A preliminary research on the music business models in a free culture:the example of independent music

博士 === 國立政治大學 === 新聞研究所 === 100 === In his book Free Culture, Lawrence Lessig investigates how the legal system, modern technology, and media industry shape a permission culture to define our rights of consuming public goods and our freedom of creation. He orientates his core research question towar...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yang, Chia Jung, 楊佳蓉
Other Authors: Sun, Hsiu-Hui
Format: Others
Language:zh-TW
Published: 2012
Online Access:http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/y2j748
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Summary:博士 === 國立政治大學 === 新聞研究所 === 100 === In his book Free Culture, Lawrence Lessig investigates how the legal system, modern technology, and media industry shape a permission culture to define our rights of consuming public goods and our freedom of creation. He orientates his core research question towards the dispute over the relative importance of private interests and public interests. In other words, how do we balance private interests against public interests under the dual impacts of the Internet technology and intellectual property rights in a free culture? “Music” can be digitalized, and it is a prime example of free culture propagation. This thesis examines the music industry in Taiwan and thereby explores the possibility of shaping an operational model that makes “profiting” and “sharing” compatible with or even complementary to each other in a free culture. More importantly, such a model should be able to promote the public interests generated from a free culture and, at the same time, secure the private interests of musicians. “Independent music,” as a subfield in the music industry, always emphasizes autonomy in creation, and a free culture encourages creation and innovation. Accordingly, we may couple independent music with free culture, and this thesis primarily deals with their relationship. This thesis treats Taiwanese independent music as a process of information production and consumption. It adopts Bourdieu’s theories about field, capital, and reproduction to identify the effective factors in the development of free culture and independent music. In addition, this thesis investigates the dialectical process between defending and challenging free culture, and how a variety of interests negotiate, compromise, and finally strike a balance among themselves. Therefore, this thesis aims to, on the one hand, use the research findings to reflect on free culture and, on the other hand, establish a music business model in a free culture. This thesis employs in-depth interviews, participant observation, and secondary data analysis to answer my research question. I interviewed four types of independent music composers/singers (a total of five cases of individuals and bands who are wholly-independent individuals, composers of social movement songs, independent brands outside the system of the large-scale record industry, or musical talents released from major record companies) and five licensed digital music websites (KKBOX, ezPeer, Omusic, StreetVoice, and iNDIEVOX). Regarding “the inside-field actors’ understanding about a free culture,” this thesis finds that the term “free culture” is not as popular as it is expected to be. This phenomenon implies two critical points. Firstly, the interviewees perceive the term free culture in different ways. According to Lessig (2004: 30),”Free Cultures are cultures that leave a great deal open for others to build upon.” However, for composers/singers of independent music, a free culture implies the freedom of creation. A free culture should be able to guarantee the freedom and rights of both original creators and users. It is equivalent to the Creative Commons licensing scheme. It is a tool of marketing and advertising. The freedom embedded in a free culture is similar to that offered by the Internet. In contrast, for managers of licensed music websites, “service” is the core concept of a free culture.” Secondly, there exists a gap between Lessig’s idea of free culture and practice. The research findings indicate that the composers/singers of independent music interviewed by the author are more “conservative” than Lessig. With the primary goals of advertising and propagating independent music, most of their works remain free for listening, while some of them are free for downloading. Concerning “the independent music composers/singers’ on-line/off-line activities and their strategies of using capital,” this thesis points out three critical points in their career management. Firstly, the on-line capital and the off-line capital flow to and exchange with each other. Secondly, these composers/singers devote themselves to creation, and record companies concentrate on issuing their works. Composers/singers and record companies maintain a peer status and a balanced relationship. Thirdly, the “composer/singer of independent music” seems to become a potential profession. With regard to “envisioning a music business model in a free culture,” this thesis designs a business model based on the managerial features of licensed music websites, the needs of composers/singers of independent music, and public interests. The model contains the following characteristics. Firstly, non-payment coexists with payment. Secondly, virtuality runs parallel with reality. Thirdly, copyrights stabilize the order of operation. Fourthly, agency transactions help establish connections among independent music composers/singers and people who are able to provide better performance opportunities. In general, this model seeks to open up a field that integrates platforms of Internet publication, paid licensing websites, and agencies. The relationship among the actors is equal rather than hierarchical.