RRoowwaann UUnniivveerrssiittyy RRoowwaann DDiiggiittaall WWoorrkkss Theses and Dissertations 8-23-2011 SSoocciiaall mmeeddiiaa,, ffaann rreellaattiioonnss aanndd tthhee mmuussiicc iinndduussttrryy:: aa ccooaalliittiioonn ooff uunnssiiggnneedd aarrttiissttss aanndd rreeccoorrdd llaabbeellss Heather Aponte Follow this and additional works at: https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd Part of the Public Relations and Advertising Commons RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn Aponte, Heather, "Social media, fan relations and the music industry: a coalition of unsigned artists and record labels" (2011). Theses and Dissertations. 185. https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/185 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Rowan Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Rowan Digital Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SOCIAL MEDIA, FAN RELATIONS AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY: A COALITION OF UNSIGNED ARTISTS AND RECORD LABELS By Heather Aponte A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Public Relations College of Communication In partial fulfillment of the requirement For the degree of Masters of Arts in Public Relations At Rowan University May 11, 2011 Thesis Chair: Suzanne FitzGerald, Ph.D. © 2011 Heather I. Aponte Dedication I would like to dedicate this manuscript to my mother, Cindy R. Aponte, my father, David Aponte, and the following bands: Catch Me If You Can Idlehurst Locked Together In Hatred Neighborhoods Seeking the Seeker Acknowledgments I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Suzanne FitzGerald for her guidance and help throughout this research. iv Abstract Heather Aponte SOCIAL MEDIA, FAN RELATIONS AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY: A COALITION OF UNSIGNED ARTISTS AND RECORD LABELS 2010/11 Suzanne FitzGerald, Ph.D. Master of the Arts in Public Relations The purposes of this investigation were to (a) provide the music industry with the research it seems to lack in order to understand (b) how social media will change its field and (c) how it can utilize it. To provide the knowledge necessary to adapt to the shift in musical power, the author will conduct both qualitative and quantitative research. This research includes a preliminary content analysis of comment tone on social media profiles and in-depth interviews. The researcher aims to further the understanding of social media networks and the independent musicians who use them. This will provide the music industry, whether record labels, musicians or fans, with knowledge that will aid in using these websites to their fullest extent. Research revealed that social media provides a platform to expand fan bases and interest existing fans. Despite its prominent use by independent musicians for promotion, record labels are still necessary to reach wider audiences, gain financial backing and extend advertising efforts. v Table of Contents Abstract v List of Tables vi Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1 1.1 Statement of the Problem 3 1.3 Purpose of the Study 5 Chapter 2: Literature Review 10 Chapter 3: Methodology 31 3.1 Context of the Study 31 3.2 Instrumentation 32 Chapter 4: Findings 35 Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions and 49 Recommendation 49 5.1 Interpretation 5.2 Conclusions 50 References Cited 54 Appendix A: Content Analysis 56 Appendix B: Interviews 58 vi List of Tables Table Table 1: Keyword Analysis for Band Page #1’s Myspace 37 Table 2: Keyword Analysis for Band #2’s Myspace 37 Table 3: Keyword Analysis for Band #3’s Myspace 38 Table 4: Keyword Analysis for Band #1’s Facebook 40 Table 5: Keyword Analysis for Band #2’s Facebook 40 Table 6: Keyword Analysis for Band #3’s Facebook 41 vii Chapter 1 Importance of the Problem “The convergence of music production, creation, distribution, exhibition and presentation enabled by the new communications technology has swept through and shaken the music industry as never before,” (Sen, 2010, pp. 2). The music industry began its steady decline after 1999, a year when music sales peaked. The basis of this slump lies within a shift of media consumption among younger audiences and their primary methods of music access. Before the evolution of Music 2.0, the music industry was able to decide the fate of musicians. It incorporated a number of intermediaries who charged significant fees, which kept profits high and record labels in control. With limited access to any other channels, upcoming artists were unable to market themselves. “They either end up joining a label or remaining small in a niche market. This allowed music companies to walk away with the lion’s share of the profit. In general, labels collected about 85 to 90 percent of the profit from music sales,” (Sen, 2010, pp. 6). The transition from the music industry’s reign over artists and fans to its slow demise began with the founding of Music 2.0. The term spawned from the idea of Web 2.0, which “has since been used to describe everything from programming tools such as AJAX or Google page rank systems to popular websites that rely on tagging and recommendations, such as Flickr, Reddit and Digg,” (Collins & Young, 2010, pp. 340). Web 2.0 is seen as a participatory culture with relies on the interaction and elected work of users. 1 Within Music 2.0, the participatory nature still thrives. The concept started with the use of mp3s rather than CDs. These music files can be accessed through legal, pay- per-download services, but are predominately accessed through peer-to-peer file sharing. This process has been deemed illegal and is punishable under law. Despite the legal ramifications, audiences continued to download because this process presented a convenience factor. Fans could access songs without a trip to a music store or paying for services such as Apple’s iTunes. Music 2.0 continued its evolution with the development of streaming music. This bypassed the legal issues presented by peer-to-peer file sharing by providing constant access to free music on websites. Streamed music became a staple component of band websites and social media profiles. A study by IDC looked at digital music habits of listeners in 2008, reported that most preferred sources for music listeners were paid online music services (34.5%) and P2P downloaded services (28.1%). But streaming audio from social networks (26.6%) and artists’ music websites (21.2%) were catching up in popularity (Sen, 2010, pp. 15). Social media networks have become an important way for musicians to reach audiences not only nationally, but also on a global scale. Websites such as Purevolume, Myspace and ReverbNation have become commonplace for artists and provide fans with a number of ways to interact. Fans can stream music, access live show schedules and comment on any component of the webpage. This creates two-way communication between musicians and fans by enabling feedback. Emerging technologies, such as streaming music and peer-to-peer file sharing, have created competition for major record labels. In the past, these music moguls were the only intermediaries for musicians to use to reach their fans. Now, musicians are able 2