music industry terminology

Convergence of Technology-Previously separate technologies that now share resources and interact with each other synergistically. A more basic way of putting it would be the coming together of new media technologies. For example, the recent rise of digital communication has made it possible for media organizations (or individuals) to deliver text, audio, and video material over the same wired, wireless, or fiber-optic connections. When in the past, the functions of a telephone were very basic (voice only)


Coverage of Industrial Activity-


Synergy-The interaction or cooperation of two or more organisations, substances or other agents to produce a greater combined effect. (M&S advert promoting X-Factor)


Conglomerate- A media conglomerate, media group or media institution is a company that owns large numbers of companies in various mass media such as television, radio, publishing, movies, and the Internet. Media conglomerates strive for policies that facilitate their control of the markets across the globe.


Globalisation- Growth to global or worldwide scale. 


Analogue Music- The music industry (or music business) sells compositions, recordings and performances of music. Among the many individuals and organisations that operate within the industry are the musicians who compose and perform the music; the companies and professionals who create and sell recorded music.


Digitisation- Conversion of analog information into digital information.


Vertical Integration- When a company expands its business into different areas. ( Emi records = HMV)

 Horizontal Integration-  A record label that owns other record labels that used to be independent ( this reaches a wider audience ).


Major Record Label- Warner, Sony and Universal but 1000's of independent record labels ( higher marks for case studies )


Subsidiary Label- This is a label owned by a major record label.


Independent Label-


Niche Audience- Specific audience, music created for that audience ( Marylin Manson ) but at a global level a lot of profit


Mainstream Audience-the uncontroversial generally accepted attitudes, beliefs and values of the majority of the population.


Fans-


Active Audiences- Active participants by influencing other people. ( posting music videos on facebook )


Audiophiles-An audiophile is a person who has a great interest in high-fidelity sound reproduction


Early Adopters- A person who starts using a product or technology as soon as it becomes available


Consumption-The purchase and use of goods and services by the public


Web 2.0-social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessable and scalable publishing techniques


Meta tags/Personalisation- Information within a music file ( music genre, album and rating )


Download- The act or process of copying data in such a way.


Streaming– A method of relaying data (esp. video and audio material) over a computer network as a steady continuous stream, allowing playback to proceed while subsequent data is being received


Peer to Peer-(P2P) is a term that originated from the popular concept of peer-to-peer computer application design, popularized by the large distributed file sharing systems, such as Napster.


Piracy- Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright owner's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.

Portability/Miniaturisation-


Multi-Track-An audio tape which holds more than one track of audio information.


Sampling-The technique of digitally encoding music or sound and reusing it as part of a composition or recording.


Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)- Originated in the early 1980s, the term digital audio workstation (DAW) originally referred to a tape-less, computer-based system such as New England Digital's Synclavier and Fairlight that used hard drives for media storage


A&R- Artists and Repertoire-this is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.


Recored Deal-Contract-A recording contract (commonly called a record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote.

 Royalties-Sums of money paid to a patentee for the use of a patent or to an author or composer for each copy of a book sold or for each public performance of a work or in the music business, songs played.
Distribution-the company or organisation responsible for buying a film from the producers and distributing it.


Plugging/Marketing-The transmission of information about a media text to a target audience in such a way as to maximise the appeal to that audience.