In recent years, the way that we consume music has changed significantly, and this is largely due to the increase of major music streaming services, such as Apple Music and Spotify. This text aims to identify the impact that streaming has on how we listen to and interact with music and whether it has a positive effect on the music industry. According to academics, steaming services allow the user to consume content either via a paid subscription or at no additional cost, instead of purchasing individual content. Most streaming platforms offer a paid premium version to access unlimited music; even sites such as YouTube now offer a paid music service. It is also noted that the adoption of streaming leads to a large increase in the quantity and diversity of the user’s consumption, meaning a wider variety of music can be discovered. However, are we being given too much choice and can this be considered overwhelming for some?

The purpose of this text is to analyse the changes of how we have consumed music within the last ten years, discussing the positives and negatives of each method of consumption. I also aim to research into some of the technology behind these changes, discussing elements such as cloud computing and how we do not own the files as opposed to buying physical copies of music, and how algorithms within streaming platforms can shape how and what we listen to. To do this, I will be using quantitative data to understand the popularity and impact of streaming from a consumer’s perspective and I intend to create a questionnaire to discover whether user’s pay for streaming services, their listening habits and how they use streaming services to discover new music. I aim to conclude why streaming has now become one of the most popular methods for music consumption, and I will use my findings to predict how this will continue to influence the music industry.

For Media Technologies assignment 1, we were assigned the task of creating our own ‘media’ in small groups. This meant that we could design our own mobile application, website, hardware hack etc. that we then had to present to the class. Myself, James and Josh developed a mobile application called Libro (meaning book in Spanish). Our app that we designed is a comparison service, which enables users to search for and purchase academic books from a selection of different retailers such as Amazon, eBay, AbeBooks etc. in order to find the cheapest price. Our app also includes paid premium features including book recommendations, free delivery and access to Audiobooks.

During the development stages of creating our app, James researched into the data opportunities, Josh studied the importance of the tetrad and I looked at how apps make money and the future growth of our own application. One key feature of our app is the home page, which includes certain recommendations for users, such as specific books, authors and genres they may be interested in. These personalised recommendations are only possible with the use of algorithms paired with the user’s data. For assignment 2, I will be moving beyond our application, so in this essay I will be discussing in further detail the role of algorithms and how they shape our everyday lives.

Algorithms are everywhere in the ever-growing world of the internet and are slowly shaping the way we live. An algorithm can be best described as a systematic, self-contained set of operations to be performed or a set of rules that defines a sequence of operations. To simplify, an algorithm is “a set of guidelines that describe how to perform a task” (Brogan, 2016). We all have an individual algorithmic identity made up of certain elements such as:

• The user’s Geolocation
• Computing platform
• Profile information
• Friends/Followers
• Status updates and posts
• Links followed on the site
• Time spent on the site
• Activities on other sites

Algorithms are hidden and black-boxed – they are an invisible part of technology. They can be considered similar to computer coding, however, instead of a set of instructions continuously repeating themselves, algorithms rewrite themselves as they work. This can be a frightening thought for many people, as it makes it sound as though algorithms are alive and that they are constantly monitoring what we do.

Subsequently, they have the power to shape our online identities and are able to influence some of our personal views and decisions we make in our everyday lives. Sociologist Steven Lukes states that power comes in three varieties: the ability to stop people from doing what they want to do, the ability to compel them to do things they do not want to do and the ability to shape the way that they think (Naughton, 2012). Algorithms have the potential to do all of those things.

Algorithms are recipes for the internet and “are aimed at optimizing everything. They can save lives, make things easier and conquer chaos” (Rainie & Anderson, 2017, p. 2). There are many different debatable pros and cons to algorithms. Firstly, they manage our interactions on social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter for example, as they highlight what they think we want to see, based on algorithmic processes. This can be considered a positive as they filter out the content that user’s generally would not be interested in. They also help us to make decisions that are more rational based on “evidence, wisdom and mathematically verified steps” (Tranberg, 2017), making our lives much easier, without us even realising. Algorithms affect even the simplest of decisions within our daily lives such as what Netflix movies we choose to watch or even what music we listen to. Algorithms can “help us connect with the unfamiliar – and the unforgotten” (Brogan, 2016).

Nonetheless, algorithms do have their disadvantages. “Most algorithms today are written to optimize efficiency and profitability without much thought about possible societal impacts” (Tranberg, 2017). Algorithms collect large quantities of our data without us realising, to provide content that suits our needs. We cannot fully understand the implications of the algorithms programmed into our everyday actions and decisions, which means we are being brainwashed by technology. This could also suggest that algorithms are killing our intelligence, as they make it almost too easy for us to make decisions, and our interests and hobbies stem from these algorithms, which ultimately destroys a sense of individuality.

Some companies use algorithms to hire employees more effectively and efficiently, and there are both pros and cons to this method of recruitment. Algorithmic hiring is the process of using a computer algorithm to access people’s applications (Hinde, 2019). The algorithm uses data collected from the individual’s CV, cover letter, online application etc. to ultimately decide whether the candidate is suitable for the job role they are applying for.

This advanced technology can provide some obvious benefits to companies. The first would be efficiency. Companies would be able to reduce the amount of time that they spend sorting through applications, and would be able to identify likely candidates a lot quicker. It would also help to improve the company as a whole in terms of increased intelligence, as an ideal profile supported by data can help companies select specific skills and experience needed for the jobs they advertise. Finally, it would allow companies to respond faster to applicants.

The first disadvantage of algorithmic hiring is that it can be time consuming to generate, and if algorithmic errors occur, companies could end up hiring the wrong people. Data accuracy is also something that companies would need to manage, as the algorithm will be based on past data. There is also potential for bias when developing an algorithm, interpreting the data and how it is analysed.

To conclude this assignment, it is evident that algorithms are a huge part of the ever-growing world of the internet and technology, and that they have both advantages and disadvantages. They are ultimately in place to make our lives easier, however they are slowly destroying the way we think for ourselves, especially with the choices we make online. The module has allowed me to understand how to develop a mobile application and what it needs to include, and why algorithms are an important part, and how they can shape our views and make decisions on our behalves.

Bibliography

Brogan, J. (2016, February 2). What’s the Deal With Algorithms? Retrieved from Slate: https://slate.com/technology/2016/02/whats-the-deal-with-algorithms.html

Hinde, G. (2019, February 15). Algorithmic Hiring: Assessing the Pros and Cons. Retrieved from IQ PARTNERS: https://www.iqpartners.com/blog/algorithmic-hiring-assessing-the-pros-and-cons/

Naughton, J. (2012, December 16). How algorithms secretly shape the way we behave. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/dec/16/networker-algorithms-john-naughton

Rainie, L., & Anderson, J. (2017). Code-Dependent: Pros and Cons of the Algorithm Age. Pew Research Center , 1-86.

Tranberg, P. (2017, February 18). Experts On The Pros & Cons of Algorithms. Retrieved from DataEthics: https://dataethics.eu/prosconsai/

As mentioned in the first blog post, my group designed an app that compares prices of academic books from different retailers. Myself, James and Josh decided to work together for our first assignment and immediately, we created a group chat where we could share ideas, arrange meetups and help each other out when we were not together. When deciding on what kind of app we wanted to develop, our first thought was to create something that we would personally benefit from, that isn’t already out on the market.

James came up with the idea for a platform which allows users to purchase books for the cheapest possible price, so initially we did some research to see if something similar was already available. We found a couple of websites such as booksprice.co.uk and bookfinder.com however, they were both hugely dated and appearance wise, did not look engaging or interesting. From this research, we made the decision that our app would focus specifically on academic books and only be available on mobile, and as students, we all agreed this was something we would be interested in, therefore we were happy to expand that idea.

After creating a simple prototype for our app to test if our ideas worked correctly, a shared Google Doc (see below) was put together to allow us to construct a jobs list, create a log of our progress as a team and to share information we found individually. We all took on the responsibility of making sure it was regularly updated so that we stayed organised and all knew where we were at. This was incredibly useful as it meant that we could easily divide up jobs that needed completing, continue work outside of meetings and we all understood the theory behind our app such as the Tetrad and the data involved with our app.

During the creative process, we figured it was important to carry out some market research. I took on the responsibility of creating a short survey (see responses below) of questions that allowed us to understand what users wanted from our app and posting it on social media to generate responses. At first we were worried, as the majority of respondents said they never purchase academic books. However, instead of dwelling on this result, we took it as: people don’t buy academic books because they aren’t easily accessible, whereas our app would make them more readily available and persuade people to purchase them. We also found out that respondents buy books in both new and second-hand condition, therefore we made sure our app would include both of these options.

This assignment has firstly allowed us to understand how to develop an idea into a working app. As a group, we have been able to understand all the different elements to creating our own ‘media’ such as understanding the Tetrad, thinking about how our data will be controlled and figuring out how apps generate income and how they can grow in the future. Most importantly, this assignment has also allowed us to enhance our team working skills by communicating effectively and our own personal organisational skills.

For our first assignment, in groups, we were set the challenge of creating and designing our own ‘media’ (mobile app, website, hardware hack etc.). My group developed a mobile application called ‘Libro’, which enables users to search for academic books or texts to compare prices from various different retailers (Amazon, eBay, AbeBooks etc.) in order to find the cheapest price. The app also includes paid premium features such as free delivery, book recommendations and access to audiobooks.

We initially started developing our app using the website Appy Pie, which allows users to build their own app without the need for coding. The website uses a basic drag and drop system to add text, images, hyperlinks etc. similar to the features on Wix.com. This allowed us to create a simple prototype for our app to test if our ideas worked correctly and to see what we needed to develop, however the website had various limitations which stopped us from achieving a more refined version. We chose to switch to Adobe XD to continue working on our app, which meant that we were able to create a more advanced version of our prototype (an easier sign up page, a more stylish home page etc.) and a more visually stimulating design overall.

Tetrad – Josh – https://joshhallamblogs.wordpress.com/2019/12/06/media-technologies-tetrad/

Data Opportunities – James – https://jamesandrewtaylor.blog/2019/11/23/libro-data-considerations/

During the design process for our mobile app, we had to think about funding options, how we would be able to generate money and how we would be able to expand our app for future growth. As a group, we researched into some of the ways in which free apps make money. We found that the most common ways were through advertising, email marketing, subscriptions and in-app purchases. Advertising is one of the main ways to generate money, and usually the easiest, so when designing our app, we made sure that relevant ads are displayed on the app’s homepage to create revenue from users viewing and engaging with them.

Initially we decided our mobile app would be free to download and free to create an account. Users would then be able to decide between three different subscription packages: a free account – Normalo, a premium account – Maximus and a student account – Estudiante (premium but for half the price). Users choosing the free subscription would benefit from access to buy all academic books available, and limited book recommendations based on user’s recent purchases and search history displayed on the app’s home page. However, in order to make money from a free subscription account, delivery would cost £3 for each book.

To generate a steady income, users are given the option to purchase a premium subscription for £4 a month, to gain extra benefits and a more personalised app experience. Premium features include free delivery on every academic book over £10, extra book recommendations as well as Author and Genre recommendations displayed on the home page, a free book for every tenth purchase and an ad-free account. We also decided that, to attract more users to pay for a premium account, we would allow premium users access to buy audiobooks as well as regular academic books. Lastly, users paying for a premium service can choose to receive a monthly marketing email, which would include content such as the most popular academic books that month, new books and audiobooks added to the app and personalised discount codes. As our main target market for our mobile app is students, we decided to offer a student subscription, featuring all the benefits of a premium account, but for half the price.

In terms of future growth for our app, our main target to work towards would be to expand our database of academic books available to purchase within the app. The data currently available on our working app is data that has been physically computed (book title, author, genre, price etc.). Funding derived from the processes mentioned previously would allow us to build a dedicated database hinged on the ISO or International Standard Book Number (unique book identifier found on every book) system. This would be less time consuming than having to manually input each book’s individual data and would allow for more books to be available within the app.

During the design process for our mobile app, we had to think about funding options, how we would be able to generate money and how we would be able to expand our app for future growth. As a group, we researched into some of the ways in which free apps make money. We found that the most common ways were through advertising, email marketing, subscriptions and in-app purchases. Advertising is one of the main ways to generate money, and usually the easiest, so when designing our app, we made sure that relevant ads are displayed on the app’s homepage to create revenue from users viewing and engaging with them.

Initially we decided our mobile app would be free to download and free to create an account. Users would then be able to decide between three different subscription packages: a free account – Normalo, a premium account – Maximus and a student account – Estudiante (premium but for half the price). Users choosing the free subscription would benefit from access to buy all academic books available, and limited book recommendations based on user’s recent purchases and search history displayed on the app’s home page. However, in order to make money from a free subscription account, delivery would cost £3 for each book.

To generate a steady income, users are given the option to purchase a premium subscription for £4 a month, to gain extra benefits and a more personalised app experience. Premium features include free delivery on every academic book over £10, extra book recommendations as well as Author and Genre recommendations displayed on the home page, a free book for every tenth purchase and an ad-free account. We also decided that, to attract more users to pay for a premium account, we would allow premium users access to buy audiobooks as well as regular academic books. Lastly, users paying for a premium service can choose to receive a monthly marketing email, which would include content such as the most popular academic books that month, new books and audiobooks added to the app and personalised discount codes. As our main target market for our mobile app is students, we decided to offer a student subscription, featuring all the benefits of a premium account, but for half the price.

In terms of future growth for our app, our main target to work towards would be to expand our database of academic books available to purchase within the app. The data currently available on our working app is data that has been physically computed (book title, author, genre, price etc.). Funding derived from the processes mentioned previously would allow us to build a dedicated database hinged on the ISO or International Standard Book Number (unique book identifier found on every book) system. This would be less time consuming than having to manually input each book’s individual data and would allow for more books to be available within the app.

When designing my magazine article, I tried to follow the conventions of real magazine articles as closely as I could. I started by making sure the font I used for my title was bold and would make the audience want to read my article. I feel I achieved this, as the title is one of the first things you look at on the spread. As I started to write, I made sure to include a short paragraph at the start of my article, which explains to the audience what they are going to be reading about. This is conventional, and is essential as it helps the reader to decide whether they are going to find the article interesting or not. I used a drop capital within my work, as this was something that was included in real magazine articles I looked at prior to writing my own. I chose to add some statistics into my article to back up what I was talking about and to show to the reader how big of an issue gender inequality within festivals really is. I also chose to add a couple of images to make my article look more interesting and added some festival flags, so that the reader would know hopefully straight away what my article was about.

Looking at the way I designed my article, I feel as though I should have placed my text into columns, as it would have made the article easier to read and would have looked much neater. I also feel that as a whole it looks quite plain, and that maybe one main image filling both pages with text and statistics inserted on top would have looked a lot more interesting (like the DIY magazine article example). The way I wrote my article, I feel as though it would be better suited in a feminist magazine or an online news article, as it is very informative and fact heavy, and doesn’t match the casual vibe that articles in music magazines tend to go for. I also think my article ends rather abruptly, and isn’t rounded off well. It almost feels like it’s unfinished and that there is more to be said. Overall, I feel happy with my production piece, but if I were to do this project again, I would focus on my style of writing to make sure it is suitable for where it would be published, and I would pay more attention to the design to make it look realistic and easy to read for the audience.

After completing my article, I thought about how it relates to identities and representations. Women are constantly being underrepresented within the music industry, which also reflects through festival line-ups. The lack of female performers suggests the idea that women aren’t as capable as men and aren’t what the majority want to see. Festivals that are dominated by men creates a negative representation of women, suggesting that men create better crowds and that male artists and bands are simply more popular than females. Gender inequality within the music industry has been an issue for so many years, which suggests the lack of female artists at festivals is down to the fact that women have not felt inspired or encouraged.

The idea of stereotypes can link to the gender inequality within the music industry. For many years, we have been brought up to believe that playing instruments such as drums and guitars was a masculine hobby, and that it was only something that boys were interested in. Only recently have we seen that change with more female bands appearing within the music industry (Hinds, Girlpool, Honeyblood etc), however we are still seeing the same male bands headlining the stages at music festivals. Genre has a link to stereotypes, as we often associate female artists with genres such as pop and indie and male artists are often associated with genres such as rock, metal and electronic. Therefore, when women produce music that is of a genre we would not usually associate them with they usually struggle to gain coverage and success.

The pledge for 50/50 gender balance at festivals in the UK could link to the idea of Fourth Wave Feminism. The pledge is essentially a campaign for more female artists to be on the line-ups at festivals, making them more diverse and inclusive. Social media can play a huge role in helping this pledge to become a reality, as it will spark discussions and spread the issue around, so that we see a more positive representation of women at music festivals, and prove that they are capable of drawing the crowds. This pledge can also relate to intersectionality, as it’s trying to overcome the gender division through a campaigning movement, and is trying to break negative stereotypes of women within the music industry.

Before I started to write my article, it was important that I did some research into the topic I was going to be discussing, to get an understanding of the issue and to find facts and statistics to support my article. I first looked at a BBC News article on the gender gap in music festival line-ups. The BBC analysed nine UK festival posters (756 acts), looking at how many acts were male, female and mixed (bands with male and female members). A shocking 77% of acts were male and another 9% were bands with more male than female members. Only 13% of acts that were advertised on posters were female, which translates to 97 singers, bands and DJ’s and another six bands were majority female. Two-thirds of the mixed groups had female lead singers (another 38 acts) but most of the band members were male.

The BBC used all this information to create a graph chart, showing which UK festivals had the lowest percentage of women on their line-up. Bestival and Latitude came out on top with 29% and 30% of their acts being female. Download and Boomtown had the lowest percentage of women on their line-ups with only 5% and 6%, and Creamfields and Wireless were not far behind, with 9%. (BBC News, 2018)

Wireless festival faced criticism this year when a Tweet from Lily Allen was posted, addressing the lack of female representation in their line-up. The tweet showed an image of the 2018 wireless festival line-up, where all the male acts had been removed and only 3 female acts remained. Lily captioned this image with “The struggle is real” showing her frustration and embarrassment. I decided to look at the replies to this Tweet to see how people had reacted, and I found that the majority of replies from men were them defending the festival and being dismissive of women.

The Guardian spoke about this issue in an article discussing how music festivals are working on gender equality.  Melvin Benn, the promoter behind Wireless said the festival approached “17 or 18 more acts” but was unable to secure them due to touring and record schedule commitments. The guardian also spoke about how Festival Republic (a UK music promoter) is addressing the problem of gender inequality through a project launched last year called ReBalance. (The Guardian, 2018) I decided to do more of my own research into the ReBalance project to figure out what it is and what its aims are. Launched in 2017, the project allows female artists and bands access to valuable studio recording time whilst also providing them with accommodation and professional and practical advice, with the aim to create a more positive representation of women within the music industry. (Festival Republic, 2017)

Finally, I looked at another BBC News article on how festivals are pledging to achieve a 50/50 gender balance by 2022. Brighton’s Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City and BBC Proms are some of the festivals already signed up to take on this challenge. BBC Introducing, which hosts stages for new artists at Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds festival created the pledge, in hope to create a better, more inclusive music industry for present and future generations. (BBC News, 2018)

For our first assignment, we are to produce a piece of production work, researching one of more of the module topics we have studied in class (Gender, Religion, Nationality, Class, Disability), relating it to identities and representations and any relevant theories we have looked at or researched. Before starting this task, I felt it was important to understand and outline the difference between identities and representations:

What are identities?

“‘Identity’ is a difficult term: more or less everyone knows more or less what it means, and yet its precise definition proves slippery.” (Lawler, 2014) – Identities are an ongoing process of marking out who we are and what we might become, and how we locate ourselves within the social world and its power relationships. Identities are living social relationships that we create via our interrelations with the symbolic and material world and are dependent on the process of relating and differentiating ourselves from others. “Identities are always in process and under construction.” (Carah & Louw, 2015)

What are representations?

“Representation connects meaning and language to culture… Representation is an essential part of the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture. It does involve the use of language, of signs and images which stand for or represent things.” (Hall, 1997) – Representations are how different aspects of society are portrayed to audiences, and play a key role in influencing different ideas and attitudes.

For my production work, I have chosen to research into the gender inequality of line-ups at UK music festivals. From this research, I aim to produce an article for a music magazine discussing this issue, with facts and statistics to support my research. I decided to choose this topic as over the past few years I have been fascinated by how male dominated UK music festivals are and the music industry in general. I’m wanting to explore and find out why festival line-ups constantly lack female artists and if this issue will ever be resolved.

The target audience for my production piece will be young adults, as these are the kinds of people who usually attend music festivals. My aim is to produce an article which educates the audience that there is an issue with the line-ups at festivals and that women are being underrepresented. By including facts and statistics within my article, this will hopefully make the audience aware of how severe gender inequality is and how there needs to be serious change.

Before I started researching for my article, I looked at other music magazines that target young adults for inspiration. I used DIY magazine as my main inspiration, as they focus on indie music and their issues are available to read online. They release issues monthly and bring out a festival edition every year as an extra magazine. I focused on looking at the articles in the festival editions, analysing the layout and how it appeals to the audience. When looking at the article inserted below, I was drawn to how the image of Alex from Two Door Cinema Club takes up the whole page, and how the text has been added over the top, rather than an image (or several images) placed randomly onto a double spread. This could potentially be something I decide to do when designing my article as it looks appealing and catches the reader’s eye. I also noticed how generic conventions have been used such as a drop capital at the start of the article, a pull quote from the interview and a short paragraph, which tells the reader what the article is about. I will make sure to use as many relevant conventions when creating my double spread, so that it looks interesting and realistic. I also looked at various news articles online discussing the gender gap in music festival line-ups. A BBC News article included shocking statistics, such as how many acts were male, female and mixed at different UK festivals. I will use these online reports and statistics to help me produce my article.

Regarding ethics and health and safety, I will make sure that all my production work and research conforms to the Sheffield Hallam University ethics policy guidelines. My project does not involve collecting material off campus or using others for research, however I will need to make sure my article is written in a way that wouldn’t cause anyone reading emotional or mental stress.