Directed Study Week 8 – Audiences, Technology and Consumption

In this weeks lecture we explored the concept of audiences, technology and consumption. We looked into how technology advancement has enabled the production of media texts to fit around our busy lives. Audiences now have more access and options to choose from. Therefore, consumers are able to engage in media at their own pace. Audiences now have the ability to be more active in their approach, they can now use social platforms to share and respond to the media sources. This has made it easier for companies to form target groups and predict behaviours. Through this synergetic relationship between technology and the music industry, convergence has helped understand audiences.

This week’s reading explores the characteristics of a transnational youth net-radio audience and their associated values, beliefs, behaviour and culture practice. As technology has progressed the way in which radio and popular music practice cultural views, has continued onto new platforms. For example, the introduction of YouTube and Facebook has allowed audiences to respond to media sources on a public platform. An effect of this can be that some cultural practices can transform or become benign. The reading suggests that the youth are more favourable of technological advancement as ‘growing number of youths are disappointed with traditional radio formats’ (Baker, 2010:124). This could explain that ever-changing environment within the media industry and that has a younger audience they are more inclined to want various platforms to respond to.

In addition to this week’s key reading, I found a text that linked to the concepts of technology and audience. Geib, Jackob & Quiring (2012) investigated the impact of technology journalist’s conceptualisation and it’s influence on the audience and industry. They found that ‘journalists picture themselves in a key role as a clandestine deciders who shape the audience’ (Geib et al, 2012:1058).  The study helps understand that ultimately the audience has most power and their choice to engage in a media course is constructed heavily on how the source is mediated. Through technology and convergence, one could argue that it has become somewhat easier to identify what an audience will be looking for.

 Bibliography:

Baker, A. J, (2010). College Student net-radio audiences: A Transnational Perspective. Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media. 8 (2), pp.121-137

Geib. S, Jackob. N & Quiring. O (2012). ‘The impact of communicating digital technologies: how information and communication technology journalist conceptualize their influence on the audience and the industry’. New Media Society pp. 1058-1076.

Directed Study Week 7 – Conceptualising the Audience

In this weeks lecture we looked at conceptualising the audience. Audiences are the target media and have the power to choose what media sources to engage and associate with. When researching audiences, there are three components that need to be considered; the consumption, meaning the focus on the audience, the reception of the audience and how the audience responds, therefore their activity. Creativity and resistance from the audience is seen as a bottom-down model and their activity can be conceptualised as either passive or active.

This weeks reading focuses on the interpretation of the audience as passive or active. The reading follows the work of Adorno who believed that the passivity of a radio audience actually allows the experience to be more exciting and enjoyable because the audiences are repeatedly subjected to music they know quite well and therefore can relate to it further. For example ‘ the relationship between broadcasters, listeners and viewers is an unforced relationship because it is unenforceable’ (Scannell, 1996:23). Suggesting, that a radio audience interestingly seems passive due to the unforced nature of its appeal. Audiences are not in any way obliged to choose that station and the act of engaging is not something that requires and active response.

Additionally, a reading from my own research explores audiences in festivals. Stephanie Pitts, (2005) looks into the response and activity of audiences in a festival environment. She found that audiences felt as though ‘their presence was significant’ (Pitts, 2005:268). It is quite an interesting contrast to the passivity of a radio audience, which can lead one to question whether a radio audience can emulate the same active engagement? When studying an audience, the idea that the audience itself has the power means there is a constant variance in expectations. This is because the industry will have to conform to the changes of an audience’s opinions.

In terms of my own research, I think it would be interesting to look into audiences from a national radio and audiences from a national television just to see the differences in the way they engage and react. In order to do this I will need to explore the history of both audiences through media texts.

Bibliography:

 Hendy, D, (2000). 'Audiences'. In: (ed), Radio in the Global Age. 1st ed. UK: Polity Press. pp.(134-147).

Pitts, S (2005). ‘What makes an audience? Investigating the roles and experiences of listeners at a chamber music festival’. In: Music and Letters Vol 86. UK: Oxford University Press pp. (257-259)

Directed Study Week 5 – Representations on Radio: Discourse & Power

Representations are the notion to depict something or to symbolise something and therefore be the specimen or substitute of the real thing. So, they are re-representations of reality. Media representations can never be a window on reality, they can only construct a particular idea of reality through the process of mediation.  Media can be represented in two ways; through our perception or symbolically through our ideas about the world.

Moreover, there are two systems of representations.  There are mental representations that are based on how the appearance or language can be significant.  Additionally, there are media representations, which is the representation of popular music. Popular music representations focuses on the individuality of the performers and the abstraction of the musical sound. Therefore it focuses on the reality of the music and doesn’t aim to represent. This week’s reading links heavily to the concept of representations and society. Frith and McRobbie (1990) explored the idea of rock and sexuality and explained that ‘both in it’s presentation and its use, rock has confirmed traditional definitions of what constitutes masculinity and femininity’ (Frith & McRobbie, 1990:387). This links to expectations of music performers and artists to perform a STAR persona in order to relate to wider culture groups. This is because the STAR persona is depicted through stereotypes in order to create a persona that is perceived on some level in society as an archetype. Therefore stereotypes such as the depiction of masculinity and femininity as explained by Firth and McRobbie (1990) can be construed as a result of popular music representations.

Additionally, a reading I found on Swetswise discuses the representations of popular music in the medium of music videos. Thomas Brett (2012) explored media representations in music videos and suggested that ‘post-feminism and how sexed/gendered identity is discursively produced and maintained through cultural institutions and practices’ (Brett, 2012:717). With regards to discourses, the reading helps us understand that music can be represented in many forms to promote ideologies in order to relate to wider culture. For example, music videos can be a method of discourse in order to present an ideology to the audience.

In terms of my own research, I would like to explore sexual expressions and anti-feminism in hip-hop and rap music to understand why females are depicted in certain way through that genre of music. In order to do this, I will need to look into the history and present of the genres in order to validate and find the right information for my research.

Bibliography:

Frith, S & McRobbie, A, (1990). 'Rock & Sexuality'. In: Simon Frith & Andrew Goodwin (ed), On Record: Rock, Pop & the Written Word. 1st ed. UK: Pantheon Books. pp.(371-389).

Thomas Brett (2012) Music Video and the Politics of Representation, Popular Music and Society, 35:5, 717-719

Directed Study Week 4: Popular Music Genres & Narratives

This week we have explored the concept of genres in the lecture and related readings. In the key readings for this week genre is considered as form of categorisation of music in to different categories as a form of identification (Wall, 2003:180). A lot of these ideas are linked closely to techniques such as coding, conventions and narrative structures as discussed in the lecture. Coding is essentially a means by which music is categorised therefore the emulation of genre identification. Coding somewhat sets the rules by which popular music is produced, distributed and consumed, therefore suggesting that all aspects of music production is based around the concept of genre (Wall, 2003:183).

The reading I have acquired for this week explores the ideas of genre and its reason for consumption. In this particular instance the study I will be discussing focuses on the genre Pop and how the consumption of Pop relates to constructing a life world (Dolfsma, 2007:421). In the study, Dolfsma explores the reasons to why Pop music is used in all aspects of life, for example why it is listened to, used on television shows and adverts. Dolfsma uses the analysis of survey and group interviews to construct an understanding of this. Moreover, one of the things Dolfsma outlines in her methodological research is that pop music was heavily consumed as an attempt by its audience to 'upset, or at least baffle , parents and people of older generations generally' (Dolfsma, 2007:424) this can be linked heavily to Neale's views that 'genre is not reducible to textual qualities, but as the product of specific cultures' that Neale terms are 'genre cultures' (Neale,1980). Suggesting that influences of culture reflect on the categorisation of music. Suggesting that genres are therefore formed around activities in the media industry that coincide with the individuals that consume the media.

Furthering on this idea, Dolfsma's study showed that the consumption of Pop music was linked heavily to the relatable nature in its content as its 'brought structure and meaning into the lives of many young people'(Dolfsma, 2007:436). Much like Franco Fabbri's views on 5 categories of rules, one being the social and ideological rules that govern what the music stands. Suggesting, if the music is received in a way where it's meaning can provide some form of guidance the music itself can be categorised by its audience (Wall, 2003:182).

In terms of my own research related to popular music and genre, I would like to explore Simon Firth's views on genre acting as an effective shorthand for discussing music as well as it being a way to organise the listening process. I feel that many debates within society link heavily to music consumption, therefore to some extent Firth's ideas are evident in society. I believe further analysis would help one understand further method in which genre can be distinguished.

Bibliography:


Dolfsma, W (2004). 'Consuming pop music/ constructing a life word - the advent of pop music' International Journal of Cultural Studies. (421-436)


Wall, T, (2003). 'Genre'. In: (ed), Studying Popular Music Culture. 1st ed. UK: Hodder & Stoughton Educational. pp.(179-188).

Directed Study Week 3 – Political Economy

In this week’s lecture we explored Political Economy. From the lecture I was able to understand that political economy is concerned with funding organisations and the regulation of radio and music industry organisations. It also determines what we hear on the radio and the music, which is signed to major labels as well as impacting on the industry practices. 

Moreover, there are three elements to political economical investigations; funding, organization and regulation. Funding is where the money is coming from. There are three types of models in funding; commercial models, public service models and alternative models. Commerical models rely on advertising revenue and subscriptions, public service models rely on a license fee and alternative models are funded by a variety of sources. When investigating political economy it is important to understand what kind of organisation we are looking at, how it is structured and if there are many companies with the same owner. With regards to regulation, Britain has a public broadcasting system therefore is highly regulated already. Understanding political economy is important in helping us understand who is represented in the media, what kind of viewpoints are available and the effect on media products in different contexts.

This weeks reading explores how internet radio has dominated most radio station audiences as there is more appeal to listening to music online. This links to the study of radio and popular music history because as technology developed the need for radio stations are decreasing.  A reading by Tim Wall (2004) states ‘At its heart the Internet offers a new distribution network for sound. On its own the technology establishes a very different set of relationships between broadcasters and listener’ (Wall 2004:33). With regards to political economy, internet radio is much more cost effective as there are less people needed to run it therefore funding is much more easier to find. Regulations on online radio can sometimes be more lenient due to the fact that it is new. Therefore this reading could suggest that internet is more accessible and easier to use nowadays, for example phone apps and other electronic devices such as tablets allow it to be more mobile that an ordinary radio.  A reading on David Hendy (2000) supports this idea suggesting that ‘political economy of radio in the digital era will produce new forms’ which allows us to comprehend that changes in media industry practices will have an immediate effect on the political economy (Hendy, 2000:214).

In terms of research, it would be interesting to investigate how political economy thrives in countries with slower economical development. The comparison between a developing and thriving economy and a suffering economy could significantly impact the political economy of it’s media industry.

 Bibliography:

David Hendy (2000) A Political Economy of Radio in the Digital Age, Journal of Radio Studies, 7:1, 213-234, DOI: 10.1207/s15506843jrs0701_16

Wall, T, (2003). 'Genre'. In: (ed), Studying Popular Music Culture. 1st ed. UK: Hodder & Stoughton Educational. pp.(179-188).