Rock and roll bands, (in)complete contracts and creativity

Members of a rock and roll band are endowed with different creativity. They match and eventually obtain credit for song writing as well as a share of the returns from sales. More creative members increase the probability of success but may also claim a larger share of the pie. In our theoretical model, the nature of matching (postive or negative assortative) as well as the covariation between the probability of having a “hit” and the dispersion of credits given to individual members are a function of the completeness of contracting. When members adopt a “gentleman’s agreement” to share credits equally, the covariation between the probability of a hit and the dispersion of credits is negative, which is the consequence of positive assortative matching in creativity. The data show that the relation between dispersion and success is significantly negative, and that rock bands are thus likely to sign incomplete contracts.overlapping generations, resource management, common pool resource, spatial interdependence, strategic behaviour, cooperative behaviour

Three Essays in the Economics of Music: Reputation and Success of Musicians

The music industry is a market of superstars, that is a market where a relatively small number of people earn enormous amounts of money and dominate the activity in which they engage (Rosen, 1981). Theories on the superstar phenomenon suggest that luck (Adler, 1985) or talent (Rosen, 1981) are the driving forces behind success. Thus, the “superstars models ” left performers with no “active ” role: successful artists are either endowed with an innate talent far above the average or are extremely lucky. However, all musicians (talented or not; lucky or not) take continuously decisions that affect their career. Chapter 1 and 2 of this dissertation analyze in details some of these decisions and their influence on success. Chapter 1, Rock Bands: Matching, Recording & Work Organization, investigates the impact of partnerships, matching, and work organization on the success of rock musicians using a unique database of 1,494 albums released between 1970 and 2004. We show that rock bands differ in their work organization because the agreements between the members of band are different. These agreements can be seen as implicit contracts. Drawing on this observation, w

Three essays in the economics of music: reputation and success of musicians

The music industry is a market of superstars, that is a market where a relatively small number of people earn enormous amounts of money and dominate the activity in which they engage (Rosen,1981). Theories on the superstars phenomenon suggest that luck (Adler, 1985) or talent (Rosen, 1981) are the driving forces behind success. Thus, the “superstars models” left performers with no “active” role: successful artists are either endowed with an innate talent far above the average or are extremely lucky. However, all musicians (talented or not; lucky or not) take continuously decisions that affect their career. Chapter 1 and 2 of this dissertation analyze in details some of these decisions and their influence on success.Chapter 1, Rock Bands: Matching, Recording & Work Organization,4 investigates the impact of partnerships, matching, and work organization on the success of rock musicians using a unique database of 1,494 albums released between 1970 and 2004. We show that rock bands differ in their work organization because the agreements between the members of band are different. These agreements can be seen as implicit contracts. Drawing on this observation, we develop a model where agents (musicians) with different levels of creativity match (to form a band) and produce a joint output (a song). We show that the way agents match (positively or negatively) is correlated with success and depends on the (in)completeness of contracts. The theoretical results are supported by the data.Chapter 2, Musical Characteristics and Success in Commercial Music, analyzes the relationship between musical characteristics, that can objectively be measured, and different types of success (commercial success, critical success, and success assessed by music lovers). We show that the strength and the direction (positive or negative) of the relationship between success and musical characteristics vary with the measure of success.The third chapter goes in a slightly different direction than the two others as it deals with long term reputation of composers rather than commercial success of pop-rock musicians. Chapter 3, The Formation of the Canons of the Baroque Music, analyzes the reputation of baroque composers over time. The dataset makes it possible to describe the evolution of composers’ reputation and of the baroque canon. The entries in seven important musical dictionaries written between 1790 and 2000 are used to measure reputations. We provide evidence that a consensus exists between musicologists, who often rely on their predecessors’ work.References:Adler, M. (1985). Stardom and talent. American Economic Review, 75, 208-211.Rosen, S. (1981). The economics of superstars, American Economic Review, 71, 845–858.Doctorat en Sciences économiques et de gestioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

The reputation of baroque composers 1790-2000

We analyze the reputation of baroque composers over time. The dataset makes it possible to describe the evolution of composers' reputation and of the baroque canon. The entries in seven important musical dictionaries written between 1790 and 2000 are used to measure reputations. We provide evidence that a consensus exists between musicologists, who often rely on their predecessors' work. We also show that nationality plays a role in the judgment of musicologists. Even recent dictionaries of music seem to be biased by their nationality. These results are supported by a panel data model and by statistical tests. © 2010, Baywood Publishing Co. Inc.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

A propos du répertoire des orchestres symphoniques belges de 1960 à 2005

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Rock and Roll Bands, (In) complete Contracts and Creativity

Members of a rock and roll band are endowed with different creativity. They match and eventually obtain credit for song writing as well as a share of the returns from sales. More creative members increase the probability of success but may also claim a larger share of the pie. In our theoretical model, the nature of matching (postive or negative assortative) as well as the covariation between the probability of having a “hit” and the dispersion of credits given to individual members are a function of the completeness of contracting. When members adopt a “gentleman’s agreement” to share credits equally, the covariation between the probability of a hit and the dispersion of credits is negative, which is the consequence of positive assortative matching in creativity. The data show that the relation between dispersion and success is significantly negative, and that rock bands are thus likely to sign incomplete contracts.

One hundred years of solitude: Bestsellers in the United States, 1900–1999

We study the fiction publishing sector using the top ten annual best-sold novels in the United States during the whole 20th century. We show that the number of bestselling women dropped sharply between 1950 and 1980 and that during the 20 last years of the century it was much more difficult for new writers to enter the list. Though we cannot show that this is caused by the very important concentration of publishers, the two phenomena are obviously correlated.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

One Hundred Years of Solitude Bestsellers in the United States, 1900-1999

We study the fiction publishing sector using the top ten annual best-sold novels in the United States during the whole 20th century. We show that there is inequality in genders (especially between 1950 and 1980), and large differences in age for first and last book by bestselling authors. We also report on the number of times each writer is listed among the top ten, and find that during the 20 last years of the century, it became much more difficult for new writers to enter the list. Though we cannot show that this is caused by the very important concentration of publishers, the two phenomena are obviously correlated. We discuss at some length the reasons for which female authors almost disappeared as bestsellers after 1950, and make an incursion into the quality of bestsellers, using as measure the number of authors who were also given important literary awards.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe