Exploring The Relationship Between Economic Austerity, Advances in Technology and Music Consumption Habits

Exploring the relationship between economic austerity, advances in technology and music consumption habits
Chris Munday 100082018 Independent Studies - 6EJ997 BA(Hons) in Popular Music with Music Technology - W340
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Table of Contents
Abstract.................................................................................................................................................3 1. Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Literature Review............................................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Uses of music in everyday life...................................................................................................6 2.2 Accessing music.................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Social repair.......................................................................................................................... 7 2.4 Personal repair.......................................................................................................................8 3 Technology and Consumption Activity.......................................................................................11 3.1 Changes in technology........................................................................................................ 11 3.2 Online stores vs High Street stores..................................................................................... 11 3.3 On-demand culture..............................................................................................................13 3.4 Consumer guilt in download/streaming culture.................................................................. 13 3.5 Types of music listener........................................................................................................14 4. Commodities.............................................................................................................................. 16 5. Sales Analysis................................................................................................................................. 19 5.1 Sales analysis methodology..................................................................................................... 19 5.2 Potential limitations................................................................................................................. 19 5.3. Sales figures analysis results and discussion.......................................................................... 20 6. Questionnaire Methodology........................................................................................................... 23 6.1 Potential limitations of questionnaire...................................................................................... 24 6.2 Utilising social networking websites as a research tool.......................................................... 25 6.3 Questionnaire results................................................................................................................27 7. Conclusion...................................................................................................................................... 34 8. References...................................................................................................................................... 37 9. Appendix.........................................................................................................................................39
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Abstract
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1. Introduction
Since the onset of the 2008 recession there have been few industries which have managed to transcend the threat of austere spending and consumer pessimism. According to reports circulated after the first year of the recession, of all the creative and cultural industries (CCI) the music industry was by far the most robust being accountable for fewer than 10% of all business failures in the CCI between 2008 and 2009. (Music Week, 2009) Despite this, the demise of once popular high street retailers such as Woolworths and Zavvi and the rise in digital markets have crippled the music retail industry with 'more than a quarter of the UK's independent music stores' going out of business during 2008 (Ibid). This threat of a recession is not immediately noticeable in the music industry as the life of music as a commodity is perhaps longer than others, such as a chocolate, which is easier for retailers to highlight. The purpose of this study will be to examine the relationship between economic austerity and music consumption habits. The literature will relate to previous studies which have assessed the reasoning behind people's choices of music in the past in times of similar social upheaval, such as the recent recession, the feelings which are invoked by this music and the wider implications of music consumption at a time of social change. To establish how people are accessing their music in recent times we will examine the changes in technology and advances in internet capabilities which have led to almost any music being accessible on demand for the first time in its history. As free music is readily available we will examine the attitudes of people who exploit these services to acquire music for free and their reasoning behind doing so with a view to explaining whether this is linked to a financial reason or a protest against the music industry as a whole. As a wider result of this increasing availability at free or heavily reduced prices around the internet, it will be important to assess the value placed upon music as a commodity against other products which will be vying for the same disposable income. This will help to give an idea of how music and the music industry can fare in a recession when perhaps many other expendables are being limited. The sales of music in relation to wider economic indicators, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, will be studied to establish whether music can transcend a recession when disposable
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income is being stretched. Additionally through the distribution of a questionnaire we will be able to gain a wider understanding of current viewpoints of music consumption from a wide range of respondents.
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2. Literature Review
2.1 Uses of music in everyday life
In order to come close to explaining if music consumption will increase or decrease in times of economic strife it will be useful to explore the reasons why people would turn to music in the first place and, importantly, what method they use for this.
2.2 Accessing music

From early methods of bringing music into the home, by means of gramophones for instance, to the transition of more personal items such as CD stereos and iPods the focus on the role that music plays to an individual had to be reassessed. This has brought on a 'steady process of individualising the musical experience' (Frith, Progress). Since the emergence of the Sony Walkman, a personal cassette player, in the early 1980s the market for the individualisation of music has snowballed particularly given the huge success of Apple's iPod range following its introduction in the last decade. The iPod's role is even more important in recent times given the steady decline in popularity of the Compact Disc since the late 1990s and the burgeoning demand for digital music formats like the mp3. The initial boost that was driving CD sales following its emergence has been branded as the 'CD replacement cycle' (Longhurst, 209) which consisted of consumers replacing their record collections from older formats such as vinyl or cassette tapes with the new CD format. Additionally, as consumers replaced their old collections their purchasing of new releases was more likely to be in the CD format as well, further increasing their spending. The way in which the iPod and mp3 formats come into play in relation to this cycle is the fact that there need not be a 'replacement cycle' per se of the CD format as almost any CD can be transferred into individual files on a computer. Therefore, in terms of purchasing, the mp3 format seems destined to be used mainly, although of course not exclusively, for new releases of music and will
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inevitably lack the boom associated with the Compact Disc. The implications of the personal music player have been particularly noted by Bull (Longhurst, 2007: 258) who argues two main uses for music in everyday life. In explaining Bull's first use for music in everyday life Longhurst states that it is primarily used 'in order to give pleasure to an otherwise dull routine' (Ibid, 258). For instance, having the sound of music in the background to accompany everyday tasks is in a similar vein of the results of a study by Crafts et al (in Longhurst, 255) who interviewed participants with regard to their approaches to music listening. One particular respondent stated that music is 'like a companion' (ibid, 255) where its absence is not particularly noted in the most part but its presence is 'there to keep them company' (ibid, 255). This is further reinforced by a study by Hobson who noted that housewives structured their days and tasks around radio programmes with the disc jockey acting as 'the missing company of another person' (ibid, 203). The secondary use for for music is similar to that equated to film audiences, in the sense that it provides escapism to 'dream worlds' (ibid, 258) where the listener is lost in their imagination away from their particular situation, which seems especially noteworthy with regard to the current economic climate.
2.3 Social repair

The role of the popular musician in a time of social change, particularly since the Live Aid concerts in 1985, has allowed audiences and artists to associate and identify themselves together in popular songs, whether it be through the lyrics of a song, a concert, or a song in a nightclub. The Live Aid concerts helped to show the positive effects that popular music can have with raising money for good causes, a feat repeated many times since through similar benefit concerts and charity single releases. However, popular songs can also relate to the issues surrounding the present day political and social activity of a nation allowing artists to 'voice dissenting opinions' (Gengaro, 33, 2009) on subjects and offer a critique or rhetoric in ways that other mainstream media may fail to. This and the aforementioned issue of escapism is particularly noted by Gengaro (2009) who analysed the release of and response to The Rising (2002) by Bruce Springsteen after the 9/11 terror attacks in New York. Springsteen used The Rising to tap into the 'emotional center of the tragedy, as he uses song after song to explore the different reactions of the people involved' (Ibid, 26) while the nation was allowed to mourn and reflect on the events with a soundtrack bespoke to these times.
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The terror attacks in America on September 11th, 2001 brought an entire country into a state of shock and anxiety with the sheer impact and unprecedented scale of the attacks resounding both nationally and globally. Even though the subject of this study is an economic recession and therefore inherently distinct from an attack of this scale, the uses of music can give an example, albeit extreme, of the repair in mood on an audience. The notion of creating art out of a time of such tragedy drew correlation with the work of Adorno regarding post-Auschwitz poetry, who was concerned that the trivialisation of such a time through art would seem 'somewhat distasteful' (28, 2009). However, as Gengaro notes the response to the attacks by popular music was perhaps one of the most significant as the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concerts raised over $100 million within only a few weeks. (Ibid)
2.4 Personal repair

In perhaps a more easily relatable connection to current social events, some academics, such as Nehring, note that the emergence of house and other forms of dance music in the late 1980s came as a direct correlation of the effects of Thatcherism on British society in the 'rampant hedonism of dance fans paralleling the prevailing politics of self-interest' (Nehring, 3). The escapism offered by the dance culture in the 1980s towards the end of Thatchers time in power, and particularly following the privatisation of publicly owned services and mass unemployment came as a relief of relinquishing day to day commitments. The perennial nature of music in this time is summed up by Nehring thusly: 'the specific issue of control over ones productive life was, in fact, where the strongest argument could be found for the resistant qualities of popular music at the end of the Thatcher era'. Indeed, to Nehring the focus of the escapism offered by dance music at this time was largely representative of Thatcher's viewpoint on society and the breaking up of the aforementioned publicly owned services and industries. This creation of privatised services appears to Nehring to create a more private personal experience of music with any notion of togetherness overlooked as 'the devotion of dance fans to personal pleasure clearly belied expressions of a collective sensibility'
(Nehring, 3). In addition to the two examples above, there is another aspect of music listening which could affect the choices in music consumption; nostalgia. In their study of emotional responses to music Juslin and Laukka (2004) highlighted that one of the top 5 emotional responses that their respondents felt after listening to music was in fact nostalgia, only bettered by happy, relaxed, calm and moved. (2004, 231). In fact, research indicates that listeners often use music as a reminder of valued past events (Sloboda & ONeill, 2001), and that specific pieces of music may be strongly associated with particular time periods of an individuals life Hence, nostalgia may be one of the more commonly felt emotions to music. This source of emotion may not be liked by musicians, because it seems to reduce music to a memory-cue (225, 2004); yet, it may be one of the most common and powerful sources for music listeners in everyday life. Therefore, the notion of utilising nostalgia, whether passively or actively, in one's everyday listening could conjure past experiences or memories which form a type of escapism from the present, particularly when the present is riddled with unrest. For instance, Baxter-Moore identifies that the theme of nostalgia in the works of The Kinks and Ray Davies' lyrics is often associated with political and social change where the lyricist is overtly critical of said change: 'nostalgia, born of the need to create some sense of identity, appears to emerge in times of crisis or loss, whether individual or collective in scope (155, Baxter-Moore, 2006,) One of the most implicit uses of this type of nostalgia could be seen in post 9/11 America, as argued by Gengaro, with many 'jingoistic or patriotic' (29, 2009) compilations released, to encourage a sense of national identity and togetherness. In a form of self-censorship radio stations began to withhold playing songs that may have been deemed insensitive at the time, such as the breakthrough record by System of a Down 'Chop Suey!' with its references to suicide and death was banned from the airwaves (29, 2009). In contrast to these new releases, particularly those with questionable
content, the American public chose to 'soothe themselves with perennial favourites' (Ibid, 33) enhancing the patriotic aspect of their music choices by indulging in songs riddled with nostalgic value. Therefore, the notion of nostalgia is a major factor in considering music in a time of social upheaval, emotional change on a personal level, or national disruption. It has the power to remind oneself of the past as 'music offers the emotional intensity craved by modern consumerism' (Hesmondhalgh, 2008).
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3 Technology and Consumption Activity
3.1 Changes in technology

In assessing the methods in which people are consuming music in recent times it is unavoidable and particularly unwise to ignore the massive overhaul that has occurred in how we access our music with regard to technology. Since the start of the 21st Century the practice of accessing music has been conducted for the majority over the internet, particularly since the launch of Apple's iTunes store in 2003. This is undoubtedly due to the new generation of portable music devices and the increasing downloading capabilities of broadband speeds, particularly in the last ten years.
3.2 Online stores vs High Street stores

As well as changing the way in which we listen to music the internet has changed the way in which we purchase our music with the rise in online stores such as Amazon and Play.com. However, it is not just the online domain where music consumption has changed as the major supermarkets all participate in selling music as well, which further increases the pressure on high street chains like HMV and the aforementioned ill-fated Woolworths and Zavvi. The fluctuation of online stores is bound to give potential customers seemingly better offers as their reduced overheads and staffing costs do not compare with those of mainstream high street chains. This has had an extremely negative effect on these chains, with two of the biggest names in the country already succumbing to the economic downfall and change in purchasing habits HMV is now on the wane. At the time of writing, HMV Group have announced that up to 60 of its 285 stores are to be closed by the end of 2011 with the blame for this lying with the consumers 'enjoying the convenience of being able to buy at a time which suits them' (Walton in BBC, 2011) and the lack of a detailed change in focus to cope with the rise in online sales (Ibid, 2011). Although perhaps known for its high street presence HMV does in fact have an online store and an online store which specialises in the download market, but according to online information company Alexa its comparable impact on visitors is minimal when compared to its similar natured
competitors, namely Amazon and Play.com. Using Alexa's Traffic Rank (the score attributed to a website based on several factors including average daily visits) we can see where HMV's position lies: Website Amazon.co.uk Play.com Hmvdigital.com HMV.co.uk Alexa Traffic Rank URL 137 1,504 198,710 1,079,419 http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/amazon.co.uk http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/play.com http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/hmvdigital.com http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/hmv.co.uk
From the above table we can clearly see that HMV's online presence is nowhere near as prominent as its main competitors. It should be pointed out that Amazon is a huge retailer which does not operate solely in entertainment and media products with Play.com much more similar to HMV and HMV Digital, but even then the difference is clear.
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3.3 On-demand culture

One of the main aspects attributed to HMV's downfall was the element of 'convenience' (BBC, 2011). In the last few years the popularity of accessing media content at any time has been made more possible due to improving broadband speeds. In the UK many of the main television broadcasters offer their content, or at a least some of their content, through an on-demand service where audiences can pick and choose what content to view and when. Since the introduction of the BBC's on-demand service iPlayer in December 2007 its popularity has increased at a staggering rate with a reported 17 million television programmes watched in the first seven weeks of operating alone (BBC, 2008) and the figure rising still three years later in 2010 to 145 million (BBC, 2011). Since 2007 the demand for on-demand media, particularly television content, has apparently sky rocketed with ITV, Channel 4 and Sky all launching their own television on-demand services which, with the exception of Sky, do not charge viewers for the content they watch. Of course, this is not only limited to television and radio content anymore as the on-demand movement has ventured into the music industry. One of the major players in music on-demand services is Swedish based Spotify which offers an extensive catalogue of music to its users in order to enable them to listen to whatever music they choose, whenever they choose to. Although this service is available to users free of charge, there are adverts which punctuate the songs around 4 or 5 times each hour, much akin to broadcast television.
3.4 Consumer guilt in download/streaming culture

The ramifications of consuming music without prior purchase have been studied by Nuttall et al (2010) who invited a panel of 18-19 year old undergraduate students to discuss their consumption habits as part of a new generation of music consumers who have many different methods at their disposal. The study raised many issues regarding the acquisition, listening and quality of the content with the ethical consequences of obtaining music also being explored particularly in relation to the overall record industry.
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The responses which alluded to illegal downloading often offered further expression of their reasoning behind it and how justifiable they see their actions to be. For instance, one respondent indicated that if they were to download music illegally then it would be on a 'trial period' (5, 2010) in the sense that if they liked it they would eventually buy the music through a legal medium. Conversely, another respondent seemed unrepentant in his view on downloading illegally as he stated that 'everybody does it, so it's wrong, nobody perceives it to be wrong' (4, 2010). The two above statements show a complete polarisation in the attitudes towards music consumption in a time where it is far quicker to access music than twenty years ago. For the former respondent, Nuttall devises a 'guilt management' model which shows that as the consumer feels guilty for downloading music illegally should they label this as a 'try-before-you-buy' period and eventually purchase the music legally this is seen as an act of redemption and the guilt fades. However, this is the opposite for the latter respondent who sees no guilt in downloading illegally due to cynicism surrounding the industry as a whole or financial constraints (5, 2010).
3.5 Types of music listener

Nuttall's study identified six main types of music listener in modern consumption whose needs, methods and ethical views of music purchasing and consumption all vary rather significantly. To briefly detail the characteristics of these categories of listener will help to evaluate the final questionnaire in order to establish the nature of the respondents and their potential viewpoints on music consumption. 'The loyalist' (7, 2010) centres their purchasing around known and trusted artists through legal means, with a high moral benchmark for purchasing physical copies of music for a higher price. 'The experience seekers' while sharing similar traits as 'the loyalists' are more inclined in consuming music to enhance their mood, particularly nostalgia through 'a desire for memorabilia' (Ibid) and live performances. Purchasing wise, they are as inclined as 'the loyalists' to buy music legally in a physical medium but the inclination of illegal downloading is not out of the question should budgetary restraints become a factor. 'The preachers'' consumption habits span legal and illegal methods, primarily to gain the widest possible catalogue of music, in particular lesser known artists, as their need for new
music and cynicism of the music industry transcends their guilt process. 'The revolutionists' share many characteristics with 'the preachers' in that their music consumption is mostly through illegal downloads of mainstream artists and purchased physical copies of smaller artists. 'The techys', as suggested by their title, 'possess advanced technological knowledge about music software and hardware' (Ibid) and are very similar to 'the revolutionists' in their cynicism of the music industry. Their music consumption methods are driven by the need for the best possible sound quality available. Finally, 'the conventionalists' consume mainly mainstream and chart music gaining their knowledge from 'popular radio and friends and peers' (Ibid). Their technological knowledge is limited therefore restricting their illegal downloading activity in favour for legal formats. Of course, it is possible to share characteristics between the categories and they are by no means a concrete definition of all music consumers, but in assessing the data set for the questionnaire it will be useful to highlight and attempt to locate these characteristics within the results. In doing so, we will be able to understand the role that music consumption plays in their everyday lives.
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4. Commodities
In times when a society is caught up in the midst of economic uncertainty, much akin to the circumstances surrounding the 2008 global recession, it could be assumed that the spending habits of consumers are prioritised to ensure that necessities, such as food, are available more than luxury goods, such as holidays or visits to the cinema or restaurants. It is seen to be the case that smaller items which are considered to be a luxury experience a steady growth or period of resilience against other more expensive items. One of the main examples of this is chocolate as it 'is a small, affordable indulgence for shoppers who are cutting back on spending elsewhere' (Mogelonsky, 2009). In 2009, a year after the initial onset of the 2008 recession, chocolate sales in Britain had risen by almost 6% (Mintel, Dec 2009) which reinforces the aforementioned statement and indicates that consumers are unwilling to pass up all of their luxuries in a recession. As attitudes towards smaller consumables seem to dictate a rise in sales, other habitual spending of disposable income may be affected in a more negative way. The relatively affordable new media technology such as flat screen televisions, DVD players and radical changes in digital television, such as the emergence of Freeview and recordable television such as Sky Plus has paved the way for a new advent in attitudes towards leisure. A report by Mintel (May, 2010) suggested that nearly a quarter of those asked declared that they were satisfied to relinquish nights out in favour of staying at home due to the array of home entertainment appliances at their disposal. Furthermore, two years after the initial onset of the recession a third of families were happy to stay in despite being able to afford trips out stating that they 'just prefer staying in these days' (ibid, 2010). This is reinforced further by another Mintel report earlier in (JAN) 2010 suggesting that nearly 90% of adult internet users utilise the web as a method of accessing media due to the fixed cost of an internet bill with a vast array of content for either free or little cost. Indeed, whether or not the content accessed is paid for or not is another issue. For instance, for all the millions spent developing Avatar (Cameron, 2009) and paving the way for further 3D film releases it still remained the most pirated film in 2010 (BBC, 2010) despite the fact that the 3D effects would be futile away from a cinema screen.
Of course, the threat of piracy in modern media is inherently present and has been since the emergence of file sharing websites such as Napster and Limewire among others and this will be assessed further on in the study. This issue has arisen in previous studies, particularly those with a strong commerce association assessing sales patterns, such as Weekes (2004) who considered a correlation between consumers' habitual spending of clothing in a financial recession. The study aimed to assess the likelihood of respondents cutting back spending on various items should they have to readjust their budget in a time of economic downturn. The research was undertaken using a range of students, 60% female and 40% male, from Manchester Metropolitan University with an age range of 16-27 and it was noted that the main source of income for the respondents was a student loan (113). Indeed, the student loan offers an insight into how respondents would budget for certain expenditures as despite the minimal threat of a recession at the time the study was conducted it has parallels with budgets within a recession as allowances and wages are stretched. In terms of attitudes to expenditure on clothing, as per the initial aims of the study, Weekes discovered that only 8% of males would consider cutting back on spending money on clothing first before any other items with the figure rising to 30% for females (121). In relation to this study Weekes also invited respondents to indicate how their expenditure on music would change should their budget have to be reassessed. When asked to indicate what they spent their money on around 45% to 50% of both men and woman indicated that they tended to spend their money on music; a similar figure to alcohol and mobile phone credit (116). Indeed, the male respondents seemed to indicate they would spend more money on music than food shopping and when asked of the items most likely to be cut back on first 11% of females stated music (117) while the male respondents chose other items such as alcohol (116). This in turn reinforces the notion raised in the aforementioned Mintel report stating that males under 35 years of age are more likely to spend regardless of a recession, which fits in with the demographic of Weekes' study. Weekes' study, although rudimentary in terms of assessing music expenditure, does highlight interesting and intriguing patterns of spending between gender and in a situation of economic hardship or a situation where budgetary spending needs to be controlled. In addressing the fact that
music consumption, although perhaps not readily considered to be a necessity, still holds a certain importance to consumers, particularly in comparison to other goods and consumables, it will be insightful to assess this importance against other commodities. As Weekes' study was conducted in 2004 it is important to keep in mind the radical changes that have affected the way in which we purchase and consume music since then in particularly the emergence of iTunes and legal downloading, file sharing networks and illegal downloading, and streaming services such as Spotify.
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5. Sales Analysis
5.1 Sales analysis methodology
Using economic indicators that highlight the situation of the UK in an eleven year period from 2000 to 2010 it will be possible to ascertain an idea of when the economy first showed signs of strife, so for the purpose of this study we will use the UK's GDP per capita. The trends in UK GDP per capita will be plotted against the total sales of albums and singles in the UK for the same eleven years of 2000 to 2010 to see if there is any correlation between rises or falls in music purchasing and the wider national economic climate. These figures will be acquired from the British Phonographic Industry's (BPI) official announcements to ensure that a consistent source is maintained throughout. By stretching the timeline back to 2000 we will not only be able to see the affects of the recession on music purchasing but we will also be able to assess the impact that the transition to legal downloading has had on music sales.
5.2 Potential limitations

There are some problems with comparing data of different areas such as these as the range of data offered can vary from monthly, quarterly or yearly instalments. For instance, the GDP data was offered in quarterly figures while the music sales data from the BPI was offered in annual figures, so to manoeuvre this all data will be adjusted to range from January to December of the certain year. Although this generalises the album and singles sales data, for instance we would not be able to see fluctuations in sales like those expected around December for the Christmas sales, it would be more suited to view all data against each other.
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5.3. Sales figures analysis results and discussion
From the sales patterns indicated by Illustration 1 above one can identify the drastic changes that have occurred in the purchasing culture of albums and singles in the last decade. There are two dates that incur the most intriguing correlation in terms of changes in sales the first being 2004 and the second being 2008. The methods in which music was consumed and purchased was subject to a complete overhaul in 2004 due to the emergence of Apple's iTunes. This service offered music listeners the opportunity to download songs by purchasing them through their iTunes Store, a feat that offered a legal alternative to the vast array of file-sharing websites such as Napster and Kazaa where users could share music files, and other media content, for free. The rapid ascent by iTunes is reinforced by its stature as a music retailer, particularly in the US, where it eclipsed its nearest rival Walmart within five years by selling over four billion songs over its network in the process (Apple, 2008). Perhaps iTunes' success in reaching this feat and securing such a large pool of users was down to it being an almost unique service at the time but several studies have identified the key factors that attract and, as importantly, keep customers returning.
For instance, Merrilees and Fry note that customers' habitual use of using online stores to purchase CDs were 'determined principally by interactivity and trust' (North and Hargreaves, 2008) and future visits were governed by a sense of 'impatience' (Ibid) particularly when navigating the website. Therefore, iTunes has perhaps been able to cement its place at the top of the music retailers by implementing a system which users are not only comfortable and confident using but which also delivers their purchases as quickly as possible. With physical CD sales the delivery time is reliant on factors such as stock and courier services and may take several days with the customer paying extra for quicker delivery, or a 'swap of money for time' (Ibid). However with digital downloads the delivery time is much quicker, particularly so due to the increasing speed of broadband internet, and allows consumers to get what they want almost instantaneously without having to leave their seat. The second date mentioned, 2008, signalled the onset of the recession which impacted upon markets and stocks globally. Analysing the sales figures it is clear that sales of singles are far superior now to those of album sales, a feat which seemed improbable in 2000 where singles sales were unable to muster half of the sales of albums. Indeed, iTunes' involvement in this, and of course other retailers such as Amazon and HMV are offering similar services, has not gone unnoticed for better or for worse depending on the viewpoint of certain figures in the music business. For instance, Billboard's Geoff Mayfield has commented on the standardising of costs of singles and albums which have arisen as a result of iTunes' pricing strategy by stating 'the consumer has been taught that an album download is worth $9.99' (Mayfield, 2008). Intriguingly enough the figure mentioned by Mayfield is around 6 at present and a visit to a HMV high street store further proves his point as this is often the price of many of its CD albums. Mayfield's concerns of the modern music business struggling to thrive in the recent recession are further intensified as 'music purchases can become vulnerable for the simple reason that there have always been ways to consume music without buying it' (Ibid, 2008) a point which is particularly sincere given the variety of web-based services offering music on demand either free or for little cost. On the contrary of Mayfield's concerned argument is the BPI's Geoff Taylor who seems to speak highly of the new seemingly de facto pricing of music albums by stating that:
With the average price of an album now below 8, CDs represent fantastic value for money for music fans. In real terms, the cost of buying a CD has fallen by well over 40% during the last ten years, while the price of most other consumer goods has risen substantially. (BPI, 2010) Taylor's thoughts directly correlate with the notion of luxury consumption as mentioned earlier in this study. His viewpoint on the cheaper and more accessible nature of albums in the current climate is that the consumer ultimately wins as they can still have their luxury items at an even more affordable price. This, perhaps, could be the reasoning behind the sudden surge in singles sales, which are dominated by the download services as consumers are, like chocolate, spending little money in exchange for a worthwhile item and, unlike chocolate, one which will last for much longer. Of course, by primarily focusing on sales figures alone lends itself to many other topics which could branch off as a result. For instance, similar studies such as Zullow (1990) have focused on the lyrical content of popular music in an attempt to draw a link between consumer spending and potential pessimism portrayed in the charts. Although Zullow's work was extremely in depth and thorough in offering an insight into how influential popular music can be, his professional background as a psychologist restricts his view of the wider and more narrow implications of popular music. This is confounded by the absence of a model or method in assessing popular music and its ramifications unto the parties involved in its manifestation.
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6. Questionnaire Methodology
Through the use of a semi-structured questionnaire it will be possible to gain both quantitative and qualitative data sets regarding music consumption within a period of economic restraint. The online questionnaire for this study was adapted from those of previous studies in similar subject areas concerning music or other commodity consumption and consisted of nine questions which were all required to be answered before submittal. The questionnaire will allow some of the information which has been collected in the previous studies noted in the literature review to be updated, which is particularly important due to the significant evolution in the way in which music is now consumed and purchased. The first question explicitly asked the respondent whether they felt that their music consumption had increased since the onset of the recent recession. Although a simple yes or no question it was an important one to feature as it would give a clear indication from the outset as to what the consensus was regarding music purchasing. Secondly, the respondents were asked to highlight the purpose that music fulfils in their everyday lives which harks back to the study conducted by North and Hargreaves (2004) The third part of the questionnaire was adapted from the study conducted by Weekes (2004) into fashion purchasing in the sense that respondents were asked to list which of the common commodities offered they would be most willing to sacrifice if they had to restrain their spending. The question was offered in two parts, with the first one asking respondents to indicate which three commodities they would be most likely to give up first, and the second part asking which three commodities they would be least likely to relinquish. This particular part of the survey was added to gain an idea of the importance of buying music in the respondents. Question four related to the study conducted by Molteni and Ordanini (2003) which looked at the habits of purchasing CDs by users of P2P services at a time when the transition from illegal to legal downloading was only just starting. This would allow the data to be modernised by factoring in the aforementioned changes in technology and online services.
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Following this the respondents were asked to rate the extent in which they agreed with a statement from a respondent in the study conducted by Nuttall et al (2010) regarding the de facto iTunes pricing of single track digital downloads and its value for money against free (illegal) downloads. Following this, the respondents had the opportunity to indicate their ideal prices for singles (digital and physical) and albums (digital and physical) and the format that they would choose to consume their music if money was not an issue. The final part was regarding the respondent's age, gender and state of employment which was important due to Weekes' indication that males would be more likely to purchase music than females (2004, 116). To close the questionnaire an open comment box allowed respondents to give a wider answer regarding any section of the survey and, indeed, give a more personal and qualitative response to counter the largely empirical nature of the rest of the survey.
6.1 Potential limitations of questionnaire

The utilisation of questionnaires has several virtues as a research method; low cost, anonymity, less pressure on the respondent to answer questions straight away and reduced risk of bias from a third party. However, there are a number of inherent problems with this method as well such as when an answer in an interview could branch off to a further discussion, a questionnaire answer is far more closed. Additionally, due to there being no method of clarifying the questions should the respondents misunderstand them, there may be problems in the deciphering of the question, to the answers given and their truthfulness (Gillham, 8 2000). Despite this, a questionnaire is a more efficient method of obtaining data from a larger set of respondents than possible in a series of interviews or focus groups, for instance. Furthermore, the topic of legal or illegal music downloading may be a sensitive subject with respondents which could be construed as an encroachment into their habits for the benefit of an investigation. However, the questionnaire will be preceded by a brief disclosure indicating the
purpose of the questionnaire and the intended use for the data collected and, although all data will be anonymous, the opportunity for respondents to object in carrying on with the questionnaire will be present as they can merely navigate away from the page without any data being submitted.
6.2 Utilising social networking websites as a research tool

In recent years the popularity of online social networking sites has seen a huge rise in numbers of users and its accessibility and ease of sharing media and information could help as a research tool. In its heyday MySpace was a major player in changing the way in which musicians and fans interacted by the sharing of music online, so there is a precedent for the relationship between social networking and music consumption. Along with the many benefits that exploiting social networks brings to a data set, and indeed the interconnected nature between some of the major networks, there are some inherent downfalls. Before exploring these positives and negatives, it is important to see the vast potential that social networks have for academic research, particularly those similar in nature to this study. Arguably the two largest social networks in the UK are Facebook and Twitter, with the former having around 500 million users (Facebook, 2010) and the latter around 175 million (Twitter, 2010). According to internet statistic website Alexa, Facebook is the second most visited website in the world, while Twitter is the ninth (Alexa, 2011). The two are used in rather distinct ways, whereas Facebook may be used as a more personal networking tool, Twitter has become popular with celebrities and others in the public eye to encourage direct conversation and updates between them and their fan-base. This model was distributed through Facebook but mainly Twitter and while the former generated a modest amount of around 10 to 15 replies, it was through the latter that generated a huge response of around 800 replies within only a few hours of the original posting. The reason for this was that the questionnaire was sent to various figures of the music industry, such as music publishers and radio disc jockeys, including former 6 Music presenter Phill Jupitus, with a request to repost it to their fans. As aforementioned, there are many benefits of using social networking sites as a means of
distributing research material. For instance, there are vast amounts of users that can access the material at any given time with a vast range of ages and backgrounds that would perhaps be far more difficult to contact through other means. Furthermore, the users of social networking sites are more likely to be technically astute and willing to participate in studies which require navigating through interfaces such as online questionnaires. Along with the benefits there are some significant detrimental aspects of the method which could affect the data. One example of this is the sheer magnitude of replies which are largely uncontrolled in terms of quality and assurance of sincerity in the responses. Using any widely accessible form of distribution can affect the value of the responses in a way that is different from, for instance, face to face interviews where answers can be fully explored and validated. Another limitation, particularly as this study aimed to find all types of music consumer, was the nature in which the respondent received the questionnaire. For instance, if the respondent accessed the the questionnaire as a result of it appearing on Phill Jupitus's Twitter feed and successfully completed the questionnaire itself, one would imagine that this particular respondent has a vested interest in music and therefore more likely to consume music more often than a layman of music with a more casual approach to their consumption and purchasing. In terms of replicating this method, it largely relies on the users online at the time of the questionnaire being posted, and the users who pass it on, to bring such a large overall response. However, this method was eventually very beneficial in accessing a very large data set of a wide mix of respondents that would not have been possible if the questionnaire had been circulated through an academic institution or through mutual colleagues and friends.
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6.3 Questionnaire results

The questionnaire was distributed to music fans over the internet and was limited to 250 responses overall, with 3 responses removed from the study as a result of being submitted in an incomplete state. The use of larger internet websites to distribute the questionnaire helped to widen the prospect of reaching respondents which may not have been possible using a physical questionnaire or from distributing within local groups. As a result, the data set collected spanned a wide demographic between 17 and 55 years of age, with a mean age of 37. Of the set, 61.5% (152) were male while 38.5% (95) were female, which, although not as ideal as a fifty-fifty split, will still be helpful in relation to the notion of music purchasing between the genders. In terms of the employment status of the respondents the vast majority with 68.4% (169) were employed with a further 18.7% (46) being students either unemployed or in part-time employment. The remaining respondents indicated that they were unemployed or in Other forms of employment presumably training or internships as indicated by one respondent. The main crux that was to be answered in the questionnaire, and indeed in this study, was to find out whether music purchasing had increased or decreased during the recent recession. The question was implicitly worded to focus on music purchasing rather than merely consumption as it was felt that this would be easier for respondents to gauge. Of the 247 respondents 83% (205) said that their music purchasing had not increased since the onset of the recession with the comparative gender figures portraying a similar figure to this with 84.2% of male respondents and 81.1% of females stating the same. As highlighted by Weekes (2004) and Mintel (May, 2010) it was the male contingent who were most likely to purchase music, and indeed, carry on purchasing music over other commodities whereas females were more inclined to disregard music as a necessity, however the results from this study seemed to indicate that this was not the case. Indeed, in the comparison of the responses given between the two genders the vast majority agreed and corresponded with each other (See Table 1 and Table 2). When the respondents were asked to indicate which commodity they would most likely stop purchasing in order to save money the expected response was that the female respondents would
relinquish music above other commodities which (as shown in Table 1) was proven otherwise. On the contrary, the female response to relinquishing their purchasing of music was identical to the male respondents in that it ranked second in their commodities least likely to be relinquished (Table 2).
Table 1: Commodities most likely to be relinquished Rank 1 2 3 Males Holidays Meals out/takeaways Clothes Females Meals out/takeaways Holidays Clothes Overall Meals out/takeaways Holidays Clothes
Table 2: Commodities least likely to be relinquished Rank 1 2 3 Males Food shopping Music Cigarettes/Alcohol Females Food shopping Music Mobile phone Overall Food shopping Music Mobile Phone
In terms of explaining this it could be due to the way in which the questionnaire was obtained by the respondent. For instance, the questionnaire was distributed via music fans to music fans so the irregular response, at least by Weekes' and Mintel's standards, could be due to more passionate fans completing the questionnaire as opposed to more casual listeners of music. To help in establishing what the most popular method of consumption now that the digital medium has emerged the respondents were asked to state which method that they were most likely to use to access their music. As aforementioned, the popularity of the CD format as far as albums go is slowly on the wane, whilst it seems the popularity of the download services has improved the marketability and trading prospects of the single. This was highlighted by one respondent who
stated that 'I always download singles but buy CD's if I want the album'. To this end it was perhaps of little surprise that these two methods were the highest ranking ways in which the respondents accessed their music. To help in monitoring the effects of online shopping the question of how respondents purchased CDs was split into two possible answers, namely from high street retailers or online retailers. As shown in Illustration 2, the popularity of online retailers has outshone the appeal of high street retailers by some margin; perhaps indicative of the future of the high street store when coupled with the bleak outlook for HMV and the demise of Woolworths and Zavvi. One respondent stated 'Music chain stores overcharge [and] artists do not get enough from sales' as their reasoning behind using online stores instead of high street stores, which suggests a more moral insight into the modern music fan who are seeking to ensure that the artist are duly rewarded for their work. Coupled with the concerns over high street stores and overall prospects of the physical format the outlook does seem to be in some jeopardy with the physical formats representing 39% of the listed methods of consumption. The scope for music purchasing on the whole does not seem to be as pessimistic now that legal methods of purchasing music have emerged as the peer-to-peer networks, which offer music for free, have declined. The role of peer-to-peer networks for accessing music has been discussed before, especially in relation to wider purchasing of music as '[f]or some music consumers, P2P music is a perfect substitute to CD music, for some others it is just a complementary product' (Sandulli, 2007:327). With peer-to-peer downloads only accounting for 11% of the overall consumption methods of this data set it seems apparent that the majority of respondents still favour legal methods of consumption and this is further substantiated with a comment from one of the respondents who stated that 'I see no value in downloadable tracks, and view Spotify etc as a convenience and discovery tool'. After establishing how the respondents accessed their music the next logical step was to establish the reasons why they would use these formats. As shown in Illustration 3, the most important factor in music consumption was the convenience of accessing the content. This was surprising given that purchasing CDs through online stores, the highest ranked method of consumption, often takes several days to arrive through the post, so perhaps the convenience of shopping in one's home
without the need to travel to a shop is recouped by this wait for the products. In addition, the logistical limitations of a high street store, such as the space for stock, are avoidable with online services therefore extending the stock and selection of artists and available content. This was shown with almost a fifth of respondents indicating that they use online services to explore potential purchases in a try before you buy type situation similar to the trial period indicated by Nuttall. Some of the respondents using the extra comments section of the questionnaire expanded on their uses of these services thusly:
'Mainly listen to radio in the car, use Spotify to find more from artists before buying a CD
and
'I like the ease of digital downloads and tend to buy albums of new bands and singles this way. But I prefer to buy albums of artists that I know and like via CD because I like the artwork that comes with it and the fact I can hold something'
Both of these statements favour a practical viewpoint of using online services as a means of discovering new music whilst yearning for a physical copy to show their appreciation of the additional work and craftsmanship that is applied to the finished product, such as the artwork. After highlighting the methods that the respondents chose to access their music and the reasons behind this, it was then asked of them to indicate which method they would choose to access music should all music be available for free. This was to help in establishing whether individuals were driven in their music choices by money or by ease of access. Illustration 4 As indicated in Illustration 4 the methods of consumption for the hypothetical situation where music is free largely resembles the chart seen before which assessed their current
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consumption habits. Again the most popular format was CD, closely followed by legal online methods such as iTunes. Using CDs as the main method seems to be as popular now as iTunes however some respondents noted a change in the way they use their CDs after purchase:
I would choose CDs as it would act as a "back up" data storage (disaster recovery) if lost all my iTunes/iPod music and I could re-upload my music again.
This seems to indicate that not only is the way in which we consume music is changing, but the way in which we use these formats after purchase is also changing as content from the CD is now being transferred onto computers for playback rather than through conventional stereo systems. A statement given by one of the respondents in the Nuttall study who, on the topic of single track downloading said 'If you couldnt get tracks for free easily then Id think 79p was reasonable, but because you can I see it as inflated' (5, 2010) was the influence in this question and the respondents were asked to indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 how strongly they agreed, or disagreed, with the statement. The response was largely mixed, as shown in Illustration 5, with 46% indicating that they Disagreed or 'Strongly disagreed with the statement. On the contrary, 32% of respondents signalled that they Agreed or Strongly agreed. Although not an overwhelming affirmation, nearly half of the respondents indicated that they disagreed with the statement, which suggests that the lure of free downloading is not as attractive due to the low cost of legally downloaded singles. This is further confirmed when assessing the results of the ideal price of certain formats of music which the respondents were asked to complete. Respondents were asked to indicate the price that they would be happy to pay for a CD single, a CD album, a downloaded single, and a downloaded album. In relation to the 79p is inflated After removing
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statement, this part of the questionnaire provided an interesting correlation.

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anomalous results, such as 50 and 79 for a single, the average figure that the respondents would be most willing to pay for a single track download is around 80p, which is indeed indicative of the standard iTunes cost for a single track download. In terms of a CD single, the average price indicated was 1.87 which seems to suggest that consumers are willing to pay up to twice as much for a physical copy of the same material and furthermore, this also continues with the download and CD album comparison. The average price given for a CD album was 9.20, which was significantly higher than the 5.95 average for a downloaded album. The 9.20 price has significance with Mayfield's concern of consumers being 'taught' of a set price for music, but it seems that although we may be living in more austere times, the attraction of owning a physical copy of one's music purchases is more deserving of our money than a digital copy. In relation to the first part of the literature review the questionnaire sought to discover the potential uses that music has for people in their everyday lives. As aforementioned, nostalgia is an important part of the listener's attraction to their choices of music and this is shown as a significant reason in this data set as represented in the chart. The recent recession and the surrounding social apprehension of cuts, unemployment and widespread financial uncertainty fortifies the statement from BaxterMoore that nostalgic desires have a propensity 'to Illustration 6 emerge in times of crisis or loss' 155. From Illustration 6 it is possible to see that the main reasons people listen to music are personal rather than social. The respondents have indicated that their main uses for music are to help them relax and to create a sense of nostalgia which seems to prove the statement by Frith of modern technology 'individualising the musical experience' (Frith, Progress).
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Furthermore, the reasoning behind having music playing the background whilst the respondents carries out other tasks echoes the statement by respondents in the study by Crafts et al (in Longhurst, 255) that music acts as 'a companion'(Ibid, 255) that is 'there to keep them company' (Ibid, 255).
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7. Conclusion
The main aim of this study was to find out if music purchasing in consumers has increased or decreased as a result of the recession. The overwhelming response of the data set suggested that their purchasing had not increased throughout however, the level of commitment that was shown to music purchasing in the study was in contention of this downturn in music purchasing as it suggested that music is the second most valued commodity, only after food shopping. From this study, it is apparent that people are still willing to pay for their music. Importantly for the physical market, it has been shown that people are willing to pay up to around twice as much for the same content in a physical format rather than in a downloaded format. However, the rise in download sales and confidence in using online services has obviously affected the singles market as single sales are flourishing when before they were on the wane. To this end, the physical single market is arguably diminishing to a point where only significant releases will be sought after, such as charity records or X Factor single releases. To counter this and to bring music consumption into this new age of digital purchasing there needs to be a new model sought to encourage as much purchasing as possible, which is of course a bone of contention between music industry personnel. One of the groundbreaking moves in changing the way we think about purchasing our music came in 2007 when Radiohead released 'In Rainbows' which was available for their fans to download for a price of their choosing. According to a later report around one third of the people who downloaded the album did not paid for it at all with those that did paying an average price of around 4 (Sherwin, 2007). This price is not too dissimilar to the average price for a downloaded album noted in the results of this study so the prospect of purchasing without the physical costs of manufacturing attributed could be a future point of selling music as we have seen that people are willing to pay more for a physical copy. However, this could create a problem with more casual consumers of music who may not appreciate paying twice as much for a physical copy for essentially the same content as a downloaded album, which brings in Nuttall's identification of the listener.
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Many radical solutions to the evolving music industry have been raised, particularly so by the former president of Rkyodisc George Howard who has concerns over the rise in music streaming services and the lack of income this generates for artists. To this end, Locke has radically suggested that the modern methods of accessing music has now so drastically changed the way we must view the value of music that 'the music industry needs [to] give music to consumers at a price yes, close to free that will increase demand and propensity to pay for it' (Locke, 2008)
'I personally am more likely to buy an album I'd there is a 'deluxe' edition available (with a DVD, tshirt, stuff from the artist etc) and I think more artist should offer this [sic]'
Locke's statement seems radical given the nature and high costs of music that were seen just over ten years ago but it is hard to not see the overall outlook for the music industry and its treatment of music sales in this new environment. Some bands, such as Ash have announced that they are no longer releasing music in the standard album format (NME, 2007) which may or may not pave the way for others to follow suit suggesting that the album market and the singles market may remain wholly distinct, particularly given the low cost and high pleasure value of music as a commodity. It is the singles market, therefore, that requires the most in-depth overhaul. We have seen in this study that the singles market has been rejuvenated since the dawn of the legal download in 2003, so it is apparent that consumers are willing to pay for their music and willing to do so over the internet. However, this has come with a stark realisation to some sections of the industry, such as Mercury Records, who announced their intentions to withdraw all production of physical single formats, including CD and vinyl, as of March 2011 solely backing the download market (UKPA, March 2011). One of the respondents in this study commented that 'The music industry and movie industry are trying to hold on to a business model that does not translate to modern day.' and perhaps this move by Mercury Records is one of the first signs that change is imminent and that the music industry is starting to address the new methods of consumption rather than retain the older, dwindling methods. This study has proven that consumers are still willing to pay for their music, despite the inherent economic apprehension which has suppressed many other industries. However, we have also seen how consumers are becoming far more thrifty with their disposable income by sampling new music before parting with their cash. We have seen how some consumers value the physical copies of music while some prefer to just listen to the music through digital means. The important point to make is that the music industry seems to have survived the threat of peer-toChris Munday Page 35 of 45
peer downloads as feared at the turn of the century but it is imperative for the music industry to welcome these new changes in consumption and adapt to them rather than reject them.
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8. References
Ash deny they're splitting (2007) Available at: http://www.nme.com/news/ash/28918 (Accessed: 14 April 2011) BBC iPlayer growth continues as bbc.co.uk records 29% increase (2008) Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/02_february/20/iplayer.shtml (Accessed 14 April 2011) Baxter-Moore, N. (2006) 'This Is Where I Belong - Identity, Social Class, and the Nostalgic Englishness of Ray Davies and the Kinks', Popular Music and Society, 29: 2, 145-165 Gengaro, C.L. (2009) 'Requiems for a City: Popular Music's Response to 9/11', Popular Music and Society, 32: 1, 25-36 Gillham, B. (2000) Developing a Questionnaire. London: Continuum Hesmondhalgh, D. (2008) 'Towards a critical understanding of music, emotion and self-identity', Consumption Markets & Culture, 11: 4, 329-343 iTunes Store Top Music Retailer in the US (2008) Available at: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/04/03itunes.html (Accessed: 14 April 2011) HMV Group issues third profits warning (2011) Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business12968495 (Accessed 14 April 2011) Howard, G (2011) 'Part 1: The Melting Iceberg Syndrome And The Music Business' Available at: http://blog.tunecore.com/2011/03/part-1-the-melting-iceberg-syndrome-and-the-music-business1.html (Accessed: 14 April 2011) Locke, Z. (2008) 'How to Save the Recording Industry?: Charge Less' Available at http://works.bepress.com/zac_locke/2 (Accessed: 14 April 2011) Longhurst, B (2007) Popular Music & Society. Cambridge: Polity Press Mayfield, G (2008) 'Music Recession-Proof? Not Completely' Billboard, Vol. 120:41, 53 Mintel Press Release (2009) 'Chocoholics unite as chocolate sales worldwide defy recession' Available at: http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/press-releases/454/chocoholics-unite-aschocolate-sales-worldwide-defy-recession (Accessed: 14 April 2011) Mintel (2010) The Impact of The Recession on Media Usage - UK - January 2010 Mintel (2010) Impact of The Recession on Consumers' Leisure Habits - UK - May 2010 Molteni, L. and Ordanini, A (2003) 'Consumption Patterns, Digital Technology and Music
Downloading' Long Range Planning 389-406 'Music fares better than most in recession' (2009) Music Week:2 New BPI Data Shows Music Better Value Than Ever (2010) Available at: http://www.bpi.co.uk/press-area/news-amp3b-press-release/article/new-bpi-data-shows-musicbetter-value-than-ever.aspx (Accessed: 14 April 2011) North, A and Hargreaves, D (2008) The Social and Applied Psychology of Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press pp249 Nuttall, P., et al.,(2010) 'Understanding music consumption through a tribal lens'. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services Press Association (2011) 'Record label ends single production' Available at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jpKkMboOyurYRmdS4xbF23irUm4g ?docId=N0205811300985270458A (Accessed: 14 April 2011) Sandulli, F (2007) 'CD music purchase behaviour of P2P users' Technovation 27 pp325334 Sherwin, A (2007) 'How much is Radioheads online album worth? Nothing at all, say a third of fans', The Times. 11 October [Online]. Available at: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2633798.ece (Accessed: 14 April 2011) Shiels, M (2011) Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey rejoins company Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12889048 (Accessed: 14 April 2011) Top Gear helps BBC iPlayer break 145m barrier Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12217666 (Accessed 14 April 2011) Top Sites (2011) Available at: http://www.alexa.com/topsites (Accessed: 14 April 2011) Weekes, T (2004) 'Spending on clothing and attitudes to debt in the UK' Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Vol. 8 No 1 pp113-122 Zuckerberg, M (2010) 500 Million Stories Available at: http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php? post=409753352130 (Accessed: 14 April 2011) Zullow, H (1990) 'Pessimistic rumination in popular songs and newsmagazines predict economic recession via decreased consumer optimism and spending' Journal of Economic Psychology 12 pp501-526
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9. Appendix
The original questionnaire has now closed. However, a direct copy of the original can be found and completed at: http://edu.surveygizmo.com/s3/518204/Music-consumption-methods-and-economic-austerity-copyApril-13-2011 Questionnaire Response
The above screen grab indicates the number of responses that the questionnaire garnered since its launch. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the survey provider the upper limit for responses was set at 250. In total, 247 responses were used for this study (three were deleted due to incomplete forms) and the 110 responses above this limit were classed as Overflow and unable to be registered. Although disappointing, the 247 received, a much larger than expected response, was deemed a more than suitable data-set for the purposes of this study. The first response was received at 12:41 on 22 March 2011 and by the time the survey was closed at 19:02 the service had received 357 responses. The 635 Abandoned responses were received after the survey closed as potential respondents were prevented from completing the questionnaire with the following message:
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How to complete the questionnaire Those who were able to see the questionnaire while it was live followed a link to the questionnaire where the respondents were met with the following statement at the head of the page:
This acted to reassure the respondents that their data was secure, anonymous and for the sole purpose of academic use. The respondents were able to navigate away or close the window at any time during the process. The first two questions are straight forward yes or no and multiple choice questions. A response is required from questions to progress, but the respondents were not required to choose the maximum of 3 answers for Question 2. Due to an oversight, the survey provider withheld the data for 'Other (specify)' which could have brought qualitative data to the study. more all
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For the two-parted question 3 the respondents were asked to list the commodities that they would be most and least likely to cut back spending on. This was achievable by using a drop box so the respondents could click and drag to order and re-order their preferences. This was limited by the number of answers available but still provided sufficient data. The same principle applied for both parts.
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Twitter
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Other notable responses

Best of luck! I always download singles but buy CD's if I want the album. Interesting. Be good to know what you come up with. Mainly listen to radio in the car, use Spotify to find more from artists before buying a CD Music chain stores overcharge. Artists do not get enough from sales. (All in my own opinion) free downloads lead to increased purchases of un-commercial artists in "live" or vinyl formats. I hate listening to radio, there is virtually no music TV so BitTorrent is the most practical way to "try before you buy". spending habit question had many options that are n/a for me , eg gym, cigs, alcohol but should perhaps have included other options such as petrol Illegal downloading hurts the music industry, but it will not seize. Music needs to be readily available. If communications technology were up to speed to allow us to stream over 3G / 4G / whatever any songs we liked but pay as we play (2p per play / 10p per album) then I think that would work best. You would never own physical records or even files but could access pretty much anything at anytime paying each time you play. It's not possible yet but I'd see this as a great future. I would chose CDs as it would act as a "back up" data storage (disaster recovery) if lost all my iTunes/iPod music and I could re-upload my music again. At the moment I am considering buying a portable data storage back up for my PC which would also do the trick. I love music so much. I could live without telly but not without access to music. I don't steal music for the simple reason that (most) artists need the music to survive and record more music. I also don't genre-ise music as all popular music is basically blues. Isn't it?! Music is an essential part of my life, so I access it in whichever way I can get the music I want. I currently have music in vinyl, cassette, CD, downloads and converted MP3 formats. I also regularly listen to the radio and go to gigs. I Personally am more likely to buy an album I'd there is a 'deluxe' edition available (with a DVD, t- shirt, stuff from the artist etc) and I think more artist should offer this. I like the ease of digital downlads and tend to buy albums of new bands and singles this way. But I prefer to buy albums of artists that I know and like via CD because I like the artwork that comes with it and the fact I can hold something! I tend to try and find music I like that is not 'main stream' therefore quite a lot of the time I can get free downloads as the muscians are still trying to promote themselves and initially give the music free of charge. However, I do buy music from these bands as well, as I have done recently. The music industry and movie industry are trying to hold on to a business model that does not translate to modern day The recession doesn't neccesarily make me cut back on any specific area of expenditure it just makes me look for more value for my money so I buy special offers and cheaper items than I would have before hand. in regard to question 7, i'd only use itunes if the music had first come from a CD, not if it was downloaded at a low quality I use streaming sites such as spotify to discover new music, but I will buy music by an artist who makes good enough music that I want to support them by buying. I think the vinyl buying public do get the bad deal when it comes to music buying. They increase the price and hardly ever on offer. The music industry has commanded ridiculous prices for decades, and now has to face a cheap/free distribution of music. I am more than willing to pay for live shows (events or digital copies of), but music should be free. I work in IT and tend to play with cutting edge kit, but I see no value in downloadable tracks, and view Spotify etc as a convenience and discovery tool. My main method for purchasing music will be for the foreseeable future physical CD's The Music Industry is full of Wanna be that could promote a biscuit in a bun and user the buyers to compensate, and the Independent industry is showing that Marketing departments are in not such a greet need
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Exploring The Relationship Between Economic Austerity, Advances in Technology and Music Consumption Habits

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Exploring the relationship between economic austerity, advances in technology and music consumption habits

2.2 Accessing music

2.3 Social repair

2.4 Personal repair

3 Technology and Consumption Activity

3.1 Changes in technology

3.2 Online stores vs High Street stores

3.3 On-demand culture

3.4 Consumer guilt in download/streaming culture

3.5 Types of music listener

5.2 Potential limitations

5.3. Sales figures analysis results and discussion

6.1 Potential limitations of questionnaire

6.2 Utilising social networking websites as a research tool

6.3 Questionnaire results

statement, this part of the questionnaire provided an interesting correlation.

Other notable responses

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