Digital Connectivity and Music Culture: Artists and Accomplices

130 Pages·2017·1.25 MB·English

by  Mary Beth Ray (auth.)

DIGITAL
CONNECTIVITY
AND MUSIC
CULTURE
Artists and Accomplices
Mary Beth Ray
Digital Connectivity and Music Culture
Mary Beth Ray
Digital Connectivity
and Music Culture
Artists and Accomplices
MaryBethRay
DepartmentofCommunication&MediaStudies
PlymouthStateUniversity
Plymouth,NewHampshire
USA
ISBN978-3-319-68290-7 ISBN978-3-319-68291-4 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68291-4
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017954496
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A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
A supportive community helped make this book a reality. It began as my
dissertation at Temple University under the deft supervision of
Dr. Fabienne Darling-Wolf with the help of Dr. Michael Maynard and
Dr.HectorPostigo.Iowemydissertationcommitteeagreatdealofthanks
astheyguidedmethroughthatprocess.
I must warmly thank my tremendous colleagues at Plymouth State
Universitywhosupportedmewithwordsofencouragement,helpfulfeed-
back,guidance,andperspectiveasIproposedanddevelopedthisbook.In
particular, I cherish Karolyn Kinane, Annette Holba, and Cathie LeBlanc
fortheirdirectsupport.Additionally,I’mluckytohaveAnnMcClellanand
ScottCoykendall’sbacking,aswellasastrongfoundationfromtheentirety
of the Plymouth State University Communication & Media Studies
Department.
I also received invaluablefeedback on this projectand process from my
fellows in the academy. I must dearly thank Colin Helb, Jordan McClain,
AmandaMcClain,andKristinLieb.
ThisbookwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutKristinHershandJesse
vonDoom.I’mforevergratefulfortheirpassion,inspiration,andaction.
Finally,Iamincrediblythankfulformyamazingfamily,bothgivenand
chosen.Youaremyaccomplices.
vii
C
ONTENTS
1 Introduction 1
PopularMusicCultureandDigitalTechnologyOverview 3
InnovationandTechnologicalChange 6
TheoreticalUnderpinnings:DigitalTechnology,Culture,
andConsumption 8
OverviewoftheChapters 14
RationaleandConclusion 16
Bibliography 17
2 Artist 21
KristinHersh:BackgroundandStrategy 21
TheCASHMusicPhilosophy 23
DevelopingArtistStrategy 25
EngagingtheActiveListener 28
OrganicCommunityBuildingThroughInteractivity 41
Bibliography 44
3 Audience 45
TheLogisticsofMusicConsumption:Who,What,When,
Where,andHowDoPeopleConsume? 45
SocialandPersonalMusicNegotiation 48
Meaning-MakingThroughMedium 55
ix
x CONTENTS
NewMusicDiscovery 63
ObtainingMusic 66
Bibliography 73
4 MusicCultureandDigitalTechnology 75
MusicCultureandDigitalTechnology:AReviewofPrimary
Findings 75
ReceptionandNegotiation:AudienceResponse 76
Technology’sRoleintheArtist–AudienceRelationship 90
Bibliography 100
5 ArtistsandAccomplices 103
ArtistsandAccomplicesinFairTradeMusicCulture 103
OpportunitiesandChallengesinDigitallyMediated
MusicCulture 109
ExperiencingMusicalLivesTogether:Conclusion 112
Bibliography 116
Index 119
CHAPTER1
Introduction
Abstract Thischapterintroducesthetextbyprovidinganoverviewofthe
current digitally enmeshed music industry landscape. It also explicates the
book’s theoretical underpinnings including Information, Communication,
and Technologies & Society (ICT&S), as well as theories of culture and
consumption.Thischapterprovidesarationaleforthestudy,particularlyin
referencetointerrogatingdigitalculture,andarguesweneedtoacclimatize
ourselves as the cultural expressions inherent in digital communication
impactsocialdevelopment,progression,andstructure.Further,thischapter
explores social media, digital innovation, and adoption relating to
smartphone market penetration, as they are key technologies in music
cultureand consumption. Finally,this chapterprovidesanoverview ofthe
entiretext.
Keywords Musicculture(cid:129)Musicindustry(cid:129)Socialmedia(cid:129)Smartphones
(cid:129)Theory(cid:129)Technology
Music and digital technology have always played an important role in my
life.WhenIwasateenagerinthe1990s,whileIspentextensivetimeonline,
I spent all of my babysitting and waitressing money on music. I read liner
notesandletonebandleadmetoanotherband,toanotherlabel,toanother
and reveled in sound so unlike anything I heard on mainstream radio.
©TheAuthor(s)2017 1
M.B.Ray,DigitalConnectivityandMusicCulture,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68291-4_1
2 1 INTRODUCTION
I hogged the phone line for hours talking to other music enthusiasts on
Internet bulletin board systems (BBSs). I spent countless days listening to
albums, and also WKDU 91.7 fm, the nearby college radio station that
wouldsometimesmakeittomySouthJerseyhome.WhenIenteredcollege
inthefallof1998,IlearnedaboutasupposedlymarvelousthingIcoulddo
online thanks to folders on the university LAN. I could share the digital
musicIhadonmycomputerwithanyotherstudentattheuniversity,and
theycouldsharetheirswithme.Iquicklyendedupwithasmallcollectionof
digitallysharedmusic:TheRollingStones,BoySetsFire,andTheGetUp
Kids(thedigitalselectionatthetimepredominantlyfeaturedmaleartists...
and perhaps that’s a topic for a different book). This new digital music
sharingwasexcitingatfirst,yetIfeltincrediblyemptywithwhatwasleft,as
if I possessed nothing more than I had before clicking “download.” The
qualitywasterrible,almostanechooftheoriginalexperience.Butfurther,I
felt no feelings of ownership, involvement, or connection to the ones and
zeros on my hard drive. Ruen (2012) keenly describesthe feeling, “Piracy
turnedmygenuineloveformusicintojustanotherfidgetyonlineaddiction.
Itwasanexerciseinhyper-consumption:quantityoverquality,breadthover
depth,entitlementoverownership”(p.19).
While in college, I started DJing at WKDU. I still bought music but
would rip things from the radio station library under the rationale of “try
before you buy.” The music included newer releases I might consider
buying orbandsImightconsiderseeingplayashowiftheywereintown.
Iwastestingthe albumsout toseeif Ilikedthem,toseeif Ishould bring
them into the fold; I still bought the things I loved. When peer-to-peer
(P2P)filesharingserviceNapstercameoutin1999,Icontinuedtodown-
load here and there, but overall I remained committed to purchasing and
seeinglivemusic.Itdidn’tseemlikemuchhadchangedregardingmymusic
consumptionpractices.Isawdigitaltechnologyasafantasticwayforbands
to take control of their work and distribute it themselves without the
money-grubbing major label industry getting in the way. I kept on with
my habits and eventually entered graduate school in the aughts. I didn’t
have quite as much time to invest in music, but that was fine. My friends
pickeduptheslackandpiratedheapsofmusicformetoenjoy.AsIwasin
graduate school and broke, that seemed acceptable. Besides, music digita-
lizationwasarevolution.AsPublicEnemy’sChuckD.saidonCharlieRose
in 2000, about the transformative power of technology on music culture,
“Thepowergoesbacktothepeople”(CharlieRoseShow,2000).