The South African music industry is in crisis. Recent data suggests that the industry has declined by an average of 13.2% per year for the past 5 years. The industry seems to be unable to accept responsibility for this state of affairs and consistently blames external factors for its woes. A new look at the marketing strategies for the industry is urgently required The primary objective of this dissertation is to raise the debate around current marketing strategies, to show that these strategies are not able to facilitate growth in the industry, and need to be radically reassessed. Anticipated results were achieved during the interviews that were conducted. There is a general belief throughout the industry that the reason for the decline is beyond the control of retailers or suppliers. Blame was placed on the increasing sales of cellular phones, gambling, the national lottery and piracy. None of the interviewed stakeholders considered a change in marketing strategy to be beneficial. It is recommended that marketing strategies be reviewed. The tendency to operate on a 'product and price' advertising strategy should be removed, and a strategy put in place that responds to the wants and needs of consumers. This strategy should include a great degree of personal relevance for the consumer. Retail stores should focus on establishing brand identity for their stores rather than focusing on product and price. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Alternative music was a cultural practice, which became a significant feature of New Zealand's local and national history over the last two decades of the twentieth century. Features of technology, economics and music culture influenced the creation and course of local independent music scenes, along with factors such as cultural remoteness. This thesis isolates and collates key factors and time periods of international music industry history, and refracts the information through alternative music in general, providing a coherent definition of the term. The history and definitions of New Zealand's alternative music history are then assessed for the period 1981-2001, with especial reference to the Flying Nun label and 'Dunedin Sound'.

Thesis (M.M.)--Baylor University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-122).

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2009. / Title from title page (Digital Archive@GSU, viewed June 16, 2010) Jeffrey Bennett, committee chair; Ted Friedman, Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, committee members. Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-104).

Thesis (M.S..)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Steven McClung, Florida State University, College of Communication, Dept. of Communication. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 7, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 54 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis examines the genre of epic, and particularly Milton’s Paradise Lost. It argues that it is only in attending to the contextual interactions within Paradise Lost that its full meaning can be comprehended. It demonstrates that the poem not only narrates the Fall, but actively performs its consequences in its thematic and linguistic structures, which continually stress the impossibility of approaching perfect (divine) totality. Chapter one outlines the theoretical response to epic, read as a petrified genre in contrast to the newness, openness and linguistic flexibility of the novel. It then challenges these assumptions through a reading of the invocation to book III of Paradise Lost. The chapter closes by examining seventeenth-century writings on epic, demonstrating that Milton’s contemporaries saw the epic as defined by the possibility of didactic intervention into its context. Chapter two examines the forms of the epic metaphor, which serve as a temporal link between the ‘mythic’ past of epic and contemporary events. It then shows that the nationalistic impulse of epic was a method by which the mythic past of a country was deployed as an exemplary narrative for the present. The chapter closes by considering the ways in which shifts in national conception were mapped onto the epic. Chapter three outlines Paradise Lost’s thematic engagement with the concept of representation. It focuses on the twin images of the music of the spheres and the Tower of Babel, used in Paradise Lost to represent man’s relationship with God. It argues that the poem uses these tropes to explore the linguistic effects of the Fall. Both these images are deployed to suggest that postlapsarian expression is too open and ambiguous to properly portray divinity. Chapter four moves that discussion to a linguistic level, arguing that the poem is characterised by indeterminacy. It argues that Paradise Lost calls into question the possibility of expressing perfect truth in fractured, postlapsarian language. It shows that punning is the mark of fallen creatures in the poem, and suggests that the poem’s own puns exploit this category to linguistically question its own status as representation through performances of ambiguity. The conclusion synthesises these local readings of Paradise Lost into a reading of the poem as a whole. It argues that these individual instances demonstrate the poem’s continual reflexive concern over its theodicean project. By continually expressing ambiguity, at the level of imagery and language, Paradise Lost draws attention to its status as postlapsarian art, and the consequent impossibility of approaching the divine perfection exemplified by the celestial music or prelapsarian language.

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Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Division of Humanities, Department of Contemporary Music Studies, 2006. / Bibliography: p. 377-385. / Introduction -- Literature review, discussion of methodologies and research orientation -- "20% of nothing": Australian rock music management -- Australian country music management -- Australian pop music management: the third party -- Conclusion: managerial creativity. / Artist managers 'create' careers for musicians, yet little has been written about their creativity in the academic domain. Thus this thesis develops the notion of managerial creativity. Artist managers build and maintain 'brands', and this is a creative industry function. The thesis begins with a description of what artist management is, then it reviews the way in which various Australian musicians' and artist managers' careers are created and maintained. A musical idea or product arises from the synergy of many sources and not only from the mind of a single person (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996). Therefore it is easier to enhance creativity by changing conditions in the environment the artist is located in than by trying to make artists think more creatively. Managerial creativity involves the creation and maintenance of the system, context or environment from which artistic creativity emerges and is therefore the facet of the music industry that can most effectively enhance musical creativity. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / ix, 390 p., ill

As the oldest recording industry in the world, the United States has set industry standards regarding record labels, publishing, live entertainment and music services. Since the beginning of the 20th century, American music has become a staple in worldwide pop culture, spreading to all four corners of the world. Indeed, the U.S. music industry has held the number one position in the ranking of the world’s top 10 largest music markets since its first record label, Columbia Records, was founded in 1887. However, a relatively new genre of music is rapidly taking over the world’s pop music scene: South Korean pop music, otherwise known as K-pop. This thesis analyzes the similarities and differences between the two diverse music industries – with an emphasis on pop music – by first delving into the copyright and recording aspects of the business, followed by identifying key differences in each industry’s standards and aesthetics, and finally examining media consumption and marketing implications in the two countries. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts(Arts and Culture Management) 2017 / American film producer, Jason Berman reminds us that music is something the rest of the world wants to listen to; our job is to make sure they pay for it (Matzukis, 2013). When a piece of music is written, a legal right to it comes alive and is vested in the songwriter (author), but if that piece of music is later recorded, a totally different copyright vested in the record company comes alive (Matzukis, 2013). Unfortunately, it appears that the majority of local music role players, particularly composers, producers and performers, are not sufficiently equipped with legal knowledge and common understanding of the music trade’s secrets, its ecosystem or the music industry value chain. The lack of knowledge and exposure is attributed to historically manifested control of the music markets by record companies owned by foreign multinational conglomerates. As a result, a large number of famous and popular local musicians have died penniless. This scenario is painted vividly in an online article titled “Why do our artists die poor?”, which cites Brenda Fassie and Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde as examples of artists who died poor because of bad decisions they made in their career, despite their fame and wealth of music compositions. (www.you.co.za/entertainment/why-do-artists-die-poor/#) In South Africa, the major constraints on the launching of a musical career are access to trade knowledge and the means of production, such as recording facilities (Jordan, 2009).The Southern African Music Rights Organization’s empirical research shows that international music still dominates the South African music market, with 74% of music sold and played on broadcasting and public platforms (Samro, Notes, November 2014, p 13). As a result, the majority of local independent music composers, producers and performers are forced to share the remaining 26% of the music market. This situation worsens when widening the scope to include music role players who are located outside of urbanised provinces such as Gauteng and Western Cape, because most of them lack access to adequate and professional recording studios; lack basic knowledge on ownership of compositions and sound recordings rights; lack the skill to interpret the copyright laws; lack understanding of contractual issues between the artist and record company; lack understanding of the exportation trade; lack the means to submit their audiovisual works for airplay and lack adequate resources to build their brands for competitiveness. Since 2006 the South African music industry has seen an increase in government expenditure on and investment in musical institutions, at national and provincial levels, which are defined in this study as “music hubs”. In 2006, the Eastern Cape Audio Visual Centre (ECAVC) was established in East London (Eastern Cape Province); in 2009/2010, the KZN Music House was established in Durban (KwaZulu-Natal) and in 2008, the Downtown Music Hub was established in Johannesburg (Gauteng Province). The rationale to establish these music hubs is to ease access to the means of production for a large number of local music composers, producers and performers. The purpose of this impact analysis study is evaluate to what extent these music hubs are fulfilling their redress and transformation policy mandate to be beacons of hope for the local music industry. The theoretical grounds of this research study are premised on the concepts of transformation to create access for previously marginalized groups and black economic empowerment for local music role players. This research will unpack how these music hubs, in South Africa, can be used as tools for redress and to transform the music industry into an equitable market for all role players. Although government, at national and provincial level, shows commitment to establishing musical institutions that aim to combat the challenges facing the local music role players as outlined above, it is regrettable that the two music hubs (case studies) in the respective provinces are battling to position themselves as provincial music industry center pieces that create a competitive provincial music ecosystem and network to connect and empower local music industry role players. In 2009, the former minister of arts and culture, Pallo Jordan, in his speech at the launch of the Downtown Music Hub, indicated that the purpose of establishing the music hubs was to lower the barrier by making recording facilities, music manufacturing plants, music distribution channels and music stores more accessible to the most qualifying music role players (Jordan, 2009). This means that if these music hubs are understood as the music development trajectory in South Africa and well implemented, they have the potential to help local music industry role players become more competitive and perform on global music market platforms. / XL2018