The Decline and Growth of the Sound and its Technological Form ─A Analysis of Music and Audiophile Series (1973-2013)

• Main Authors: Cho, Hsiao Ching, 卓曉青
• Other Authors: Feng, Chien San
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/bbjwr5

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 新聞研究所 === 102 === The Music and Audiophile magazine was founded by Adam Chang in 1973. Its articles, either in a soft or hard touch, introduce music and audio equipment. The magazine has served as a platform for music lovers to appreciate music and learn more about audio and sound systems. The sections of the magazine include basic knowledge, concert and performance information, opinions from the readers, and critical analysis about the audio and sound industry. In general, the magazine has been of great cultural value considering its role in inspiring readers and reflecting social trends. To date, the contents and the operation of the magazine have moved away from music and have become specifically targeted and closed. The research analyzes the article contents and types of advertisers of the Music and Audiophile series. Through interviews, the research examines and discovers the features of audio industry and the price mechanism. In addition, the function of actors in the industry, including agents, distributors and manufacturers as well as their relationship with magazine media is also studied. The research found that the Audio Technique (1975-1985) and its successor, the Hi-Fi &; Hi-Vi (1986-), have distributed more and more space to articles about audio equipment while those regarding to music have decreased. In addition, there is no translated article and the focus has shifted to products for sale. Furthermore, manufacturers who placed advertisements in the magazine could be rewarded a commentary piece of their products in the publication. Also, the research found that the most common advertisements were about audio equipment. In sum, the Music and Audiophile has advocated the professionalism of its audio and visual reviews, but the musical and cultural values have died out. The magazine can no longer assist readers in discriminating sounds and identifying different music. On the contrary, it ends up being a marketing tool for audio equipment.