G322: Section B: Institutions and Audiences In the exam you will need to be prepared to discuss the

following in relation to your study of the music industry1. The issues raised by media ownership2. The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in

production distribution and marketing3. The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at

the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange.4. The significance of the proliferation of hardware and content for

institutions and audiences.5. The importance of technological convergence for institutions

and audiences6. The issues raised in the targeting of national and local

audiences (specifically British) by international or global institutions.

7. The ways in which your own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns of audience behaviour.

G322: Section B: Institutions and Audiences

The issues raised by media ownershipFor this you need to be aware of the differences between major and independent record companies. In the exam you could discuss some of the issues regarding Dr. Rubberfunk as an independent producer. You may also consider the different types of audience for music produced by independent labels (in this case Jalapeno Records rather than say one of the Big 4 labels ) i.e niche rather than mass, national rather than global. You should also refer to some of the issues regarding creative control if contracted to a major record label (e.g the dispute between EMI and Pink Floyd)

G322: Section B: Institutions and Audiences

The importance of cross media convergence and synergy in production distribution and marketingFor this you need to consider the importance of different media to the success of an artists work. For example Dr.Rubberfunk relies on live performance, radio appearances social networking and file sharing sites (facebook, twitter, flickr, myspace, youtube) to promote his music. This things are of particular importance to an independent producer as a small distributor will not have the resources to market Dr Rubberfunk’s music in the same way that a major label can (e.g TV advertising, Billboards)

G322: Section B: Institutions and Audiences

The technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, distribution, marketing and exchange.For this you will need to consider how new technology has affected the industry. Dr.Rubberfunk’s music is produced using digital software such as Apple Logic, Cubase and Audacity which has made the production of music much easier and cheaper. Dr. Rubberfunk’s music is also distributed digitally by his distributor Kudos Records. Dr. Rubberfunk’s music is mostly marketed online and is consumed via download eg itunes or streaming sites such as Spotify

G322: Section B: Institutions and Audiences

The significance of the proliferation of hardware and content for institutions and audiences.For this you will need to consider the extent to which the increase in new media hardware has led to changes in the way music is produced and consumed. You could discuss the ipod/iphone and ipad and the perceived advantages (and possible disadvantages) for record labels and consumers.

G322: Section B: Institutions and Audiences

The importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiencesThis is a broad area of discussion that overlaps with other areas of the specification. Technological convergence is the tendency for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks. This is something that has affected the production of music (e.g using Apple Macs to produce music through software such as Logic) the distribution of music (e.g online distribution) and consumption (e.g downloads, consuming music through mobile devices such as iphone and ipad.)

G322: Section B: Institutions and Audiences

The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically British) by international or global institutions.For this aspect of the specification, you need to consider the advantage major record labels ( e.g The Big 4) have in terms of distributing music on a global scale. For Dr.Rubberfunk a disadvantage of operating on an independent basis is that it is difficult to compete with the reach of the major labels due to a relative lack or resources to promote his music (Kudos Records being a small distributor) You could also make the point that the audience for Dr.Rubberfunk’s music is a niche rather than a mass audience due to the nature of the music he produces

G322: Section B: Institutions and Audiences

The ways in which your own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns of audience behaviour.For this you need to discuss how you consume music and how typical this is of the way in which the consumption of music is changing. This aspect of the specification again relates to technology and how this has affected music consumption,( e.g the idea that CD sales are down and more and more people are now downloading music both legally and illegally and the implications of this) you could refer to the vox pops/research you did in groups as well as the evidence presented in the Panorama episode on illegal downloading.