scholarly journals THE MERGING OF MUSIC CRITICISM AND MUSIC PROMOTION: CONVERGED MUSIC INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS ON FACEBOOK

Author(s):  
Madis Järvekülg

This paper explores the changing socio-cultural dynamic between local music entrepreneurs and journalists/critics on Facebook in Estonia. Through the analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews with music industry professionals and experts and observations of their activities on Facebook, the study identifies the decreasing distance between music criticism and music promotion. On the one hand, the music critics once envisioned as ‘autonomous gatekeepers’ (Hirsch, 1972) find it increasingly hard to transfer their musical authority, expertise and perceived independence to the commercially driven social media environment. As a result, some of them have taken up entrepreneurship themselves, converged their various identities by mixing their critical/evaluative practices as critics and business-oriented practices as entrepreneurs. On the other hand, some niche music entrepreneurs are stepping into the role of cultural authorities by mobilizing and catering to specific taste cultures and genre communities by becoming expert gatekeepers in their own right, despite being compromised by their business interest. In this context, it is no more useful to talk about the ‘mutual dependency’ of the music press and industry PR (Forde, 2001; Negus, 1992). Rather, among the tightly interwoven music scenes like the ones in Estonia, where many players adopt a variety of different and often conflicting roles (especially on Facebook), we should recognize the complete convergence of music promotion and music criticism and the loss of critical distance and autonomy altogether.

2001 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1092-1102
Author(s):  
Yegor D. Burda ◽  

Currently, Russian electric power sector is influenced by two divergent tendencies: on the one hand, we can observe a structural transformation of the industry and increasing role of innovations; on the other hand, it is still subject to regulation, while reliability and safety of power supply remain of paramount importance. This situation creates a unique opportunity to explore which innovation strategies are chosen by companies and which factors have the greatest influence on their decisions. A qualitative study was conducted based on a set of semi-structured interviews with several managers of Russian power companies. Further analysis allowed to reveal the dominant innovation strategies employed within the industry: traditional contracts, in-house development, closed and open innovation ecosystems. This study also revealed factors that determine the choice of an innovation strategy: goals of the firm and type of market it aims to operate at. The results provide managers with insights allowing them to make better-grounded decisions in terms of choosing an innovation strategy within various settings


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-391
Author(s):  
Valentina Baú

With a focus on entertainment education, this article sheds light on the effects of radio drama in addressing conflict over land governance. The discussion is built around the broadcast of Bush Wahala radio series during the recent land acquisition process that has taken place in Sierra Leone. Through the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted by the author with rural farmers affected by this issue, on the one hand, this work generates reflections on the role of radio drama in providing listeners with alternative options to the use of violence and confrontation with the authorities in order to claim land rights; on the other hand, it represents an important contribution to the literature of edutainment in contexts of conflict, with a specific focus on the increasingly complex issue of land grabbing in the developing world.


Author(s):  
Madis Järvekülg ◽  
Patrik Wikström

The digitalization of creative industries has undermined the business models of legacy media outlets as well as the music industries. This article discusses the two primary ways that legacy media has functioned in the context of the music industries—as a producer of symbolic value and as an engine of music promotion. However, the central aim of this study is to analyze the development of these functions in the new media sphere by identifying music promotion practices on Facebook. Based on in-depth interviews conducted with local music industry professionals in Estonia, two sets of promotional approaches have been identified: brand-centered approaches and community-oriented approaches. The findings indicate a continuing convergence of autonomous music criticism and music promotion across many dimensions and the presence of “promotional gatekeeping” as a form of business activity in small creative industries.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (123) ◽  
pp. 69-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Laura Ruiu ◽  
Massimo Ragnedda

This paper is based on findings obtained from a qualitative research on the role of public library service in reducing digital inequalities in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Newcastle upon Tyne. Semi-structured interviews with four libraries’ staff members, direct observation during ordinary activities and events organised by libraries aimed to explore both the role played by public libraries in reducing digital inequalities and the current challenges that these actors face to promote digital and social equality. On the one hand, it identifies positive impacts produced by the public libraries through digital education and digital infrastructures on disadvantaged neighbourhoods; on the other, it identifies some barriers experienced by public library authorities in providing such services.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Koch ◽  
Jana Vogel ◽  
Nora Denner ◽  
Sarah Encarnacao

Purpose Editors of employee magazines work in a grey area between public relations and journalism. On the one hand, they need to accommodate the company management’s interest in a positive presentation; on the other, they must meet the employees’ need for objective and independent information. Although employee magazines reach millions of recipients every day, its editors have rarely been the focus of academic work. The purpose of this paper is to change this and scrutinise the way the editors view their professional role and the role conflicts to which they are subjected. Design/methodology/approach We conduct 15 qualitative semi-structured interviews with editors of employee magazines to analyse their professional role and possible conflicts in their work. Findings The editors’ self-concept varies significantly along two dimensions, which the authors use as the basis for distinguishing four types: the management ambassador, the employee representative, the mediator and the service provider. Originality/value The study sheds light on employee magazines, a medium between public relations and journalism that has not been analysed before. It helps to specify the role of these magazines and its editors’ between the expectations of the management and the employees.


Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Anuj Jain ◽  
Scott Li Meng Aloysius ◽  
Heather Lim ◽  
Tim Plowden ◽  
Ding Li Yong ◽  
...  

Abstract Singapore is prominent in the global trade of pet birds, primarily parrots. This includes its role as a key international transit hub, and also its growing domestic market, including for threatened species. There is a need to understand the trade beyond volumes and flows, including consumer knowledge, preferences and behaviours, and interactions with vendors, hobbyist groups and supporting industries. We used three methods to examine this: (1) a questionnaire with stakeholders (including parrot owners, hobbyist group members, breeders and supporting industry professionals), about the motivations for parrot ownership and interest in sustainable trade, (2) semi-structured interviews with key informants about trade dynamics, and (3) a review of online hobbyist groups. Based on our findings, we provide an initial mapping of the country's parrot trade ecosystem. Fifty-one per cent of respondents claimed to be a member of a parrot hobbyist group and 64% agreed their participation in such groups had encouraged them to purchase more parrots. The majority (71%) of parrot owners reported a preference for captive-bred rather than wild-caught parrots, and 72% were concerned about the illegal hunting of parrots for commercial trade. Most were willing to pay more (70%) and wait longer (73%) to procure a sustainably sourced parrot. Our approach presents the wildlife trade as a complex social phenomenon, with multiple physical and online channels, regulatory challenges, social networks, and evolving consumer preferences. We also document the pivotal role of hobbyist groups and their untapped potential to leverage these networks to improve sustainable trade.


Author(s):  
Gisela M. Bianchi Pernasilici ◽  
Yolanda González-Rábago ◽  
Gioia Piras

Introducción: En la actualidad la realización de las tareas de cuidado desempeña un papel significativo en el desarrollo de los proyectos migratorios. Así, el objetivo de este artículo es analizar el rol de las abuelas cuidadoras en los países de origen de la migración, que se quedan a cargo de sus nietos y nietas tras la emigración de los progenitores a España, haciendo hincapié en las estrategias de afrontamiento emocional y operativo de la transnacionalización del cuidado.Método: A través de entrevistas semi-estructuradas se analizan las percepciones que las abuelas tienen sobre su situación actual para detectar cuáles son las posibles consecuencias de la transnacionalización de los cuidados en los países de origen de la migración.Resultados: Por una parte se evidencia el papel significativo que juegan las abuelas en la reorganización del cuidado a causa de la emigración y, por otra, se ponen de manifiesto los aspectos subjetivos, experimentados por las entrevistadas, relativos a las transformaciones de las tareas y responsabilidades del cuidado en el seno de sus hogares tras la emigración de uno de sus miembros a España.Discusión o Conclusión: Se destaca, por una parte, el protagonismo de las mujeres en general, y en este caso de las abuelas, en la responsabilidad del cuidado de las personas dependientes y, por otra, la aparición de sentimientos y valoraciones ambivalentes sobre sus propias situaciones. Introduction: In nowadays global context, the care work plays an important role to understand migrations flows. The aim of this article is to analyse the role of grandmothers in a high mobility context, who are taking care for their grandchildren, after their parents´ emigration to Spain. Our focus will be on the strategies developed by them in order to face emotionally and functionally to the transnationalization of caring.Method: We analyzed the grandmothers´ perception of their own situation through semi-structured interviews, and we detected some consequences of the transnationalization of care in the migration’s origin countries.Results: The empirical material shows, on the one hand, the important role of grandmothers within the reorganization of care after the emigration and, on the other hand, the subjective aspects, experienced by interviewees, concerning the transformations of tasks and responsibilities of care in their homes because of the emigration of one of its members to Spain.Discussion or Conclusion: In this article we highlight, first, the role of women in general, and in this case of grandmothers, regarding care responsibilities and, second, the appearance of ambivalent feelings about their own situations.


Author(s):  
Julijana Nicha Andrade

This chapter aims to present the complex relations between the local actors, the municipality of Curitiba, and UNESCO via the UNESCO Creative Cities Network to implement the 2030 SDGs on the local level. From the case study, the chapter explores the shortcomings and Eurocentric approach of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and how local actors use the network requirements to gain local ownership of the goals' implementation. As a result, a mutually benefiting relationship arises. On the one hand, UNESCO Creative Cities Network widens its membership approach. On the other hand, local municipalities, such as Curitiba, change their structures to accommodate the SDG implementation by opening to multi-stakeholder governance. It applies a light-weighted approach of the inter-organizational framework and orchestration and makes use of document analysis, historical case analysis, and semi-structured interviews for data gathering.


Journalism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 146488492110017
Author(s):  
Nadine Strauß

Sustainable Finance (SF) has been identified as one of the biggest trends in the financial industry in the past years. By channeling capital into sustainable investments, it is hoped that finance can accelerate the transition towards a greener and more sustainable future. However, given that the discussion about SF lacks consistency and a common understanding of SF, the role of financial journalists in reporting about this trend and in enacting their role as watchdogs becomes of paramount interest. To do so, 33 semi-structured interviews with journalists who have covered SF in six countries (AT, BE, CH, DE, NL, UK) were conducted to find out about journalistic role perceptions and daily journalistic practices (such as sources, style of writing and role of the audience). Findings show that journalists mainly enact the role of a chronicler, informant and educator when writing about SF, but fail to fulfil an active watchdog role. Furthermore, the coverage of SF is predominately event-driven, directed at a financial elite, and has become highly professionalized at financial news outlets. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, journalists reported that they found themselves in a moral dilemma between enacting their professional role as a journalist on the one hand and providing a platform for unsubstantiated claims about SF (greenwashing) made by the industry, on the other hand.


Author(s):  
Urs Schnyder ◽  
Ernst-Joachim Hossner

The present study aims on the identification of problems in the practice of top-level football refereeing. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from 23 European elite referees. Through inductive content analysis, seven higher-order themes emerged: (1) descriptive, (2) characteristics of a good elite referee, (3) difficulties in decision-making, (4) pre-match preparation, (5) communication through headset, (6) decision-making, and (7) decision-making training. On the one hand, the findings underline the practical relevance of existing scientific research; on the other hand, the relevance of some areas of research, for instance, on the role of biases, is questioned by the interviewees’ statements. A particular need for further research could be revealed regarding the development, optimisation, or evaluation of (1) the pre-match preparation, (2) supporting technical devices, (3) innovative training tools for decision-making, (4) the within-team communication, and (5) complementary methods such as mental practice.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document