martes, 16 de febrero de 2010

Mappin' up the Music Industry in the UK

Here is a general view of how the Music Industry is distributed in the UK, its mayor players and everyone involved in the business.

As we can see, it is a very complex structure that involve many companies and individuals. What is important to notice is that almost everything is connected.

However there are some bits of the structure that the music industry in the UK wouldn't exist, some core industries that control the Music Industry in the UK, this are the followings:

1) Recording

The function of a record company (or record label) is to find and sign artists / acts and appropriate material (songs), record them professionally, promote the records (product) and associated artist(s) via the media (TV / radio / press / online / clubs) and release in bulk through to retail outlets and digital services for consumers to purchase.


2) Songwriting and Publishers

Music publishers are concerned with the development, promotion and protection of the interests and rights of songwriters and composers. The function of a music publishing company is to find, invest in, develop and support songwriters and composers, manage the rights in the music, enable the music to reach its many audiences and ensure that writers and composers are properly remunerated. This is done in a variety of ways including encouraging record companies to record and release material and licensing works for synchronisation (i.e. agreeing the use of msuic in a film or advert) and print (sheet music). Music publishing jobs tend to fall into a number of broad categories, the majority of which require musical knowledge/experience.

3) Live Music

Being music a form of performing art, is mandatory that the musician shows their work to the public through live music. This can be shown in venues or festivals or just particular performances in a cafe. The important bit is that the music has to be shown live somehow in order to attract and prove validity to the audience.


4) Artist Management

This is the medium on which many artist count to get known by the public. An artist manager will arrange meetings the producers, venues and publishers that best suit the artist.

In this video, Simon Banks talks about how is it like to be an artist manager.

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Now, here is a list of some of the most important companies that appear in the maps before:

  • PPL: "Licenses sound recordings and music videos for use in broadcast, public performance and new media."

  • PRS: "PRS for Music is one of the world’s most efficient combined rights collecting operations. Offering its members more money, more often, at less cost and its customers the most efficient means by which they can use music." [more info!]

  • MPA: "The Music Publishers Association (MPA) is a non-profit organisation representing music publishers in the UK. It exists to safeguard their interests, and those of the writers signed to them."

  • UK Music: "UK Music is an umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of the UK’s commercial music industry, from artists, musicians, songwriters and composers, to major and independent record labels, managers, music publishers, studio producers and collecting societies."

  • APRS: "The APRS is a leading force within the British Music Industry, maintaining contact with numerous UK and International associations, as well as with other bodies concerned with standards, training, technical and legal issues."

  • BASCA: "We endeavour to offer the highest level of support to our members through our wide range of membership services and our personal support to them as individuals."

  • AIM: "The Association of Independent Music is a non-profit-making trade organisation for independent record companies and distributors in the UK. We have over 800 label members."

  • Equity: "Equity is the UK Trade Union representing professional performers and other creative workers from across the spectrum of the entertainment, creative and cultural industries."

  • FAC: "The Featured Artists Coalition campaigns for the protection of performers' and musicians' rights. We want all artists to have more control of their music and a much fairer share of the profits it generates in the digital age."

  • MMF: "Since its inception in 1992, the MMF has worked hard to educate, inform and represent UK managers (and their artists) as well as offering a network through which managers can share experiences, opportunities and information."

  • MPG: "The MPG represents and promotes the interests of all those involved in the production of recorded music, including producers, engineers, mixers, re-mixers, programmers and mastering engineers."

  • MU: "The Musicians’ Union is an organisation respected around the world which represents over thirty two thousand musicians working in all sectors of the music business. "

IMPORTANT: All the maps but the first were taken from the BPI

Mobile Music Producer: A Creative Business Idea



As a response to today's demanding world where the faster you are the higher you get, I came up with this idea of developing a mobile device that can produce, distribute and promote music at the same time. A brand new idea for musicians that require to produce as fast as they can.

More specifically, this mobile device is designed for DJ's that use certain digital softwares to produce their music. ProTech is developed with Wi-Fi in order to download any kind of software required to each DJ preference.

After the tune is recorded, it is automatically distributed and advertised to various music websites where people can listen a sample (few minutes of the track) and then buy it.

ProTech can be used by everyone, not only DJs, as all this music that people buy is stored in the hardrive and can be listened to in the device and also sended to a computer or any other music player.

All at the sound of a CLICK

And the only word you can think of is FAST.

Convergence in Creative and Culture Industries: Something to think about

Nowadays we can clearly see how new forms of Media are 'taking over' the old ones and afecting many C.C.Is. This convergence can either benefit or harm these industries, but how? Which traditional media are bound to disappear or transform due to convergence? Why?

It is not possible to bring up an objective conclusion because it all depends on the specific industry we are analyzing. We can talk about magazines vs. online magazines (as the converging version), some people can think that the physical form of a magazine will never disappear due to the ilegitimate historical value on this form of media and these people are the ones that could even save them for collection for future generations, between other reasons, for some people, simply put: they just want to hold the magazine and enjoy reading in at a coffee shop or in a waiting room, this is also very related with tradition and what a physical magazine signifies. Other people can think that online magazines have a more multimedia kind of concept adding videos and podcasts and this brings up many more oportunities and links to other forms of communication.


Now, talking about culture...


London: city of cities, proven to be the most multicultural city in the world , how it will be affected by this convergence? It will increase its creativity and it will become even more multiculural?

Thinking broadly we all could agree that convergence will make London a more creative and multicultural city as you can research about any kind of culture online, but isn't this arguable? Aren't we missing the core point? The main idea of actually going out there and feel, smell, taste, touch the culture?

I reckon, the only way convergence would estimulate London's creativity is on broad industries like advertising, industries that cover the other ones (it is clear that no C.C.I can survive with at least some Advertising). So, if this Advertising industry uses wisely New Media goodness, the results could be amazing!

Further information? 10 major resources on UK's Music Industry


Here is a list of references and really interesting websites with further information on UK's amazing Music Industry. Enjoy!

1) http://www.ukmusic.org/

2) http://www.prsformusic.com/Pages/default.aspx

3) http://www.bpi.co.uk/

4) http://www.generator.org.uk/

5) http://www.ifpi.org.uk/












What's new? Basic facts on UK's Music Industry


The Music Business is in charge of producing, distributing and promoting the music that an individual or a group of people make. In the act of distributing and promoting this music, the business can use many media like radio, TV, concert and new media via internet.

Here are some basic facts about this amazingly interesting industry that everytime amazes more and more.

Did you know...?

Did you know that according to a study made by eMarketer, the Worldwide Music Industry Revenue has increased from $60.7 billion (2006) to $65.0 billion (2009) and it is expected to increase to $67.6 billion on 2011?

And that the Worldwide Music Publishing Revenue has increased just from $8.0 to $8.9 billion from 2006 to 2009 and expected to increase to $9.4 billion on 2011?

It is clear that the Music Industry has been affected by new media convergence; now people steal music (piracy) instead of buying it.

According to Jupiter Research, the amount of loss attributed to file sharing in the UK is of 180 million in 2008 and is expected to get to 1.1 billion by 2012.

The number of potential employment losses from piracy to music, film, and TV sectors in the UK is of the incredible amount of 30,000 jobs! (Europe Economics)

In 2008, 7 out of 10 people prefeer downloading music for free rather than paying for it.(Entertainment Media Research)


It's been an ardous fight againts piracy in the last years, so now the Music Industry is trying to think on how to win this battle and using New Media to their convenience.


7 of 10 people in the UK downloading music ilegally would start paying for the service if their ISP (Internet Service Provider) told their so.

And now, thanks to services like ITunes, British citizens have had the biggest increase on digital sales in the Music Industry since the first half of 2008.


As we can see, the UK is taking action over the slow movement that the music industry has had over this last years. And as everything else, the Music Industry is going online!