now becoming obsolete which is a big problem for the music industry as it means that record shops and the music industry are going to make less money with the popularity of convergence and MP3 downloads, convergence has also created new genres of music that would not of been possible before like electro. This means record companies have to look to make money in different ways through there websites like for example through social networking sites like face book and my space which actually helped to discover artists like 'Lily Allen' and bands like 'The Arctic Monkeys' , also record companies have to focus on live gigs and MP3 downloads to make money.

An example of a record label that is using convergence is 'Soul Jazz Records'. 'Soul jazz records' produce very niche type music and are not mainstream, the genres of music they produce are Reggae, Dub step, House/Techno, Hip Hop, Post Punk, Funk and Soul, Jazz, Latin, and Brazilian. So it is clear to see that 'Soul Jazz' records offer a wide range of different genre music. To reach the consumer audience 'Soul Jazz Records' has to use different strategies, one of these being 'Convergence'. One of the main strategies 'Soul Jazz' records use to promote and distribute there music is through there website which is also an online store for the artists is has on its label. The website has links to all the artists which gives you detailed backgrounds on the artists and bands and about there music, also with music samples. The website reaches a wide audiences as the store has CD's, LP's, Vinyl and MP3. The website uses multi-media platforms as it has advertisements for DVDs which include music from artists on there label. These are all examples of how 'Soul Jazz' records are having to use convergence and other strategies like links to the artists and through other multi media platforms. Also different labels are shown on the website, which is called 'sistalabels' which is partnerships with other labels and creates a symbiotic partnership and this specialises its audience further as its creating its own scene. The other labels on the 'Soul Jazz Records' page are Studio one, Universal sound and World Audio
Foundation.

In conclusion and to answer the question 'How important is convergence to the music industry' I believe it is very important although is at the same time damaging the music industry. Convergence is damaging the music industry as its helping to create the problem of illegal downloading which means its very difficult for the music industry to make any money and also making the physical format of music almost obsolete, although at the same time these changes and the popularity of downloads is forcing the music industry to change and keep up with new technologies so in a way is actually moving the industry forward.

Music Players

In todays lesson we looked at how the changes in technology have changed the way we listen too music.

-Gramaphone

• Thomas Edison (1880s).



• Created culture of private music listening experience.



• Now considered 'cult' and 'retro'.



• No longer had to go to live performances to listen to music.



• Gave birth to Vinyls and record players.

-The Cassette

• 'Phillips' introduced the compact audio cassette.



• Became popular in the late 1970's, there was now a portable way of litening to music in the car or walking around.



• Links to the 'boombox' and the 'walkman'.



• Frowned upon by the music industry as they were easily copied and were responsible for the start of music piracy.



• Created underground scenes and punk movement.



• 'Sony' pressured 'Phillips' to licence the format for free and therefore it became popular.



• Cassettes decline in early 1990's due to arrival of CD's.

-The CD (compact disk)

• Remains the standard physical system to listen to music.



• Quality better than cassettes and more information can be held on them.



• Represents music industry trying to get music hardware back but failed.



• Example of Vertical Integration.



• Loss some popularity, beggining in the early 2000's.

Key Findings

• Technology and hardware greatly influenced music institutions and audiences over the last 4 decades.



• The issues present today (file sharing, piracy, ownership, control) have been around for decades.



• What is important is that the music industry responds and adapts to these issues and changes.

Self Produced bands and artists-

Arctic Monkeys-free demos, web 2.o (myspace).

Lily Allen-SNS & web 2.0 (myspace and twitter).

Sandie Thom-webcast from home, Global village, social networker, web 2.0.

Enter Shikari- created own record label ('ambush reality'), web 2.0, global village.

Hadouken!- USB mixtapes (convergence and digital technology), social networkers, global village.

Key problem is the fact you cant control how people access and listen to music so record labels are having to adapt and change.