Making and enjoying global music:

Convergence is now bringing together the music and other media industries closer together. Although there are significant differences between film, television and music. These differences become apparent in relation to 'globalisation'. Some suggest recorded popular music as simultaneously 'global', 'regional' and 'local', in terms of its production and consumption.

Recorded music as global product:

• The Gramophone Company of India (HMV) is synonymous with Indian music.
• The company was incorporated in Calcutta as 'The Gramophone and Typewriter company Ltd' in 1901.
• The first Indian artiste to be recorded was Gauhar Jan (5th November 1902)
• Arrival of the 'talkies' in 1927 (where you can music and talking) This caused problems due to language barriers.
• 1960's British Performers did attempt to record their UK hits in other European languages, but this was not particularly successful.
• Technology for making master recordings and subsequently pressing records was, and still is less expensive and simpler to manage than film technology.

The structure of the industry:

Majors in the music industry worldwide:

• Time Warner as Warner Bros -  Time Warner Inc., a global leader in media and entertainment with businesses in television networks, filmed entertainment, publishing and interactive services, uses its industry-leading operating scale and brands to create, package and deliver high-quality content worldwide through multiple distribution platforms.

• Sony as Sony/Columbia - Produces many music videos such as 'Beyonce Featuring Kanye West - Ego'. Columbia and "Walking Eye" Design are registered trademarks of Sony Music Entertainment.

• Bertelsmann as RCA/BMG -  RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. Currently, the RCA trademark is owned by the French conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson. The trademark is used by Sony Music Entertainment and Thomson SA, which licenses the name to other companies like Audiovox and TCL Corporation for products descended from that common ancestor ^.

• ^{Seagram/Universal as MCA -} MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group (now Universal Music Group), of which MCA Records was still part. Established in 1967, MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003.

• Two 'major' Hollywood-based groups, Disney and Viacom/Paramount, are classed as 'independents' in the music industry.

• New Corporation is the only media conglomerate without a significant music industry interest.

• The music industry is not 'integrated' in quite the same way as the cinema. The 'majors' are indeed primarily distributors and producers, but not so much 'exhibitors'-in case of the music industry, the exhibitors are effectively the radio and television stations and the retail outlets.

• Music companies tend to buy local record labels and to acquire a roster of local artistes in addition to their marketing global acts.

• Music market is organised regionally.

• Because some UK acts have made the leap to international status, the UK has a strong global presence. 

Alan McElroy, senior director EMI UK:


Globalisation is the organisation of production and distribution across national boundaries...it has very little to do with music. We compete (with the other majors) in A&R (Artists and Repertoire), sales and marketing, we compete for the artists, manufacturing records is not a significant area of competition. Globalisation of the supply chain has nothing to do with globalisation of music.


Repertoire::

•  The music industry is organised around the development of A&R. This means that the companies want to find 'talent', develop it in terms of performance and recording, controlling recording' and music publishing rights. It is in their interest to develop specific repertoire for each territory in which they operate. They know that attempting to sell just a handful of American stars across the globe will not work. This is something that the music video satellite providers have also recognised with the development of programming with significant local content, whether it is different parts of Europe or Asia.

Popular Music:

• Popular music bears a direct relationship to local culture - indeed some popular misic is termed 'root' music, emphasising that it comes from a specific community.

 Hybridity in popular music:

•  The influence of cultural studies within Media Studies and the development of postmodernism has created interest in the concept of hybridity, which can be seen being developed in relation to popular music. People of different cultures have been seen to mix and produce new culture forms.