Digital Music Production Research Articles

‘There’s a lot of freedom you can have with that kind of thing’: vinyl and cassette split releases in the digital age

Releasing music on cassettes and 7-inch singles has been a part of DIYmusic scenes for a long time. As music production, distribution and consumption have been subjected to a substantial digital shift within the past two decades, one might expect cassette tapes or vinyl records to be a thing of the past, yet they persevere as indicated by thousands of new DIY releases every year. This article investigates the cultural and economic significance of split releases in contemporary DIY music scenes. In contrast to music streaming or digital downloads distributed online, it argues that the technological limitations and material idiosyncrasies of cassette tapes and vinyl records used for split releases allow for creative collaboration and intentional dissociation that contextualise people throughout various cultural and geographical domains. As a result, split releases are specifically used to contrast the overwhelming possibilities that digital music production and distribution pose.

An analysis of three pricing strategies for digital music products

Digital music albums can be sold either as singles or as a full album, which is not an option for selling physical music products. This paper investigates three pricing strategies for selling digital music albums. The first (strategy S) sets a unified unit price and all songs are sold at this price. The second (strategy F) determines a bundling price for selling the whole album. The third (strategy M) mixes strategies S and F. It offers two prices: one is for a unit song and the other for the whole album. We develop mathematical models for this problem and design enumeration-based iteration algorithms to solve these models for optimality. Through a database consisting of 243 groups of numerical results, we establish a decision tree model, a popular data mining technique, to explain which strategy should be employed under various conditions.

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Soundcloud Rap and Alien Creativity

In this paper I argue that the SoundCloud rap movement of the 2010s signalled not only a crisis of the rap-image (the specific ways in which rap had been traditionally represented and produced), but also a moment of intense aesthetic creativity and experimentation. Following Luciana Parisi’s notion of alien thinking and Kodwo Eshun’s work on Afrofuturism, I see the SoundCloud rap movement as exhibiting a type of alien creativity, existing outside the human but having real effects upon the human aesthetic experience. Through techniques such as Auto-Tune, mumbling, repetition, ad-libs, triplets, rappers were able to create a radically new aesthetic form that pushed the limits of digital music production and listening. I present SoundCloud rap tracks as virtualities of aesthetic origination, with rappers and producers playing with the alien, the unknown, the incomputable and the incomprehensible, which are provided to them via cybernetic technologies. These virtualities become ways of bringing forth the alien in the form of new syntaxes, new meanings, new aesthetics and new modes of being, pushing the bounds of rap and popular music.

COMPUTATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF TIMBRE FOR RANKING OF TONE COLOR

The article describes a new computational approach for timbre classification for ranking tone color based on weighted feature extraction enabling a meaningful quantitative granular timbral description. Using a quantitative approach for algorithm development paired with a normative survey and data-driven testing, the authors find the proposed method to be a highly viable approach for computational timbre classification. As an example, we illustrate the proposed method against results from a conducted perceptual experiment. Our approach allows for improved accuracy for timbral description using numerical representations. Our research results supplement and improve the existing practice of using semantic descriptors for timbral description and can be used as an assistive tool in digital music production practices. This study aims to introduce a computational approach for timbre classification, enabling granularity in the timbral description. Our study suggests the possibility of timbral classification by numerical representation as a novel method for a more accurate mode of description for timbre.

Application of Computer Technology in Vocal Music Teaching

Since the 1990s, computer technology has gradually developed and has been widely used in various fields of society. Vocal music education may be affected by computer technology. With the entry of computers into thousands of households, the number of people using network learning increases, and vocal music education also ushers in opportunities. With the continuous maturity of computer technology, the development of relevant education model, improve the efficiency and performance of education, cultivate more things. In vocal music education, the rational use of computer technology can integrate text, sound, animation and influence, in order to make students understand and master the abstract vocal music knowledge. The introduction of digital technology in phonetic education can make vocal music education more intuitive. The content of digital music education includes multimedia music education, digital music production and online music education. Students can receive education from all aspects, expand the field of education and improve artistic performance. With the continuous development of computer technology, it emerges as the times require under the new normal and is closely related to various fields of social construction. As one of the development forms of educational activities in the era of big data, computer technology has the advantages of advanced technology, rich resources, diversified forms and strong interactivity. Therefore, it can improve the comprehensive quality of education, and the development of relevant teaching modes is widely concerned in the field of education. Objectively, it creates convenient conditions for students’ comprehensive learning, independent development and in-depth exploration. With the development of computer technology, in order to improve the effect of college vocal music education, computer technology is widely used in various fields of society. It plays a role in promoting the development of various fields of society. At the same time, with the application of computer education technology in vocal music education, the teaching methods and teaching methods of vocal music education have also changed. In vocal music education, the discussion of computer technology has become an important reality to improve the quality and efficiency of vocal music education. This article, as the starting point and specific application of computer technology in vocal music education, explores the methods to improve the quality and efficiency of vocal music education, and studies and discusses the application characteristics and value of computer technology in vocal music education.

Virtual auditory reality

This article examines popular music listening in light of recent research in auditory perception and spatial experience, record production, and virtual reality, while considering parallel developments in digital pop music production practice. The discussion begins by considering theories of listening and embodiment by Brandon LaBelle, Eric Clarke, Salomè Voegelin and Linda Salter, examining relations between listening subjects and aural environments, conceptualising listening as a process of environmental ‘inhabiting’, and considering auditory experience as the real-time construction of ‘reality’. These ideas are discussed in relation to recent research on popular music production and perception, with a focus on matters of spatial sound design, the virtual ‘staging’ of music performances and performing bodies, digital editing methods and effects, and on shifting relations between musical spatiality, singer-persona, audio technologies, and listener. Writings on music and virtual space by Martin Knakkergaard, Allan Moore, Ragnhild Brøvig-Hanssen & Anne Danielsen, Denis Smalley, Dale Chapman, Kodwo Eshun and Holger Schulze are discussed, before being related to conceptions of VR sound and user experience by Jaron Lanier, Rolf Nordahl & Niels Nilsson, Mel Slater, Tom Garner and Frances Dyson. This critical framework informs three short aural analyses of digital pop tracks released during the last 10 years - Titanium (Guetta & Sia 2010), Ultralight Beam (West 2016) and 2099 (Charli XCX 2019) - presented in the form of autoethnographic ‘listening notes’. Through this discussion on personal popular music listening and virtual spatiality, a theory of pop listening as embodied inhabiting of simulated narrative space, or virtual story-world, with reference to ‘aural-dominant realities’ (Salter), ‘sonic possible worlds’ (Voegelin), and ‘sonic fictions’ (Eshun), is developed. By examining personal music listening in relation to VR user experience, this study proposes listening to pop music in the 21st century as a mode of immersive, embodied ‘storyliving’, or ‘storydoing’ (Allen & Tucker).

The Access Model for Music and the Effect of Modification, Trial, and Sharing Usage Rights on Streaming Adoption and Piracy

The access economy business model has been applied to a wide range of digital goods and services such as software, movies, music, and books. The digital platforms that manage transactions between buyers and sellers enable product rights owners to define product usage rights with a great deal of precision. In this paper, music product usage rights for digital consumption and platform attributes of music streaming systems are discussed and a model for digital music streaming system adoption and digital piracy is presented. The results of a quasi-experiment suggest that the perceived freedom to tryout, modify, and share digital music products contribute to both perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment of a product format and the music streaming system. In turn, perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment lead to the intention to adopt a music streaming system. The perceived usefulness of a music streaming system is associated with a reduction of pirating intention.

Diversified Reform of singing and ear training in Ordinary Higher Music Majors

The teaching of singing and ear training has been continuously improved and developed under the new historical conditions, and has gradually consolidated its position as a basic discipline of music. The steady development of the teaching of singing and ear trainingbenefits from the updated teaching concepts synchronously with the times, which stimulates the industry to have a new understanding of the nature and tasks of the subject; Secondly, the new multi-teaching mode, contents and means are widely used to make the teaching of singing and ear training combine with digital music production technology and multimedia teaching methods, and innovative teaching forms; Once more, the establishment of multiple teaching content makes the teaching of singing and ear training pay more attention to the elements of traditional national music and the infiltration of knowledge and skills of music-related disciplines.

국내 음악산업의 디지털 음악제작과 유통구조 분석

문화예술은 현시대의 특징을 가장 잘 보여주는 인류문화시대의 언어이다. 문화예술은 예술의 음악, 미술, 문학, 연극 등의 장르들을 내포하고 있으며, 문화는 보다 더 넓은 범위를 포괄하는 것으로 사회의 상징체계와 사회 구성원 간 공유하는 삶의 방식 및 가치관, 그리고 인간의 지적·정신적·창의적 활동의 결과물이 함께 한다. 문화는 상품화 및 산업화를 통하여 문화예술산업(Art Cultural Industries)의 영역으로 확대되었고, 특히‘디지털 음악산업’은 시대의 흐름과 함께 색다른 변모와 성장세를 보였다. 본 연구는 문화예술시대의 음악산업에 대한 탐색적 연구로서 한류콘텐츠의 인기와 함께 새로운 성장세를 보이고 있는 디지털 음원의 제작과 유통 과정의 구조분석을 중심으로 문화예술시대의 디지털 음악산업에 대한 탐색적 연구를 하였다. 첫째, 국내 음악산업에 대한 이해를 위하여 국내 음악산업의 범위, 음악산업의 규모, 음반산업의 규모, 온라인 음악유통업의 규모를 살펴보았다. 둘째, 디지털 음반 제작과정의 이해를 위하여 수록곡의 수량과 성격에 따른 음반 분류, 음원 제작 과정, 홍보 자료 제작 과정, 홍보방법을 통한 디지털 음반 제작에 대한 이해를 도모하였다. 셋째, 디지털 음반 유통과정의 이해를 위하여 음반의 유통과정, 유통준비, 정산을 중심으로 분석하였다.

When localism meets racism: The controversy caused by the music video Foreigner

Abstract The controversy caused by the music video Foreigner represents a tug of war between the western-dominated global value system and the culturally situated local pride. The controversy stems from the symbolic meaning of the music group, Nine One One. The rise of Nine One One is a result of the convergence of three forces: the localization of Taiwanese hip hop culture; the development of the digital music production business; the ongoing evolution of the taike concept and Taiwanese consciousness. This personal response article juxtaposes an American female’s criticism of the music video as racist and Taiwanese netizens’ reactions against the backdrop of a growing taike culture in order to present and question the hegemonic interpretation of the controversy. I will argue that the often-unnoticed discrimination held by Taipei cultural elites towards other Taiwanese citizens plays a key role in understanding the controversy.

디지털음악 콘텐츠서비스의 수용 요인이 지각된 가치와 고객만족에 미치는 영향

최근 국내 디지털 음악 시장은 소비자들의 이용 패러다임 변화에 따른 디지털 음악 콘텐츠 서비스의 수용이 중요하게 대두되고 있다. 이에 본 연구는 문헌고찰을 통해 '디지털 음악 콘텐츠 서비스의 수용'의 특성을 도출하고, 소비자의 '지각된 가치'와, '고객만족'의 관계를 살펴보았다. 또한 구조화된 설문지를 구성하여 5대 음원서비스 사이트를 경험한 이용자를 대상으로 조사하여 207개의 유효 표본을 확보하고 실증분석을 하였다. 그 결과, 첫째, 이용자의 인구통계적 특성에 따라 디지털 음악 콘텐츠 서비스의 인식은 부분적으로 차이가 나타났다. 두 번째 디지털 음악 콘텐츠 서비스 요인은 지각된 가치에 영향과 고객만족에 영향을 미쳤다. 이러한 연구결과들은 디지털 음악 서비스 사업자에게 새로운 성장 해법과 마케팅 전략에 활용할 수 있는 기초자료로서 그 의미가 있다. This study investigates the relationship between the digital music service acceptance factors on the Perceived value, and Customer Satisfaction. Remarkable points of this study are as follows. First, according to the result of the analysis of relationship between digital music service acceptance factors and perceived value, diversity of digital music products and quality of digital music system affects significantly on the perceived value. but, usability of digital music service use does not have an effect on the perceived value. Second, as the result of analysis of the relationship between digital music service acceptance factors and customer satisfaction, diversity of digital music products, usability of digital music service and quality of digital music system affects significantly on the perceived value. These finding should assist digital music marketers and academics in their understanding of building loyalty on digital music service.

A Review of Time-Scale Modification of Music Signals

Time-scale modification (TSM) is the task of speeding up or slowing down an audio signal’s playback speed without changing its pitch. In digital music production, TSM has become an indispensable tool, which is nowadays integrated in a wide range of music production software. Music signals are diverse—they comprise harmonic, percussive, and transient components, among others. Because of this wide range of acoustic and musical characteristics, there is no single TSM method that can cope with all kinds of audio signals equally well. Our main objective is to foster a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of TSM procedures. To this end, we review fundamental TSM methods, discuss typical challenges, and indicate potential solutions that combine different strategies. In particular, we discuss a fusion approach that involves recent techniques for harmonic-percussive separation along with time-domain and frequency-domain TSM procedures.

Research on the Computer Music Production Technology System under the Digital Background

Computer music, as an important product of the information and digital age, belongs to the systems engineering combining the musical discipline with computer information control technology science. Through the applied research on digitalized acoustical signals, characteristic analysis of computer music, computer MIDI production technology, digital audio technology and computer music production software, this paper builds up a set of computer music production technology system based on a digital, informational and modernized background, and proves by experiments that this system makes the computer music production technology represent effects of simple and convenient usage, high-degree simulation and efficient extraction.

Study on Optimal Design of Digital Music Player Based on Human-computer Interaction

Through the application of theories and principles of human-computer interaction design system, deficiencies on interaction of digital music player are analyzed; and through the analysis on cognitive features for interaction, hierarchy of needs, and emotional information of target users, the key factors and the relevant data that influence the objective of interaction design are researched, thus facilitating the modern digital music products design to follow up users’ physical and mental requirements, balancing the interaction design between human, computer and environment, bringing users more convenient and effective operation and experience, and providing more important theoretical thought and implementation process for humanized design.

Digitization, Copyright, and the Welfare Effects of Music Trade

Since the launch of the iTunes Music Store in the US in 2003 and in much of Europe in the following years, music trade has shifted rapidly from physical to digital products, raising the availability of products in dierent countries. Despite substantial growth in availability, the available choice sets of digital music have not fully converged across countries. The territorial fragmentation of the EU copyright management regime and related cross-border transaction costs are often perceived as an obstacle to greater availability. However, other factors such as commercial strategies by music producers may also aect availability. EU policy makers are now contemplating various possibilities to reduce these cross-border trade costs and improve convergence in music availability across countries. This raises the question of how much benet these policy measures would create for consumers and producers in Europe and around the world. This study calculates the economic benets for consumers and producers from further trade opening or trade cost reductions in digital music. We address this question using comprehensive Nielsen data on digital track sales in the US, Canada, 13 EU Member States, and 2 other European countries (Norway and Switzerland) from 2006 to 2011. We estimate a structural model of music demand which allows us to obtain the consumer surplus for consumers in each destination country as well as the revenue for producers in each origin country. Our model allows us to simulate several scenarios. We rst compare the baseline current situation (the \status quo) with full autarky whereby only local music is available in each country - a big step backwards compared to the status quo. We then compare the status quo with a fully open EU Digital Single Market whereby all European music is available in all EU countries. Finally, we simulate worldwide openness in which all music is available in all countries. We estimate both consumer surplus benets and producer revenue eects for these scenarios. Not surprisingly, the current status quo music trade benets consumers everywhere compared to the autarky scenario. Relative to autarky, status quo trade raises aggregate consumer surplus in the 17 countries by about e300 million (a 11.3% increase). Trade also raises producer revenue by e85 million (a 2.8% increase). European consumers benet more from music trade than North Americans. However, it has large benets for American producers but on balance small benets to European producers. American producers have a larger market share in Europe that European producers have in the US. Moving from the current status quo to an EU Digital Single Market for music would increase consumer surplus from digital music consumption by 1.8 per cent (e19 million) and music producers'revenue by 1.1 per cent (e10 million). Benets vary considerably across Member States. Under worldwide frictionless trade consumers in 15 European countries gain e31 million (a 3% increase) while North American consumers gain e6.5 million (a 0.35% increase). Most of the gains from fully frictionless trade - about two thirds - are accomplished by a European single market. Annual gains from worldwide frictionless trade for producers, compared to autarky, reach 1.9% in Europe and 0.38% in the US. Clearly, the additional gains from moving beyond a European Digital Single Market to a worldwide open market would be small for European producers and consumers. Digital music production and consumption is only a small part of all media markets covered by copyright. We note that the gures presented here represent only a fraction of the potential benets from further trade opening in other digital media.

How Online Consumer Segments Differ in Long-term Marketing Effectiveness

Online commerce gives companies not only a growing global sales platform, but also powerful consumers enjoying 24/7 availability, choice proliferation and the power to opt in and out permission-based communication. Unfortunately, our knowledge is limited on long-term marketing effectiveness in this space and on how it differs across customer segments. Managers appear overwhelmed by the combination of rich online data on hundreds of thousands of customers and the typical aggregate-level data on offline marketing spending.This paper is the first to investigate the long-term impact of coupon promotions, TV, radio, print, and Internet advertising across customer segments for a major digital music provider with over 500,000 customers. We first segment customers and subsequently analyze how these segments respond in the long run to different marketing activities when purchasing music downloads. Our findings reveal that the effectiveness of marketing differs across segments, while standard segmentation approaches fail to identify the most valuable catches in a sea of consumers. In contrast to empirical generalizations on consumer packaged goods, heavy users of digital music products are least sensitive to price and most sensitive to TV advertising and to multiple touch points. Light users, the majority of consumers, are price sensitive and tend to opt out of targeted communication. Our research enables managers in the digital media space to target high-value customer segments with the most effective actions.

The Influence of 7P's of Marketing Mix on Buying Intention of Music Product in Indonesia

The music industry continues to decline each year, the decline in sales of music products is due to the development of technology that allows people to create a compact disc (CD) pirated and illegally downloaded music. Digital era makes selling of music cassettes and CD's dropped drastically, so the manufacturers have to think of a way to sell their music product by adjusting the development of technology. On the other hand, the development of technology has also helped to revive of music products. Sales of digital music products that utilize internet technology began to increase. Smart phones like Apple through iTunes record of success in sales of digital music and encouraging many people to pioneer a similar service. Blackberry in 2013 account for approximately 20 percent of the profits derived from the sale of digital music content via the Blackberry World. The data shows that consumers interest in music began to change from consume CD music products, now consumers prefer to consume digital music products through internet, these means the e-commerce of digital music product began to increase. This study aimed to examine the factors that can influence consumer buying interest towards music products. The populations in this study are music lovers in Indonesia. The data in this study were obtained through questionnaires, and analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the prices have the greatest influence consumers to buy music products. Price becomes a major consideration for consumers to purchase music products, because of the possibility of consumers who only want to spend money for a song which they liked. The existence of digital music via internet can make consumers easy to choose and purchase just any song they like, rather than to buy a CD that contains many songs but only a few are favourite by consumers.

Re-engaging marginalized youth through digital music production: performance, audience and evaluation

This article presents two case studies of marginalized youth experimenting with digital music production in flexible education settings. The cases were drawn from a 3-year study of alternative assessment in flexible learning centres for youth who have left formal schooling in Queensland, Australia. The educational issues are framed by reference to the literature on cultural studies approaches to education and the digital arts. Each case describes the student's histories, cultural background and experiences, music productions, evidence of learning and re-engagement with education. Online judgements and blog comments about the digital music production are theorized as social fields of exchange. Findings document how digital music production can re-engage and extend participation. The study questions the adequacy of current approaches to evaluating and accounting for the learning and development of youth in flexible education contexts. It makes the case for educators to view popular music and video production as curriculum fields, where training, aesthetic and skill-based valuations and distinctions are exchanged between performers, performances and audiences.

Digital Music Performance for Mobile Devices Based on Magnetic Interaction

Digital music performance requires a high degree of interaction with input controllers that can provide fast feedback on the user's action. One of the primary considerations of professional artists is a powerful and creative tool that minimizes the number of steps required for the speed-demanding processes. Nowadays, mobile devices have become popular digital instruments for musical performance. Most of the applications designed for mobile devices use touch screen, keypad, or accelerometer as interaction modalities. In this paper, we present a novel interface for musical performance that is based on a magnetic interaction between a user and a device. The proposed method constitutes a touchless interaction modality that is based on the mutual effect between the magnetic field surrounding a device and that of a properly shaped magnet. Extending the interaction space beyond the physical boundary of a device provides the user with higher degree of flexibility for musical performance which, in turn, can open doors to a wide spectrum of new functionalities in digital music performance and production.