Marketing and consumption of popular music : the case of New Model Army

English rock band New Model Army has survived for nearly thirty years without a conventional marketing strategy or mass media support, and for much of that time without major record label support. This inquiry set out to explore the reasons for the durability of this independent band. The study required an engagement with a range of literatures from marketing, consumer studies, popular music studies and cultural studies. The key notions of "circuit of culture" and "text" were adapted to help guide the inquiry, and combined with social identity theory and branding theory. A broadly ethnographic approach, harnessed to a combination of social constructionist, hermeneutico-semiotic and discourse-analytical perspectives was used for the study. A range of data collection methods was used, including participant observation, interviews with band and fans, and photography. In three empirical chapters, data on three sites of cultural production and consumption site are presented: cyberspace, museum spaces and gig spaces. The chapters deal with, respectively, the construction of the New Model Army "Family" as a framing interpretative resource for the band-fan community; the curation by the band of an exhibition of its art and artefacts in order to create a Family heritage; and the importance of live performances as Family "gatherings". Data analysis helps to show how the band and fans together construct the musical project that is New Model Army, while also pointing to some underlying tensions and how these are managed by the band and fans., The implications of these findings are then drawn out for the conceptualisation of tribes and brand communities, and the marketing and branding of popular music groups. The combination of circuit of culture, text, and social identity theory with detailed empirical evidence offers a thickly descriptive and analytical answer to the question about the durability of New Model Army's appeal. This thesis also contributes to the development of theory in the areas of arts marketing, arts branding, cultural studies and popular music studies.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Marketing and consumption of popular music : the case of New Model Army.

English rock band New Model Army has survived for nearly thirty years without a conventional marketing strategy or mass media support, and for much of that time without major record label support. This inquiry set out to explore the reasons for the durability of this independent band. The study required an engagement with a range of literatures from marketing, consumer studies, popular music studies and cultural studies. The key notions of "circuit of culture" and "text" were adapted to help guide the inquiry, and combined with social identity theory and branding theory. A broadly ethnographic approach, harnessed to a combination of social constructionist, hermeneutico-semiotic and discourse-analytical perspectives was used for the study. A range of data collection methods was used, including participant observation, interviews with band and fans, and photography. In three empirical chapters, data on three sites of cultural production and consumption site are presented: cyberspace, museum spaces and gig spaces. The chapters deal with, respectively, the construction of the New Model Army "Family" as a framing interpretative resource for the band-fan community; the curation by the band of an exhibition of its art and artefacts in order to create a Family heritage; and the importance of live performances as Family "gatherings". Data analysis helps to show how the band and fans together construct the musical project that is New Model Army, while also pointing to some underlying tensions and how these are managed by the band and fans., The implications of these findings are then drawn out for the conceptualisation of tribes and brand communities, and the marketing and branding of popular music groups. The combination of circuit of culture, text, and social identity theory with detailed empirical evidence offers a thickly descriptive and analytical answer to the question about the durability of New Model Army's appeal. This thesis also contributes to the development of theory in the areas of arts marketing, arts branding, cultural studies and popular music studies

Digital affordances and artist identity in the musical industry. The case of Imogen Heap

The chapter theorizes the impact of digital technologies on the construction of artist identity in the music industry through the analysis of a case study of an artist who built her success on the effective use of digital technologie

Framing the work:the composition of value in the visual arts

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the literature on value creation by examining value within the visual arts market and arguing for a broader, socio-culturally informed view of value creation. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop an original conceptual framework to model the value co-creation process through which art is legitimised. An illustrative case study of artist Damien Hirst demonstrates the application of this framework. Findings The findings illustrate how value is co-constructed in the visual arts market, demonstrating a need to understand social relationships as value is dispersed, situational and in-flux. Research limitations/implications The authors problematise the view that value emerges as a result of operant resources “producing effects” through working on operand resources. Rather, adopting the socio-cultural approach, the authors demonstrate how value emerges and is co-constructed, negotiated and circulated. The authors establish the need to reconceptualise value as created collaboratively with other actors within industry sectors. The locus of control is, therefore, dispersed. Moreover, power dynamics at play mean that “consumers” are not homogenous; some are more important than others in the valuation process. Practical implications This more distributed notion of value blurs boundaries between product and service, producer and consumer, offering a more unified perspective on value co-creation, which can be used in strategic decision-making. Originality/value This paper illustrates that value co-creation must be understood in relation to understanding patterns of hierarchy that influence this process