AS Media Studies G322 Audiences & Institutions Piracy Lesson

1. 1. Vertical Integration
2. Synergy
3. Web 2.0
4. Promotion and Marketing
5. Independent
6. Convergence
7. Copyright
8. Download
9. Horizontal Integration
10. The 'Big 3'
11. Production
12. Distribution
13. Consumption
14. Subsidiary
14 Key Terms – Define them in 5 minutes!

2. 1. Vertical Integration: When a media company profits from all areas of production,
distribution and consumption
2. Synergy: The interconnected marketing and distribution of related media products across
a range of platforms and sectors
3. Web 2.0: The second phase of the internet, where the focus shifts from people receiving
information and services to people creating and sharing material
4. Promotion and Marketing: An aspect of distribution that creates interest in a media
product
5. Independent: A media organisation or activity that is not connected to a major company
6. Convergence: Hardware and software coming together across media, with companies
coming together across similar boundaries of production, distribution and consumption
Mark a partners answers.

3. 8. Download: The practice of selecting and receiving digital information from an online source on a
computer, as opposed to sending it by upload
9. Horizontal Integration: The process of two companies coming together through merger
10. The 'Big 3‘: The 3 MAJOR music labels: Sony Music Group, Universal Music Group and Warner Music
Group. Formally 'The Big Four', became 3 after EMI's merger with Universal in November 2011.
11. Production: Recording music
12. Distribution: Promoting music and getting it into shops, on the radio and downloaded for payment
13. Consumption: People buying CDs, downloading music, paying for live concert tickets and purchasing
any related products
14. Subsidiary: One of a number of record labels owned by a particular conglomerate institution
Mark a partners answers.

4. Work out your percentage!
• Over 50% • Below 50%

5. How do institutions sell their products to audiences in contemporary
media?
In pairs, list three methods.
Distribution

6. Radio advertising
Live music sector
Music retail sector
Licensing of music to third parties
Revenue Streams

7. Combatting Piracy
Learning objective: To understand the effects of music piracy for institutions
and audiences.

8. Biggest contributor to piracy?
95% of music downloads are unauthorised.
71% of users cite high prices as the reason.
84% of illicit downloaders think artists deserve to be paid.
Solution?
Piracy

9. Music industry is still losing out to internet pirates on a huge scale, with an estimated
95% of music available online being downloaded illegally.
Industry is forced to employ marketing ideas such as Radiohead's "pay what you like"
album In Rainbows and Coldplay's move to give away tracks to promote their album.
UK Record industry lost £180m in 2012, and more than £1bn in 2013.
Research task: In pairs, prepare a short presentation about what current strategies
conglomerates and independent labels are employing in their attempts to combat
music piracy.
Analyse and evaluate the success of specific examples.
Be prepared to present to the class!
Effects of Piracy

10. Writing Task
Does this article suggest that current alternative marketing strategies are successful in combatting piracy?

11. Example
In contemporary media practice, institutions such as
SONY are forced to think of new ways to sell their
products in order to avoid online piracy. In
December 2013 SONY, via their offprint label
Columbia, released Beyoncé's self-titled album
online with no previous marketing. This meant that
material was not leaked online and exposed to illegal
downloads. It also meant that media interest was
generated due to the unusual release pattern, which
in turn generated extra sales. However, reports have
shown that Beyoncé's album was still illegally
downloaded 240,000 times costing SONY
£2.5million. This would suggest that even the largest
conglomerates are unable to avoid piracy despite
adapting the methods in which they sell their
products.
• Explanation/ analysis/
argument
• Use of examples
• Use of terminology

12. How do institutions sell their products to audiences in contemporary
media?
Include:
Traditional sales
Digital
Combatting piracy
Streaming
Homework