How are the fast changes in society impacting the music industry? Are musicians using artificial intelligence to compose? How do fans feel about it? Should musicians engage in political and environmental discussions? How interested are fans in the use of virtual reality in music?
Society is changing at unprecedented pace, causing changes across all sectors. The entertainment and the music industry are no exceptions.
With this is mind, in 2020 we started a research project to investigate perceptual and behavioral trends in the music industry in Germany, by addressing both sides of the record: fans and professionals. This is how Live AM: Artist Monitor and Live FM: Fan Monitor started.
What is a monitor? It is a recurrent descriptive investigation of topics within a population. In our case, every year we investigate perceptions and behaviors of music fans and professionals in Germany. We dive into topics related to marketing, technology innovation, society and more.
Would you like to know even more? Download here the brochure with a full description of the project or visit the web pages of each monitor.
What about 2021? In 2021 we aim to take both monitors to larger stages. We are addressing even more timely issues and seeking stronger industry collaborations. Here is a description of what we have planned for this year:
At this stage, the Live AM: Artist Monitor investigates respondents residing in Germany. Furthermore, despite the name “Artist” on the monitor, the project is tailored for all professionals in the music industry: musicians, technicians, producers, managers, academics and more.
In 2021, the monitor addresses issues such as:
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- Overall perception of the music industry
- Concerts in 2022
- Music streaming services
- Personal well-being
- Artificial creativity
- Technology innovation: facial recognition and virtual reality
- Diversity in the industry
- Social media content (politics, social and environmental issues)
The topics of investigation and the questions were developed after an initial exploratory investigation, with professionals and academics of the music industry in Germany. The choice of subjects were based on relevance and potential for contribution to the industry.
This monitor is developed with the support of IU International University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Damian Leschik and two research assistants: Helena Páez-Maletz and Elina Gibert. Currently there are also ongoing meetings to develop collaborations with industry partners who will contribute to the project.
In case you still have not seen or read the 2020 Live AM: Artist Monitor report, you can download it here.
The 2021 edition of the Live FM: Fan Monitor addresses perceptions and behaviors of music fans in Germany and Scotland. The topics of investigation are somewhat similar to the Artist monitor. This allows for a comparison of perceptions and behaviors among both groups, and provides a more in-depth understanding of issues related to the industry.
Thus, in 2021, the fan monitor addresses issues such as:
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- Overall perception of the music industry
- Concerts in 2021 and 2022
- Music streaming services and switching
- Vinyl products
- Use of AI in music
- Technology innovation: facial recognition and virtual reality
- Diversity in the industry
- Social media content (politics, social and environmental issues)
The topics of investigation and the questions were also developed after the same initial exploratory investigation made for the artist monitor. Following this, a discussion was held with marketing professionals to adapt or tailor some of the issues to the German and Scottish markets. Finally, as previously, the choice of subjects was based on relevance and potential for contribution to the industry.
The Fan monitor is also developed with the support of IU International University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Damian Leschik and the two research assistants: Helena Páez-Maletz and Elina Gibert.
For Scotland, we count with the extraordinary support from academics from the University of the West of Scotland: Dr. Sandro Carnicelli, Dr. Emma Reid and Prof. Gayle McPherson. They are contributing by gathering valuable data in Glasgow and connecting with industry partners. This will later allows us to provide a comparison among respondents of both countries.
In case you still have not seen or read the 2020 Live FM: Fan Monitor report, you can download it here.
When Will Results Be Available?
The data collection for both monitors is starting now in August 2021 and will go until the end of November 2021. Afterwards, data analysis and the reports should be published in December 2021.
As always, the full reports will be made available at LiveInnovation.org.
