Search

This article explores the internet as a medium of music distribution and how it shapes the intellectual property rights of Nigerian musicians with a particular focus on their revenue. It does so by examining existing data on revenue from two recording musicians whose works are distributed via mainstream channels and the Internet. Methodologically, the article employs both descriptive and survey designs. Data were collected using questionnaires, interviews, and previous literature. The findings reveal that the gains of music copyright can be guaranteed more by the internet rather than mainstream distribution channels. This is so because the internet offers cost-effective music promotional services and credible indices for the sales of musical works. Despite the traces of music piracy on the internet, the medium breaks the oligopoly of the record labels and the subjugation of artists as principal stakeholders in the music business. In all, we argue that unless and until (Nigerian) musicians focus on the internet for their music distribution, the issue of limited revenue as a result of infringement will persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to the practice of the one-way collection and analysis of data from the field as found in existing beiguan literature, this article presents a role-changing process used in the recording of beiguan opera with the Qinghexuan ensemble (慶和軒) in Taiwan, formed in order to generate bilateral benefits through a collaborative applied project. I discuss both the practical recording skills needed in the field and the mixing down skills employed in the studio to demonstrate how the designed interactive process reflects the needs in the community and how the collaboration aspect creates an interface with each step of the recording process, from making to checking. Firstly, I examine the recording process in the field, including microphone placement and recording strategy. Secondly, I discuss how the utilisation of plug-ins (equaliser, compressor, panning, balance) in the mixing of tracks is similar to, and based on, that seen in popular music and also on the research collaborators’ opinions, as shared during the fieldwork. Also presented are details behind the dynamic range of the suona (嗩吶) and the percussion instruments in this genre, for example the natural frequency arrangement on the spectrum. Thus, this discussion shows how an ethnomusicologist can be responsive to needs shared by the community if they apply their professional training in relation to the recording process; it also reshapes the relationship between researcher and informant in an ethnographic context, in comparison to previous beiguan research, by engaging the musicians as collaborative listeners in the curation of their own art form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the methods and arguments of Hearing the Americas , a digital public history project that illuminates the history of popular music and the recording industry from 1890 to 1925. We argue that the use of digital tools allows the website to integrate sound directly into writing on music and thereby explicate a series of historical arguments. The article examines three arguments advanced by Hearing the Americas , showing in each case how digital tools generate new insights. The first case uses mapping to reveal some of the specific ways in which the economic and social context of Jim Crow shaped the experiences of Black performers; the second integrates sound and text to reveal the origins of certain blues conventions in the racist stereotypes of minstrel shows; and the final case uses digital tools to argue that the marketing strategies of the recording industry throughout the Americas helped produce a key shift in patterns of globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ethnologie Française is the property of Presses Universitaires de France and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article delves into the editorial processes that triggered the so-called 'boom of Portuguese rock' of the early 1980s, a term commonly used to denote the initial surge of commercial success for rock music created, recorded, and released in Portugal. I aim to spotlight the changes that shaped the development of rock music in Portugal at the turn of the 1970s to the 1980s, emphasizing the pivotal role of the record company Valentim de Carvalho in this period. During the late 1970s, shifts in the record publishing personnel significantly contributed to the primary upsurge in commercial success of records released by Portuguese rock bands and sung in Portuguese. The debut of Chico Fininho by Rui Veloso & A Banda Sonora and Cavalos de Corrida by UHF, both released by Valentim de Carvalho in 1980, were inaugural milestones of this success. By connecting this phenomenon with the various social and political transformations of that time, I explore the interplay between editors and musicians at Valentim de Carvalho, whose staff actively engaged in shaping the musical endeavours of these groups and their repertoire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inside the panorama of the music industry have been generated by several legal relationships. Generally, the artist is only concerned with expressing his ideas through songs, based on deep feelings or experiences that have marked him, but he does not realize that he is in a very complicated legal relationship when privatizing his creations. Many artists throughout their careers legal issues related to the use of copyrights in their discography; a very recent case is that of the famous artist Taylor Swift where the problem lies in the snatching of their copyright author. This miscellaneous article focuses on identifying the regulations with which the Ecuadorian government protects intellectual property rights in the Ecuadorian music industry in the current digital era. As a final result, we state that Ecuadorian legislation has an optimal regulation that encourages the operation of the intellectual property regime in Ecuador. However, artists do not choose to enter this industry due to the low performance it has in our country.

This article argues that reissues – whether in the form of repackaged and re-released recordings that have gone out of print, recordings republished in new media with the change of playback technology, or collected as historical compilation albums – form a hub of activities by jazz collectors, critics, producers, and historians – roles often filled by the same person. As curated aural texts, reissues, in recurring fashion over jazz's recorded past, form connective tissue for the distorted historical narrative of jazz as representing a "coherent whole." The article tracks three broad historical moments in which reissues have played a crucial role in constructing the "jazz tradition" commonly portrayed in textbooks: (1) the rise of the reissues market through Commodore Records, (2) the pairing of collected tracks on compilation albums with a flourishing jazz history book trade in the postwar era, and (3) combining nostalgia for music of past decades with the advent of new recording and playback technology, and the move to remastered, completist collectors' series exemplified by Mosaic Records at the turn of the 21st century. The article ends with speculation about how the most recent uptick in reissuing might aid in disrupting the "jazz tradition" edifice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the professional roles in the recording industry, studio musicians have received relatively little academic attention. The present study explores the work realities of professional studio musicians in Germany, one of the largest music industries in the world, and is based on interviews with six pop musicians; guitarists, bassists, keyboardists and drummers who are between 27 and 66 years old. The findings show how changes in the recording industry - most notably dwindling budgets, the rise of project studios and virtual collaboration - have affected working practices, skill requirements and business models. The findings indicate that in Germany it is hardly possible to make a living from studio work as a professional musician. This is true even for leading session players. Sinking fees and the lack of access to royalties pose a problem that is not tackled due to fierce competition and the risk of damaging one’s reputation.

This article traces the formation of popular music idol industries in China and the emergence of data fandom. It charts the growth of digital platforms and historicizes the commercial and geopolitical itinerations linking cultural production in Japan, South Korea, and China. It locates data fandom as an integral part of the popular music industries reconfigured by digital social media platforms; a structural change from the production-to-consumption 'supply chain' model of the recording era towards emergent circuits of content that integrate industries and audiences. Data fans understand how their online activities are tracked, and adopt individual and collective strategies to influence metric and semantic information reported on digital platforms and social media. This article analyses how the practices of data fans impact upon charts, media and content traffic, illustrating how this activity benefits the idols they are following, and enhances a fan's sense of achievement and agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined the effects of genre-specific and mainstream Billboard chart popularity on RIAA gold or platinum certification of #1 R&B/Hip-Hop singles in the Pre-SoundScan (1977–1992) and SoundScan (1993–2008) eras. Findings indicate that Gold or platinum certified #1 R&B/Hip-Hop singles had a significantly higher peak position on the mainstream Pop charts than those not certified gold or platinum in both the Pre-SoundScan and SoundScan eras. When observing genre-specific popularity, gold or platinum singles spent significantly more total weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts than non-gold or platinum singles in the Pre-SoundScan era. In contrast, the reverse was observed in the SoundScan era. Mainstream popularity, as measured by peak position on the Pop charts, and genre-specific popularity, as measured by total weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, were good predictors of gold or platinum certification in both the Pre-SoundScan and SoundScan eras. The model was a better predictor of RIAA gold or platinum certification in the Pre-SoundScan era, suggesting that the Billboard chart methodology in the earlier era was more aligned with the RIAA auditing process than the SoundScan era methodology. Findings also raise questions about whether the initial exclusion of several African American independent retailers, who were generally the primary source for sales data in the Pre-SoundScan era, casts doubt on validity of SoundScan sales data. Future research should examine how the transition to SoundScan may have contributed to redefining the target audience for R&B/Hip-Hop music, impacted the quantity and quality of R&B/Hip-Hop music available to the public, and the effects of those outcomes on the broader culture and society. The purpose of this paper was to examine the effects of genre-specific and mainstream Billboard chart popularity on RIAA gold or platinum certification of #1 R&B/Hip-Hop singles in the Pre-SoundScan (1977–1992) and SoundScan (1993–2008) eras. The first aim was to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in genre-specific and mainstream popularity between singles that achieved RIAA gold or platinum certification and those that did not reach that pinnacle in both eras. The second aim assessed the relative predictive power of genre-specific and mainstream popularity on RIAA gold or platinum certification of #1 R&B/Hip-Hop singles in the Pre-SoundScan and SoundScan eras while controlling for established brand. In this comparative assessment of the relationships between Billboard chart data and RIAA gold/platinum certification data in the Pre-SoundScan and SoundScan eras, genre-specific popularity was measured by total weeks at #1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop charts and total weeks on the charts regardless of position. Mainstream popularity was evaluated with peak position on Billboard's Pop charts. The established brand construct was assessed with the artist's total prior #1 R&B/Hip-Hop singles and total prior #1s by the record label. A Mann–Whitney U test revealed statistically significant differences in mainstream popularity between gold or platinum singles and non-gold or platinum singles in both the Pre-SoundScan and SoundScan eras. Statistically significant differences in genre-specific popularity were also observed in both periods, but not in the hypothesized direction in the SoundScan era. A binary logistic regression model demonstrated that the two popularity constructs, while controlling for established brand, predicted RIAA gold or platinum certification of #1 R&B/Hip-Hop singles in both the Pre-SoundScan and SoundScan eras. The model better predicted gold or platinum certification in the Pre-SoundScan era. The most powerful predictor was mainstream popularity in both eras. Gold or platinum certified #1 R&B/Hip-Hop singles had a significantly higher peak position on the mainstream Pop charts than those not certified gold or platinum in both the Pre-SoundScan and SoundScan eras. When observing genre-specific popularity, gold or platinum singles spent significantly more total weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts than non-gold or platinum singles in the Pre-SoundScan era. In contrast, the reverse was observed in the SoundScan era. Mainstream popularity, as measured by peak position on the Pop charts, and genre-specific popularity, as measured by total weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, were good predictors of gold or platinum certification in both the Pre-SoundScan and SoundScan eras. The model was a better predictor of RIAA gold or platinum certification in the Pre-SoundScan era, suggesting that the Billboard chart methodology in the earlier era was more aligned with the RIAA auditing process than the SoundScan era methodology. Findings also raise questions about whether the initial exclusion of several African American independent retailers, who were generally the primary source for sales data in the Pre-SoundScan era, reduced the validity of SoundScan sales data. In other words, did the SoundScan data measure what it intended to measure, which was the popularity of R&B/Hip-Hop singles among the target audience of that genre? Future research should examine how the transition to SoundScan may have contributed to redefining the target audience for R&B/Hip-Hop music, impacted the quantity and quality of R&B/Hip-Hop music available to the public, and the effects of those outcomes on the broader culture and society. Recording industry, organizations, stratification, race and ethnic relations, medical sociology, political sociology, quantitative and qualitative methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As opposed to other realms of art, like literature or painting, a plethora of 'great women singers' has existed in the Caribbean and Latin America since the recording industry began. [...]

This article contributes to research on the changing music industries by identifying three dynamics that underpin the shift towards a post-record music industry. First, it examines how musicians have found themselves redefined as content providers rather than creative producers; a historical change from recorded music as product to content. Second, it focuses on tensions between YouTube and recording artists as symptomatic of disputes about the changing artistic and economic value of recorded music. Third, it extends this debate about the market and moral worth of music by exploring how digital recordings have acquired value as data, rather than as a commercial form of artistic expression. The article explores how digital conglomerates have become ever-more significant in shaping the circulation of recordings and profiting from the work of musicians, and highlights emergent dynamics, structures and patterns of conflict shaping the recording sector specifically, and music industries more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]