Prosumers and Mash-Ups

1. Production - As a producer and consumer, a prosumer would producer their own music which would cut costs. This is particularly helpful for DIY producers who can't spend money on a record label.
2. Distribution & Marketing - Gets the music out there, with a prosumer, they would get their own music out there for free by using the internet such as YouTube and SoundCloud.
3. Exchange - Giving free music to consumers and the consumers give back views which gains them more credit and they could get signed to a major label. For example Madeon is a producer and consumer (prosumer) because he listens to songs and turns them into mash-ups. However, he got signed to Sony and now he does mash-ups that includes Sony's music.
4. Consumption - Consumption is where consumers buy and listen to music. With a prosumer they get the rights to produce the music as their own. When a prosumer works for a record label, they don't have to buy the rights for their songs, they can just use theirs, plus it promotes their songs which improves their record label.
5. Convergence - Convergence is where multiple technologies are bought together to form a new product. With prosumers, they can use YouTube to share other media in which they are involved in, such as gaming.
6. Creating Relationship with the Audience - Prosumers such as Beck can create a relationship with the audience, for example, involving them in the process of creating the music.
7. Cross Promotion/Synergy - Where they use their music for other sources of media. For prosumers, if they are thinking of making any films they could use their music in the film soundtrack or they could promote the music for films and TV shows to make.
8. Vertical Integration (Musicopoly) - This is when a media company benefits from all aspects of production, distribution and exchange. With prosumers if they would benefit from all three if they used YouTube because they would be producing the music, distributing it by uploading on YouTube and Exchanging the music for views on YouTube.

Music Exchange

Exchange is the term used in the music industry that has the same concept that exhibition does in the film industry. Exchanging music gets an artists music out there, whether this is done by sharing it online or delivering it to record stores. There are now many ways in which you can buy music. You can go into a store and pay by cash and now you can use your credit/debit card to purchase music online. however again some people choose not to pay for music and therefore steal music via illegal downloading. This makes it harder for artists to make money off their music but it also markets their music because this still gets their music out there.

See previous post about music piracy: http://natashamusiclta.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/music-piracy.html

Music Labels

Synergy and Convergence

More Terminology

Music Industry Teminology

KEY TERMINOLOGY

Convergence Coming together of multimedia digital technologies allowing audio, video, graphics, games and animation (eg iphone) or its the coming together of institutions (eg EMI bought up by Sony & Universal)

Synergy
The coming together of two media texts to benefit them both eg: a film and its soundtrack will be released

Conglomerate
An international company with a wide and varied range of commercial interests

Globalisation
The growing tendency of industrial and commercial companies to merge and operate on an international rather than regional basis

Vertical Integration

The takeover of companies operating at different stages of the production/distribution/exchange - in musicopoly this let you operate 50% more efficiently

Horizontal Integration
The merger of competing companies from the same line of business (ie if itunes & Spotify merged) and involved at the same level of activity

Major Record Label
They are the 'Big Three' music companies which are Sony/BMG, Universal and Warner Brothers

Subsidiary Label
A company controlled by a holding or parent company (ie Syco & Sony)

Independent Label
Not connected to a major company (ie XL or Ninja Tune)

Niche Audience
A targeting of a small but significant group of consumers with a media product directed specifically at their interests

Mainstream Audience
The uncontroversial, generally accepted attitudes, beliefs and values of the majority population

Fans
Someone who has a strong interest and belief in the band or artist

Prosumers
Audience as active participantants in the process of both PROducing and conSUMING of media texts

Consumption
Buying/downloading/streaming/filesharing music, paying for live convert tickets etc

Web 2.0 
The second phase of the internet, where the focus shifts from people receiving information and services to people creating and sharing material (music 2.0 is related to this)

Download
The practise of selecting and receiving digital information from an online source on a computer, as opposed to sending it by upload

Streaming
A method of relaying data over a computer network as a steady continuous stream, allowing playback to proceed while subsequent data is being received

Peer to Peer
The sharing of media material between two parties in an equal relationship

Piracy
Distribution of media material that infringes copyright law

Portability / Miniaturisation
The quality of being light enough to be carried (iphone & Djay app anyone?)

Sampling
The technique of digitally encoding music or sound and reusing it as part of a composition or recording - you have done this with your mash ups

Artists and Repertoire (A&R) 
Is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label. They use your followers/friends on social media now to make this judgement

Record Deal - Contract - Royalties
A recording deal is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist or group, where the artist makes a record or series of records for the label to sell and promote

Distribution
Promoting music and getting it into shops, on the radio and downloaded for payment

Plugging / Marketing
The transmission of information about a media text to a target audience in such a way as to maximise its appeal to that audience