Research

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** Research, Inspiration, Examples (documentation of initial research) ** =MUSIC=  This article suggests that the most appropriate role for copyright law is striking a socially beneficial balance between those who create and distribute music and those who consume it. (261) Often experts emphasize the negative impacts of technology on music; however, they seem to often overlook the fact that the same technologies "create incentives to create and produce because they reduce costs of original producers." (261) This article is valuable and significant because it suggests that listeners are actually willing to pay for their music, as long as they are aware of exactly where the money is going and what exactly they are getting for what they're paying for.  This article states that P2P downloads are considered a "public good", because they are "non-rivalrous" and "non-excludable". (65) Basically, it is impossible to prevent music from being reproduced and impossible to control it; therefore, music downloads are considered a public good. Some of the main and most common characteristics of digital products are high fixed production costs, low variable reproduction costs and non-excludable consumption. However, P2P networks come with their many pitfalls that online music stores are able to overcome. File pollution is a problem, as well as worm attacks and fear of prosecution. This article is significant because it suggests that P2P isn't the best option after all, and that online stores preserve the integrity of the music for the listener. This article talks about the launch of iTunes in Asia which offers a world view on music and convergence. This article offers evidence of why people download, rather than buy music from CD stores. The reason that one girl states, is that she only likes a couple of songs from each CD and doesn't want to spend money for songs she does not want. The article continues to discuss the stuggles of the music industry as well as illegal downloading and the impact iTunes will make (the article is a bit dated, but offers some insight for our project).
 * **Perritt, Henry H. "New architectures for music: law should get out of the way." Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal Ix (2007): 261-90.** user:offredib
 * **Sandulli, Francesco, and Samuel Martin-Barbero. "68 cents per song: a socio-economic survey on the internet." Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 13 (2007): 63-78.** user:offredib
 * **Burns, Simon. "Selling Music for a Song." Far Eastern Economic Review, Hong Kong: 2004, Vol. 167, Iss. 37; pg. 46, 2 pgs.** user:bleekc

TICKETS
user:cooze
 * [|Trent Reznor Blasts Ticketmaster [via NIN forum]]
 * Nine Inch Nails front man discusses issues regarding tickets for their upcomming summer tour
 * Live Nation owns certain venues, and if you want to play those venues you are automatically being promoted by Live Nation and must get your tickets through Ticketmaster
 * People are willing to pay upwards $1000 for good seats to see their favourite band, but the bands don't want to charge that much, so the ticketing agents (& resellers/scalpers, auction sites) take advantage of this (supply&demand)
 * a certain allotment of good tickets (10%) are set aside for the band to sell through pre-sale, or how ever they like
 * some bands choose to allow Ticketmaster to auction off these tickets and share the profits
 * //"[Ticketmaster]// //could have (and can right now) stop the secondary market dead in its tracks by doing the following: limit the amount of sales per customer, print names on the tickets and require ID / ticket matches at the venue."//
 * NIN does this with their pre-sale tickets (print names on tickets and require ID) they say it's not a big deal or hard to do, and Ticketmaster could implement this easily
 * (the only problem I see with this is that it will slow things down at the gates significantly, if everyone has to show ID, and what if you are buying them as a gift or for someone else?)


 * [|Consumer Complaints about Ticketmaster [via ConsumerAffairs.com]]
 * main issues of concern from customers:
 * Prices too high (service fees too much)
 * Shows being sold out too fast, but being re-directed to 'Tickets Now' a related reseller company who auctions off for higher prices (with lots of good tickets available still)
 * Website not loading fast enough/logging people out/losing tickets ("time out" errors)
 * Illegal or shady practices (such as Bruce Springsteen tickets) overcharging for tickets


 * [|Why Ticketmaster Sucks [via Trash City]]
 * //"No-one would argue that they are entitled to cover their costs and make a reasonable profit, but what they are doing goes well beyond both. It's both ludicrous, and entirely unjustifiable, not least because the charges are arbitrary."//
 * Problems go back to 1994 when Pearl Jam cancelled their tour due to Ticketmaster's overwhelming monopoly over ticket sales and venues
 * "//The company now have exclusive rights to 90% of the nation's large arenas, and over 70% of the clubs and theatres."//
 * provides many links and 'further reading' at the bottom of this article


 * [|Ticketmaster Admits Springsteen Sale "Wasn't Our Finest Hour" [via Rolling Stone]]
 * many customers received error messages within the first crucial minutes of onsale, preventing them from completing their transactions
 * many were re-directed to reseller site "Tickets Now" (where prices were substantially higher)
 * //"A Live Nation spokesman told// //Rolling Stone////, “At the moment of the onsale, there were 1 million people trying to buy tickets, and that overwhelmed the system for a minute.”//
 * I think Ticketmaster should have foreseen and been prepared for that volume of traffic (so there is no excuse)


 * [|Ticketmaster and Live Nation Join Forces [via CNN Money]]
 * //"// //Live Nation Inc. and Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. announced plans to merge Tuesday, combining the nation's biggest concert promoter with the largest seller of tickets for live entertainment."//
 * //"////The companies said the merger will help improve "access and transparency" by combining artist, promoter and ticketing under one banner. It will also enable more "innovative and dynamic" promotion arrangements, which will create more choice and "a more fan-friendly purchasing experience."//
 * By joining forces, the companies said they will be able to develop new technologies that will benefit consumers.

MERCHANDISE
· **Pollick, Michael. "What are concert T's?" __Wise Geek__. 30 Mar. 2009 . **

For many professional musicians, the real [|money] is not in CD sales or Internet downloads, but in live concert performances. Besides actual sales of tickets to the show, many artists make their money through concert memorabilia and merchandise. Some of the most popular pieces of concert merchandise are //concert// // T's //, or concert T-shirts. Concert T's often feature a stylized image of the performer, tour schedules, album artwork or other iconic images associated with that artist. Concert  T's are especially appealing because they have a practical purpose as well as being an artistic expression. Fans can wear these fashionable concert T-shirts to school or to local music venues as a [|promotion] of their favorite artist. Other concert merchandise such as [|bumper stickers] or posters may still make a statement, but wearing a cool concert T-shirt lets others know something about the wearer's musical tastes immediately.  Concert  memorabilia and merchandise often gains value over time, especially vintage concert T's. Many people hold onto prized concert T-shirts until they literally fall apart or are no longer legible. Because of the rarity of early concert t-shirts for iconic performers, a vintage concert tee in good condition could fetch a high price at memorabilia auctions. · **Hefflinger, Mark. "Live Nation Acquires Concert Merchandise Maker Trunk Ltd." __Http://www.dmwmedia.com//__ //27 Apr. 2007. 30 Mar. 2009 .// ** <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Concert promotion giant Live Nation announced that it has acquired the remaining stake that it did not already own in Trunk Ltd., a retailer of limited edition rock and roll apparel and accessories.

"Our acquisition of the remaining interest in Trunk Ltd affirms our commitment to building additional revenue streams around live concerts and provides artists with access to a very unique and unparalleled level of merchandise for sale to their fans," said Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> That said, Barnes isn't down with useless clutter, which is why he and the band decided to "produce [only] objects that have a function and that can be treasured for their singularness...objects that can transform a room, bend the mind, and inform your dreams." Totally, dude. <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">
 * · ** <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">**Barnes, Kevin. "Of Montreal Unveil "Skeletal Lamping Collection"" __PitchFork__ 26 Sept. 2008. 30 Mar. 2009 <http://pitchfork.com/>.**

**//SOCIAL//**

 * //Huberman, Bernardo A. "[|Crowdsourcing and Attention]."// Computer, //Vol. 41, No. 103, November 2008, p. 103-105.//

This article describes the importance of social networking in diseminating information in both the online and offline worlds. Huberman explains the term "crowdsourcing" as being user-generated content where the value and importance rivals that of published works. Websites such as Wikipedia, Digg and YouTube are examples of websites which are seen as valuable information sources. This article shows the benefits of having a social networking aspect to our final design because users would be able to exchange knowledge on artists, concerts, etc. which can become an extremely valuable tool in attracting users to our Music Merger site.


 * Bloustien, Gerry. "[|'Wigging People Out': Youth Music Practice and Mediated Communities.]" Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology//, Vol. 17, 2007, p. 446-462.//

This article also explores the importance of social networking, but expands on the impact it has on youth culture. Bloustien describes how the lines between creator and consumer are becoming more and more blurred, which supports our idea to provide a direct connection between artist and user of Music Merger. Bloustien also talks about artists gaining valuable exposure through integrated media and our site will help with that as well, promoting new and upcoming bands through social networking and word of mouth.


 * Boyd, Danah. "[|Why Youth ♥ Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life.]" Youth, Identity, and Digital Media//, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007, p. 119-142.

This article describes how music is the cultural glue in youth culture. Boyd outlines how the emergence of MySpace and the popularity it gained, not only with youth, but also with bands and artists who made their own pages and showcased some of their tracks. This led to an increase in people joining MySpace in order to interact with artists. MySpace is an inspiration for Music Merger and it will allow users to create their own pages, but with less clutter than MySpace, providing an easy to use interface.

**INSPIRATION**

 * For this project we will draw inspiration from sites that already exist.**


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;">**[|Apple iTunes Store]**- this is our primary inspiration for the project. The iTunes store holds the majority of the online music store market, and we believe there are a number of flaws with the iTunes store that should be addressed. First of all, the price of each song should be less than 99 cents. Also, there should be more incentives to buy music, like occasional sales, free songs, and albums for half price.
 * [|Ticketmaster] is another inspiration as we believe it is a monopoly. Our online store should also sell concert tickets, and users should be able to occasionally get tickets at a discounted rate in relation to the songs that they buy. For example, a heavy buyer should be able to get a concert ticket for $10 or $20 off in order to increase sales and revenue.<span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;">
 * [|Last.fm]<span style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"> is our primary inspiration for the web site. Last.fm is a website where users can scrobble the music that they listen to, add friends to view their music compatibility, and view their music statistics (favourite songs overall, favourite artists etc.) We think that each user should have a profile where others can view their recently downloaded albums, songs, merchandise and concert tickets, as well as upcoming purchases (or wish lists) that they wish to make.
 * [|Heather's Last.fm page] **&** [|Brittany's Last.fm page]
 * [|Muxtape]- used to be a very simple and easy to use website for uploading 10-song mix tapes, which you could share with your friends. They recently got shut down for legal issues ([|you can read about it here]). It is now changing it's original idea and has become a "minimalist platform for bands to promote their music and listeners to create mixes." They are still developing the new platform, with 12 bands testing it out right now.
 * [|Myspace]- It may not be cool anymore, but it was once the only way for bands to share their music; whether it's a largely popular artist like[|Madonna], or just a small time garage band, everyone was welcome.
 * [|Zune]- Zune is a portable music player (developed by Microsoft) and is becoming a leading alternative music player to Apple's iPod & iTunes. You can buy songs using [|Microsoft Points] (which is a type of online currency created by Windows, and used in Xbox Live Marketplace) or you can buy a [|Zune Pass] for a flat monthly rate (to download unlimitedly but only keep 10 songs at the end of the month for your permanent collection). The software also includes a desktop client/music player that keeps track of the songs you play and share with others, as well as an online social media component called [|Zune Social]which is similar to Myspace/Facebook and incorporates features from Last.fm
 * [|Star500]<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> - Star500 is an online merchandise shop for all your band merchandise needs. Some cool features it has was a list of most popular merchandise. A variety of merchandise, which includes t-shirts, stickers, hats, flags, bags etc. Secure payment options for customers and privacy statements. Also, the materials used in the merchandise is listed for the customer to observe.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">[|Goodrock] - Goodrock is another online merchandise that accomadates your band merchandise needs and more. It has all of the cool features of star500, but has a greater variety of merchandise. Also, has a much better layout and has a security system tested daily by McAffee.
 * [|Cafe Press]- "Custom and funny shirts plus unique gifts. From t-shirts and clothing to books, CDs, posters, cards and stationary, you can create your own designs. You can search by product type, by occasion or recipient (for gifts) or by price. There is a community aspect (and blog) that highlights interesting designs, and makes the site more interactive and participatory.