Category Archives: Research

What is Social Media?

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Social media, Social media, Social media!!!!

What is this social media and why everyone is always talking about this. Social media is a website, an application or a platform where people can share contents which included pictures, video’s, musics, share similar internet, exchange information on certain topics. Social media is a platform where people feel connected with each other, even if they do not know each other personally. There are hundreds of social media website floating around on internet but there are only few which has literally “broke the internet”. Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  seem to be like limbs of human beings these days. It has no limits. Recently this platform has been used by many organisations across the globe in order to keep close contact with their customer, so customers feel more connect to the organisation. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are like top of the agenda for many global business as they can interact with individual from anywhere across the globe without inconvenience through these platforms.

Board members of top organisations, consultants are always looking for new social platform which could be used by their business in order to gain more profit. Having so much information knowledge and interest in social media there seems to very little understanding regarding the term “Social media”. With the help of this post i would like to gain attention of my peers who are working on similar project regarding the different between social media and related concept on web 2.0. In order for us to fully understand this concept, we will have to travel back in time when the foundation on social media was laid in 1979 and a big thing called “social media” was created on top this foundation 10 years later. The first social media website was known as “Open diary” which was created in 1990s. Due to the tremendous change in the speed of internet and popularity in the concept of blog writing, in 2003 a social platform name “myspace” was born.

Let’s talk a little bit about web 2.0 now. web 2.0 actually came into existence in 2004 around the same time Facebook was born and this is where the confusion took place. Term web 2.0 was used by academics and researcher in order to describe new ways of utilising the world wide web. This was an era where application and programs weren’t just created by individual but the whole community took part in the process in order to make continuous improvements. Blogs and wikis are the best examples of web 2.0 are often confused with “social media platforms”. In order to use web 2.0 an individual doesn’t have to go through any special training and there aren’t any specific update which are require to use this facility but functionalities such as AJAX, Adobe and RSS are requirements for using the service to its full potential.

Kaplan.A.,Haenlein.M.2009.Users of the world, United! The challenges and opprotunities of social media. Avaliable on : http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681309001232, [Accessed on 10th april 2015]

Come on DJ Keep Playing That Song… What is it is like to be a DJ?

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Before I joined to this group project, my idea of DJs were pretty vague. People standing before turntables with headsets, moving on rhythm, continuously nodding to the beat while closing their eyes and stopping the vinyl record occasionally with their fingers, rewinding and playing music to get people to dance… that’s all. Although something tells me it is not that easy, so I did some research on what is it like to be a DJ, how you can create the career path to be a DJ, how much money the DJ can earn and so on.

You can also check out this Documentary about the DJ and Producer Lifestyle

https://www.careersinmusic.com/dj_nightclub-dj/

Here are some points people not familiar with DJ culture may find them interesting.

  • There are two different kind of DJ careers: those who just play the music and those who create music and play them as a performance.
  • The DJ needs skill of networking and social skill to build a fan base.
  • The DJ cannot pursue money as his/her priory goal. Sometimes they must play unpaid. After becoming famous, they earn money from performing and from the royalty of their own tracks. “On average, a reasonably successful DJ can expect to make a few hundred dollars per show.”
  • Many DJs work few hours at weekend nights, from Thursday to Saturday.
  • DJs must work with promoters, bookers, night club managers. At first you become friends with them to let them book you.
  • To be a DJ, you will be offered to perform gigs for free, so people will know you, and you can build fan base. Then your DJ career may on a right track though it is pretty competitive.
  • There is no working union for DJs though as a tracks owner they belong to a music royalty organization.

My conclusion is, it is for your weekend jobs. The interesting thing is as part of their necessary tasks, building a fan base by using social media is recommended. I believe our site will help many DJs who doesn’t have enough time or skill to do that. Even if they have, it is always nice to have extra sites to collaborate with their works and ways to have deeper engagement with fans. In a DJ’s world, social media is powerful and it is going to be more powerful as the era of Web 3.0 arrives.

Technology and Social Networks

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2014-04-20 22.18.01

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instant messaging, Video conferencing, Web meetings: These and many other collaboration and social media platforms are now an everyday part of people’s lives around the world. Why this phenomenon happened?

1. People want to change the traditional ways of communicating and chase new and interesting forms.

2. The Internet makes these kind of instant communication possible via social media

3. Computers and smart phones have become necessary things in our life.

How does social media makes our lives different?

1. Building a new culture

2. Making the communication more efficiently

3. Providing more interesting learning experiences

4. Sharing personal opinions

5. Changing traditional way on finding jobs

So, we want to build a new social network including these features to improve people’s lives. What we want to build is a website for musicians/DJs and party information.  With respect to DJs, this is a musical subculture; it is an important part of a party. Second, we will provide a platform for DJ culture lovers to communicate. Third, you will learn more about DJs musicians and music through our website. Fourth, you can make your comments in particular zone. Fifth, we provide party information. If you are a DJ, you can find a job through the site.

Because the social networks are based on modern Internet, different new technologies will shape the features of social media. According to the related articles. These technologies shape social networks:

1. Arduio

2. RFID Tags and Transponders

3. Geomagnetic Sensors in Mobile Devices

4. Optical Pattern Recognition and Augmented Reality

5. OpenID,OAuth and Identity Graph

6. Mind Reading

7. Natural language processing

We could adopt these technologies, but we do not have to. Depending on the design of our social network we will adopt the appropriate technology.

Ethical Considerations for miXXerS

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image

“Further well trodden themes in social networking research – such as identity, use/non-use, motives for use, privacy, surveillance, friending, commodification, and user exploitation – all surface issues with ethical dimensions”. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

I was tasked with looking at the ethical issues that may arise in developing miXXerS. Ethical issues that arise with interactions between users, online and offline communities, social network developers, corporations, governments and other institutions are complex. Social networks have changed how we create and/or maintain social relationships/roles and there are ethical implications of this.  Each stakeholder can have diverse and also conflicting motives and interests and the same will be the case for the mixed audience of miXXerS. Social relations between people who have/desire some type of relationship or affiliation personal, business or otherwise are at the core of social networks. For miXXerS this is no exception.

Moreover, in building technological systems computer scientists often tend to build what they think would work best for the user without necessarily considering ‘disclosive computer ethics’. Instead of viewing the technology as a neutral actor this instead focuses on the moral norms and values embedded in information technologies, applications and practices. We therefore would like to build a system which considers the ethical implication of the technology itself as well as the ethical use of the site.

“the emphasis in technology design should be on achieving the greatest good for the greatest number, and developers of social networking sites are seen to have ethical responsibilities for ensuring that their designs are oriented towards achieving the desired goal. The developers, on the other hand, appear to hold a user-oriented view – they make social networking sites for people to play with.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Social networking sites can facilitate deception, social grooming and defamation. Given miXXerS is a site which combines not only music but also parties we must be aware of this. Users will be able to report unethical use of the site per our policies and we will design features which will help to support ethics. This is important. One report found that “active social networkers show a higher tolerance for activities that could be considered unethical.” and that “It appears that they are more willing to consider things that are ‘gray areas’. However, there are skeptics of such arguments. In addition, given the data that is derived from free use of the site is important for our business this also raises ethical questions which all social network sites struggle with as it has become a defacto business model for the web.

International Music Summit – The Audience, Spotify, Mox, Mixcloud

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At the International Music Summit in 2013 there were some interesting presentations and discussions on some of the ways the models for how we consume music is changing.  I watched this video from the Summit to gain some ideas of how music industry professionals are thinking in this space. In it the presenters talk about how the media industry has been forced to embrace social media and about the desire of fans to interact directly with musicians. They also talk about the way that mobile apps are enhancing the user experience at events including and about the rise of electronic dance music. They also talk about the increase in the use of apps like DJ face for music

-Ted Cohen, EMI Music  “Obviously more and more people want to become DJs… the barriers to entry are getting lower and lower. software is moving from the desktop to mobile”

-Spotify’s Mark Williamson. “22 of the top 100 tracks on Spotify fall under electronic dance music,” 

Social Music Marketing, Brands? Millenials & Digital Natives: miXXerS

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Source: http://thesociallife.org/social-media-marketing-what-does-that-meme/

Source: http://thesociallife.org/social-media-marketing-what-does-that-meme/

In doing my research on business models I found that SoundCloud was working with non music related brands to sponsor musicians on the site and therefore drive participation of DJs, musicians and party/concert producers who are paying customers but also users who come to interact with them and each other. While this could be a business strategy we employ I think there needs to be deeper analysis of this before pursuing.

We are leading with the idea that social music is an aim and in an of itself. Social media can provide musicians with an easier way to land sponsorships and brand partnerships. For example, one celebrity sponsored tweet can generate $2,500 to $8,000. By partnering with DJs and musicians, brands are equipped with an even bigger microphone to reach their customers, in addition to the musician/DJ stamp of approval.

“According to data from William Chipps, author of the IEG Sponsorship report, corporate sponsorship by consumer brands incorporating music into marketing programs was expected to exceed $1.17 billion last year, nearly double what it was six years earlier.” (Panos Panay, CEO of Sonicbids)

Digital Natives and Millennials which are the primary target group for miXXerS (18 – 35 year olds) not only like music but listen to it a lot even if they are not as brand loyal as their parents (WSL Retail) especially since they cannot always afford loyalty and make decisions more based on competing prices.  More brands are turning to emerging artists (not backed by a label, entrepreneurial) who are socially connected online and able to build a loyal fan base through active engagement on social networks. Given Millennials and digital natives are our target audience such a strategy can prove useful.

Attaching an artist to branded content is a sure way to guarantee consumers enjoy and remember their experience, and therefore, the brand…. Their collective reach is incredibly appealing, according to a study from Music Metric. That’s because emerging artists are reaching hundreds of millions of fans who are already engaged and connected with them, and these very fans can activate on behalf of a brand. (Panos Panay, CEO of Sonicbids)

A brands spokesman speaking about the brilliance of their product is not as effective as referent power of someone’s favorite musician or DJ speaking about that product in a favorable light. This relates to the concept of power as influence as well as the extent to which that power is propagated throughout the network through reposts, follows, likes and conversations etc. While miXXerS can potentially enable this we will examine the issues surrounding this before making any such decision and at launch this would not be a part of our business model.

What other Music, DJ, Party sites are out there? (Part 3)

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spotify-comes-to-facebook-pics--f6b33680cc

Source: Mashable

In this third post I continue my research on related or similar sites that exist. One site that is used to promote lesser known musicians is the site bandcamp. Not only can you discover new music but you can also pay the musicians too. The site noted that in 30 days $3.4 million was paid to artists on the site. However, we should look at how other social media sites dedicated to music have come and gone and learn from it. One these is mySpace, while it is still in use, it is not as popular as it was when it first emerged in 2005, helping to launch the career of some artists.

“Mismanagement, a flawed merger, and countless strategic blunders have accelerated Myspace’s fall from being one of the most popular websites on earth—one that promised to redefine music, politics, dating, and pop culture—to an afterthought. But Myspace’s fate may not be an anomaly. It turns out that fast-moving technology, fickle user behavior, and swirling public perception are an extremely volatile mix. Add in the sense of arrogance that comes when hundreds of millions of people around the world are living on your platform, and social networks appear to be a very peculiar business—one in which companies might serially rise, fall, and disappear.”

Felix Gillette, Bloomberg Business

In addition one social media site that more recently went bust in 2014 is Jelli an interactive radio broadcasting service that was launched in 2009 and ended in 2014, when it changed its business platform towards its cloud based sales products for radio stations. Listeners selected songs for a radio station and could vote on songs to determine the playlists of their online streaming stations and participating radio stations. Winning songs were played on the radio, while songs that “Sucked”, were pulled off the air immediately. In a ‘Jelli chat room’ listeners could socialize, request their favorite songs, and organize a community-controlled playlist. The User of the Week award along with an accompanying badge for their profile page could be earned by helping to shape the playlist, and voting. they can request a “sigtone“, or short, 5 second sound clip that is played before one of the most favored tracks is played on the air. Lessons can be learnt from the experience of Jelli in the development of miXXerS.

Party/Concert websites tend to promote their websites independent of music websites. Many also tend to promote not just music events but entertainment more broadly for example Eventim, or Timeout. It also becomes difficult to find lesser known parties in your area that you may want to attend. Furthermore there is not usually a rating system for parties and concerts, reviews usually come web 1.0 sites.

In addition it may be the case that even though you do not usually attend parties and concerts you may want someone to play music at your party but have no idea where to find one that fits your taste or know if they will be good since reviews are not available online. You therefore have to depend on word of mouth.

However, while all of these sites exist they do not integrate DJs and small independent musicians with users particular those who attend concerts and parties. Given live music is still important there is an opportunity to facilitate connections in a very unique way which gives market share to independent artists but not to DJs and enhance the experience of those attending concerts and going to parties. Many of these sites also do not enable deeper social connections with these artists or meaningful rewards and so this is an area than be further explored through miXXerS.

What other Music, DJ, Party sites are out there? (Part 2)

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I did quite a bit more research on what other similar sites exists and so here is follow up review. New-comers to streaming services online include SoundCloud (Musicians) and MixCloud (DJs) which focus on playlists and are popular with users which include DJs. Many of these services have been invested in before they actually started making money. Soundcloud started out with brands like Squarespace, independent artists and others like Maker studios.

SoundCloud also enables non music related brands to help them generate income by sponsoring musicians who can then get more exposure.  Through their On Soundcloud – creator programme. Music is categorised by genre and you can get suggestions of popular music, upload a file and start a new recording. Selections prompt suggestions on who you should follow and you can also follow music that is trending. You can also create groups and become a member of groups of people who enjoy/listen to similar music as well as like new playlists, tracks.

MixCloud lets users login through Facebook. They also enable DJs to participate in DJ competitions online and DJs can promote their content to increase their visibility across Mixcloud and easily reach new audiences. This costs 6.99 pounds per day. They provide a basic free service for all users a premium services for listeners and a pro service for uploaders who are primarily DJs. Similar to the LinkedIn model Mixcloud provides the service for free but is able to generate income through having DJs provide for premium services, targeted campaigns, Custom Digital Solutions (Bespoke apps, web-pages). Like SoundCloud, MixCloud also works with a variety of brands to support branded content.

One example of a DJ social media site is Topdeejays. Topdeejays uses an algorithm that measures overall social media influence by combining Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, SoundCloud, MySpace, Last.fm and YouTube fans, subscribers and followers. It uses a unique measurement – TDJ points to rank artists by popularity.

One site that attempted to turn music lovers into DJs was the site Turntable.com. They existed for only 2 years and closed in 2014. Following the rules of the traditional music industry that went with licensing music was one of the reasons they cited for failure and inability to truly innovate. They also failed to migrate their service to mobile platforms at the key moment that music was increasingly being listened to on mobile rather than desktop. Turntable was best experienced on a desktop computer at a time when the rest of the world was going mobile.  In what they called a virtual club, users could select avatars, listeners could highlight their favorite songs and DJs could upload original tracks to test out on listeners. Casual listeners could explore new genres in a very interactive environment through a chat window. They could also DJ and their fans could reward them with points for buying new avatars.

Plug.dj is trying however to pick up where Turntable left. It  is a real-time social media experience combining music and video discovery in a fun and interactive online environment. Users can choose from an array of avatars including dancing avatars and can create parties with friends and peers around the globe. They can join and create virtual rooms to discover and share music and videos, and communicate with international party-goers using real-time chat translation. Musicians and DJs alike can engage with and attract fans in real-time.

DJ List is another site that exists and says it is the ‘largest directory of DJs of around the world’ though the site is not very interactive. DJs but also labels, clubs/venues and agents can create profiles, specifically for electronic/dance music. Fans, and DJs follow DJs through a music and social media feed of the latest content being generated by DJs online. Information on DJs, promoters, agents, publicists and their events are also made available online and they also all login via Facebook.

Other sites like AliveNetwork allows users to hire DJs but don’t have the social media or music streaming element. Tastebuds.fm lets you connect with new people via music and even find others who would go to a party or concert with you. However, you are unable to chat with musicians or DJs or follow them on the site. It is however integrated with Facebook.

On the other hand  Live Nation Entertainment, revealed that concert attendees use their mobiles heavily for tweeting, texting, Facebook and Twitter, photos while there. More than in previous years. Eventbrite found that electronic dance music, has risen in popularity in part due to the social media savvy of its fanbase. It follows that combining social media in the DJ context can prove very useful.

What other Music, DJ, Party/Concert sites are out there? (Part 1)

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Social networks can create a Supportive Community for musicians as well as for DJs by linking them to music lovers that love to attend concerts as well as parties. While there are an increasing number of sites that provide music streaming services, in a way that connects listeners, sites that provide information on DJs and others that provide information on parties and concerts there is no one site that combines elements of each of these in a socially networked way that can enhance the people and musical connections for each group.

There are an increasing number of social network sites for music fans online. These include streaming services such as Spotify and Deezer and LastFM. According to Nielsen, music streaming increased by 24% from 2012 to 2013, while sales from downloads decreased by 4.6%. While downloads have been steadily decreasing. Streaming lets you listen to hundreds of your favourite songs instantly and legally and you don’t have to download the content. If users do not pay for the service the music is interrupted every now and then with an advert you cannot skip as this is one way in which they generate income. Some incorporate free trials to introduce users to the service. They also provide a personalised “radio station” service and enable the creation of a unique playlist when you search for a song. While there are others these are the most popular ones and music lovers use them to listen to new music discover new music and share their playlists with others. Graphs which make use of the concept of graph theory  are also important to music social media sites. For example, Spotify has introduced the Music Graph which is also integrated with Facebook’s graph too and this is a feature that miXXerS can also explore.

Another is Pandora once popular in the UK but now available in the US, Australia and New Zealand audiences only due to licensing constraints.  Earbits Radio, provides Independent Music with no commercials. Like Pandora it offers handpicked independent music, curated by a team of music experts, and caters particularly to music that is not mainstream. It also enables listeners to connect with bands and introduces elements of game theory with the ability to earn ‘Groovies’.