The Music Business

Your answer should be in the form of a 1,000 word essay submitted online by 4 pm on 18 February Essay topics: 1. What has the impact of COVID been on the Music Business? What can be done about it? 2. The music industry serves the interests of corporations not musicians or audiences. Explore both sides of the argument and say if you agree 3. ‘In popular music what is good is what sells’. Discuss the pros and cons of ‘Populism’ (Frith 1991) 4. “Genres are machines for reproducing ideology” Robert Walser. Discuss in relation to a genre(s) of your choice 5. Discuss the relationship between music and place, using specific examples. 6. How has the music business responded to piracy? Have they been successful? 7. Discuss the politics of streaming (i.e. who does it benefit, who does it harm?). Does it need to be fixed? How? 8. ‘The history of popular music is partly a history of technologies of storage (Frith, 1996: 226). What does Simon Frith mean by this, and is it a useful way of thinking about the music business? 9. How has digitalization changed the economics of the music business (give specific examples)? Guidance  Define your terms (and not just the dictionary definition, but using what the course reading says)  Identify the week relevant to the question and REFER TO THE COURSE READING. You should read more widely than just the pdfs on Moodle, but start with them (and follow their bibliographies) Focus your answer- you cannot answer EVERYTHING, so summaries the general problem (with examples) and be specific.  Use your reading list  Use concrete examples (its fine to use some from the reading but also try and find your own)  Choose a referencing style (I don’t care which but BE CONSISTENT)  As a rough guide you should include a reference in each paragraph, and include at least 2 direct quotes from reading. Always say where you have got your information from  Despite what the question might say it is not asking for your OPINION. You need to make an argument (giving due weight to all sides) and provide EVIDENCE to support your assertions.