Indy Music Unite!
description
Transcript of Indy Music Unite!
LOCAL MUSICProduction &
Marketing inINDIANAPOLIS
Studybook by Hillary Celebi
table of contents
INTRODUCTION
ANALYSIS
interview trends expert interview audience survey guided tour touchstone tour supplemental interviews data map thematic networking design principle generation
SYNTHESIS
brainwalking brainstorming cardsorting graffiti wall connect the dots
EVALUATION
AEIOU framework Prezi interview
FINAL PROTOTYPE
SUMMARY
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The AssignmentUsing a series of design research methods, we were prompted to discover a certain context and identify the problem spaces, construct and facilitate creative ideas, and implement solutions based on feedback and interviews of stakeholders and partici-pants. The main artifacts were visual representations of mostly qualitative data, which were to highlight the key findings in order for us to understand the next step. The students participating in the group were:
Hillary Celebi Kaela Mahoney Michelle Kwolek Arie Gatewood Ashley Ghearing
THE CONTEXTOur chosen context was the Indianapolis Music Scene and Community. We chose this because we wanted to work within an experience. There was also an understanding among our group that the Indy music scene is lacking in making them-selves known. Indianapolis is a fast growing city, and their are multiple musicians, shows, producers, promoters, and records labels popping up. However, even though they are there, it is hard for the community to find them or even know where to go for new local music. What makes the music scene so difficult to identify? Why does it seem that venues host mostly non-local bands? What is the Indianapolis music scene in need of?
INTR
ODUC
TION
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1: AN
ALYS
IS5
the role of music in Indianapolis
culturE
To gain some basic knowledge of what the
music culture is like in Indianapolis, and to
get personal perspectives, we approached
two local musicians from different genres and
backgrounds to have them answer a set of
questions.
The interviews were done individually, but used
the same questions in order for us to compare
and contrast the two musician’s answers. This
helped give us a sense of what their values
are and the challenges/benefits of being an
Indianapolis musician.
interview
question sheet, recording device, notebook
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tools:
participants: Diop - local hip hop musician, collaborates with others outside his own genre
Owen Yonce - local folk musician, doesn’t like to collaborate with musicians outside his genre
THE FINDINGSLocal independent artists find it difficult to market themselves on a budget, especially with the online world being so saturated. They are also finding it difficult to find industry connections, even though building a music community is important. So how could local musicians gain more exposure?
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the role of industry pros in the Success of
local artists
TRENDS EXPERT interview
The trends expert interview’s intention was
to learn more about a specific aspect of the
Indianapolis music scene from someone other
than a musician. We decided to interview
a music writer given that they are consistantly
exposed to and analyize new bands, musicians,
and concerts.
The interview was meant to be structured,
using a question list that was constructed to
aide the participant in opening up and being
more candid as the questions progress.
However, during the interview the conversation
became more organic and less structured. This
allowed the participant to talk at his own pace,
which provided unexpected ideas and details.
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question sheet, recording device, camera, notebooktools:
participants: Justin Wesley - writer for Nuvo, interviews local and national bands and writes reviews of new music
THE FINDINGSMarketing is an important aspect of spreading your music and it seems to be a trend that those artists who are successful at it are going national. Even though some are leaving, the local music community is still growing and becoming more defined. What is an effective marketing process and how does the audience react to different methods?
Organization:
INTERVIEW NOTESNote Taker:
Date:
Contact Info:
Question:
Answer:
Quick Notes:
Question:
Answer:
Quick Notes:
Question:
Answer:
Quick Notes:
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MUSICIANS ARE COMPLETELY capable of publishing
their own music now but are people buying?
MUSICIANS ARE COMPLETELY capable of publishing
their own music now but are people buying?
— Justin wesley, Nuvo
the LOCAL music Marketing Process &
AUDIENCE
AUDIENCE SURVEY
& GUIDED TOUR
To discover more about marketing and how
it works, we started by going straight to the
consumers. Our group created a survey that
prompted the user to answer questions about
how they hear about music and how they
would WANT to hear about music. Taking
that information, we were able to determine
a basic idea of what marketing techniques are
the most effective.
To gather a more intimate perspective of mar-
keting we did a guided tour with Joyful Noise,
a local record label. Our tour guide was the
PR manager, Daniel, and he discussed the pro-
cess of finding artists, signing them, creating
a product, and promoting it. He also talked
about the importance of producing quality
artifacts and the art form of creating records.
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1) question list, surveymonkey.com, facebook
2) field note template, recording device,
camera, questions
tools:
participants: Daniel Coles - manager at Joyful Noise General Public - music consumers & enthusiasts
THE FINDINGSThe audience gets most of their information about local mu-sic happenings from social media. Record labels, specifically, take advantage of this by consistently keeping their posts current and constant. Local record labels are also supportive of each other and promote each other’s work. Now that we have understood more about local music marketing, what are the production elements?
I AM AFRAID I WILL spend what little money I have on a
band i dont like
I AM AFRAID I WILL spend what little money I have on a
band i dont like— anonymous, survey participant
the LOCAL MUSICIAN’S
Production
Process
Touchstone tour
& interviews
Our touchstone tour provided us with an
intimate and first-hand experience of how
musicians produce their music and work
together on a project. We observed and
asked impromptu questions as our previous
participant, Diop, and his producer, Man Dog,
recorded and mixed a verse in their new song
they were making. Man Dog also explained
the different tools used and their functions and
walked us through how he creates a beat.
We also had the opportunity to perform some
supplemental interviews, one with a local
musician and one with a national musician. We
learned about the importance of establishing a
stronger music community and having a more
distinct source for Indianapolis to learn more
about what is happening in the music scene.
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field note template, camera, notebooktools:
participants: Diop & Mandog - Mandog and Diop work collaboratively to make an album together Eli Crow - local musician that has a difficult time sharing his music
Jordan Smith - frontman of nationally known band, Diarrhea Planet, from Nashville, TN
THE FINDINGSTouchstone tour
& interviews Producers and musicians work collaboratively on songs and depend on each other’s feedback, making each session unique. Also, a trend is that producers are using samples from old records or songs to create a beat to work off of. What major opportunity was found within our research of the local Indianapolis music scene?
developing a
Challenge
statement
data map
thematic networking
design principles generation
After multiple weeks of research, we had
collected an extensive amount of information
about musicians in Indianapolis. Learning how
they network, collaborate, produce, and market
themselves, the group decided it was time to
converge and identify what musicians need
most in the within the community.
To organize and analyze our data we created
a visual map and began making connections
between the key insights. The major idea we
found was the musician relationship between
other musicians is what is most important and
needed.
After creating multiple challenge statements
involving how to build relationships, we settled
on one defining what Indianapolis musicians
would benefit most from.
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notes, post-its, markers, paper, dry erase boardtools:
participants: Our Group - we needed to work together in order to analyze all of the data we had collected `
THE FINDINGSMusician relationships are critical to helping the local music community grow. Through networking, collabo-ration, and connecting with each other they would be able to share resources and grow as musicians. What could be developed to aide in building musician relationships?
design principles
generation
data map
thematic
networking
HOW MIGHT WE HELP INDIANAPOLIS musicians develop relationships
in order to collaborate &
network easier?
HOW MIGHT WE HELP INDIANAPOLIS musicians develop relationships
in order to collaborate &
network easier?
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2: SY
NTHE
SIS
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generating Solution Ideas for our
challenge statement
Brainwalking
Now that we knew what local musicians need-
ed, we wanted to find out what the best way
would be to provide that. In order to diverge
on ideas on how to network and collaborate
easier, we utilized the method brainwalking.
Creating a paper with a question to prompt
ideas, one participant would answer the ques-
tion and the next participant would build off
of the answer the first participant provided.
This method really allowed us to build unique
ideas which we could elaborate more on during
further synthesis.
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question template, markers, camera, timertools:
participants: Diop - familiar with the context and works well with our group Seany D - local DJ provided a different perspective
Group members - to be examples and aide in branching out ideas
THE FINDINGSIdeas produced seemed to fall into three main categories, which were events, products, and services. A central space for musician information and connect-ing was the most focused and repeated idea. How can we elaborate more on generated ideas?
BEING WILLING TO CROSS GENRES & COLLABORATE IN AN ENVIRONMENT that is untraditional makes our network much larger
BEING WILLING TO CROSS GENRES & COLLABORATE IN AN ENVIRONMENT that is untraditional makes our network much larger
— DIOP, MUSICIAN
utilizing Diverse Perspectives
to diverge
brainstorming
During the Brainstorming method, participants
were prompted with a question and were asked
to provide as many answers and ideas possible.
The participants came up with ideas on how
musicians can connect with one another, how
they can make themselves stand out, and ways
to encourage local musicians to do live shows.
The process of brainstorming easily allowed for
any idea to be expressed, which provided us
with a lot of options to work with. The discus-
sions after each question also helped to
develop stronger concepts and suggestions.
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post-its, questions, large paper, camera, timer, foodtools:
participants: Yasmine, Eli, Owen - students that are also musicians, used to thinking creatively Nicky & Rob - VC grad students that are accustomed to doing ideation sessions
Group members - to help get our personal ideas out
THE FINDINGSBrainstorming allowed us to group similar ideas and highlight the ones that are more interesting and feasible for musicians. Now that there are multiple ideas generated, how can we organize them into a system?
converge on ideas Creating a cohesive system
cardsorting &
Graffiti wall
To converge on the multiple ideas generated
during brainstorming, we invited two musicians
that have collaborated together to do
Cardsorting. With each main idea written down
on a card, the participants chose cards that they
felt would make up a system and discussed how
it would flow. This allowed our group to really
understand what musicians really value and what
they need the most. Both of the participants,
although working separately, both deduced
that an organization was the most appealing
to them.
After the Cardsorting session, we made a poster
presenting the different options as to what the
organization would offer musicians and hung
it on the wall during an art and music night. By
marking tallies, participants helped us under-
stand what pieces would be most beneficial for
our system.
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custom cards, camera, music, paper, markerstools:
participants: Diop & Sphie - have worked outside of their own genres and are open to new ideas and concepts First Friday attendees - music and art enthusiasts, informed about local happenings within the scene
THE FINDINGSMost of the marketing, spaces, and services for musicians exist in Indianapolis, but the musicians have to do everything themselves. There is not a central space for musicians to gather resources and to make their networking and marketing easier. Who would be a part of a musician organization and is it something the music community wants?
Musician
ORGANIZATION
Musician
ORGANIZATION
people involved in Organization
components
connect the dots
Using dots that defined all of the chosen
elements for the organization, we utilized
participants from the local record labels to
identify who would be involved within each of
the main areas of funding, marketing, spaces,
and resources. The participants would talk
about different elements and who specifically
would be interested in being a part of it, which
allowed us to have an idea as to what that
person or business’ role would be.
The participants also elaborated on the fact
that most of this exists, it is just not being
implemented well and is fragmented across
the city. They also pushed the fact that it
couldn’t be bureaucratic and it would better
appeal to musicians if it seemed less like
an establishment.
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info dots, camera, paper, post-its, markerstools:
participants: John Beeler - has pitched concepts for a musician gath-ering space, manages local label, Asthmatic Kitty Joyful Noise - knowledgeable about the music business, how it runs, who is involved, and what the community needs
THE FINDINGSA music organization or a centralized space for artists to go for recourses and networking is already in con-sideration among the music community. But, a major part of how it is run is that it would be by musicians, for musicians, in order to alleviate any sense of “establishment”. Also, the musician’s role in the organization could not be defined since it would depend on the individual’s talents. How would a musician organization work?
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3: EV
ALUA
TION
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creating a
Prototype for
the expert
AEIOu FRamework
The AEIOU framework basically helps us de-
fine the activities, environments, interactions,
objects, and users of a space or context. We
used this framework to structure our concept
map and made sure to include a mission/vision,
system map, a user journey, and a description
of who those users might be.
Not quite sure of how John Beeler’s office was,
we decided to keep the prototype small and
tangible so that it could easily be transported
and shown to the participant. After presenting
it, we received a lot of feedback about fund-
ing and comments as to how to improve it,
such as, how we need to consider the outside
perspective of th organization as well and how
non-members interact with it.
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concept map, cameratools:
participants: John Beeler - has pitched ideas to the community for a musician gathering space, so understands what it entails and the dos and don’ts
THE FINDINGSIt is important to have labels and descriptions for the elements and connections so that it is easy for the viewer to understand. We should also consider more of the “outer” incoming and outgoing transactions. And it would make more sense for the musician data-base to be a blog because users are drawn more to a visual space where they can make their own opinions on the content. What is a more business minded opinion of our concept?
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revising the Prototype for the outsider
prezi interview
To bring the prototype in a different direction,
we gave a presentation to Derrick Feldmann.
Knowing he usually sees presentations in a
digital format, our group refined and reorga-
nized our map into an on screen Prezi. This
also allowed us to provide more of a narrative
view since we were able to walk through the
different components one-by-one individually,
instead of only as a whole as in our previous
method.
After doing the Prezi walk through, Derrick
offered feedback as to how funding would
realistically work and where we needed to
put our focus.
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Prezi, revised map, camera, notebooktools:
participants: Derrick Feldmann - began his career starting a non-profit, now continues to work with non-profit organiza-tions and frequently obtains sponsorships and partnerships
THE FINDINGSFunding a non-profit is not an easy task, and even though it is something the community wants, that doesn’t mean they are willing to pay for it. Also, volunteers are key in the foundation years of an organization. Depending on their willingness to help will cut a lot of costs, but not passion. What does the organization look like after receiving feedback?
A NON PROFIT SHOULD BE CYCLICAL not constantly providing
but working with the community
A NON PROFIT SHOULD BE CYCLICAL not constantly providing
but working with the community
— Derrick Feldmann, Achieve
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FINAL
MAP
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MISSION & VISIONStrengthen the local music community by helping musicians
develop relationships so they can collaborate and network easier.
To make Indianapolis a place where local music thrives and
musicians are successfully doing what they love most.
The musician organization would be comprised of multiple musi-
cians, industry pros, fans, etc. It would be mostly funded through
sponsorships and would partner with multiple businesses and
non-profits in the community.
The resources that the organization would offer are:
• local music blog
• musician mentors
• musician hubs
• musical rec center
• music quest
These services would give the Indianapolis musician a place to
collaborate and network with other musicians and professionals.
Musician Org. system
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user journeyAs a musician who is looking for more opportunities to get
involved in the community, they find out about the Indy
Music Unite! Organization. They research more about it
and find that it offers workshops, events, and mentoring,
so they sign up for a month to test it out. After going to an
event and being able to connect with others like them, the
musician is impressed with what they had already learned
and decides to sign up for a year membership. Any one who
wants to join could also provide a service, such as guitar
lessons, to receive a free membership. This is ideal for
artists, since they are usually low on funds.
BenefitsNot only would an organization for musicians benefit the
artists themselves, but it would benefit the community as a
whole. A way to bring the fragmented and cliqued genres
together in order to learn from each other and unite as a
whole would help the music scene strengthen and grow.
With music and the musicians becoming more defined,
Indianapolis would become a city where people look to for
new music. And that, in turn, would help the community get
the recognition it needs to thrive.
SUMM
ARY
THAN
K YO
U