13th International Music Business Research Days in Retrospective

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After the Poplive! project team of the Erasmus University Rotterdam had successfully organized the International Music Business Research Days 2021, the conference took place again this year at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Based on the main topic of the partner conference – Parallel Societies – this year’s talks and discussions focused on “Parallel Worlds in the Music Industry” on 20 October 2022.

On the morning of the third day of the conference, Beate Flath from the University of Paderborn dealt with the “New Virtual Worlds for Music”. Based on case studies such as the avatar artist Hatsune Miku, the ABBA Voyage Music Hall in London and the concert performances of musicians in the video game Fortnite, Beate Flath showed that these virtual music applications are by no means parallel worlds, but are extensions or supplements to real music life. A kind of parallel world was also created by the numerous lockdowns during the COVID 19 pandemic in the past two years. The manifold effects of the pandemic are discussed in the recently published anthology “Rethinking the Music Business”, which was presented by Guy Morrow from the University of Melbourne. The subsequent panel discussion with Guy Morrow, Beate Flath, Zarja Peters and Daniel Nordgård referred to both the new virtual music worlds and the book presentation and tried to trace new developments in music business.

The afternoon, which was also the kick-off event for the conference “Parallel Societies” of IASMP-DACH and the Society for Popular Music Research (GfPM), was entirely dedicated to the topic “Parallel Worlds of Music Streaming”. Hyojung Sun (University of York) and David Hesmondhalgh (University of Leeds) addressed current developments in the music streaming economy in their presentations. Hyojung Sun’s keynote, entitled “Asset Economy in the Music Streaming Business”, focused on the current acquisitions of music catalogues by the music majors and new players such as the Hipgnosis Songs Fund. David Hesmondhalgh went on to show how the algorithms of music recommendation systems not only determine music selection, but can also foster social inequalities. These effects of the music streaming economy were then discussed in detail by the two keynote speakers with the Vienna-based musician Yasmo and the founder of the label collective Analogsoul, Fabian Schütze, under the direction of Hannes Tschürtz (ink music).

On the previous day, October 19, the Conference Track Day took place, in which researchers from Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the USA presented and discussed current results of music industry and business research. Among the topics were the production network perspective in the music industry, the functioning of netlabels, the Internet of Musical Things, the live music industry in the Netherlands and the role of blockchain technology and NFTs in the music business.

The 13th International Music Business Research Days traditionally kicked off on the first day – October 18 – with the Young Scholars’ Workshop, in which PhD and master students from Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, the USA and the UK presented their projects and discussed them with mentors. The presentation of the Best Paper Award, this time to Farley J. Joseph from the University of the West Indies/Trinidad & Tobago for his paper entitled “Sustaining innovation: Online concert models in a post-COVID-19 Trinidad & Tobago”, amarked the end of the conference on October 20.

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Introducing our guests: Daniel Nordgård (University of Agder, Norway)

Photo: Jørund Pedersen 2021

Daniel Nordgård is the co-editor of the recently published book Rethinking the Music Business, which will be be presented by him along with Guy Morrow (University of Melbourne) in the conference’s morning session of October 20, 2022 at mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

Daniel Nordgård is associate professor at the University of Agder and also the author of the book The Music Business and Digital Impacts (2018). He has a broad background from music, foremost as musician and artist, but also has experience from concert promotion and festival management. Nordgård teaches music business and management at the University of Agder. His research is very much devoted to the music industry and the cultural industries, with a special emphasis on digital change. Nordgård holds several positions in different boards, nationally and internationally, including Gramo (Norwegian collecting society for neighboring rights), The Norwegian Film Institute, Gramart (The Norwegian featured artist organization). He also sits on the board of the International Music Business Research Association (IMBRA).

Call-for Papers: Rethinking the Music Business – Music Contexts, Rights, Data and COVID-19

Call for chapters for an edited volume to be submitted to Springer’s Music Business Research Series

Editors
Guy Morrow (University of Melbourne, Australia)
Daniel Nordgård (University of Agder, Norway)
Peter Tschmuck (University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, Austria)

 

COVID-19 had, and is having, a global impact on health, communities and the economy. As a result of COVID-19, music festivals, gigs and events were cancelled 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.), new copyright legislation etc. Some of these trends were impacted by the COVID-19 crisis while others were not.

 

This edited volume will therefore be structured in two parts. The first part will feature more general perspectives and the second will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on the music business. This edited volume thus welcomes chapters that address issues within the music business before, during and after COVID-19.

 

The volume will be composed of 8000 word chapters (including footnotes and references), an Introduction by the editors and an Afterword.

– Deadline for submission of abstracts (300-400 words) and bio notes (100 words): 1 December 2020
– Notification of acceptance: 15 January 2021

– Book proposal submission: 20 January 2021
– Book contracted: February 2021
– First book chapter draft: 30 July 2021

 

Initial expressions of interest, enquiries and/or abstracts should be submitted to editors: Guy Morrow (guy.morrow@unimelb.edu.au), Daniel Nordgård (daniel.nordgard@uia.no) and Peter Tschmuck (Tschmuck@mdw.ac.at)

 

International Journal of Music Business Research – April 2020, vol. 9, no. 1

The April issue 2020 of the International Journal of Music Business Research (IJMBR) gathers for the first time four full articles on a broad variety of music business research topics. The journal issue opens with “Music marketing in the digital music industries – An autoethnographic exploration of opportunities and challenges for independent musicians” by Shane Murphy of Torrens University in Sydney/Australia. Through the use of an autoethnographic research method, Shane Murphy provides insights from the micro-perspective of an independent musician into the major major structural transformations that have occurred in the music business post-digitisation.

Tim Metcalfe & Nicolas Ruth (Goldsmiths College in London/UK) contribute the second article “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley: Mentions of products in hip hop and R&B music”. According to this article, cars, fashion and alcohol are the types of products most frequently mentioned in hip hop and R&B lyrics.

The third article by Dexter Purnell (MacMurray College, Jacksonville/US) “Closing the Gap: Understanding the Perceptual Differences Between Generations Regarding Music Streaming Technology” – focuses on the impact of music streaming technology and argues that, whilst music streaming has become the preferred method for recorded music consumption, there appears to be generational differences in the utilisation rate of the technology.

The fourth article “Where the magic people gathered The Role of Private Members Clubs in the Contemporary Music Economy” by Sam Edrisi (King’s College London and University of Westminster, London/UK) is the award winning paper of the Young Scholars’ Workshop 2019. It explores the increased popularity of a new type of private member club aimed at a crowd, which identifies with entrepreneurialism, independence, and creativity.

This issue rounds up with a book review by Daniel Nordgård of “Rockonomics: A Backstage Tour of What the Music Industry Can Teach Us about Economics and Life” by Alan B. Krueger, who sadly passed away in March 2019. “Rockonomics” was Alan’s last book in an outstanding body of works on economic issues related to education, labor markets and income distribution.

 

Volume 9, no 1, April 2020

Editorial by Dennis Collopy & Guy Morrow, pp. 4-6

Shane Murphy: Music marketing in the digital music industries – An autoethnographic exploration of opportunities and challenges for independent musicians, pp. 7-40

Tim Metcalfe & Nicolas Ruth: Beamer, Benz, or Bentley: Mentions of products in hip hop and R&B music, pp. 41-62

Dexter L. Purnell: Closing the Gap: Understanding the perceptual differences between generations regarding music streaming technology, pp. 63-80

Sam Edrisi: WHERE THE MAGIC PEOPLE GATHERED: The role of Private Members Clubs in the contemporary music economy, pp. 81-117

Book review by Daniel Nordgård: Rockonomics: A backstage tour of what the music industry can teach us about economics and life by Alan B. Krueger, pp. 118-120

 

 

The 10th Vienna Music Business Research Days 2019 in retrospective

At the 10^th anniversary Vienna Music Business Research Days music business researchers and music industry representatives from around the globe looked into the crystal ball to highlight and discuss the “Future of the Music Business”.

The Young Scholars Workshop traditionally opened the conference as a forum for master and PhD students to present and discuss their research results with renown international music business scientists. This year two papers were awarded by an international jury with the first prize: “THE NEW MAGIC PEOPLE: An Ethnographic Study of East London’s Cultural Workers at Shoreditch House” by Sam Edrisi of Westminster University and King’s College London and “Creativity, Constraints, and Copyright – Hired Music Guns and the Case of Soundalikes” by Konstantin Hondros of the University Duisburg-Essen. Both papers are considered tob e published in the International Journal of Music Business Research (IJMBR).

On the following Conference Track Day, music business researchers from Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Romenia, Spain, South Africa, UK and the US presented their research results on a broad range of music business topics, such as gender aspects in the classical music sphere, the live music business in the Netherlands, self-management and entrepreneurship of musicians, the demand for music in the music streaming age, music branding, music labour markets and music education issues (see program).

The final Invited Conference Day on September 13^th focused on the conference main topic the “Future of the Music Business”. The London-based entertainment lawyer Cliff Fluet held the introductory keynote “The Music Business & Technology – How Their Past and Present will Dictate Their Future” and joined the following panel discussion on “The Future of Music Copyright” with Ros Lynch (Intellectual Property Office, London) and the blockchain start-up founder Steve Stewart (vezt, Los Angeles), moderated by Sally Gross (University of Westminster, London). The panelists discussed the impact of new technologies such as the blockchain and artificial intellectual on copyright legislation.

Michael Smellie, the former COO of Sony/BMG and Australian start-up investor, closed the morning session by looking back into the music industry’s recent past with his keynote on the music industry’s “Seven Deadly Sins” to learn more about the industry’s future.

 

After the lunch break Paul O’Hagan of the University of Ulster had a conversation with music manager Peter Jenner on the concept of label service contracts, which Peter Jenner introduced by signing Billy Bragg to Cooking Vinyl. Label service contracts have become very popular among superstars such as Taylor Swift, since there is no need to contract away all rights to the labels. Peter Jenner was also a mastermind and initiator of the “Music 2025” project, which was introduced for the first to the public by him and Dennis Collopy (University of Hertfordshire, UK) in 2014 at the Vienna Music Business Research Days. This year Dennis Collopy presented the project’s results to an international audience.

In the following keynote “What Are the Key Drivers of Growth in Music Streaming?” music industry analyst Chris Carey outlined the past, present and future developments in the music streaming economy. This was a good starting point for the final panel discussion on “Future of the Music Business – What’s Next after Music Streaming?” with Rebecca Brook (music industry consultant, London), Chris Carey (Media Insight Consulting, London), Phil Graham (University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia) and Michael Smellie (start-up investor, Australia), moderated by Dennis Collopy (University of Hertfordshire).

The 10^th Vienna Music Business Research Days were supplemented by a book presentation event in the evening of September 11^th. Daniel Nordgård of the University of Agder in Kristiansand/Norway presented the first volume of the Springer book series “Music Business Research” entitled “The Music Business and Digital Impacts. Innovations and Disruptions in the Music Industries“. Phil Graham of the University of the Sunshine Coast/Australia followed with the presentation of the book series’ second volume “Music, Management, Marketing, and Law. Interviews Across the Music Business Value Chain“. Subsequently both authors joined a panel discussion on “Big Data in the Music Business” with the Vienna-based start-up entrepreneur Nermina Mumic and music manager Peter Jenner.

Book presentation event on “Big Data in the Digital Music Business”

A book presentation event will take place in Fanny Hensel-Hall at mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna on September 11, 2019 from 19:30-21:30. The first two volumes of the “Music Business Research” series of Springer Publishing will be presented to public with a following panel discussion on “Big Data in the Digital Music Business”.

Daniel Nordgård of the University of Agder in Kristiansand/Norway will present his book “The Music Business and Digital Impacts. Innovations and Disruptions in the Music Industries“. The book provides rare insights into the difficult and complex dialogues between stakeholders within and outside the music industries in a time of transition. It builds on a series of recorded meetings in which key stakeholders discuss and assess options and considerations for the music industries’ transition to a digital era. These talks were closed to the public and operated under the Chatham House Rule, which means that they involved a very different type of discussion from those held in public settings, panels or conferences. As such, the book offers a much more nuanced understanding of the industries’ difficulties in adjusting to changing conditions, demonstrating the internal power-struggles and differences that make digital change so difficult.

 

Phil Graham of the University of the Sunshine Coast/Australia introduces his volume on “Music, Management, Marketing, and Law. Interviews Across the Music Business Value Chain“. This collection of interviews captures a period of historic change for the global music business along with a wealth of professional knowledge that extends from the late 1960s through to late 2012 when the interviews were conducted. They record the experiences and insights of people who helped to shape a global business that is quickly passing into history and transforming into something entirely new, often because of decisions the interviewees have been directly involved in making. The material includes the aesthetic, artistic, technical, commercial, legal, and strategic aspects of the music industry. What is said is timeless in its historical significance for the music business and in its relevance for researchers engaged in studies on the dynamics of change in the global commercial music landscape.

 

After the two short presentations the authors discuss with the music manager Peter Jenner (Sincere Music, London) and the founder and CEO of the Vienna-based data analytics company Legitary, Nermina Mumic on

“Big Data and the Digital Music Business”

Admission free, but please register here: vmbrd@mdw.ac.at

 

The book presentation event is held within the 10th Vienna Music Business Research Days in cooperation with the Austrian Chamber of Commerce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Journal of Music Business Research – April 2019, vol. 8, no. 1

The April issue 2019 of the International Journal of Music Business Research (IJMBR) opens with the article “Digital enabled experience – the listening experience in music streaming”. Bård Tronvoll, Professor of Marketing at the Business School of Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, analyses the drivers as well as the outcomes of music listening on streaming platforms such as Spotify.

The second article – “An analysis of ticket pricing in the primary and secondary concert marketplace” – by Terrance Tompkins of Hofstra University in New York City is a literature survey on the factors that impact the pricing of concert tickets in primary and secondary markets.

Silvia Donker, who was awarded the best paper in the Young Scholars’ Workshop of the 9^th Vienna Music Business Research Days 2018, contributes the third article of this issue. “Networking data. A network analysis of Spotify’s socio-technical related artist network” provides a case study on Spotify’s related artist network of the Dutch drum & bass band Noisia.

This issue rounds up with a book review of “The Music Business and Digital Impacts. Innovations and Disruptions in the Music Industries” by Daniel Nordgård, published as the first volume in the Music Business Research series of Springer Publishing.

 

Volume 8, no 1, April 2019

Editorial by Peter Tschmuck, pp. 4-5

Bård Tronvoll: Digital enabled experience – listening experience in music streaming, pp. 6-38

Terrance Tompkins: An analysis of ticket pricing in the primary and secondary concert marketplace, pp. 39-66

Silvia Donker: Networking data. A network analysis of Spotify’s sociotechnical related artist network, pp. 67-101

Book review by Peter Tschmuck: The Music Business and Digital Impacts. Innovations and Disruptions in the Music Industries by Daniel Nordgård, pp. 102-105

 

 

Music Business Research 2017 – in retrospective

Dear readers of music business research blog,

The music streaming boom dominated 2017. Market statistics highlight that music streaming revenue has become the most important income stream for the phonographic industry. The US figures for 2016 highlight a tremendous shift from selling music (CDs and downloads) to accessing music (by streaming services). In the US, music consumers paid for the first time more for music access by ad-supported and paid streaming services (US$ 3.9bn) than for CDs, music downloads and ringtones (US$ 3.5bn). In the UK, the massive growth of music streaming revenue also increased overall recorded music sales in 2016. Gains of £103m in the music streaming segment, thus, compensated not just for the loss of £5.8m of physical sales, but also for the £56m decrease in download sales in a year-to-year comparison, as a long-term analysis of the UK recording sales indicates. We can, thus, expect a further massive growth of music streaming revenue in 2017 also on markets with a still strong physical segment such as Germany.

The 8th Vienna Music Business Research Days in Retrospective

The 8th Vienna Music Business Research Days on “Unchaining the Digital Music Business?” were held at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna from September 12-14, 2017. Over the past few years new gatekeeping processes in the digital music business have emerged and international music business experts, therefore, highlighted the role of new and old gatekeepers as well as the impact of innovative technologies such as the blockchain on structures and processes in the music business.

Students from Austria, Bardados, Canada, Germany, Serbia and South Africa on a master and PhD level opened the conference with the Young Scholars Workshop presenting and discussing their research findings with reknown academics in the field of music business research (workshop program). The article “Virtual Songwriting: Fostering Creative Processes through ‘Challenge’ and ‘Collaboration'” by Benjamin Schiemer from the Johannes Kepler University Linz in Austria was awarded by an international jury as best paper and is considered to be published in the International Journal of Music Business Research (IJMBR).

Music business researchers from Austria, Australia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom and the US gathered on the conference track day (September 13) to present their recent findings on the music business and discuss them with the audience. The topics ranged from the economics of music festivals, music piracy, regulatory aspects in the music business and on choreographies to artist-fan engagement, music management, social media in the music business to the impact of blockchain technology on the music industry (see program).

The invited conference day on September 14 highlighted the role of new gatekeepig processes in the digital music bsuines by new and old players of the music industry. Daniel Nordgård from the University of Agder in Kristiansand/Norway held the introductory talk on “New Gatekeeping Processes in the Digital Music Business” and moderated then a panel discussion with Sally Gross (University of Westminster, London), Sarita Stewart (Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, Belmont University Nashville/USA), Scott Cohen (The Orchard, London and New York) and Stefan Baumschlager (Record Bird, Vienna). In the following presentation George Musgrave from the University of Westminster in London talked on “Control and Autonomy in the Digital Music Business”.

In the afternoon Alan Graham and Wolfgang Senges critically reflected in two keynotes – “The Applications of Blockchain Technology in the Music Business” and “The Benefits and Challenges of Blockchain Technology in the Music Business” the current hype about blockchain technology  and discussed with Carlotta de Ninni (Mycelia for Music project) and Kelly Snook (University of Brighton) its impact on the music business.

Introducing our guests: Daniel Nordgård (University of Agder/Norway)

The 8th Vienna Music Business Research Days from Sep. 12-14, 2017 are devoted to the question “Unchaining the Digital Music Business?”. Over the past few years new gatekeeping processes in the digital music business have emerged and international music business experts, therefore, highlight the role of new and old gatekeepers as well as the impact of innovative technologies such as the blockchain on structures and processes in the musis biz. Find the program here.

Daniel Nordgård holds the introductory talk on “New Gatekeeping Processes in the Digital Music Business” in Joseph Haydn-Hall on September 14 from 9:30-10:15. He will then moderate the panel discussion on the same topic with Sally Gross (University of Westminster, London), Sarita Stewart (Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, Belmont University Nashville/USA), Scott Cohen (The Orchard, London and New York), Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt (International Music Managers Forum, London).

Daniel Nordgård is associate professor at the University of Agder in Kristiansand/Norway. He has a broad background from music, foremost as musician and artist, but later working as a project manager and occupying different positions in the Norwegian music sector. In particular Nordgård has been working with music festivals and the live-sector in various positions, and in the period 2007-2008 as the festival manager for the Quart-festival in Norway. Nordgård recently finished his doctorate in music with the dissertation: Determining Factors on Digital Change in the Music Industries (2017). Nordgård teach music business at the University of Agder’ master’s program on music management and works as a senior researcher at Agder Research, a private research institute. His research is very much devoted to the music industry and the cultural industries, however with a special emphasis on digital change in the music industry. In 2013 Nordgård was appointed by the Norwegian Government to lead their committee on digital changes in the music industry. He holds several positions in different boards, nationally and internationally, including Gramo (the Norwegian collecting society for recording artists and record companies), The Norwegian Film Institute, Gramart (The Norwegian featured artist organization). He also sits on the board of the International Music Business Research Association (IMBRA) and is boor review editor of the International Journal of Music Business Research (IJMBR).