Research Articles Pt 2

Music Blogging, Online Sampling, and the Long Tail

Summary:

The purpose of this research is to examine how social interactions enabled by music blogs are shaping music sharing, sampling, and sales. Using data from a leading music blog aggregator and the example of Arcade Fire’s release of their first album Funeral, this article analyzes the relationship between music blogging and full-track sampling, all while referencing theories of online social interaction. The results conclude that intensity of music sampling is positively associated with the popularity of a blog among previous consumers and that this association is stronger in the tail relative to the body.

Research Methods

This article used a more observational research method in the form a case study. It focused on a select sample of songs and analyzed them in a given time frame.

How was data collected and data analyzed?

Data was collected on a random sample of 2,500 song titles from four major sources: HypeMachine (a music blog aggregator), Amazon.com, Billboard, and Nielson SoundScan. Data collected included each album’s Amazon sales rank, average value of all customer reviews, release date, record label data (indie or major), radio play, sales data, etc. The data was combined for analysis by constructing a cross-sectional data set which included data 281 unique blogs, comprising songs from 1,088 unique albums in 24 genres.

What are their conclusions?

The results establish that both blog popularity and music popularity have a stronger association with sampling in the tail compared with the body of music sales distribution. So basically, music blogging is more impactful to niche/indie music.

How do their findings relate to your research proposal?

This is relevant to my research because it shows me that music blogs and review sites are of more value to smaller artists and bands than mainstream artists and bands. It is something I will have to consider when selecting artists as subjects for my research, because if only choose large artists, it may skew my results.

APA Citation:

Dewan, S., & Ramaprasad, J. (2012). Music Blogging, Online Sampling, and the Long Tail. Information Systems Research, 1, 1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/isre.1110.0405

From B2C to B2B: Selling Korean Pop Music in the Age of New Social Media

Summary:

Using both archival and in-depth interview data, the article discusses the impact of new social media on the sudden explosion of K-pop popularity. It argues that the entertainment industry is rapidly changing its conventional business model from the audience-based B2C strategy to a new social-media dependent B2B model. Ultimately, it concludes that major talent agencies in Korea exploit large profit potential through new social media and the B2B model.

Research methods:

This study incorporates both opinion-based research (interviews with actual K-pop artists) as well as experimental research (data drawn from various databases to support/disprove a hypothesis).

How was data collected and data analyzed?

Primary data was collected through personal interviews with and testimonies from four K-pop artists/groups regarding their social media and business experiences. Numerical data was also collected from various internet sources/databases like the Financial Supervisory Service Department and various newspapers to create graphs and charts for visual analysis.

What are their conclusions?

Results show that the transition to social media has, on the whole, played a significant role in facilitating the validation of the B2B model which essentially sees artists as potential company collaborators and branding partners—a mutually beneficial marriage that increases monetary and social capital.

How do their findings relate to your research proposal?

I found this article very interesting because it highlighted an interesting point to me that I had not previously considered: artists use social media not only to gain a fan-base but to also potentially attract a major business partnership like the case with Girls’ Generation and Intel. This suggests artists might present themselves a particular way on social media, that makes them more appealing to companies and brands, not just potential fans.

APA Citation:

Oh, I., Park, G. S. (2012) From B2C to B2B: Selling Korean Pop Music in the Age of New Social Media. Korea Observer, 43 (3), 365-397. http://www.tobiashubinette.se/hallyu_2.pdf

Engaging With Consumers Using Social Media: A Case Study of Music Festivals

Summary:

Since recent advances in social media technology, the consumer decision process has fundamentally changed. In addition to researching a product before purchase, consumers are now also able to enter in an open relationship with a brand post-purchase, providing feedback and review directly to a company/brand. This paper describes the new consumer decision journey, and then adds to the body of research on events and festivals management by applying this new model to events and festivals.

Research methods:

This study uses a case study methodology, specifically with a multi-method approach, to analyze the use of social media at three major music festivals–Bonnaroo, Latitude, and Lollapalooza.

How was data collected and data analyzed?

Data was collected through in-depth interviews, content analysis on related festival websites and ethnographic research.

What are their conclusions?

Results showed that, generally, the music festivals profiled are proactive in their use of social media, engaging with consumers throughout the consumer decision journey. More specifically, social media is making the “evaluate” and “advocate” stages of the decision journey more relevant for festival marketers.

How do their findings relate to your research proposal?

This is applicable to my research because I can think of the conclusion in the context of a single artist/band as opposed to an entire music festival. Just like festival marketers can utilize social media to emphasize the relevance of the “evaluate” and “advocate” stages of a consumer’s decision journey, a musician can do the same for themselves via their own social media platforms. Again, it is something I need to keep in mind while analyzing my subjects’ social media presence.

APA Citation:

Hudson, R., & Hudson, S. (2013) Engaging With Consumers Using Social Media: A Case Study of Music Festivals, International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 4 (3), 206 – 223. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-06-2013-0012