Connection to Major

Brady Rotello

Human Dimensions of Music

November 29, 2021

Dr. Turner

The Business Side of Music

Music and business coincide on many different levels. The main area of overlap between the two concepts is found in the music industry. Musicians share a common dream of making the music they love and becoming successful financially. This happens most commonly with a record label. These large corporations make deals with the artists to exchange their music for the sales of their product. This is most commonly seen where record labels give artists the opportunity to be very well known and to tour the country, and sometimes other countries, in exchange for the rights to their music and some control over the artist’s actions. Although record labels are sometimes a controversial topic due to the control they have over the creator, I believe they can be helpful to both the corporation and the artist. Three of the main reasons this relationship is mutualistic is because of the popularity that the artist gains, the money that both parties make, and the time that is given to the artist to focus on their craft.

One of the main controversies with record labels is the fact that the big business collects the majority of the profits and the artist only receives a portion of the money from their sales. Several contracts are drawn up between artists and these corporations that only provide the creator with ten percent of their revenue. Although this agreement tends to exist so that the artist can expand their fan base and sales, the ratios are sometimes very lopsided towards the large companies. This relationship is most commonly apparent because artists can choose to keep more of their revenue by marketing themselves, but that becomes a very difficult thing to do and they generally wind up spending less time in touch with their own craft. As a result, a record label can help alleviate that stress by expanding the opportunities for the artist and both parties get paid in the process. The majority of the money spent by the label is going towards studio sessions, equipment, funding a band, background musicians, and perhaps the most important aspect, the tour itself.

The vast majority of money made by the artist and for the label is from the tour. Fans pay tremendous amounts of money for tickets, merchandise, food and the venue of their choice. When artists go on massive tours, they see millions of people, each of them spending immense amounts of money in a single night to listen to their favorite artist. The limits to the production of a show for thousands of fans is immeasurable. People will go to incredible lengths to make their night memorable. This aspect of music plays directly into the business of the industry, as there are lots of people who benefit monetarily from that experience.

Although the artist is being well compensated, so are the people who are involved with the label. That includes the creative team, the production crew, the advertisers, sponsors, and the people who own the venue. That could be a bar, a stadium, or anything in between. Money collected from every aspect of the show is distributed amongst hundreds of people every night. I believe another huge part of touring and collecting revenue is from creating a brand for the artist. Not only with their merchandise and apparel, but on a deeper level with how that artist markets themselves. A certain brand or behavior with an artist can appeal to an entire group of people, who can then gather other people and create a massive fan base for that kind of music. Music can help an artist stand for something, especially when there is a powerful message involved. A big reason for people spending money is for what that product or experience says about them to other people. Music is a prime example of people spending money initially for their own entertainment, and evidently for their own interpretation of society. The music industry is a complex machine, but it’s a fantastic model for how business and the art of music interact with one another.

Bibliography

Institute for Career Research, Careers in Music Stores: Using Your Love for Music in a Profitable Business. Chicago: Institute for Career Research, 2005.

Barrow, Tony and Julian Newby. Inside the Music Business. London; New York; Routledge, 1995.

Talbot, Michael, ed. The Business of Music. Liverpool University Press, 2002.

Pastukhov, Dmitry, How Does the Music Industry Work? Introducing the Mechanics: a 10 Part Series. 7 January, 2019.

Voogt, Budi, Understanding the Music Industry: Music Publishers, Syncs and Licensing. 31 December, 2019.

Colby Browne

December 8, 2021

Dr. Turner

Human Dimensions of Music

Connection to Major

Music is something that is extremely important to people all around the world. Also, the impact of music is seen all over the world. For example, genres are created and popular in certain continents and countries. Music in America compared to music in Japan shows this diversity and how much of an impact music makes around the world. Music is vital in many aspects of life. That being said, music can be incorporated and seen in the business world.

First, business relates to music because of its use in the workplace. A normal office job can get to a worker’s head. Business men and women often sit down for very long periods of time with nothing in front of them but work. The load of work that they get can cause stress and tiredness. Music can be used in small scales as entertainment for workers like that. On a similar note, music can be used as a marketing ploy. That relates to business in the sense of getting customers to make purchases or get involved.

Next, good music can attract customers and can then keep them in the store. Music is present in retail and commercials. It would be safe to say that most stores in malls have music playing. Inside just about every store, there is a playlist that matches up with their target buyer. For example, streetwear stores tend to play music targeted towards young adults and middle aged people. Music genres like pop, rap, and R&B are mostly played in stores like that. Also, most commercials you see on television have some sort of background music. Commercials rely on music in certain cases. Music artists can be very influential to others and are signed to companies trying to sell their product or service. Their music can become a likeness to a product. Relating to commercials, there are also some famous “jingles” or theme songs created for these specific corporations and products. To give an example, McDonalds is one of the biggest fast food spots and they have their own signature tagline with a song. Music is present in sales but also advertisements like this.

Another way music is present in the business world is through the music industry. Record labels and music creators make tons of money and I would say it’s a sub-level of business. The music business is unique because of rights and royalties. Music artists sign deals with record labels to promote and distribute their work. Big artists will be signed by companies like Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group or Sony Music Group. These companies, along with many others, make it easier for songs to go mainstream and receive the sales they deserve. For example, a poor release well marketed will do better than a good release poorly marketed. These corporations make decisions for artists and bring in writers for them. Business is the first thing that comes with a signing. Artists need to be appealed to the corporation that signs them. Things like creative freedom appeal to artists in meetings and that is an important part of business as a whole. These deals are a huge part of our ability to listen to music. Without the business aspect, it would be a lot harder to find independent artists releasing their own music.

To conclude, business and music do coexist and they most definitely relate to each other. Music can relate to business in the sense of enjoyment. Music helps workers calm down during what could be a stressful day in an office. Next, music can be related to marketing and getting customers to buy products. Last, music and business relate in the sense of the sale and distribution of the music. These three reasons, among many others, give a perspective on how music relates to business.

Works Cited

DeNora, Tia “Music in everyday life”

2000, Accessed 11/1/21

Digiallonardo,Rick “Beyond the music : an introduction to the music industry”,

2012, Accessed 10/31/21

Dumbreck, Allan “Music entrepreneurship”

2016, Accessed 10/31/21

Geradi, Robert “Opportunities in music careers”

2002, Accessed 11/1/21

Holbrook, Morris B “Music, movies, meanings, and markets”

2011, Accessed 11/1/21

Kozinn, Allan ”The business of music”

2013, Accessed 11/1/21

Strasser, Richard “Music business : the key concepts”

2009, Accessed 10/31/21

Talbot, Michael “The business of music”

2002, Accessed 11/1/21

Wikström, Patrik “The music industry : music in the cloud”

2009, Accessed 11/1/21

Michael Martino

Human Dimensions of Music

12/1/21

Connection to Major

Music and business are related in ways that many are unable to recognize at first glance, after a deeper analysis I was able to find many different collaborations and overlapping elements between the different fields. Business is a very broad field with many different elements.The Music industry cannot sustain itself and thrive in modern society without the influences and assistance of business. For example, artist promotion through advertisements are just some of the few aspects of business and music overlapping. These aspects of business are imperative to the success of music as a whole and they help promote individual artists and the corporate brands and companies as well. I took a deeper look into the impact that promotion has on artists. I was able to identify a strong correlation between artists' success and the amount of promotion that was produced. In order to create a growing platform, it is crucial that you get your name into the public eye. Methods to achieve this include tv commercials, news articles, local businesses and social media posts just to name a few.

Additionally, album and concert promotion is imperative and often forgotten about. Artists make an absorbent amount of money through album sales. Their albums must reach new audiences and appeal to the masses in order to gain a larger following. Concerts are a great way for artists to perform their new and most popular songs for their fans. The emotions and experiences you feel white at concerts is something that only enhances your love for the artist. Album promotion creates suspense and anticipation for the release date, it keeps millions of fans waiting for the release of new songs from some of their favorite artists. There is room for growth by many artists in this area. However, some artists who excel at promoting their upcoming albums include Morgan Wallen, Drake, Justin Bieber and many more. Having a loyal fan base enables artists to create longevity in their profession, ultimately making more money in the long run too. It is important for artists to find a balance between releasing too many or not enough albums during their careers. Over saturation of music from one artist or one specific style leads to burn out and a lack of success. If too many artists are producing near identical music, they are all going to suffer together as it is over-saturated. Similarly, an artist producing too many albums creates not enough anticipation or excitement for the new music being produced. Also, producing albums too infrequently can leave your fan base upset and disinterested.

Furthermore, diving into an artist and their labels production we notice many traces of business involved such as studio fees, and equipment expenses. The artist and its label pay companies for their equipment so that they can produce the best possible music. Paying top dollar for the best quality equipment is a way that many artists are able to enhance their appeal as well as distance themselves from others. The equipment gives artists the ability to build their own style of music. A great example of this is Travis Scott, his use of autotune is associated with him. His production team has built his albums and songs around this and it has enhanced his appeal and popularity to the younger rap audiences. All of these aspects are based on business and thrive with it being involved. Music and Business mutually help each other in many ways and there are too many examples of people becoming billionaires through music such as Jay-Z.

Connection to Your Major Bibliography

Institute for Career Research. Careers in music stores : using your love for music in a profitable business. Chicago, Ill 2005

Barrow, Tony Julian Newby Inside the music Business London ; New York : Routledge, 2003.

Wang, Amy X Ethan Millman Tim Ingham Where the Music Business is going in 2020

Texas Music Office Types of Businesses - Getting Started in the Music Business Austin, Texas

Keegan Taylor

Prof. Turner

Human Dimensions of Music (1600-0)

8 December 2021

Communication In Music

Music has been a huge part of my life over the past five to ten years. Ever since I was little I have always been around friends and family listening to music. I believe that this helped shape me as a person and affected me in many ways I view as positive. My major is strategic communications and after researching through many articles I have found ways that music and my major connect and intertwine.

Music and communication relate in many ways. Communication can be found in every genre and piece of music you may listen to. Many people may not notice how communication is layered into musical pieces however, it is there. There is not just one way you can communicate with music, it occurs in a variety of ways. For example, the words in a song alone are used as a huge tool for communicating through music. This can be any type of genre because anyone can get a different message from a song. In this sense, it is subjective what message a person may receive from a song. Feelings of happiness and joy can run through your body or feelings of sadness can be relayed. Every single person has had past experiences that can affect this, regardless, communication is happening through the words of a song. My next example of communication through music is the melody, rhythm, harmony, and texture. This has a huge impact on how music communicates through pieces. When people meditate soft music is played with mostly no words, just sounds. This is a very powerful tool when it comes to communication. Just the sounds of a song can impact a person’s mood and even personality. Another example of this is in certain religions this same process is done, no words just sound. When certain religions are praying to their higher power, all you hear is sound. This illustrates that music can be communicated in the simplest of ways or it can be very complicated as well.

Music has been used as a tool to convey messages and moods over many decades. When you think of how music has changed even since you were little is crazy. From generation to generation music shifts in many different ways. It is almost a way to describe a period in time and is a good way to remember old times and experiences. Music is also a fantastic tool to bring people together. Music is like glue to connect people and create relationships. Humans are meant to be social beings and music is a great way to help enhance that fact. It creates stronger relationships between individuals and new bonds between new friends. Music is a primary tool in communicating with others. Music is also a great way to express yourself as a person and show who you really are. It really allows someone to tap into certain emotions as well. Someone can portray so many different feelings through music. Many people start to write music as a way of communicating their feelings and thoughts because they don’t know how to otherwise. Feelings of sadness, depression, joy, and excitement can all be illustrated through musical pieces. My last example of how music can be a helpful tool of communication is music therapy. Music therapy is how music can intervene with an individual to express feelings and provide a therapeutic space. This has been shown to work on many people over the years and is a very powerful tool.

In conclusion, communication can be found in every type of music that is out there it is just our job to find it. Music has a huge impact on so many people’s lives and I am glad it has impacted my life in a positive way as well as others. I personally find it very interesting to discover what types of music people listen to. This is because I believe it can really give a good insight into who they are as a person and I find that to be very cool. This has also brought me to expand my musical horizons over the past few months. You can really become more open to new genres of music after conversing with others who may listen to something different than you. Over the past few months of this course, I have really opened myself up to listening to new types of music and hearing others’ opinions on it. Music is a worldwide tool for communication. As humans music is within us and communication is a necessity as we are social beings, therefore it is inevitable we find communication in music.

Bibliography

Meyer, Leonard B. Emotion and Meaning in Music. Phoenix Book, P56. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1956.

Ansdell, Gary. How Music Helps in Music Therapy and Everyday Life. Music and Change: Ecological Perspectives. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, 2014.

McLaughlin, Terence. Music and Communication. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1971.

Wallin, Nils Lennart, Merker Björn, and Steven Brown. The Origins of Music. Bradford Book. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2000.

Ruud, Even. Music Therapy: Improvisation, Communication, and Culture. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona, 1998.

Nickolas Swan

Mr. Turner

Human Dimensions of Music

8 December 2021

Music and Psychology

Surprisingly music has a solution to many problems that we as people face everyday as it can push people to be the best they can. When you combine music with psychology they both work together to help people with everyday activities like sleeping, exercise and school work. They even work with one another to treat illnesses and disorders. Music can help from any aspect of life ranging from academics to one's physical being. It's amazing how music has evolved and changed and can be incorporated into things we would never even dream of. Music isn’t there to just put on a show for us or provide entertainment. It is there for us when we need it most as it can be a big contributor to the mental aspect of our lives.

Music is all around us throughout our lives and sometimes people may not even know it. Music is heard while in the car, while watching a movie and even when you’re out shopping. Music is heard so frequently that it can often be forgotten just how impactful it actually is. If used properly music can help with studying and memorizing new material. Although listening to just any type of music doesn’t work in all scenarios. Listening to the right music can help improve processing speed and can be used to reduce stress. For example meditative music can be used to reduce stress and help relax the mind. Music therapy ensures a safe low-risk factor in an attempt to treat those who might be dealing with depression or disorders. Singing lyrics can help PD patients with volume articulation, swallowing and memory issues. As for strokes and dementia, music provides support in mood regulation and a link to certain emotions and memories of a person's past.

Aside from disorders, music is also beneficial to something everyone needs, sleep. A study that focused on college students for over a period of three weeks, required the participants to listen to music, audio books and nothing before going to bed. The results showed that out of those three options music proved to have the best effect on the participants. Even though it’s not technically music but sometimes people just need a little sound to fall asleep, whether that be a fan, tv having background noise can be helpful.

Music also has the ability to improve a person's performance. People naturally do things like walking or running at their own pace because it suits them the best. Adding in a strong rhythmic beat, such as a fast paced musical track could help people speed up their pace. Music is almost like a little energy booster if used correctly. To prove this twelve participants were required to bike three different times for twenty-five minutes. During this they listened to six different songs which varied in tempo, unknowingly the songs were played at normal speed, then speed up 10% or down 10%. To no surprise speeding up the songs helped with motivation and increased performance amongst the bikers.

Psychology and music benefit each other in their own respective ways. Both psychology and music combined can have powerful effects on the mind and body to push humans to be the best version of themselves. Things like music therapy help by calming our mind or help distract it which can in turn change our mood in a positive way.

Citations

Cherry, Kendra. “How Listening to Music Can Have Psychological Benefits”. California, 2019

Heshmat, Shahram. “Music, Emotion and Well-Being”. Illinois, 2019

Stanborough, Rebecca. “The Benefits of Listening to Music”. 2020