Music Industry Research Articles

Contemporary post-Soviet popular music: Politics and aesthetics

Popular music is produced, listened to and distributed all over the world. While there is no doubt that popular music studies, as well as popular music histories and the commercial popular music industry is predominantly Anglophone, popular music is not. This might seem like an obvious statement but looking at current discussions in the field of popular music studies it is a statement that needs to be made again. While there are exceptions, popular music studies in general have a problem with pseudo-universalism. As if the Western English-speaking mainstream reflected ‘popular music’ as a whole. This special issue of IASPM Journal focuses on popular music in the post-Soviet space, imagined as located between Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, but also all over the world in reproduction of sounds and the diaspora. The contributions challenge the Anglophone centre of popular music studies.

Back in the U.S.S.R.: Russian Popular Music in the Times of Military Censorship

The article deals with the field of popular music in Russia in the aftermath of the Ukraine invasion on 24 February 2022. It focuses on the changing public perception and governmental response towards Soviet music stars as well as younger generation of musicians who have taken an anti-war stance. The article also analyses the efforts of state ideologists to create a patriotic music scene that can silence dissenting voices. The framework used juxtaposes contemporary tactics with Soviet-era practices. The author analyses the current official critical discourse on Russian popular music, exploring the work of modern music censorship, the primary mechanism governing the Russian popular music market since the full-scale invasion began.

Exploring Spotify's Music Popularity Dynamics and Forecasting with Machine Learning

Abstract. Spotify, one of the largest music streaming service providers, boasts a vast user base and an extensive music catalog. To gain a deeper understanding of Spotify users' music preferences and behavioral patterns, this paper conducts a thorough analysis and explores the correlation between music features and user behavior. It collects Spotify users' music listening data and extracts various music features such as energy, danceability, valence, and beats per minute (BPM). These features not only reflect the musical style and rhythm but also potentially correlate with users' preferences and listening habits. Then we employ two machine learning models, Decision Trees and Random Forests, to model and analyze Spotify users' behavior data. Through these models, we can accurately identify potential relationships between music features and user behavior. The experimental results indicate that music features such as energy, danceability, valence, and BPM have a significant impact on users' music selection and preferences. By analyzing the most popular songs on Spotify over different time periods, we discover that songs with high energy, danceability, and valence tend to be more popular among users. This finding not only validates the correlation between music features and user behavior but also reveals the user preferences and market demands behind music trends. For music streaming service providers, understanding users' music preferences and behavioral patterns is crucial. By deeply analyzing user data, music streaming services can better satisfy users' needs, enhance user experience, and stand out in the fiercely competitive market. These findings have important practical implications for music streaming service providers and provide new insights and methodologies for the research and development of the music industry.

Social media in the linguistic classroom: Discussing appreciation vs. appropriation

In our paper, we focus on integrating topics directly relevant to students’ lives, a principle we consistently strive to embody in our pedagogical approach. Specifically, we explore the dynamics of appreciation and appropriation within the music industry, inspired by Garza’s (2021) work, as a leading topic for a module of a linguistic course. Through the implementation of in-class discussion activities, we utilized platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Twitter (currently X), to center the modality and the topics that are of high importance for students and their lived experiences. Our paper highlights the benefits of effectively engaging students with topics that are related to their experiences and through the use of technology. By adapting and refining the curriculum based on student interests, we aim to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion within linguistics classrooms.

Downloading is Killing Music: Napster and The Recording Industry’s Piracy Panic Narrative

Downloading is Killing Music: Napster and The Recording Industry’s Piracy Panic Narrative

Laozi’s Influence on Contemporary Rap Music: A Study of Cultural Protection and Inheritance

This study investigates the influence of Laozi’s teachings on contemporary rap music, focusing on themes of cultural protection and inheritance. Through a mixed-methods approach, qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted to explore the extent of Laozi's influence in rap lyrics. Qualitative analysis involved in-depth examination of lyrical content to identify thematic parallels with Laozi's philosophy, while quantitative analysis quantified instances of Laozi references in selected rap songs. The results reveal a steady increase in Laozi references in rap music over time, with prevalent themes including harmony, self-awareness, and balance. Geographic distribution highlights a global reach of Laozi-inspired rap, transcending cultural boundaries. Collaboration patterns, sentiment analysis, and commercial performance further elucidate the multifaceted relationship between Laozi's teachings and contemporary rap culture. This study contributes to understanding the dynamics of cultural transmission and adaptation in the modern music industry, showcasing the enduring relevance of ancient wisdom in shaping artistic expression.

Study on the Aesthetic Value of Fang Wenshan’s Lyrics Creation

Fang Wenshan, a significant lyricist in the Chinese music industry, is renowned for his distinctive lyrical aesthetics. His lyrics seamlessly blend classical and modern elements, showcasing a rich array of expressive techniques and artistic styles from a linguistic perspective. By analyzing his works through the lenses of phonology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics, and rhetoric, we can uncover the unique aesthetics and linguistic features embedded in Fang Wenshan’s lyrics.

‘If Madonna can … ’: emergence of the female indipop star in the 1990s MTV cultural economy

ABSTRACT As cinema moved from exhibition theatres to cable television in the late-1980s pre-liberal License Raj 1 economy, the competitive music label market in India pushed its executives to look beyond the established modes of music making and selling. This development also collided with the growing cultural demand for new and ‘fresh’ female voices, and innovative audio-visual modes inspired by the MTV consumerism model of the West. Additionally, music videos of international popstars such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, etc. started making waves in India through direct and indirect channels. As a result, the influence of western music video culture led the music industry officials to rope in ‘westernized in style, desi at heart’ female performers to represent the new wave of alternative non-film popular music – collectively popularised by music labels and the media as Hindi Pop or Indipop. Moreover, the cultural impact of American popstar Madonna’s stardom, performativity, and politics also played a critical role in the way the emerging Indipop ‘divas’ projected themselves, both in and outside the diegesis of their music videos, during the 90s MTV boom in India. Engaging with the textual and extratextual world of indipop music videos that belong to the ‘new women’ of the neoliberal-90s – Jasmine Bharucha, Alisha Chinai, Shweta Shetty, etc.—this paper attempts to track and locate the emergence of these ‘non-film’ 2 female voices in the traditional ‘song and dance’ aesthetic substructure of Bombay cinema.

Ecological Construction of China's Music Industry from the Perspective of Cultural Economy

As an important part of culture economy, the Chinese music industry has shown a steady growth trend from the supply side, consumption side, and channel side, but there are still some structural contradictions, weak links and problems. With draw lessons from international advanced experience, this paper considers that the healthy and vigorous development of the music industry of China requires the protection of intellectual property rights, the support of financial and tax policies, the cultivation of professional talents, the forging of the industrial chain, and the encouragement of the "going global" of the music industry. This paper believes that the pursuit of spiritual life by humans is endless, the world music industry has shown great market potential and bright growth prospects.

A Training Person Need Analysis for Music Teachers Readiness to Teaching Music Vocational for Visually Impaired Student: A Review

Music vocational is a programme that provides students with work, networking and learning activities outside of school through music performance or other musical activities that encourage students to gain some experience in a music industry job setting. However, music vocational education is still developing and is currently trying to reach students with special needs through special schools. The standardised skills that are commonly used and developed in society need to be understood and practised by children with special needs, especially the visually impaired students. However, its programme some case not being executed by the relevant teachers background. This study aims to examine the need for relevant music teachers for the implementation of music vocational training programmes in special education settings. Literature study on this study to explain the standard specifications of music vocational education and training teachers and how to implement vocational or specialised music learning for visually impaired students. The qualitative data show that vocational music education requires teachers with at least two years' experience and knowledge of music and the music industry, as well as several strategies for teaching visually impaired students in vocational music programmes that are directed towards self-determination in preparation for possible future careers.

From Analogue to Algorithm: The Metamorphosis of Music Production Techniques—An Integrated Literature Review

This research explores the transformation of music production (MP) from traditional to smart digital approaches. The background of the study is rooted in the rapid digital advancements in MP over the last few decades, leading to a more robust and compact MP progression. The research focuses on understanding the music industry’s process and the impact of technology on MP, particularly artificial intelligence (AI). The research methodology employed is an Integrative Literature Review, based on both Scopus and Web of Science databases. After thoroughly examining titles and abstracts, 745 documents were identified as bibliographic data. From these, 40 selected articles were synthesised and analysed to identify patterns, influential authors, prominent journals and countries, dominant intellectual themes in MP, literature clustering and research gaps. The study classifies MP into four clusters: humanistic, technological, social and cultural and industrial perspectives. Each lens offers a unique vantage point to understand the intricate tapestry of the musical landscape. The findings reveal that AI has revolutionised MP, contributing to the creation of novel sounds, genres and music arrangements. It has also facilitated cross-cultural collaborations and reshaped the music business model. These findings imply that the intersection of technology and the music industry has transformed music creation, consumption and monetisation, presenting both challenges and opportunities for stakeholders. The study concludes that the future of MP is a captivating fusion of human creativity and technological prowess, where tradition and innovation coalesce to propel musical revolution to new heights.

Research on music genre recognition method based on deep learning

In this paper, we explore music genre recognition using deep learning methods, examining the application of feature extraction, model construction, and performance evaluation for different music genres. During the data preparation and preprocessing stages, data augmentation and normalization techniques were employed to enhance the model’s generalization capabilities. By constructing multilayer convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and recurrent neural networks (RNNs), we achieved automatic recognition of music genres. In the experimental results analysis, we compared the accuracy and training time of different models, validating the effectiveness of deep learning in the field of music genre recognition. The limitations of deep learning methods and future research directions are also discussed, providing a reference for further studies in music information processing. This study delves into the issue of music genre recognition and proposes a deep learning-based approach. This method leverages neural networks to extract features and learn from audio data, enabling accurate classification of different music genres. Extensive experiments have demonstrated that our method achieves highly satisfactory results in music genre recognition tasks. Furthermore, we optimized the deep learning models, improving their generalization capabilities and accuracy. Our research offers the music industry an efficient and accurate method for music genre recognition, providing new perspectives and technical support for research and applications in the music field.

Smart Contracts, Smarter Royalties: Tech for India's Music Industry

The Indian music industry, like its global counterparts, faces significant challenges in protecting intellectual property IP and ensuring fair compensation for musicians. With the rise of digital platforms and increasing instances of piracy, musicians are finding it difficult to maintain control over their works. However, emerging technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence AI, and smart contracts offer innovative solutions to these challenges. This research paper explores the role of these technologies in enhancing IP protection and streamlining royalty distribution in India’s music industry. By focusing on the potential of blockchain for copyright management, AI for automated content monitoring, and smart contracts for transparent and efficient royalty distribution, this study highlights the opportunities and challenges associated with implementing these technologies in the Indian context.

Research on the Marketization and Globalization Development Model of Cultural and Creative Industries: Analysis Based on the Globalization Development of Musical Theatre

This paper discusses the marketization and globalization of cultural creative industry and takes China's musical industry as the research object. In recent years, with the vigorous development of the cultural market and the improvement of the audience's appreciation level, people pay more and more attention to the cultural creative industry. This article also analyzes the challenges facing the industry, including the lack of professional creative talent, standard scriptwriter and professional production team. It also explores the emergence of innovative modes of production, such as cross-border collaboration and audience-oriented creativity, which have contributed to the sector's progress. In addition, the paper discusses the impact of globalization on industry, and emphasizes the increasing importance of international product influx and copyright acquisition. Finally, this study aims to provide profound insights into the future trends and prospects of China's musical theatre industry and valuable recommendations for its sustainable and healthy development in the world.

Digital Transformation in the Music Industry: Session Musicians Matchmaking Platform Effectiveness Analysis

The music industry has been through a significant digital transformation in recent years, with one interesting development being the rise of matchmaking platforms for session musicians. Despite their potential benefits, the effectiveness and impact of these platforms on the music industry are not well studied. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effectiveness of session musician matchmaking platforms and their implications for the music industry. Leveraging the architecture capabilities of The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF), specifically the Architecture Development Method (ADM), all the participants with their current processes and pain points are identified. The identified pain points are then validated using the empathy map method through an online questionnaire. From the identified pain points, values are developed as the main targets for pain relievers in the current situation, which are later evaluated against existing platforms of a similar nature. After comprehensive research and data analysis, several key insights emerged. First, the findings reveal that, under the current traditional model, the collaboration process between session musicians and music entertainment continues to function effectively. Second, there is enthusiasm among participants for platforms that offer solutions to common challenges faced in collaboration processes. However, the research data shows low levels of adoption and utilization among participants. This suggests there is a huge opportunity for the development and promotion of matchmaking platforms designed specifically for session musicians and music entertainment to enhance collaboration and improve the music industry.

Language Preservation through Popularization of Regional Indian Music: A Data-Driven Approach

The increased global connectivity due to internet penetration has resulted in the dominance of international languages and the decline of regional languages. To help preserve these languages, this study identifies the non-native regions in India that offer the most promising opportunities for expanding the popularity of music for each of the 14 regional languages. It analyses the audio features of 41,000 songs from 14 Indian languages on Spotify, employing two approaches – clustering algorithms and Random Forest Regressors. An overlap between the regions identified by both methods for any given language is considered a robust result, providing greater confidence in the results. The results show that while geographical proximity is a significant factor in determining non-native market fits for the music of a given language, alignment in preferences of audio features driven by cultural similarities plays an integral role as well. The findings have important implications for music industry stakeholders, including artists, management, digital platforms, and governments, who can leverage this data to devise strategies to expand the reach of regional music. This includes designing targeted marketing strategies, fostering cross-regional artist collaborations, and optimizing content recommendation algorithms, among others.

Jazz Cosmopolitanism In and Around Malawi: Musical Praxis in the Politics of Belonging

In this article I explore the notion of jazz cosmopolitanism in Malawi in an effort to examine the complexities of navigating transnational multicultural spaces. I am specifically interested in how this plays out in southern Africa, where the music industries are affected by ongoing influences from the Global North sedimented on top of a history of multiple types of colonialism. I outline some foundational works on music and cosmopolitanism in Africa before discussing the music and career of Malawian jazz guitarist and producer, Erik Paliani. Paliani stands apart from many Malawian musicians based on his career highlights, but also his commitment to jazz as an international and African art form as well as a means of navigating the world. I focus on two compositions as performed by him in order to explore creativity and positionality as they relate to the intersection of jazz and African musics. I also interrogate my own positioning as a foreign white male and frequent participant in the Malawian music industry since 1991. In doing so, I unpack some complexities to cultural representation in cosmopolitan African spaces articulating with discourses on mobility and privilege. My aim is to understand how reconciling individual expression and collective belonging may be accomplished through the praxis of Afro-jazz in southern Africa. I suggest that jazz cosmopolitanism, rooted in socio-musical practices in southern Africa and beyond, adds a crucial layer of expressive devices and referential frameworks that illustrates important stories of human experience in this region.

Revolutionizing Music Production with ChatGPT Applications: Accessibility, Creativity, and Impact on the Industry in China

This study investigates the revolutionization of the application of ChatGPT with respect to its accessibility, creativity, and impact on music industry in China. To achieve this, the study employed Z-test technique for difference in proportion and the ordered logistic regression model. These methods were used to explore deeper into suitable strategies using survey with a sample size of 385 music artists including music producers, songwriters, artists/musicians, and sound engineers.

An Application of The Theory of Planned Behaviour: Factors Influencing Parental Decision on Children Involvment in Out-Of-School Music Education

In China's music education and training industry, the exploration of parents' and children's educational decisions on the demand side of the market is crucial to the healthy functioning of the music education market. The current study applies TPB theory and modelling to investigate the factors influencing parental decision-making in children's out-of-school music education participation. The study was conducted in Henan Province, China, with a sample of 650 parents from 21 music education institutions in seven cities in Henan Province. The results of data analyses showed that parental ATT, SN, and PBC all had significant positive effects on PI. PBC directly affected PD, while PI was the most significant influence on PD.

Research on the Innovation of Traditional Music Cultural Inheritance

Traditional music is an important source of Chinese civilization and has a profound impact on the origin, enrichment, leap forward, and sublimation of Chinese culture. Starting from the three dimensions of history, people, and integration, it is important to inherit, carry forward, and spread the contemporary value of traditional music culture. We should focus on the inheritance of historical dimension, reposition the unique function of traditional music culture, strengthen the ecological protection of traditional music culture, and advocate excavation protection, purification protection, and promotion protection. Additionally, we focus on the development of the people dimension, adhere to the people-centered creative orientation, grasp the needs of the people, reflect their aspirations, and strive to enhance the timeliness and attraction of national music. We also focus on the communication of integration dimension, leverage the characteristic advantages of emerging media communication, promote the cross-border integration of the traditional music industry and related fields, respond to the focus and interaction of music audience services, and promote the construction of a modern three-dimensional communication system of traditional music.