Entertainment Planet

The British Music Industry: Challenges and Adaption in the Twenty-First Century

2011-10-19T01:51:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of giving a lecture at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar, Germany, at the Musikwirtschaft 2.0 - neue Perspektiven für die Musik conference on the subject of the current state of, and challenges faced by the British music industry. This blog post consists of a narrative that I have written to accompany my presentation, which is available on Slideshare here.

The origins of music

Music has been around for as long as the earth has existed. Sounds created by nature such as howling wind, animal cry, and rustling grasses all make a sound, and whilst the sound they make is not composed, organised and arranged with intended structure and rhythm, natural sounds are nature's music. Man's first attempt at music began with either basic percussion from objects that were beaten or by orally produced sounds, before of course a language was developed. The onset of language lead to chanting, dance, storytelling and celebration, all of which may have involved man-made music. We only need look at traditional tribal societies that exist in the world today, whose lives have barely been impacted upon by industrialisation, to see how our ancestors may have once lived, and incorporated music into their everyday lives.

Jump forward several thousand years, and those talented enough to make music and song were much in demand as entertainers, many of whom were employed by the wealthy as their own personal entertainers, or who worked for themselves earning small amounts for impromptu public performances. At some point in the 17th Century the first promoters appeared, who would find talented musicians, and then give them a stage on which to perform. The audiences that were attracted would pay a fee to watch the musicians, which was divided between promoter, artist and sometimes the owner of the stage or venue. The word 'entrepreneur' was first used to describe these promoters.

Up until the late 19th Century the only music that could be heard was live music, then in 1877 Thomas Edison developed the technology that would eventually spawn the recorded music industry. Edison developed the 'flat disc' recording device that would eventually become the record.

The twentieth-century

The modern day music industry was not formally recognised until the first half of the twentieth century, when companies emerged that had the finances to be able to record, promote and distribute records by popular musicians. At the beginning of the twentieth-century the music genres that existed were largely classical in nature, or were derivatives of religious music, and traditional 'folk song'. In the USA, Broadway shows helped to spawn new emergent genres such as 'Broadway' and 'Ragtime'.

Throughout the twentieth-century more genres emerged, as musical influences from immigration and other cultures blended with existing genres and helped to spawn newly recognised forms of music including blues, calypso, jazz, scat and swing. Blues influences, along with folk and religious music helped to spawn country and western, and eventually from that rock and roll emerged in the 1950s along with the first emergent youth cultures - young people who wanted to listen to modern music, and not dress like their parents. This generation of young people strived to carve out a 'modern' identity for themselves, and music was a common ground that helped them achieve this.

In Britain, the 'Teddy Boys' became a dominant cultural movement as rock and roll and the rebelliousness that it ensconced were seen by the 'establishment' as perverting the nation's youth. Since the 1950s, various youth cultures and with them associated music genres have emerged, some have lasted the duration and others haven't. The hippies and the mods were prevalent in the 1960s and the 1970s, yet today are rarely seen, although from them, new fashions and youth cultures emerged including heavy metal, punk, post-punk indie, the goth scene and and Brit-pop.

Some music genres of the twentieth century. Source: Moss and Henderson (2009)

In terms of musically creatives decades, the period from the early 1960s until the late 1980s spawned hundreds of popular music genres, with the 1980s being by far the most musically creative decade in the world's history. The creativeness of the 1980s was helped by the proliferation of technology that could be used to make electronic music, as well as the creation of hip hop in the late 1970s and from this a plethora of hip hop sub-genres emerged in the 1980s, including electro funk, hardcore hip hop and gangsta rap.

Economist Joseph Schumpeter coined the phrase 'creative destruction' to describe the phenomenon of new technologies that make old ones obsolete, this is something that we have seen throughout the music industry, as new musical media formats have lead to the decline of older formats. The most typical examples include records, cassette tapes, compact discs and now MP3s (there are numerous unmentioned formats that emerged between these formats - does anyone remember the MiniDisc? - which itself was creatively destroyed by the CD-R).

Creative destruction of music media formats. Source: Henderson (2009)

The rise of media-less digital formats

Now in the second decade of the twenty-first century, the loss of physical music media in favour of media-less digital format the MP3 is more than apparent, particularly to music labels (who used to be known as record labels). The relative ease of copying, distributing, transferring and playing good quality MP3s has left the labels in a position whereby not only are they losing money through various forms of music piracy, which is not only organised 'criminal' piracy such as counterfeiting, but increasingly the more 'innocent' home piracy including file sharing, and converting YouTube videos to MP3s, which is the modern day equivalent of recording a song from the radio onto a cassette tape. Although the difference between recording something onto a cassette tape and converting a YouTube video into an MP3 is that the quality of the converted MP3 is often as good as one that could be legally purchased - from a consumer's perspective the question is often: Why bother paying for something that I can get exactly the same for free?

This type of music piracy is having a profound impact upon the British music industry particularly. The UK has long been established as a music 'power-house' globally, according to the British Phonographic Institute (BPI) (2010a) the UK is the second largest producer of music in the world after the USA, and in 2007, 2008 and 2009 the biggest selling albums in the world were by British artists. However, in 2011 the UK was demoted into 4th place behind Germany as a music market. This has been largely blamed upon a drop in music spend as British consumers downloaded an estimated 1.2 billion tracks in 2010 (BPI, 2010b). In 2010 spend on music in Britain fell by 8%, single sales rose by 6%, album sales fell by 7% and overall music spend was at it's lowest rate since 1997 (Mintel, 2011). In terms of legal downloads, the value of downloaded albums in the UK is still only 17.5% of the overall total value of album sales, but for singles a staggering 98.7% of sales are achieved through downloads (ibid). By September 2010, 500 million singles had been legally downloaded in the UK since legal downloading began, however in 2010 alone 1.2 billion singles worth £984 million were illegally downloaded in the UK (BPI, 2010b). The average price of a single download track in the UK is 82p, and there are 13 million available tracks to download from 67 legal download services, which is more than any other country (ibid).

The Digital Economy Act (2010)

Tackling illegal downloads in a meaningful and effective way is proving to be problematic for the British government, who are keen to make suggestions and recommendations to a variety of those bodies with stakeholder involvement in the 'illegal download chain' including search engines, Internet service providers (ISPs), advertisers and credit card companies (BBC, 2011b). But so far the British government have really only 'talked up' what should happen, and there has been little in terms of legal enforcement, this is despite the passing into law of the Digital Economy Act (2010), which puts an onus on ISPs to take action against their customers who are suspected of illegally downloading and uploading copyright material. The Digital Economy Act (2010) aims to primarily 'increase the ease of tracking down and suing persistent copyright infringers, and after a minimum of one year permit the introduction of "technical measures" to reduce the quality of, or potentially terminate, those infringers' Internet connections' (Wikipedia, 2011).

British ISPs are currently in the process of mounting a legal challenge against the British government over the Digital Economy Act, as they do not see themselves as being responsible for the actions of their customers. To use various analogies: from the drinks industry, pubs and supermarkets are not punished if one of their customers gets drunk and then commits a crime; manufacturers of spray paint are not punished if a customer uses their product to write graffiti; and car manufacturers are not punished if one of their customers drives faster than the speed limit. Therefore British ISPs do not feel that it is fair that they should be treat differently, although the major difference is in this case, that theft is not an issue in any of the aforementioned analogies like it is with Internet piracy.

The case of ACS:Law

In terms of civil lawsuits against illegal downloaders, the case of ACS:Law in Great Britain attracted a great deal of negative publicity against those trying to bring private prosecutions against downloaders on behalf of music labels. ACS:Law would send letters to suspected peer-to-peer file sharers demanding a fee for the copyright they had infringed, those who did not pay were threatened with being taken to court. ACS:Law were accused in the media of targeting innocents and people who did not know what they were doing along with genuine Internet pirates. The tactic adopted by ACS:Law caused a flood of complaints against the firm to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and a denial of service attack on their website by the hacking division of the group Anonymous. During the denial of service attack a 350mb back-up of the site was downloaded and later released online as a torrent. The file contained the names and addresses of thousands of suspected downloaders, including those who were suspected of downloading pornography. ACS:Law was fined by the Information Commissioner for its lax online security and not encrypting the file. The company has since ceased to exist.

Media memories

Before physical media formats were lost, and before we had numerous music television channels and the Internet, buying music would present the listener / fan with an opportunity to not only see pictures of the artist, that may not be available elsewhere, but also to read the song lyrics, to read about the artist, to read the words of the artist, and to get to 'know' them in a way that listening to the music alone does not allow. Does anyone remember innovations such as: gatefold sleeves; poster sleeves; free sew on clothing patches; picture discs; and box sets? The internet now means that we have all the information we need right at our fingertips, so lyrics, images and artist 'stories' are all only a few clicks away. Of course the downside to all of these innovative 'freebies' that came with physical media formats was the issue of how to keep them pristine, and the problem of where to store them all? Going physical media format-less helped to de-clutter our bedrooms, garages, lofts and lives, but it also reduced the fan experience to that of listener only - at the point of artist engagement, this is the 'problem' with MP3s, and it is something that the music labels have been very slow to react to (considering the MP3 has been around for over a decade).

The music labels

The music labels have suffered, many have ceased to exist and the major labels have consolidated through takeover and merger into 'the big four': EMI; Sony Music; Universal Music Group; and Warner Music Group. None of these are British owned, and all of them have well documented cases of making losses in recent years. In addition to the big four, there are also numerous independent labels that are not affiliated to the big four, that are generally regarded as being more 'artist centered'. Many independents have been set up by genuine fans of music genres or by artists themselves. The British independent music labels are still heavily reliant on the major labels for the storage and distribution of their physical products, and this has recently highlighted how fragile to forces in the external environment that independent labels have become. The 2010 London riots saw an arson attack on a storage warehouse owned by Sony, which contained CDs and vinyl from a number of independent labels. The entire physical stock for some labels was lost in that one fire, and for some independents the cost of replacing the stock was too great a financial burden to bare. Thus that one fire alone has transformed the business models of some British independent labels forever from physical media to online formats only (BBC, 2011a).

Media-less consumption

Online music downloads and consumption can also bring disadvantages to the listener experience. Many albums are compiled by artists in much the same way that a curator puts together an exhibition. Tracks on albums are often designed to be played in a particular order, for the album to have the impact upon the listener that the artist intended. 'Cherry picking' MP3s and using 'shuffle' functions on MP3 players has changed for many listeners the true album experience. As a prime example Public Enemy's award-winning second album 'It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back' provides an introduction, a main body and an ending and is a prime example of an album that takes the listener on a journey through music, culture, politics and knowledge. The impact of this album would not be so if the tracks were played in any other order than what they had been intended. The same can be said for EVERY 'mix' album where one tracks fades or mixes into the next, putting a mix album on random is almost pointless, yet it is something that we with MP3 players do.

The changing music supply chain

The change in the way we buy music has impacted upon the music supply chain, which once only had physical media to contend with, which required physical storage, distribution and retail outlets. The reduction in physical media has meant a reduction in required goods and services all along the traditional music supply chain. First to go were the retailers. In the 1980s when home stereos first became truly affordable and when the boom in home entertainment devices was truly felt, it would have been virtually impossible to imagine that in 20 or 30 years time that record shops would barely exist on our high streets any more. But a stark reality of going media-less is that physical shops are no longer necessary to retail music, and with fewer shops, there are fewer distributors.

The traditional music supply chain. Source: Moss and Henderson (2009).

In my hometown of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, UK, we had at least seven busy independent record shops that did not belong to major chains (Andy's Records, EGS, Scene and Heard, Michaels, Neals, Bradley's and Casa Disco) as well as major 'chain' record shops Our Price and MVC, along with WH Smiths, Boots, Woolworths, GT News and several music stalls on the market, all of which sold, records, tapes and eventually CDs. Being a music fan in 1980s Barnsley was a treat. For a small town, the wide choice that consumers' had, meant that competition was fierce, offers were plentiful and it was easy to shop around to get the best deals. In terms of offers, EGS used to sell packs of ten seven inch singles, or five twelve inch singles for £1. They were always wrapped up, so you only ever knew what was on the front and back of the pack. The rest was down to luck, more often that not the other singles would be nothing the buyer particularly wanted, but I personally would always give them a go. I did happen upon the odd gem, including several singles that are now worth over £50 each, (so I'm glad I kept them). Although happy memories of my youth have caused me to digress slightly, the point in this story and the inclusion of Barnsley as an 'example town' is to highlight how the British high street has forever changed. First to disappear were the independents, Our Price has survived after being taken over by HMV. Record shops became less profitable as record and cassette sales declined, as did eventually CD sales, particularly when the first CD-Rs appeared in the late 1990s, and when supermarkets began to retail music, although supermarkets tend to only sell 'popular' titles. Survival meant that dedicated music shops needed to expand their product portfolio, many simply couldn't afford to do this and instead closed.

I moved away from Barnsley in the mid 1990s, but I'll never forget that awful, empty, sick feeling in my stomach as I returned in 2003 and walked back through Peel Square towards the partially white-washed windows of Casa Disco, with a 'Closed' sign on the door, and ripped posters hanging from the walls behind. Memories of speedily flicking through nearly a metre of 12 inch singles are almost all that is now left of that 'golden' era of music retail, as well of course as the titles that I've held onto. But even I, an ardent music fan wasn't blameless in the demise of High Street music retail. I had bought a PC, I was running Windows 2000 (or whatever it was then), my PC was connected to my amplifier and I had a CD-R...along with a growing collection of home-made discs, mostly made from illegally downloaded MP3s. MP3 technology was still very young to most people then, but for many who still lurked on the peripheries outside of the mainstream, it was quickly becoming the norm, and it wouldn't take long before our 'geeky' musical discovery would soon become accepted by the general public. This was down to a variety of factors, including more affordable home computers, FRIACO, the onset of broadband Internet, Napster, then numerous imitators such as iMesh, cheap and free software that played MP3s such as Music Match Jukebox and the first MP3 player made by Rio, before Apple Inc. jumped on the bandwagon, took the MP3 music format, and made it their own (well almost).

The late Steve Jobs was a visionary, and his dream of a music supply chain that would be wholly electronic, and wholly online was realised when the iPod and iTunes came to fruition. With these tools Apple would (in theory) be able to maintain control of distribution and supply of music to consumers. The reality I suspect, is that the majority of iPod owners still have a majority of illegally obtained tracks upon their iPods, although slowly this is changing, and other online retailers of music are increasingly eroding Apple's dominant position, as more people choose to buy rather than illegally download. Britain's current loss of music revenue to illegal downloaders will in history become regarded as an 'era of piracy' rather than the future norm, as industry pressure combined with a decrease in tolerance towards piracy from the recession-hit public (themselves possibly at risk of job loss due to piracy) will eventually persuade the government to Police illegal downloading in the same way that both Germany and France have done. When this finally happens, Britain will surely return to it's position as the world's third largest music market.

The legal download music supply chain. Source: Moss and Henderson (2009)

The legal download music supply chain is one that includes aggregators, these are specialist service providers who assign each individual music track a UPC (the equivalent of a bar code) and upload tracks for retail onto the major music retail websites such as iTunes and Amazon. The continued growth in download sales is likely to lead to growth in the number of retailers and aggregators, in the same way that it has lead to decline in physical shops and distributors.

Advances in music producing software and the proliferation of the Internet into the music supply chain means that in future there is likely to be continued growth in the number of independent labels and the artists that are signed to them. This will not only give the artists more control over their output, it should also lead to greater financial reward per sold track.

Live music in the UK

Live music consumption in the UK has continued to grow and looks set to continue to grow, particularly with the proposed scrapping of entertainment licenses for venues that have a capacity of under 5,000. Larger-scale live music across all the UK attracts at least 7.7m attendances by domestic and overseas (5%) music tourists, who contribute £864m per year to the UK economy (equivalent to 19,700 full-time jobs) (UK Music, 2011).

The picture is slightly different for the UK music festival market which has been dominated by the major festivals, including Glastonbury, Reading / Leeds, T in the Park and the Download festival. Where there are innovators, there are imitators, and this is also true of the UK music festival scene, which has in recent years seen vast growth in the number of 'local' festivals in towns and cities around the UK. In 2010 festival income was up 20% on 2009, but ticket sales were much slower in 2011, with 31 music festivals being cancelled, and 40 major festivals selling tickets at less than face value. It is predicted that their will be a 'culling' of local festivals in 2012 (BBC Newsbeat, 2011).

Another factor impacting upon the UK music festival scene is the rise of foreign (predominantly European) festivals, which combined with budget airline prices can offer cash-strapped festival goers both a music festival and a holiday in the sun. Example European festivals of this nature that are proving increasingly popular to the British market include Benicassim in Spain, and Outlook, Soundwave and Hideout all of which are in Croatia.

The future

So what is the future for digital media-less formats? The MP3 as a stand alone entity, will be around for sometime yet, but creative destruction will occur, and eventually something 'better' will come along. As to exactly what that will be, it is difficult to say, although maybe Icelandic artist Björk has offered us an insight into how things might possibly go. Her latest album offers more than just a listener experience alone, yet it is wholly digital and format-less. Her album 'Biophilia' is available to download as a deluxe edition for the iPad / iPhone, and for the fan it provides an interactive multimedia experience, including song, narration, graphics, videos, and even guest appearances by naturalist David Attenborough. In effect Biophilia has become the world's first 'app' based album, with 'updates' scheduled to be released in future. Using the app model, could be advantageous for fans, as it has the potential to offer updates that include additional material, that did not come packaged with the original album, including new exclusive remixes, artwork, photographs, videos, and even Christmas / Birthday cards (iTunes does have your date of birth, right?). From a commercial perspective, updates could also include exclusive tour news, links to merchandise, and links to new songs / albums...and if you allow the artist or band's app to send push notifications, then you could even get 'you heard it here first' type news and messages.

Apple's dominant position as the leading supplier of media-less music will not last in Britain, Amazon have made steady inroads by both undercutting Apple on retail price and also providing unprotected downloads that can be played and copied onto any device. Amazon's market share will continue to increase in Britain as slowly illegal downloaders convert to paying customers, but seek a bargain price and the freedom to do as they please with their purchases.

An as yet unrealised media-less music retailing 'beast' is likely to take the shape and name of the all-powerful Google. It must surely be only a matter of time before Google take advantage of their all-seeing internet eye, and instead of sending those searching for music to iTunes, send customers to their own download store. There will of course be legal issues raised, relating to the fairness of competition, but eventually things will work out and Google will not only take advantage of the millions of mobile phones running on an Android operating system, but also those billions of daily Google and YouTube searches for artists, bands, songs and music videos. Instead of directing customers to iTunes, surely these would serve Google better pointing to 'Google Music' or whatever they will eventually call it. When this happens the MP3 price wars will truly begin, and the major labels will once again be left shaking their heads as they agree to sell their music to retailers for even lower amounts. If and when this does happen, it's almost a guaranteed certainty that YouTube will develop technologies to hinder those trying to convert the audio on videos into MP3s, although something will circumvent that eventually and the 'cat and mouse' game will continue between supplier and those after a 'freebie'.

The intelligent marketing machine that is Facebook knows our 'likes', it knows what we discuss online and it is doing an increasingly more efficient job of targeting us with tailored advertising. It seems like only a matter of time before Facebook also steps into music retail proper, either through its own music retail division, or through further strategic linkages with Microsoft, who are as yet unmentioned, but surely too must be considering their own online music store presence to rival iTunes. Facebook have already formed a strategic alliance with Spotify and alternative business models could become less about ownership and more about access. Going one step beyond Spotify, rather than paying a subscription based service, a listener may pay for permanent access to an MP3 that is stored on a server elsewhere rather than on the listener's device. Of course this will only be truly viable once Internet connectivity is truly global at truly broadband speed, and at a price that is affordable to the majority of consumers. Access to music rather than ownership of it could be offered at a reduced pricing level to make it more attractive to the consumer.

Subscription based business models may seem like an option to major labels with gargantuan back catalogues of tracks, as it allows them to 'sweat' these assets, but for the artist they give very little, and for new and upcoming artists, the prospect of earning around a third of a penny per track play, or less than £30 for 1,000 album plays is hardly an attractive proposition. Unless Spotify re-evaluates it's distribution of wealth it is likely to become an online vault of back catalogue tracks only, as new artists quite rightly demand a fair price for their creations, and invoke contract clauses with major labels keeping them away from Spotify, or sign to independent labels (including their own labels) that do not have a relationship with Spotify.

The MP3 has been heralded as the 'killer' of the modern day music label, but this is a narrow perspective, taken by those who are not visionary enough to adapt and explore the possibilities of what could occur with media-less formats. The pattern of creative destruction will almost certainly continue, but with the increase of 'gadgetisation' into our everyday lives, and the proliferation of devices that can offer a full multi-media experience as well as web connectivity, will an audio experience alone be enough to entertain audiences of the future? Will we want a choice as to how we engage or interact with our music? Or will we be happy to maintain the status quo? (not the band!). Will we want to own the tracks that we listen to, or will we be satisfied with just being able to access them when we want to? Will we want to de-clutter our gadgets of digital music in the same way that gadgets have allowed to us to de-clutter our homes of media based music? Whatever the future is for the 21st Century music industry, the one thing that seems a certainty is that the MP3 is the beginning rather than the end of the shape that it will take.

References

BBC. (2011a) London riots: Enfield fire hits Machester's music scene. [Internet] BBC, London. Available at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-14541764> Accessed 5^th October, 2011.

BBC. (2011b) Jeremy Hunt urges web firms to join anti-piracy drive. [Internet] BBC, London. Available at: Accessed 5^th October, 2011.

BBC Newsbeat. (2011) Music festivals struggling due to overcrowded market. [Internet] London, BBC. Available at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/14446562> Accessed 5^th October, 2011.

British Phonographic Institute. (2010a) The market. [Internet] London, BPI. Available at: <https://bpi.co.uk/music-business/article/the-market.aspx> Accessed 5^th October, 2011.

British Phonographic Institute (2010b) Digital music nation 2010: The UK's legal and illegal digital music landscape. London, BPI.

Henderson, S. (2009) Audio-visual media. Pp. 112-132 in Moss, S. (Ed.) (2009) The entertainment industry : An introduction. Wallingford, CABI.

Hypebot. (2011) How much does a band earn from each music platform ? Uniform Notion shares the numbers. [Internet] Hypebot.com. Available at : Accessed 5^th October, 2011.

Mintel Group Limited. (2011) Music and video purchasing – August 2011. London, MINTEL.

Moss, S. and Henderson, S. (2009) Music. Pp.Pp.39-58 in Moss, S. (Ed.) (2009) The entertainment industry : An introduction. Wallingford, CABI.

Performing Right Society. (2010) UK music success abroad helps drive growth, as recorded sales flatten and the live boom cools. [Internet] London, PRS. Available from: Accessed 5^th October, 2011.

UK Music. (2011) Music tourists contribute at least £864m a year to the UK economy. [Internet] London, UK Music. Available at: Accessed 5^th October, 2011.

Wikipedia. (2011) Digital economy act 2010. [Internet] St. Petersburg, Florida, Wikimedia Foundation. URL available from: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Economy_Act_2010> Accessed 5^th October, 2011.

A few thoughts on 'responsible' entertainment management

2011-07-18T13:35:00.001-07:00

The concept of responsible entertainment is not a new one, indeed entertainment and morality have been uncomfortable ‘bed-fellows’ since the first stories were told and songs chanted that may have caused offence to particular audience members. More recently and particularly in the tourism field, the term ‘responsible’ has been given a largely environmental and sustainability remit. However, partly due to the complexity and breadth of the entertainment industry, the concept of responsibility requires a more expansive remit than what it is often associated with in the tourism industry in areas such as aviation, cruising and hotels.

Audiences interact with entertainment in three ways: via a media distribution channel (this covers all media, from paper based literature, to physical audio / visual media, broadcast media and the internet); by attending a live event where a performance is given; and by visiting a visitor attraction of any kind (including museums, theme parks, towers, shopping centres and sports stadiums). The complexity of the entertainment industry ensures that there are no hard and defined borders between these modes of entertainment delivery, in fact the very boundaries of these entertainment modes are blurred by such forms of entertainment as film that can be consumed as a media form and as a live event through cinema, and music festivals / sporting fixtures, which are both live events and visitor attractions. There are numerous other examples such as this, but the point being made by all of the above is that responsibility in relation to the entertainment industry needs to include the full remit of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in relation to the industry in its entirety.

Corporate social responsibility is a term that is used to define how a business integrates, measures and regulates itself in relation to its compliance with both society’s moral code and the law in the way that it operates, including it’s supply chain, operations, promotion and outputs. Responsible entertainment management is a concept that should include (but is not limited to) the following: the product supply chain, including production and sub-contracted labour; the environment and sustainability; audience and visitor safety; and responsible product output, including intangibles such as advertising, music and film, and tangibles such as food and alcohol.

This is a subject that requires a good deal of attention, and is one that I shall be covering in detail my next text book, 'Entertainment Management: Towards Best Practice', due out in 2012, which I will be both contributing to and editing along with my colleague Dr. Ben Walmsley.

Call for Papers for Soundtracks: Music, Tourism and Travel Conference, July 2012

2011-05-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

Soundtracks: Music, Tourism and Travel

6-9 July 2012, Liverpool, United Kingdom

As an expression of culture, a form of intangible heritage, a signifier of place, and a marker of moments, music provides an important and emotive narrative for tourists. Indeed, it is increasingly difficult to imagine tourism ‘in silence’, outside of the scores and songs which accompany and punctuate journeys. From touristic performances of traditional dance, pilgrimages to the homes and graves of composers and singers, impromptu street entertainments, tours to concerts, attending festivals, to the sounds of the car radio, the travelling with ipods and the ‘muzak’ of hotel lifts, music can both activate and shape the journey, and passively permeate its duration. Music can both define and transcend the borders of destinations, emphasise and challenge notions of tradition, provide opportunities for liminal play, transgression and resistance and, help define the identities of visitors and the visited.

CALL FOR PAPERS

In this, the CTCC’s 6th international research conference, and in the City of Liverpool famed for its popular music, we seek to explore the relationships between tourism, tourists and all forms/genres and sub-genres of music including: popular, classical, folk, dance, rock, jazz and hip-hop, across all cultures and continents. In the context of new and old global mobilities, we are interested in musical pilgrimage, the material and social flows of travellers and musicians, the cultural and economic policies that promote music tourism, festivals and performances for tourists, ethnographies of touristic encounters with music, the place of music in the representation of tourism destinations and, the role of music in the construction of tourist discourses, narratives and memories. As in previous events, the conference aims to provide critical dialogue beyond disciplinary boundaries and epistemologies and thus we welcome papers from the widest range of disciplines and fields including: anthropology, cultural geography, cultural studies, ethnology and folklore, history, heritage studies, landscape studies, leisure studies, museum studies, musicology and ethnomusicology, philosophy, political sciences, sociology, subaltern studies, tourism studies and urban/spatial planning.

We welcome innovative perspectives on all aspects of music and tourism. Key themes of interest to the conference include:

· Musical memory – the role of music in narratives of touristic experience

· Fans, pilgrimage and performances – motivations, behaviours and meanings

· The tourist’s involvement in preserving and creating musical traditions

· Managing tourists at musical sites

· Musical imaginaries - representing places, peoples and pasts in music

· Dance tourism and embodied practices

· Designing ambience – mobilising music in touristic spaces

· Music festivals as opportunities for tourist encounters

· Inspirations - travelling musicians

· Music as intangible heritage – touring through traditions

· Challenging musical traditions – tourist ‘noise’

Please submit a 300 word abstract including title and full contact details as an electronic file to ctcc@leedsmet.ac.uk. You may submit your abstract as soon as possible but no later than November 21st 2011.

For further details on the conference please contact us at Email ctcc@leedsmet.ac.uk or Tel. +44 (0) 113 812 8541.

Recommendations to club night promoters for smarter use of flyers

2011-04-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

This post is based upon findings from the 2010 Leeds Clubber Survey, which had a particular focus upon attitudes towards, and usage of nightclub and club night flyers in Leeds by both promoters and clubbers alike. Along with this a literature review was carried out into best practice flyer design and distribution techniques, the culmination of both have contributed to the recommendations made below.

Club night promoters are largely aware that flyers are not as effective a promotional method as what word of mouth recommendation and social media are (although they don't always want to admit this). Word of mouth and social media come at very little cost, other than ensuring that the people who have visited club nights have had the most enjoyable of times.

Promoters should capitalise on the fact that the majority of their customers are regular repeat visitors, by continuing to entice them back. Whether it is the musical repertoire of a particular night, the quality of the venue, the price of drinks or the entry charge, whatever feature or combination of features that a particular club night has that is attractive to its customers should be maintained, and every now and again improved upon to reward those loyal repeat customers who keep coming back. As many clubbers already know which club nights they are visiting, it is unnecessary to give them another flyer.

With that said, there is still a place for flyers, but their use could be smarter and certainly more efficient. For mainstream club nights that attract a wider audience of clubbers and particularly student clubbers, on street flyer distribution will never be as efficient as it could be as long as a mass distribution to anyone and everyone is adopted. Therefore the following recommendations are made:

· target your existing customers with flyers as they leave the premises (exit flyering), only reward them with something better than a ‘paper’ flyer. Re-usable flyers made of something that is more longer lasting than paper could further encourage repeat visitation. For example a plastic credit card sized flyer that upon presentation gave the bearer something that other clubbers did not get in terms of reduced entry or a special offer could be an attractive proposition to customers. Such a flyer should include clear information about what it entitles the bearer to, as well as terms and conditions;

· encourage earlier nightclub attendance by providing flyers with special offers for those who arrive earlier;

· if flyers made of paper and card are to be used, then use them more efficiently by making them last for a prolonged period of time, and making their presentation upon arrival at a club entitle the bearer to a special offer or discount that non-flyer bearers are not entitled to. Flyers could be collected by door staff, and then exit flyered back to customers as they leave;

· flyer content needs to adhere closely to what is suggested in this post, and this needs to be more consistently applied by promoters to all of their flyers;

· capitalise upon the fact that clubbing is a social activity, and allow just one flyer to entitle a group of clubbers to a discount;

· do not employ people to distribute flyers that are not friendly and chatty, consider the quality of the flyer transaction rather than the quantity of flyers that are given. Flyers taken by clubbers for the ‘wrong’ reasons (often pity and guilt) are realistically of very little worth;

· other than special offers consider ways by which flyers might contribute to the atmosphere of a club night, by giving them a purpose for a ‘fun’ activity that takes place during the club night, this might encourage clubbers to keep hold of them and not throw them away;

· and be conscious of an ageing population, which will mean an increase in older clubbers. Older clubbers are less likely to pick up flyers so promoters should begin to consider alternative ways to promote to them.

Flyers for club nights that feature ‘niche’ and specialist music genres certainly have a place, particularly as their audiences are interested in reading more about them. Flyers for these type of club nights that are distributed by friendly people who are passionate about the music are likely to have a greater efficiency than flyers that are left static to be collected or are distributed by people who do not represent the ‘scene’. It is therefore a recommendation that flyers for ‘niche’ and specialist music nights are distributed by fans of the music, in the places that are frequented by their target market, and that conversation forms part of the flyer transaction.

All letterbox flyering should immediately cease, it fuels ill feeling amongst clubbers to flyers, promoters and their club nights. It is potentially damaging, and risks souring the relationship between clubber and promoter. The only possible exception to this rule is if flyers are used in a friendly ‘door-knocking’ manner and given by hand along with conversation. This is what some specialist dub-step promoters do in halls of residence, knock on a door, ask the occupants if they are fans of dub-step music, if they are not, they apologise for bothering them and move on. If they are fans, they give them a flyer into their hands and tell them about the club night. For this to be carried out effectively it needs to be done by people who are genuine fans of the music.

Club night promoters need to acknowledge that clubbers are overall an environmentally aware group, and that needless waste created by flyers enforces a negative perception of the promoter and club night. In addition to what has already been stated above about reusable flyers, the following initiatives should be considered:

· promoters should be seen to be more active in picking up discarded flyers;

· have clearly marked ‘flyer bins’ along the street where distributors are so that those who do not want to keep flyers dispose of them in a way that allows them to be used again;

· make greater use of posters and lesser use of paper flyers;

· produce fewer flyers that are valid for more people, thereby encouraging group visits;

· concentrate more on social media and online promotions. It would be relatively simple for promoters to distribute a link to their customers that took them to a page of flyers that contained special offers that could be printed by clubbers or even saved onto mobile smart phones and shown upon entry to gain a discount.

It is a recommendation to all club night promoters to be honest with themselves about the use of flyers, do they really represent true value as a promotional medium? To really be able to gauge this, promoters should attempt to survey those entering clubs (particularly in queues) to gain a clearer understanding of the impact that flyers really have upon their customers choice of club night. Promoters should consider experimenting with club nights that are not promoted at all by flyers - and if any of you are 'brave' enough to do this, I'd be very interested to hear your results!

Clubbers in Leeds and Flyers

2011-04-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

The information contained within this blog post is edited highlights from the conclusion to the Leeds Clubber Survey 2010, which focussed heavily on the attitudes that clubbers in Leeds have to flyers and flyering activities.

Clubbers in Leeds are venue-loyal repeat visitors to the same club nights on a regular basis. The single largest influence upon them in choosing a venue is word of mouth from their friends and associates with whom they go clubbing. Clubbing is a social activity and this means that the most successful promotional methods, which might influence visitation to club nights are those that are also social by nature. Word of mouth and social media are therefore highly influential in the minds of clubbers. The involvement of friends and peers in the decision making process with regards to club night visitation is vital. Flyers alone are not social, particularly statically placed flyers and flyers posted through letter boxes, and whilst out of all promotional media they are the most successful, they are considerably less successful than word of mouth and social media are in terms of influencing clubbers.

Clubbers in Leeds have a love / hate relationship with flyers, while 42% of clubbers overall and 49% of student clubbers are influenced by flyers ‘regularly’ or ‘all of the time’, they consider flyers a waste of paper and damaging to the environment. The most important aspect about flyers to clubbers in Leeds (and particularly student clubbers) is that they contain a monetary benefit to them, which is more likely to encourage clubbers to pick up a flyer than any aspect of its design or written information contained upon it. Price-conscious students are almost twice as likely to pick up and take statically placed flyers than non-students from both nightclubs and pubs / bars, while they are on the hunt for a bargain.

Clubbers that have a particular interest in specific ‘niche’ genres of music, are more likely to be interested in the written content of flyers, than those who are interested in more mainstream chart and commercial music.

On street distribution of flyers is an emotive issue for many clubbers, which on the questionnaire attracted a wide range of qualitative comments. The majority of clubbers do take flyers from people in the street (81%), but the importance of the appearance of the person giving out the flyer is greater than the flyers content. This enforces the point raised above about the importance of social involvement in the promotional process. Flyers being placed statically for customers to take themselves, and being dropped through letterboxes do not allow for an affective relational link to be made. This is a key advantage that flyering in public places by flyer distributors directly into the hands of potential customers can have, however the manner by which this is undertaken is key.

Clubbers are more likely to take flyers from distributors who are friendly and who they find physically attractive - in essence, sex does sell, and this is possibly one reason why sexual imagery is often featured on club night promotional materials. In terms of flyer content, special offers are the most important feature on a flyer to clubbers and in particular students. Clubbers are also more inclined to take flyers if they are distributed in the correct locations. Outside of, and near to clubs at the beginning and end of a night is a favoured location by clubbers for accepting flyers, providing the club night being promoted on the flyer is correctly targeted e.g. that dubstep nights are promoted outside of dubstep nights at other clubs, so that leaving clubbers can take with them the information to digest. This suggests that clubbers are more susceptible to on-street flyer distribution while they are in the process of clubbing than when they are not, and when they can see a connection between themselves and what it is that the flyer is promoting.

Other positive reasons why clubbers may choose to take flyers from distributors include: a friendly appearance of the distributor; a shared musical interest with the distributor; and the distributor appearing representative of the club night, i.e. being into the ‘scene’. This is especially important to clubbers who have a specific ‘niche’ musical interest such as basslines, dubstep, hip hop or heavy metal. This again points towards a social and relational link assisting the promotion of club nights, where there is a common bond between clubber and distributor. The quality of the flyer transaction is being lost as promoters grow financially, particularly when competition rather than community is a driving force behind putting on club nights. Certainly for comparatively smaller community minded ‘niche’ music club night promoters, quality is more important than quantity.

There are many negative reasons why people take flyers from distributors, these include: the already mentioned pity for the distributor; forceful distribution; clubbers going through the motions of taking flyers; out of politeness; out of guilt; and feeling under pressure. It is the role of distributors to give out a set number of flyers, often in the least amount of time possible. Individual street distributors often do not have a financial stakeholder interest in the success of the flyers that they distribute, so instead of selling the club night, they are selling the flyer. This is potentially very wasteful for club night promoters where sums of money have been invested in flyers and flyering activities as a promotional medium. Flyers taken by clubbers in this way are only kept by the majority of clubbers for ‘seconds’ or ‘minutes’ before disposal, this compares with ‘days’ (in the case of student clubbers) for statically placed flyers that have been voluntarily picked up by clubbers.

Many clubbers find on-street flyering activities an ‘annoyance’. The general ‘hassle’ of constantly being approached by distributors to take something that they were not interested in was a nuisance to many clubbers. On-street flyering was considered invasive by clubbers and ‘overkill’ was a theme, whereby there were simply too many distributors concentrated in particular areas. The beginning of the academic year was identified by more than one promoter as a time when flyering activities are at their peak, this is to raise awareness of their club nights amongst new students and to enforce awareness upon returning students. The sheer scale of such promotion (one Leeds promoter alone gives out 100,000 flyers in the first two weeks of term) may also be enforcing a negative image of these brands upon clubbers who do not want to be bothered by flyer distributors. These comments are echoed by the environmental concerns that clubbers have over ‘waste’ in terms of paper being wasted on flyers and litter being created by flyers. Despite the majority of clubbers taking flyers from on-street distributors, the ‘perception’ that clubbers have of on-street flyering activities is not positive, and is certainly mixed. Flyers are augmented nightclub products, and are therefore representative of the club night that they promote, negative perceptions of flyering may also apply to the club nights which flyers promote.

There was universal condemnation of club night flyers being distributed through letterboxes in the home and this included halls of residence. This method of distribution was considered untargeted, an intrusion, wasteful and a health and safety risk. The majority of clubbers indicated that they disposed of flyers distributed in this way within seconds.

Despite everything negative that has been stated about flyers, there is evidence to suggest that they still play a roll in club night promotion. Younger people are less likely to search for information about club nights than older people, particularly students. If this information is ‘pushed’ upon them it could help in their decision making process, albeit if they are in the correct target market and responsive to this form of promotion.

If flyer efficiency is expressed in terms of the amount of money spent on flyering activities being divided by the amount of money being generated by door income and ticket sales, the likelihood is that there is a greater efficiency where there is a genuine interest in the recipient of the flyer in the music of the club night than where there isn’t. Promoters of ‘niche’ genre specific music nights who employ genuine fans of the music to distribute their flyers to the correct target market in the correct locations are likely to have a greater flyer efficiency than promoters of more musically mainstream club nights targeted towards a wider audience. When this wide audience includes a significant proportion of students, a greater flyer efficiency is likely to be achieved when flyers include special offers as a part of their content.

The Frankenstein's Wedding Experience

2011-03-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

Victor Frankenstein (pictured left), the ‘mad scientist’ created by Mary Shelley 193 years ago, was alive and ‘well’ yesterday (albeit for 55 minutes) at Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds, where he married his bride Elizabeth. That was until of course Victor was shot dead by a Police marksmen with a Heckler and Koch MP5 sub-machine gun, after Victor had threatened to shoot dead his own monstrous creation…that had just killed Victor’s best friend, father and bride…confused? Don't be, this was a modern take on the gothic tragedy of the Frankenstein story, with the entire event broadcast live on BBC Three.

Think ‘Frankenstein’ and images of a seven foot, square shouldered, green skinned, lobotomised, zombie often come to mind, as Victor Frankenstein is best known for the creation of Frankenstein’s monster (often erroneously referred to as Frankenstein). On this occasion Frankenstein’s monster was played superbly by David Harewood with Andrew Gower as Victor Frankenstein, and Lacey Turner as his bride Elizabeth, along with other familiar faces from TV including Mark Williams as Victor’s father, and the superbly talented all-singing all-dancing and definitely show-stealing Jemima Rooper as Elizabeth’s maid of honour. In addition, a cast of costumed cameos and extras (including my colleague Rebekka Kill from Leeds Met) acted as dinner and wedding guests.

The Kirkstall Abbey set featured an arena area with a stage where some of the live performance was held, along with a glass fronted laboratory where Victor carried out his evil experiments, and a large screen where the live broadcast program was also shown. For the gathered live audience of approximately 7,000, the event provided theatre, musical, concert and cinema, whilst the abbey buildings provided an atmospheric gothic backdrop, upon which lights and images were projected that changed with the mood and emotion of the story. Even mother nature played her part, by providing a haunting perigree ‘supermoon’, which due to it’s orbit appeared 14% larger than what a full moon usually does. It is fair to say that the event was lavish, with music, drama, pyrotechnics, lightshows, costumes, choreographed dancing and BBC Radio 1 DJ Reggie Yates hosting proceedings, all in the ruins of an Abbey built by Cisterican Monks in the mid 12^th Century.

The live audience played their part, many of whom attended in costume, cheering the live stage elements, photographing the bride and groom using camera flashes (when prompted), and dancing along with a choreographed celebratory wedding dance after the ceremony.

The production of Frankenstein’s wedding was a joint one between BBC Wales, BBC North and BBC Three in what the BBC described as a ‘bold and ambitious music and drama event’. Kirkstall Abbey’s gothic ruins and surrounding parkland set on the North bank of the River Aire in Leeds, made an ideal setting for the drama of Frankenstein’s Wedding story. As a live event, this was its key strength, and for the amassed audience, it provided an emotionally involved and captivating viewer experience, something that the larger television audience unfortunately may not have experienced in the same way. Bold and ambitious this certainly was, and as far as bringing a high quality theatrical experience into the community was undoubtedly a great success that should be applauded, however the difficulty in broadcasting 'atmosphere' means that this is a view that may not necessarily be reflected by the armchair critics watching from home.

Some images of the night are featured here

Vote Rebecca Holmes for the Student Glamour Awards 2011

2011-03-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

Second year BA (Hons) Entertainment Management student Rebecca Holmes, is aiming for glory in the 2011 Student Glamour Awards. Rebecca (pictured left), who is from Leeds has made it through to the last 40 entrants, and is now in the competition’s third round proper, having recently become champion of the ‘North – Leeds’ region. She is hoping to get through to the finals, which will be held in London in May.

Rebecca first started modelling when she was 15 years old, and now aged 21 is a professional model, working for two different agencies, she is also a professional photographer, and works in promotions for Voodoo Events. Rebecca has stated that the varied work experience, which she has gained within the entertainment industry has complimented her academic studies, giving her a better understanding than many, how various sectors within the industry operate.

Rebecca entered into the competition ‘as a bit of a laugh’ but soon found that her popularity amongst voters propelled her through the competition’s early stages, and now she stands a realistic chance of actually winning. The first prize for the competition is to appear on the front cover of lads mag Zoo Magazine, as well as a huge modelling career boost, with many lucrative contracts and a network of new contacts, this was the case for Sam Bowden from Kingston University, who won the competition in 2010, and has since appeared twice on the cover of Zoo Magazine, as well as in FHM and various other magazines, campaigns and promotions.

To vote Rebecca into the fourth and final round of the competition, text SGA 52 to 87121.

Results of the Leeds Clubber Survey 2010

2011-02-26T16:57:00.000-08:00

The Leeds Clubber Survey 2010 was placed online for one month in July 2010, it was completed by 295 respondents. The survey was intended to gather information from clubbers in Leeds with relation to their clubbing habits including: their nightclub preferences; frequency of visitation; influences on their visitation to nightclubs; reactions towards club night promotional materials; and attitudes towards flyers. The survey was promoted to clubbers by several Leeds based club night promotion companies, each of whom sent a link to the online survey to their e-mail lists and social media groups.

74% of respondents indicated that they went clubbing in Leeds, therefore the target audience of Leeds clubbers was reached with this survey. The key findings of the survey are listed below, for further information, please contact Stuart Moss at the email address at the top of this page, or through Twitter @ents_leeds_met .

Respondent demographics

In terms of age, the respondents represented the age range of under 18 up to 55, with the largest single segment being the 18-23 age group at 51% of respondents. 24-29 year olds made up 19% of respondents, 30-35% year old made up 13%, 36-40 year olds made up 10%, and out of the remaining 7%, 6% were aged 41-55, and 1% were aged under 18.

With regards to student status, 46% of respondents indicated that they were a student. With the largest single group of these being full-time university students (39%), with the remaining 7% of students being either part-time or at further education institutions. 47% of respondents indicated that they were not students, which was a higher than anticipated figure, however this is feasible considering the spread of ages of respondents. 7% of respondents indicated ‘other’ or did not respond to this question, out of the ‘other’ responses answers were mainly: ‘on a gap year’; ‘just graduated’; and ‘on a work placement’.

In terms of employment, 49% of respondents indicated that they were full-time employed, with 23% indicating that they were employed part-time, 20% of respondents indicated that they were unemployed, and the remaining 8% indicated ‘other’ or declined to answer the question. Out of the ‘other’ responses, the predominant answers were ‘home-maker’; ‘self-employed’; and ‘work voluntarily’. By definition ‘unemployed’ refers to people who have stated that they do not have jobs, it does not mean ‘unemployed and claiming benefits’, it is entirely feasible to assume that a proportion of those labelled unemployed may also be full-time students.

Where respondents go clubbing

74% of respondents indicated that they go clubbing in Leeds, this was followed by Manchester (18%), London and Sheffield (11.5% each), Barnsley 10%, Wakefield 9%, Birmingham 7%, Newcastle 6%, Liverpool 5%, Bradford, Huddersfield, Nottingham and Preston (3% each). 37% of respondents also indicated that they went clubbing in other UK towns and cities, and 6% stated that they went clubbing in non-UK towns and cities. It should be noted that the majority of respondents stated that they went clubbing in more than one town / city.

Clubbing frequency

In terms of frequency of visitation, 41% of respondents indicated that they visited a nightclub at least once per week, with 8% stating that they visited a club three or more times per week. 15% of respondents indicated that they visit a club every two weeks, and 23% indicated that they visited a club every 3 - 4 weeks. 21% of respondents indicated that they visited nightclubs less than monthly.

55% of students go clubbing every week or more, this compares with only 30% of non-students. 35% of employed people also go clubbing at least weekly, but this compares with 62% of unemployed respondents. 20% of students go clubbing once per month or less, compared with 51% of non-students. 41% of employed respondents go clubbing once per month or less, compared with only 15% of those respondents who are unemployed.

Club preferences

In terms of preferred club types visited by respondents, the most popular club type was mainstream high street clubs, which typically have an offering of commercial chart music and ‘classics’. This was followed by niche music clubs that specialise in a particular music genre, and live music clubs and superclubs (large clubs with numerous rooms and several DJs). Mainstream commercial music nights were slightly more popular amongst students (28%) and the 18-26 age group (27%). The least popular types of club were gay clubs, strip clubs and supper clubs. In terms of status i.e. students, non-students, the employed and unemployed, all categories of respondents had very similar preferences, with the only marked difference being that strip clubs were twice as popular amongst non-students, as they were to students.

95% of respondents indicated that they tend to visit the same nightclubs.

Musically, respondents preferred nights that involved mainstream and commercial music, which involves ‘pop’ music, music in the charts and previous chart ‘classics’, this was closely followed by specialist dance music nights, which mainly includes commercial dance, house, techno, drum and base, dub step, basslines and their associated musical sub-genres. The least popular music nights identified by clubbers were hip hop / RnB and ‘other’ which included: previously unmentioned genres of dance music; jazz; ska; northern soul; acoustic; bhangra and Asian music.

89% of respondents stated that music was either a strong influence or a very strong influence as to their choice of club night, with only 5% of respondents stating that music had little or no influence upon their choice of club night.

The reputation of club nights in the minds of clubbers is important in their decision making process with 60% stating that reputation was either a strong or very strong influence in their decision making process. 31% of respondents stated that reputation was of some influence, and 9% stated that reputation was of little or no influence in their decision to visit a particular club night.

When clubbers go clubbing

The clear majority of clubbers tend to go clubbing on the same nights of the week with 72% stating that they visit clubs on the same night either all of the time or most of the time. Only 9% of respondents indicated that they rarely or never went clubbing on the same night of the week.

The most popular nights for clubbing are clearly Friday and Saturday, with the least popular night being Sunday, which is followed by a steady increase through the week until the weekend.

Clubber finance

62% of respondents stated that entry charge was very important or important in their decision making process, with a further 26% of respondents stating that entry charge was of some importance, 12% of respondents considered entry charge to be not important or of no importance. Demographically, students (71%) and the unemployed (70%) were the two single largest groups that were concerned with door entry price. A similar pattern to this followed with the importance of drink prices within clubs, with 61% of clubbers stating that drink prices were very important or important, 27% of respondents stating that drink prices were of some importance, and 12% stating that drink prices were not important or of no importance. 71% of student clubbers stated that drink prices were either important or very important to them.

Clubbing as a social activity

98% of respondents indicated that clubbing was for them a social activity, by either going with a friend or friends to clubs, or meeting a friend or friends at clubs. 47% of respondents indicated that friends had either a lot or complete influence on their decision as to whether to visit a club or not, 45% indicated that friends played some influence on their decision making process, and 8% claimed that friends had little or no influence as to their decision to visit a club. In terms of the influence of friends upon which night(s) of the week to go clubbing, respondents indicated in similar levels with 49% stating that friends had a lot or complete influence, 37% stated that friends had some influence, and 14% stated that friends had little or no influence as to which night(s) of the week to go clubbing.

Research by clubbers

When respondents were asked how they find out information about club nights, word of mouth was the most popular response and stated by 88% of respondents, followed by social media websites (68%), and nightclub flyers (59%). The least popular responses were: advertisements on radio and television; by directly contacting clubs and promoters; and other, which included: through working in the nightclub industry; using Internet search engines; and through visiting online bulletin boards and discussion forums about club nights. 93% of students and 97% of the unemployed indicated that word of mouth was a major way from which they found out information on club nights. Social media websites were similarly popular amongst all demographic categories, with only a very slight standard deviation of 6 on the overall average of 68%. The 18 – 26 age group were the single largest demographic group to use social media websites at 76%. There was a wider dispersal of flyer usage for finding out information about club nights, with a standard deviation of 14 on the overall average of 59%. Students were the single largest demographic group to use flyers (72%), those aged 27 – 35 were the least likely to use flyers (40%).

From the above list of methods by which clubbers might find out information about club nights, respondents again deemed word of mouth as being the single largest influence, followed by social media and flyers. Respondents considered text messages from club promoters, and radio and television advertisements as being the least influential methods in their choice of club night.

With regards to how active respondents are in terms of searching for information about club nights, 26% of respondents always or regularly search for information about club nights, 35% stated that they sometimes look for information about club nights, with 38% stating that they rarely or never look for information about club nights. Further analysis of this reveals that student clubbers (21%) are less likely to always or regularly search for information about club nights than non-student clubbers (30%), there is less difference between the employed (26%) and the unemployed (23%), but larger differences are apparent when looking at age. As the age of respondents increases, there is a steady increase in the number of those who always or regularly search for information about club nights, from those aged 18-26 (23%) to those aged 46-55 (46%). Further analysis of age and always and regularly searching for information reveals a correlation of 0.97, which is a very strong positive correlation demonstrating that as respondents age their propensity to search for information increases. This is also enforced by looking at the ages of respondents who rarely or never look for information about club nights, here where age increases there is a slight increase before a decrease in the percentage of respondents who look for information about club nights, with a moderate negative correlation of -0.78.

Clubbers and flyers

Clubbers were asked how often that they themselves chose to pick up and collect flyers, there was quite an even spread of responses given, 32% of respondents indicated that they picked up flyers at least weekly, 28% of respondents picked up flyers between weekly and monthly, 23% of respondents picked up flyers less than once per month and 17% stated that they never picked up flyers.

Further demographic breakdown of respondents propensity to pick up and take club night flyers, reveals the following: students are much more likely to pick up and collect flyers at least weekly (43%) compared to non-students (23%); the unemployed are more likely to pick up and collect flyers at least weekly (43%) than the employed (27%); younger people are much more likely to pick up and collect flyers at least weekly; and those aged 46+ do not pick up and collect club night flyers more often than monthly (16% monthly, 58% less than monthly and 25% never). When correlating age against the percentage of respondents who pick up and collect flyers at least weekly the resulting figure of -0.93 indicates a strong negative correlation between the two variables, which enforces the point that as clubbers age, they are less likely to pick up and take flyers.

Of those who picked up flyers, those most likely to do so regularly were also regular nightclub visitors, and those who were least likely to do so, or never did so were those who visited nightclubs less than once per month. Respondents were most likely to pick up and take flyers from nightclubs, followed by pubs and bars, and service industry retailers such as hairdressers, coffee shops, launderettes and takeaways.

When asked what aspect of a statically placed flyer might influence respondents to pick it up and take it away, 66% of respondents stated that special offer(s) promoted on the flyer was the main influence to respondents in picking up and taking a flyer with them, followed by information about a club night contained on the flyer (58%) and the design (colour, images and wording) (53%). Other answers respondents gave in relation to this question included: special events being promoted on the flyer; mention of musicians, DJs or celebrities of interest to the respondent; interest in the music genre being promoted; and if the nightclub the flyer is for, is one that the respondent already likes. Students (77%) and the unemployed (71%) are most enticed by special offers, as were younger respondents (18 – 26 year olds 73%) compared to older respondents (46 – 55 year olds 42%).

81% of respondents stated that they took nightclub flyers from people in the street. The largest influence upon respondents for taking flyers from people in the street was the appearance of the person giving the flyer (42%), followed by a feeling by the respondent that they should take the flyer (41%), and then special offer(s) promoted on the flyer (40%). Aspects of design and the information contained on the flyer were considered of a lesser importance to these. When respondents were given the opportunity to elaborate upon their response to this question numerous reasons were given, they have been categorised as follows: a feeling of pity for the distributor; flyer content; friendly sales technique by distributors; physical attractiveness of the distributor; flyering taking place in relevant locations; forceful distribution by distributors; respondents going through the motions of taking flyers; out of politeness; friendly appearance of the distributor; out of guilt; feeling under pressure to take one; a shared musical interest with the distributor; and the distributor appearing representative of the club night.

A number of respondents left negative comments in relation to on-street flyering, along with reasons for not accepting flyers from distributors. These have been listed and categorised as follows: respondent annoyance; respondents being in the wrong target market; invasiveness of distributors; distributor overkill; discrimination of flyer distributors; poor sales technique of distributors; and respondent apathy.

A minority of respondents (32%) stated that they received nightclub flyers through their letterbox, of those 74% were students. The comments made by respondents in relation to flyers that have been placed through their letterboxes are all negative.

Flyers that were picked up and taken by respondents were more likely to be kept for a period of days than those given in the street or posted through letterboxes. Those flyers that were posted through letterboxes were most likely to be disposed of within seconds with an overall downward trend in terms of length of time that the flyers would be kept. Those flyers that were given in the street were most likely to be kept for seconds or minutes before disposal, with an overall downward trend after minutes, in terms of time that the flyers would be kept. For those flyers that were picked up and taken, the pattern is less clear, with the majorative answer being days, but with a second placed answer of minutes.

In total, respondents did not indicate that they would keep nightclub flyers for very long periods of time, with 54% of respondents indicating that they would dispose of flyers within seconds or minutes, 16% indicated they would keep flyers for a number of hours, and 21% indicated that they would keep flyers for days. Only 9% of respondents indicated that they would keep flyers for over a week.

In terms of flyer design, some respondents revealed that aspects relating to special offers, flyer design, information being of interest, and flyers containing information about favoured artists may cause them to keep flyers for longer. This section also highlights respondent annoyance at flyers containing information deemed by them as being irrelevant, which includes the names of ‘unknown’ DJs being listed on flyers.

When questioned qualitatively where else respondents come into the possession of club night flyers from, the answers given were as follows: friends (16%); from the floor (12%); in magazines and newspapers (12%); in promotional flyer packs (12%); under car windscreen wipers (8%); by email (8%); in shopping bags (8%); on tables outside bars (8%); in bar toilets (4%); with CDs (4%); given with change when buying drinks (4%); and printed on till receipts (4%).

Many respondents raised environmental concerns about the use of paper flyers, these were around: the litter caused by discarded flyers; and the opinion that the use of paper flyers is wasteful.

As a result of this survey recommendations have been made to nightclubs and club night promoters in Leeds, these will be featured in a future blog post.

Street Sounds on Campus

2011-02-24T06:04:00.000-08:00

Students on the BA (Hons) Entertainment Management had an exciting and energetic guest lecture from music industry mogul Morgan Khan (pictured left), owner of record label Street Sounds. Final year students on the BA (Hons) Entertainment Management have been working for Street Sounds since September as part of their ‘Entertainment Consultancy Project’ module. Morgan visited Leeds Met on Wednesday 23^rd February to meet the students who are working as consultants for Street Sounds and to give a guest lecture to them along with second year Entertainment Management students studying upon an entrepreneurship module.

Morgan has signed a string of successful artists and singles, including soul / dance band ‘Imagination’ who had numerous chart hits in the early 1980s. Morgan has also signed, worked with and developed many other artists including Dina Carroll, Barry White, Edwin Starr, Rose Royce, Gladys Knight, Al Green, Donna Summer, Dr Dre and Boogie Down Productions. Morgan also spoke about his music label Street Sounds which was largely responsible for bringing 1980s hip hop, electro and house music to a mass UK audience through many very successful series of compilation albums. In 1988 the Street Sounds label went into liquidation, but was re-launched in 2009 with a ‘Nu Electro’ series of compilations, which feature various sub-genres of electro music, and electro / hip hop fusion. Most recently Street Sounds are about to release an R&B compilation called ‘R&B Anthems, Vol. 1’, which Morgan described as his most exciting project to date.

Morgan’s guest lecture chartered his career in the music business, from being a teenage ‘post-boy’, through artists and repertoire (A&R), to a record label director, entrepreneur and record label owner. Morgan spoke extensively about the need to be passionate about what it is that you do if you want to be successful as an entrepreneur. Morgan’s intrinsic rewards through the satisfaction achieved by his work was self-evident, and left the audience feeling highly motivated, as well as giving them an exclusive insight as to the inner working of the music industry. We would like to thank Morgan for sparing us his very valuable time, and hope to see him again on campus in the not-too-distant future.

Students working on a 'new music' project meet Morgan

Students working on a marketing project pose with Morgan in front of the James Graham building

Student and graduate networking in the connected age

2011-02-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

The following is the accompanying narrative for my keynote presentation at the 2011 EWS Kongress, at the Messe Dresden. The Twitter hash tag for the Kongress is #EWSKongress. The presentation that is based upon this narrative can be found on Slideshare here.

Networking can mean the connection of one computer to another for the exchange of data, and it can mean the connection of one person to another for the exchange of information. In both instances each computer or person is referred to as a node. A node is a connection point, where lines or pathways intersect, in the case of computers this happens physically, and in the case of people this happens metaphorically. This paper is designed to give students and graduates information about people networking methods and techniques, and highlight best practice to improve the effectiveness of their networking capabilities in order to maximise their chances of personal success during and beyond their studies, through the establishment of supportive and meaningful networks.

There are several sub-terms in common usage to describe people networking including: social networking; business networking; academic networking; research networking; political networking and professional networking. All of these terms involve connectivity and information sharing between people, and these terms are often used interchangeably, so as to avoid any confusion, from this point onwards the terms to network and networking will be used as ‘umbrella terms’ for all types of people networking, which are of relevance to students and graduates.

Expert definitions of networking vary, although they all follow a similar philosophy, and include the following:

• The action or process of making use of a network of people for the exchange of information, etc., or for professional or other advantage (Oxford English Dictionary, 2011).

• The practice of making contact and exchanging information with other people, groups or institutions (Your Dictionary, 2011).

• The process of using one contact to gain others (Travel Industry Dictionary, 2011).

• Communicate with and within a group (WordNet, 2011).

Networking may occur casually when it is unintended, or it may be planned and strategically focussed. In order for networking to take place, a minimum of two people need to be involved (there is no maximum number), and information must be traded from at least one person to another. The content of the exchanged information varies due to the nature and rationale for the contact taking place, but very often involves the exchange of contact details for further follow-up beyond the initial contact, and any action that results from the initial contact.

When considering networking it is important to formulate a strategy by asking yourself:

• Why do I want to network?

• What benefits do I want to achieve from networking?

• Who are the people that I want to be networking with?

• Where can I feasibly network with these people?

• When are the best times for networking to take place?

• How should I present myself to others?

The reasons for networking are limitless and dependent on personal circumstances. For some people making new friendships and relationships is reason enough, for others it could be to attract investors onboard for an entrepreneurial undertaking, or to seek career advancement. Whilst the rationale for networking varies, the predominant reasons are as follows:

• Social, for purposes of: meeting new people; gaining knowledge; learning new skills; and engaging with like-minded individuals in communities of practice.

• Academic, for purposes of research; sharing practice; learning new skills; and improving chances of success.

• Business, for purposes of: seeking entrepreneurial opportunities; attracting investments; improving ways of working; researching competitors; establishing relationships with clients and customers; learning new skills; and improving chances of success.

• Career, for purposes of: seeking out work placements and internships; finding job opportunities; learning new skills; improving prospects of promotion; and achieving greater rewards and job satisfaction.

Whatever the rationale for networking, it’s key purpose is to lead to improvements in personal circumstances for those parties who are engaged in it. Networking generally leads to development, and those who are more active networkers are more likely to succeed in their endeavours, by maximising their network of contacts, which in turn can lead to greater support.

For both students and graduates, networking provides an opportunity for you to sell yourselves, particularly your skills, this is especially relevant when you are dealing with potential future employers or professional contacts. In terms of skills, consider those skills, which are attractive to employers, which you should have developed during your course of study. According to Prospects (2011) general headings for skills that are desirable to them include: self reliance skills; people skills; general employment skills; and specialist skills, a breakdown of what these terms mean can be found on the Prospects website here.

As part of a networking strategy it is necessary to consider the type of person with whom you would like to network. People are generally targeted due to either their position, knowledge, assets, capabilities, circumstances, connections and / or reputation. In order to network with particular people it may be necessary to invest in your networking strategy, by joining an association, or getting membership of a particular body, which may then give access to additional individuals that previously may have been difficult to contact. Students and graduates should be networking with:

• Other students, graduates and alumni.

• Academic staff from their own institution and elsewhere.

• University staff that specialise in liaison with industry and career guidance.

• Employers and industry figures.

Networking can happen at any time and in any place, typically it takes place in the following physical and virtual settings:

• Specific networking events, such as business lunches.

• Conferences / seminars.

• Staff development sessions.

• Work placements and internships.

• Industry events such as trade shows.

• Informal ‘rubbing of shoulders’ in social locations such as the gym, coffee shops and whilst travelling on public transport.

• Online in a plethora of locations, but most notably, bulletin boards where users have a shared interest; social networking websites / web applications; and other communicative internet based applications.

Whilst there is no hard evidence to support this, anecdotally it can be said that connections made online may be weaker than those made face-to-face, due to the personal contact element of the meeting, and the higher level of trust and understanding that can be established through meeting face-to-face. None the less, online contact is often a pre-cursor to meeting in person, and the use of the internet is practically the norm, when it comes to researching the type of person with whom you would like to network.

The best time for you to network is dependant upon your personal circumstances, and the circumstances of those with whom you would like to network. If motivations for networking are financial, there may be better times in the financial year than others when finances are more readily available. If networking is for career progression beyond university, this should be undertaken whilst you are still a student, in order to make contacts, and gain competitive advantage over other students who will also be seeking such career progression. As a student, it is never too early to begin networking, those who are more likely to progress quickly into their careers beyond their studies, will begin networking with industry practitioners early, and will use such contacts to help with the growth of their industrial knowledge and skills, and in making further contacts, thus expanding their networks. Opportunities to network, including training, staff development, meetings and conferences should be taken whenever possible.

The presentation of yourself to others when networking, is largely circumstantial as to the type of networking that you are undertaking, with whom you are networking, and where you are networking. It is essential that you consider the culture and image of those with whom you wish to network, is the image a ‘corporate’ image? Is it a ‘casual’ image? Is the image somewhere in-between, or is it a different kind of image altogether? Understanding the culture of those whom you wish to network with is important, as is adherence and respect of cultural ‘norms’ i.e. values, customs and beliefs. The answers to these questions, will need to be established through the initial research that is undertaken into those with whom to network.

As well as the above, a confident and friendly persona, along with handshakes, eye contact, conversation and questions are all a part of face-to-face networking. If you are networking face-to-face, a business card is an essential item to carry, this should present yourself, your position and most importantly your contact details for follow-up beyond your initial meeting. If you are handed a business card from somebody else, make sure that you take a few seconds to look at the details on the card, holding it carefully, before placing it in a pocket or a wallet. Offence can be taken in some cultures by nonchalant handling of business cards.

The communication revolution and the rise of online networking

We have come a very long way in a relatively short space of time when it comes to the power, speed, spread and reach of our communications. It is now possible with the touch of a few buttons to communicate with a potentially global audience. Making efficient and effective use of the communication mediums available is essential for networking to be a worthwhile endeavour. Internet usage in the home is for the majority of users, still less than 20 years old, it’s uptake was exacerbated by the spread of broadband services in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The use of the Internet as a medium for networking is as old as the Internet itself, after all the Internet was designed as a facilitator of communication. After ‘pings’ of data, and then written text emails, the world wide web allowed for the use of bulletin boards (BBs) for the purpose of networking, idea sharing, and as a virtual meeting point for those with a shared interest. BBs are also now known as Internet forums and online message boards, and despite being around for a long time, they are still extremely popular today, and exist on almost any subject, displaying largely user-generated content in what is essentially a ‘community of practice’.

By the mid 1990s mobile telephones that could access the Internet became commercially available, since then phone memory size and speed have increased, and for the majority, accessing the Internet from mobile phones has become more affordable. In the last decade, the continual development of the smartphone to take advantage of faster 3G Internet, and wi-fi networks, and for phones to include a wide range of applications (apps), which serve numerous purposes has revolutionised the way that smartphones are used. Making and receiving telephone calls is now only a minor function of smartphones for many of their users. According to Weber (2011) ‘for every desktop computer, there are 10 mobile devices. Around the world, mobile phones outnumber toothbrushes two-to-one’.

Numerous networking apps are now available for smartphones, and the adoption and proficient use of these by smartphone owners, will certainly facilitate networking with a global reach. For graduates that are likely to be mobile in their physical location beyond university, the use of networking apps could prove to be a highly effective way of keeping in contact with people in a number of locations. Many of these apps are useful for social, professional and business networking, but all of them tend to be labelled beneath the term of online social networking apps or social media.

Online social networks transcend the barriers of distance, geography, time and finance that existed for networkers before the emergence of the Internet. After bulletin boards, specific websites emerged with a more social remit, allowing people to register and become members and then ‘connect’ to other members for all manner of reasons. Social networks allow us to share our lives with a potentially global audience, everything from written messages, sounds, photographs and video can easily be uploaded and distributed with just a few clicks. Never has it been easier for networkers to expand their contact lists with those whom they would like to be connected to.

A very efficient mechanism amongst many online social networking apps is the ability to link and connect with other apps, so if a user enters an update, statement, or photograph into one app, it immediately updates the other apps, thus spreading the message to all connected networks. A practical example of this is as follows, Twitter can be synched with Facebook, so that posting a message on Twitter, will at the same time update the status of the Facebook user, thus allowing all connected Twitter contacts and Facebook friends to read the update.

This also comes at a price, there are inherent dangers associated with the use of social networking, including identity-theft and cyber-stalking, and users of online social networks, should be careful about what personal information they post online, and whom it is visible to, it is also all too easy for any user of the Internet to pose as anybody else from behind a keyboard. This is one of the disadvantages of online social networking, those with whom you network, may not always be as bone fide in person as what their online persona suggests. A well known example of this on Twitter is @CEOSteveJobs who despite having the name and profile picture of the Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs, is in fact an imposter, who writes posts which are often humorous in nature – at the expense of both Apple and Steve Jobs. What follows is a review of a selection of online social networking tools, which may be useful for both students and graduates, with advice upon how they may be used most effectively for networking purposes. It should be noted that there are thousands of other networking tools and applications, with more being constantly created, the ones which have been chosen, are recognised as already having a sizeable user-base, or of being of particular use to student and graduate networkers.

Facebook

Love it or hate it (and most students love it), there is no getting away from Facebook, and just why that is, is that seemingly everybody is using it. Since it’s 2004 launch Facebook has accrued 600 million global users (Carlson, 2011), which equates to around 10% of the world’s population, making it the worlds largest social networking platform. For social networking purposes, Facebook is difficult to surpass, however it may not always be the most appropriate platform by which to professionally network. From a student perspective Facebook is often used to share stories, gossip, status updates, photographs, videos and links to online content between friends – this is often good humoured, and presents a picture of the account holder’s personal life, including their ‘likes’ and ‘interests’.

Facebook users often enter many personal details on their accounts, including contact details and date of birth. A word of caution should be issued here, as identity theft is on the increase globally. Facebook users connect to other users as ‘friends’, a ‘friend request’ is sent when once person find the profile of another that they would like to ‘add as a friend’ and clicks on the associated link. It is recommended that only other users who are genuinely known as friends are added on Facebook. Adding strangers and people who are not really well known can be potentially dangerous. It is also a strong recommendation to change privacy settings within Facebook, so that only friends can see profile information beyond the initial page found in searches, it is also a suggestion, to opt-out of having your profile available to search by search engines, and not to use too outrageous a photograph for your profile image.

The dilemma with professional networking on Facebook, is that adding ‘professional’ contacts as friends, exposes a user’s personal life to them. This may not always present a Facebook user in the best possible light, and could in fact be counter-productive. A suggested way around this is to have more than one Facebook account, keeping one for personal contacts, and another for professional ones. However, maintaining these may prove in practice to be time-consuming, if the accounts receive regular postings / messages, and require much checking. Some students opt to change the name of their Facebook account from their real name to a pseudonym and keep this account for social networking, this means that they can then either have a second account in their real name for professional networking, or choose not to professionally network with Facebook. Having a pseudonym should minimise the risks in professional contacts finding a user on Facebook.

Another factor to consider, is that relationships with professional contacts, may over time change, so that contacts become much better well known, and indeed do become friends. Under these circumstances, becoming Facebook friends and sharing personal details may no longer be an issue. Caution and sensible judgement is urged on behalf of Facebook users.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, which as of January 2011, had 90 million users worldwide (LinkedIn, 2011). The LinkedIn site allows users to maintain a list of professional contacts, in a similar way to what Facebook does with friends. LinkedIn members can search for the names of individuals, companies or groups, and from these find people with whom they would wish to connect. When somebody is found with whom a connection would like to be established, users may click on an ‘add to your network’ link. This will then generate an email to the LinkedIn account holder, who has the option to accept or request the address. Based upon user settings (predominantly companies worked for and connections) LinkedIn will suggest the names of people that may be of interest to connect with.

LinkedIn works through users posting updates on their statuses and sending messages around their professional networks to advertise opportunities such as job vacancies, and developmental opportunities. Employers can also search for suitable job candidates by performing keyword searches, and job-seekers can follow company announcements and look for openings that may arise, which are subsequently advertised upon LinkedIn. Members tend to display professional information such as companies worked for, positions, qualifications, professional biography, publications and awards in what is an online professional resume. This is ultimately a very efficient way for professional details to be stored, and accessed by those with who users network. The bank of connections that users collect, can be likened to a database of business cards and curriculum vitaes. LinkedIn users can also request a ‘recommendation’ from a specific contact, a recommendation is like a reference that somebody may request for a job application.

Whilst LinkedIn is the most used professional networking platform, it is still lagging behind many of the social networking platforms in terms of membership. It’s potential is yet to be truly exploited, but it is certainly an investment for the future to become a LinkedIn member. As many of the current ‘Facebook generation’ who appreciate the value and power of online networking platforms, leave university and become professionals, the uptake of LinkedIn will certainly increase. Many graduates will opt to keep their Facebook account for social networking, and create a LinkedIn account for professional networking. Making the transition from Facebook to LinkedIn will not prove too much of a challenge for many, and will of course help to keep business lives and personal lives separate.

Twitter

Twitter is a micro-blogging site, which allows users to make text based posts of up to 140 characters per post, posts may include hyperlinks to other websites, or media clips such as photographs or videos. Twitter has been likened to ‘thinking out loud’ albeit to a global audience, each individual Twitter post is called a ‘tweet’. According to Quantcast (2010), Twitter currently has around 190 million global users, who generate 65 million tweets every day, and make 800,000 Twitter searches daily - these numbers are constantly increasing as more people sign up to and use Twitter.

Twitter is possibly the most useful and effective global networking tool in the world today, it’s simplicity and relatively uncomplicated nature make it reasonably easy to search, looking for the items which are of most interest, and from a networking perspective, allowing users to connect with those Twitter members who are discussing subjects that are of most interest. To connect to another user in Twitter users must opt to ‘follow’ them, which then sends a notification email to the user that is to be followed, informing them that another user is now following them. In the notification email that is sent, a link to Twitter profile of the follower is also contained, allowing the person who is to be followed the opportunity to look at the profile of who has elected to follow them. This then gives users the opportunity to decide whether or not they would like to the follow the user who is now following them (it also allows users to block other users from following them).

Tweets are publicly visible to a global audience by default, however it is possible to restrict posts to only followers, or to send directs messages (DMs) to particular followers only. It is also possible to forward the posts of other Twitter users so that they become visible to your own network of followers, this is called a ‘re-tweet’ (RT). Student and graduates studying in a particular discipline, should actively research useful contacts from both academia and industry via Twitter and follow their posts, so as to be kept up-to-date on key issues. At the very least they should find out if any of their tutors or course / department / faculty have a relevant Twitter account. Some examples of potentially useful Twitter users (tweet feeds) for both students and graduates to follow include the following:

• @artsjobs – features jobs in the arts around the UK.

• @ents_leeds_met – an example of a degree course tweet feed for the BA (Hons) Entertainment Management at Leeds Metropolitan University.

• @ICGUK - professional association for career guidance practitioners.

• @jobsintech - job postings around the U.S. in technology.

• @leedsmet – Leeds Metropolitan University’s official tweet feed.

• @mashable – this feed helps Twitter users make sense of the social web.

• @mycareersadvice – career advice and guidance for graduates.

• @NSDL - teaching and learning resources for science, technology, mathematics, and engineering.

• @postgrants – feed about educational grants and scholarship for various groups of people.

• @SocialMediaJob - jobs and internships in social media marketing, product management, community management and related fields.

• @thestartupeu - this feed supports business startups and entrepreneurship.

• @uclcareersblog – careers advice from the University of Central London’s blog.

• @zappos – this feed educates about customer service and marketing.

Twitter users often use a # symbol, known as a hashtag before key words in their tweets. These key words are typically searched for by other Twitter users, and putting a hashtag before a certain word allows for its recognition as a search term. Some examples include #employability, #olympics and #ewskongress – for this very conference. Twitter hashtags are increasingly used by marketers, who are keen to encourage Twitter users to search for something that they are promoting via a hashtag. Students and graduates should consider what exactly they are interested in searching for by terms, and then do Twitter searches to see what is shown in the results, some examples of potentially useful hashtags are as follows:

• #careers – careers advice and guidance.

• #dissertation – student dissertations.

• #employability – issues associated with employability skills development.

• #ERASMUS – ERASMUS exchange programmes.

• #ICrEAM – Issues in contemporary entertainment and arts management.

• #intern – Information relating to internships.

• #yep - young entrepreneurs and professionals.

Above are just a few examples of the many hashtags that are available as further resource check http://hashtags.org/ to search for a hashtag term, and http://tagdef.com/ to look for definitions of what hashtags mean, and to offer your own hashtags.

Twitter can be accessed either via the Twitter website – www.twitter.com or through a variety of third party applications, that are available for both computers and mobile smart phones. The third party applications that are available for Twitter are numerous, some examples include: Tweetdeck; Ubertwitter, Tweetie and Twitterific. The interface by which these applications allow Twitter to be viewed and used is arguably more user-friendly than the actual Twitter website itself. The proliferation of applications such as these has helped to increase Twitter usage, particularly as many smart phones now come with a Twitter ‘app’ pre-installed, with many more ‘apps’ available in online stores, which are easily accessible from smart phones, and often for free. This allows Twitter users to Tweet from wherever they are, and not rely on having to be on a computer. ‘Thinking out loud’ to a global audience whilst on the move has never been easier!

If you are considering using Twitter as a student or a graduate for the purposes of networking, you need to realise that your Tweets are publicly visible, and will influence how those who read your Tweets see you, an abundance of Twitter posts about the minutiae of your personal life might not be the best way to impress a potential employer. If you want to make use of Twitter for professional networking purposes, it is suggested that you create a specific account for this purpose. It is not unusual for Twitter users to have multiple accounts, particularly those who use Twitter for a variety of reasons (including social networking, professional networking, and product marketing). It is relatively easy to manage multiple Twitter accounts from applications such as Tweetdeck, although confusion and mistakes can happen when a Tweet is broadcast from the ‘wrong’ account. One useful suggestion for managing multiple Twitter accounts from a Smart Phone, is to install several Twitter applications, and use one for each account, e.g. Tweetdeck for social networking and Ubertwitter for professional networking.

It should also be noted that anything controversial posted in a tweet may be re-tweeted by others and become viral, this may lead to criticism or even abuse to the original tweeter. Deleting a tweet is possible, but once it has been re-tweeted, there is little that can be done to stop a tweet spreading around the networks of Twitter users.

Twitter is still very much a growing online social networking platform, and to get involved with it now and become proficient in how it works, will certainly help to future-proof the skill-set of students and graduates. In years to come, the ability to use such tools as Twitter will be the expected norm, just as it is for email today.

Foursquare

Foursquare is a geo-social networking platform that allows users to register their whereabouts in specific locations, and at the same time leave comments, tips and take photographs of locations, which are known as venues. Foursquare requires users to have a ‘smartphone’ with the Foursquare application installed. It works by calculating the position of the phone through its GPS function, so users need to be very close to the venue into which they are checking into. Foursquare is also a social network, in that users can search for people they may know and add them as ‘friends’. For many users Foursquare is treat very much like a game, whereby friends compete against each other to check into the most number of venues, and become Foursquare venue ‘mayors’. A mayor is the person who has checked into a venue on the most number of days over the previous 60 days. For checking into venues, Foursquare users are awarded points and various badges.

From a professional networking perspective, Foursquare is a novel tool, which allows users to see who is at the same venue as what they are. The real usefulness of this is when the venue is an actual networking setting, for example a conference, lecture or trade show. This would allow users to see which other users have checked into the same venue as them. From a business networking perspective, Foursquare allows venue owners the opportunity to communicate with, and listen to feedback from their customers. Foursquare synchronises very easily with both Facebook and Twitter, this is part of its appeal, for social networkers, it easily allows Facebook friends to see where they are, but for Twitter uses, this allows for social or professional networking to take place, by tweeting the users location, along with a short message or photograph.

At present Foursquare has a relatively small user-base, as of December 2010, there were 5 million registered users (Merino, 2010). As the proliferation of smartphones continues, so will the number of Foursquare users. This is certainly a networking tool with a great deal of potential, and one that in future will have a greater significance for professional, business and social networkers. It is advisable to any student or graduate with a smartphone to investigate Foursquare, as with LinkedIn, becoming au-fait with this platform, at this early growth stage, will equip users with skills, which will be more recognised and desirable by employers in future.

MySpace

MySpace is one of the longest running social and business networking platforms that is still in use today. However the sustainability of it’s future as a useful business networking tool has been brought into question. MySpace was overtaken by Facebook in terms of numbers of users in 2008, and has largely suffered in the face of Facebook’s success, in 2009 the company made 30% of its workforce redundant (Goldman, 2009). As of December 2010, daily unique visits had fallen to around 5 million, from over 22 million two years previously (Google, 2010).

From a networking perspective, MySpace is useful for creators of original content such as music and videos to showcase their work to potential fans, indeed MySpce has helped make famous both Kate Nash and Lilly Allen through them showcasing their work on the MySpace website, and building from that an increasing network of fans.

MySpace is generally targeted towards a ‘teen’ market, and as a professional networking platform for graduates, unless users are creating content to showcase, its usefulness may be limited.

The future

We live in the connected age, where we hardly ever need to be far away from the people we know, thanks largely to the mobile Internet and a plethora of apps that are designed to facilitate networking. In an increasingly competitive jobs-market, students and graduates need to become familiar with the networking tools, which are of most relevance to themselves, their discipline, their careers and their future aspirations. Some networking tools such as LinkedIn and Twitter can easily transcend numerous areas of academic and professional networking, whereas others such as Facebook tend to have a more social aspect. The creation of newer networking apps will continue, and both students and graduates should keep an eye on websites that highlight such developments.

To some industry figures, the use of such apps may be scorned due to their relative newness. The same thing happened around 15 years ago with the adoption of the Internet and domain names, leaving many companies and organisations red-faced and behind their competitors. Students and graduates are advised now to register with networking apps, and for those apps that are being used to professionally represent the user, create professional profiles, with sensible credible usernames and profile images. In years to come the value of established and well-used profiles, and the value of usernames will become apparent. Those who are not prepared will find themselves disadvantaged – it could be a good idea to register your username as your own name now, with a variety of networking apps, whether you actually go on to use them very much or not.

The only certainty with networking in the connected age is that it will continue to become faster, easier and more prolific in future. Students and graduates need to appreciate the power and value of online networking. Making the transition from Facebook to LinkedIn for students who become graduates will become an accepted right of passage, designed to facilitate future career progression. Being prepared to make that transition, and being prepared to be open to using new and emerging networking tools, will help to future-proof the skill-set of graduates. Embrace the technology, because its proliferation into our every-day lives is only ever going to increase.

References

Carlson, N. (2011) Facebook has more than 600 million users. [Internet] New York, Business Insider Inc. URL available from: Accessed 11th January, 2011.

Goldman, D. (2009) MySpace to cut 30% of workforce. [Internet] Atlanta, Cable News Network. URL available from: Accessed 14th January, 2011.

Google. (2010) Site profile: MySpace. [internet] Menlo Park, California, Google. URL available from: Accessed 16th January, 2011.

LinkedIn. (2011) About us. [Internet] Mountain View, California, LinkedIn. URL available from: Accessed 11th January, 2011.

Merino, F. (2010) Dennis Crowley: Foursquare now has 5M users. [Internet] San Francisco, Vator Inc. URL available from: Accessed 12th January, 2011.

Oxford English Dictionary. (2011) Networking. [Internet] Oxford, OED. URL available from: Accessed 10th January, 2011.

Prospects. (2011) What do employers want?. [Internet] Manchester, Prospects. URL available from: < http://ww2.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/What_do_graduates_do__2008/What_do_employers_want_/p!ebfpppd> Accessed 20th January, 2011.

Quantcast. (2010) Twitter.com. [Internet] San Francisco, Quantcast Corporation. URL available from: Accessed 11th January, 2011.

Travel Industry Dictionary. (2011) Define networking. [Internet] Branford, Conneticut, The Intrepid Traveler. URL available from: Accessed 10th January, 2011.

Weber, T. (2011) Davos 2011: We’re all hyper-connected, now what?. [Internet] London, BBC. URL available from: Accessed 29th January, 2011.

WordNet. (2011) WordNet search 3.0: Networking. [Internet] Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University. URL available from: Accessed 10th January, 2011.

Your Dictionary. (2011) Definition of networking. [Internet] Burlingame, California, LoveToKnow Corp. URL available from: Accessed 10th January, 2011.

Event Flyering in Leeds

2011-01-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

Leeds is a city with a high number of individuals and organisations that distribute flyers. Many of these are aimed towards the 60,000+ students who live and study in the city (LMU, 2010; UoL, 2010). A high proportion of resident students in Leeds, live along and around what is known as ‘the Headingley Corridor’, which is around the A660 and B6157 roads in-between Leeds city centre and the suburb of Headingley. Flyer distributors wishing to target students often concentrate their activities around this area, to some residents this has become a nuisance.

Leeds City Council (LCC) have taken a number of measures to combat nuisance flyering in the city, ‘to tackle litter that has been generated through marketing activities (flyering) in the open air. This will include paper flyers but can also include other promotional materials’ (LCC, 2005). ‘Leeds takes a zero tolerance approach to tackling litter. The City has designated an area within which printed material can only be freely distributed with consent’ (LCC, 2006, p.1). This zone includes ‘Leeds City Centre and the Headingley corridor bound by Grove Lane to the north, Meanwood Road to the east, Kirkstall Road to the west and Crown Point Road to the south’ (LCC, 2010). Organisations and individuals wishing to flyer within this area must apply for a license from LCC. Licenses purchased by individuals cost £50 per month or £75 annually. Organisations wishing to purchase flyers for their staff to distribute flyers pay the following rates: £75 for the first license; £100 for the second license; £150 for the third license; and £175 for any subsequent licenses (LCC, 2009). If the license is granted there are rules that those distributing flyers must adhere to. These include picking up any discarded flyers, and not leaving flyers in public places, so that they may become litter. LCC state that flyer distributors should ‘post your flyers or printed materials through the letter box of a property, and do not leave flyers or printed material outside that could result in littering’ (LCC, 2010).

The main nuisance to LCC with regards to flyer distribution is where flyers are handed out in public places, here there is a high likelihood that flyers may be dropped by person’s to whom they have been given. Where this occurs, the responsibility for clearing up discarded flyers still lies with the flyer distributor. ‘For those occasions where litter is found after the distributors have left the scene, the materials will identify who is benefiting from the promotion. If the beneficiary, or his distribution company is issuing without consent, they will be prosecuted. If the person responsible does have a consent, the fact that the distributor has left the scene defaced by litter indicates a lack of regard for the environment and written warnings will be issued’ (LCC, 2006, p.5).

Punishment for rule breakers includes: withdrawal of permission to flyer (either temporarily for a fixed-time period or permanently); fixed penalties for littering of £75; fines of up to £5,000 (for persistent littering); and anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) (LCC, 2006). In addition to this, LCC state that ‘in extreme circumstances of litter creation due to multiple flyering, the Council reserves the position to stop all activity in that area – i.e. temporarily revoke all badges’ (LCC, 2006, p.4).

References

Leeds City Council. (2005) Litter from flyers policy. [Internet] Leeds, LCC. URL available from: < http://www.leeds.gov.uk/files/Internet2007/2006/week3/inter__20a62a9f-8a88-4384-a185-9e7cea4a4adf_50e2baf1-2fa5-47f1-865f-bdff1d84928b.pdf> Accessed 31^st August, 2010.

Leeds City Council. (2006) Flyer enforcement policy. [Internet] Leeds, LCC. URL available from: Accessed 31^st August, 2010.

Leeds City Council. (2009) Application for consent to freely distribute printed matter on designated land. [Internet] Leeds, LCC. URL available from: Accessed 31^st August, 2010.

Leeds City Council. (2010) Flyers – free printed material. [Internet] Leeds, LCC. URL available from: Accessed 31^st August, 2010.

Leeds Metropolitan University. (2010) About Leeds Metropolitan University. [Internet] Leeds, LMU. URL available from: Accessed 31^st August, 2010.

University of Leeds. (2010) About the university. [Internet] Leeds, UoL. URL available from: Accessed 31^st August, 2010.

New Book: Key Issues in the Arts and Entertainment Industry

2011-01-10T05:31:00.000-08:00

I’m delighted to announce the second book from the BA (Hons) Entertainment Management team at Leeds Metropolitan University: Key Issues in the Arts and Entertainment Industry – edited by Dr Ben Walmsley. This will be the first and only book on contemporary issues, which covers the arts and entertainment sectors, from social networking and Twitter, to reality TV and digital rights management. Each chapter has been written by internationally renowned academics and practitioners in the field from world-class organisations.

The study of arts and entertainment management is rapidly increasing all over the world. Key Issues in the Arts and Entertainment Industry offers a unique addition to the literature by taking an international perspective on the contemporary issues in these rapidly expanding sectors. With an experienced contributing team comprising subject experts from world-class academic and industry-based organisations, this new book covers every major sector of the arts and entertainment industry using up-to-date case studies from all over the world, it provides an in-depth critical analysis of hot topics and controversial contemporary issues.

Divided into 12 chapters for easy semester teaching, each chapter includes an illustrative case study to encourage students to apply their academic learning to real, work-based scenarios.

Chapter titles are as follows:

· The audience experience: changing roles and relationships
· The 21^st Century business model
· Funding with a new agenda
· Branding the arts & entertainment
· Intellectual property in the digital age
· Assessing the value of the arts
· The 21^st Century Venue
· The rise of home entertainment
· The future of broadcasting
· Cultural entrepreneurs
· Cultural leadership
· Responsible entertainment

The book will be available from Goodfellows Publishers from March 2011, further details can be found here: http://www.goodfellowpublishers.com/academic-publishing.php?promoCode=&partnerID=&content=story&storyID=245

Edutourism

2010-11-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

Edutourism – a new portmanteau and one that in my opinion is worthy of recognition, my views are of course not always reflected by the wider academic community many of whom are reticent to use such contemporary terms. I was privileged to recently attend and deliver a presentation at the first Canadian EduTourism Association (CETA) conference held in Havana, Cuba. The conference theme was around sustainable edutourism. The term edutourism was challenged by several speakers, who questioned whether the term was actually necessary. I personally feel that we need to be bold in our thinking when it comes to terminology, it will take time for a term like edutourism to properly filter into academic speak, but it is inevitable that if we don’t start the ball rolling now, then eventually somebody else will.

As to the debate as to whether or not we need such a term – yes of course we do – as edutourism as a concept exists, and there is not currently a term for it in its own right. One argument presented against the term edutourism was that we don’t need such a term, as tourism for the purposes of education has always existed. In my mind this point is flawed, as we already use terms such as medical tourism and business tourism, and these forms of tourism have existed since man began to travel.

I believe that we definitely do need to have a clear definition of what edutourism is, I would like to offer the following definition, which I hope covers the subject without being too specific and narrowing the terms remit: “The sum total of activities associated with tourism for the specific purpose of learning and / or education”. This definition allows for the interpretation to include all aspects of the tourism system, including, searching, booking, travel, accommodation and destination activities.

From an entertainment management perspective, it is the activities which take place in the destination zone of the tourism system, which are of greatest relevance, the activities that I allude to are those relating to edutainment. This was the theme of the presentation that I presented at the CETA conference, which was entitled ‘Responsible Edutainment in the Tourism System’ and can be downloaded from SlideShare here. I would be happy to hear the thoughts of others on the subject of edutourism, edutainment and indeed any other portmanteaus!

Event Flyers: Classification, Conent, Design and Distribution

2010-10-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

‘The purpose of a flyer is to convey information within a limited time-span’ (Lapow Toor, 1998, p.111). Flyers are commonly used for announcing events, products and services, they can be used as a means of generating consumer footfall and sales (Gazquez-Abad and Sanchez-Perez, 2009). They are one of many mass-communication marketing tools used by marketers and promoters, mass-communication indicates that flyers are a form of ‘push-promotion’ that are not specifically targeted at individuals personally (Moss, S, 2009). A flyer should ‘draw attention to itself and capture’s people’s interest. It gives them a reason to act immediately on that interest. And it gives them the information they need to do so’ (Peterson and Vactor, 2002). According to Crandall (2002), flyer’s are the cheapest form of written promotional materials.

Rutherford Silvers (2003) state that flyers ‘create awareness and provide information’ (p.97), they are ‘an introduction, an ice-breaker and first step’ (Levinson and Godin, 1996, p.79). Flyers can be used as part of a combined promotional campaign that is intended to create ‘buzz’ before an event takes place (Locicero, 2007). In terms of event promotion the useful life-span of the flyer is mainly until the event takes place. The majority of flyers are quickly disposed of by recipients of them, although retention of flyers up to and beyond events taking place may lead to brand reinforcement amongst customers, particularly if similar future events are held. Sloane (2007) notes that flyers are often disposed of quickly by recipients due to poor design or them being distributed to the wrong target market.

Flyers can also be used to gather consumer information, they may have a section, upon which customers may record personal details, such as contact details, which may be used by the flyer distributor to target the customer with specific marketing materials. In such scenarios, providing this information is often incentivised and in return for this, the customer may be eligible for a gratuity such as a monetary discount or a free gift (Lipe, 2002).

Classification

There is no universally recognised industry standard classification for flyer types, and the interpretation of what actually constitutes being a flyer varies, ‘terms such as catalogue, free sheet, circular or shopper can be found as synonyms for flyers’ (Gazquez-Abad and Sanchez-Perez, 2009, p.3). Lapow Toor (1998), Peterson and Vactor (2002), Whitbread (2001) and Yadin (2002) state that a flyer is a single or double sided sheet of paper, where as Christiansen and Bjerre (2001) cited in (Gazquez-Abad and Sanchez-Perez, 2009) and Gagliardi (2006) state that a flyer should have a minimum of four pages.

Flyers are often typically classified by size, for example Lapow Toor (1998) classifies flyers by size using the following dimensions: 8 1/2” x 11”; 8 1/2” x 14”; and 11” x 17” (p.111). Sources within the print industry use weight, size, paper finish and sometimes folds as a means of classifying flyers, however this mainly applies to those flyers that are printed upon paper. Weight is given using the term gsm or gm, which stands for grams per square metre. For example E-Printing (2010) classify flyers by their weight with the following classifications: 130gsm; 170gsm; 200gsm; 250gsm; and 300gsm – the higher the gsm, the better quality and more expensive is the paper. E-Printing (2010) also use size as a way by which to classify flyer types, their sizes include: A3 (297 x 420mm); A4 (210 x 297mm); A5 (210 x 148mm); A6 (148 x 105mm); A7 (105 x 74mm) and DL (210 x 98mm). Taking into account the fact that any size flyer can be printed on any gsm paper, there are 25 variants of flyer type just from what has been stated above. This does not take into account the other formats that E-Printing produce such as folded leaflets and postcards (e-Printing offer five different formats of each), which from a promotional perspective could also be considered flyers. In terms of paper finish, the most common types are ‘gloss’ and ‘silk’, the difference being that gloss has a high sheen finish giving it a more ‘shiny’ appearance.

By searching the websites of other printers, similar results can be found. Wales Print (2010) offer flyers in A4, A5, A6 and DL sizes, but only on 130 gsm paper. They also offer A5 and A6 postcards on 350 gsm paper; four-page leaflets on A4, A5 and A6 130 gsm paper; and 6 page DL leaflets on 130 gsm paper. Wales Print also offer A3 sizes, however they classify these as posters and not flyers. Labcreation (2010) classify flyers and leaflets together, they offer folded leaflets in the following sizes: 3 x A4 folder three times to A4 size; A3 folded to A4; A4 folded to A5; and A4 folded to six-sided DL size. In addition to this they offer A3, A4, A5, A6 and DL sized leaflets on a choice of 135, 170 and 250 gsm paper. This demonstrates differences in classification by printers as to what is a flyer, leaflet or poster, and differences in paper weight used by printers, but at the same time it demonstrates similarities in standard paper sizes. The lack of a universally recognised and industry standard typology for flyers is all too apparent.

Content and Design

Flyers should be written in a typeface that is easily readable such as Sans Serif or Arial fonts as they are often skim-read (Lapow Toor, 1998). Flyers should be catchy (Peterson and Vactor, 2002), colourful flyers are often eye-catching (Locicero, 2007). Flyers should be designed with an attention seeking headline placed prominently, followed by a small amount of text containing essential information and a visual such as a photograph (Lapow Toor, 1998). Levinson and Godin (1996) state that the headline on a flyer is one of the most important aspects to it, they also state that wording should be brief, including lists and bullet points, suggesting that the main information contained on a flyer should be: the headline; a positioning statement; an illustration or photo; a small amount of company information; and brief names and descriptions of products and services (p.78). Peterson and Vactor (2002) state that a flyer should be a ‘one-subject announcement’ (p.84), and that event flyers should contain the following essential information: a logo; the event name and description; the location; contact details; time and date; a brief benefit statement; and a call to action (p.85). Sloane (2007) states that flyers should contain a web address where interested parties may then search for further information about what the flyer is promoting.

The theme of flyers including logos, design and wording should match other promotional mediums that are being used to highlight what it is the flyer is promoting, this helps to enforce brand awareness by promoting a consistent identity, thus creating a cohesive promotional campaign (Carter, 2007). The presence of high-profile and recognisable brands on flyers can make them more appealing to consumers (Gazquez-Abad and Sanchez-Perez, 2009). Spending large amounts of money on flyer design, including the material upon which it is printed, may not necessarily lead to improved sales, but it may convey a more successful image of the company using the flyer (Lipe, 2002). Sloane (2007) suggests the use of thick high quality paper for flyers, although this does bring expense implications, Hayden (2006) states that if flyers look home-made or unprofessional, potential customers may view what the flyers are promoting in the same way.

Levinson and Codin (1996) state that the use of humour on flyers can be effective in encouraging people to take them, although this may not be universally correct or appropriate. Masterman and Wood (2005) suggest that flyer designs should be tested amongst audiences prior to production, including: concept tests, where focus groups made up of target audiences, may be used to discuss which words, colours and images best promote a theme; and rough tests, where rough drafts of flyer designs are put before members of the target audience for their reaction (p.32). Gazquez-Abad and Sanchez-Perez (2009) recognise the difficulties in attempting to ascertain how effective flyers are. ‘If the message has been developed with the target audiences’ specific characteristics in mind then it will use a frame of reference which they can relate to and will be understood and interpreted as intended’ (Masterman and Wood, 2005, p. 69). Therefore it is perfectly natural for flyers aimed at one specific target market e.g. teenagers, to be perfectly understandable to them, but not to another market, e.g. their parents. This also highlights the phenomenon of ‘culture gaps’, which are ‘a difference in values, behaviour, or customs between two cultures or groups of people, esp. as a hindrance to mutual understanding and communication’ (OED, 2010). It is therefore essential that when testing flyers designs, to do so with participants who are also a part of the target audience (Peterson and Vactor, 2002).

Distribution

Flyers are distributed by hand, door-to-door, inserted into newspapers and magazines, and handed out in areas where there are high volumes of passers-by such as exhibitions and street corners (Yadin, 2002). Masterman and Wood (2005) concur, stating that once ‘attention has been gained they are more willing to accept the flyer’ (p.203). Frazier (2008) states that flyers can be effectively distributed within magazines and newspapers that have the same target market as the flyer, meaning that flyers will be read in a leisurely way, possibly being more successful through being of interest to the reader. Advertising alone ‘is not an effective way to gain a prospective client’s trust’ (Hayden, 2006, p.169), so personal distribution of flyers into the hands of potential customers may be advantageous, in that it allows for the additional element of dialogue between promoter and target audience. Dialogue may help to enforce the message of the flyer, as well as building trust.

Static flyers displayed in public places have the advantage of reaching a lot of people, if they are displayed in the right places (Lapow Toor, 1998). Campion Devney (1991) additionally state that flyers placed in a variety of locations including museums, launderettes, gyms and supermarkets are useful for event promotion. Debelak (2000) concurs, and states that flyers for events should also be used as part of the décor at events. Flyers that are placed statically need to give people a reason to take the trouble to pick them up, special offers and discounts promoted on the flyer are one way of ensuring this (Hayden, 2006; Locicero, 2007). This relates to the AIDA sales principle of attention, interest, desire and action (Carter, 2007). Masterman and Wood (2005) concur, stating that once ‘attention has been gained they are more willing to accept the flyer’ (p.203), as well as the message it conveys. Peterson and Vactor (2002) discuss how flyers should ‘funnel’ the attention of those who read them, this is very similar to the AIDA sales principle, and is known as a sales funnel. Those consumers that are actively engaged in searching for discounts and special offers are more likely to be interested in reading flyers, and those who are not price-sensitive are least likely to be attracted by flyers (Gazquez-Abad and Sanchez-Perez, 2009). Statically placed flyers have the disadvantage of not allowing for relational links to be established between promoter and potential customer. ‘If the brand chooses to have only a purely commercial discourse, it denies itself the opportunity to form a more affective relational link’ (Lehu, 2007, p.224). The power of such relational links, generated by positive word-of-mouth enforcement, along with promotion being portrayed as a genuine customer service offering can build trust amongst potential customers leading to an increased likelihood of sales being made (Semprini, 2005), and the flyer being a more successful promotional tool.

Kumar (2003) suggests the use of eflyers as an alternative to physical paper flyers – in other words an electronic document of the printer flyer, such as an Adobe portable document format (PDF), to be emailed to interested parties.

A contemporary issue with regards to flyer distribution (both statically placed flyers and flyers handed out in the street), is nuisance flyer distribution. This is where flyer distribution may directly annoy those who are subjected to it, or where flyers may be contributing to litter. If potential customers are annoyed by flyers, their annoyance may put them off what it is that the flyer is promoting (Feltenstein, 2005). Flyer distributors causing large amounts of street litter, placing flyers under car windscreen wipers and attaching flyers to publicly used infrastructure such as bus shelters have lead to the introduction of legislation to combat this problem. In the UK, this process is managed at ‘local’ level, often by councils.

Bibliography

Campion Devney, D. (1991) Organizing special events and conferences: A practical guide for busy volunteers and staff. Sarasota, Florida, Pineapple Press.

Carter, L. (2007) Event planning. Bloomington, Indianna, AuthorHouse.

Crandall, R. (2002) Marketing your services for people who hate to sell. New York, McGraw-Hill.

Debelak, D. (2000) Streetwise marketing plan. Avon, Massachusetts, Adams Media.

E-Printing. (2010) Full colour flyer printing / poster printing services. [Internet] Nottingham, E-Printing. URL available from: Accessed 31^st August, 2010.

Feltenstein, T. (2005) 401 killer marketing tactics to increase sales, maximise profits, and stomp your competition. New York, McGraw-Hill.

Frazier, S.G. (2008) Marketing strategies for the home-based business. Guilford, Connecticut, Globe Pequot Press.

Gagliardi, G. (2006) Making money by speaking: The spokesperson strategy for marketing your expertise. Seattle, Clearbridge Publishing.

Gazquez-Abad, J.C. and Sanchez-Perez, M. (2009) How store flyers affect consumer choice behaviour: National brands V store brands. European Retail Research. Vol. 23, Issue 1, pp. 1 – 20.

Hayden, C.J. (2006) Get clients now: A 28 day marketing program for professionals, consultants and coaches. New York, AMACOM.

Kumar, B. Run against media violence: Entertainment violence against children. Don’t buy. Don’t support. Lincoln, Nebraska, iUniverse.

Labcreation. (2010) Labcreation full colour printing. [Internet] Manchester, Labcreation. URL available from: Accessed 31^st August, 2010.

Lapow Toor, M. (1998) Graphic design on the desktop: A guide for the non-designer. 2^nd edition. New York, John Wiley and Sons.

Lehu, J.M. (2007) Branded entertainment. London, Kogan Page.

Levinson, J.C. and Godin, S. (1996) Guerrilla marketing for the home-based business. Boston, Houghton Mifflin.

Lipe, J.B. (2002) The marketing toolkit for growing businesses. Minneapolis, Chammerson Press.

Locicero, J. (2007) Streetwise meeting and event planning: From tradeshows to conventions, fundraisers to galas, everything you need for a successful business event. Avon, Massachusetts, Adams Media.

Masterman, G. and Wood, E. (2005) Innovative marketing communications: Strategies for the event industry. Oxford, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.

Moss, S. ed. (2009) The entertainment industry: An introduction. Wallingford, CAB International.

Oxford English Dictionary. (2010) Oxford English Dictionary. [Internet] Oxford, Oxford University. URL available from: Accessed 5^th August, 2010.

Peterson, S.L. and Vactor, K. (2002) Starting and running your own martial arts school. Boston, Tuttle Publishing.

Rutherford Silvers, J. (2003) Professional event coordination. Hoboken, New Jersey, John Wiley and Sons.

Semprini, A. (2005) La marque, une puissance fragile. Paris, Vuibert.

Sloane, R. (2007) 121 marketing ideas to grow your small business. St. Albans, Hertfordshire, Ecademy Press.

Wales Print. (2010) Online colour print. [Internet] Port Talbot, Wales Print. URL available from: Accessed 31^st August, 2010.

Whitbread, D. (2001) The Design Manual. Sydney, University of New South Wales.

Yadin, D. (2002) The international dictionary of marketing: Over 1000 professional terms and techniques. London, Kogan Page.

Nightclub Promotion and Competition

2010-10-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

Promotion is the sum of ‘activities that communicate the product or service and its merits to target customers and persuade them to buy’ (Kotler, 1994, p.1007). Hackley and Tiwaskul (2006) discuss the concept of entertainment marketing and promotion as being one that leads to experiential consumption. Nightclub promotion may be carried out by venues themselves, or by specialist third-party organisations and individuals who are brought in to promote themed nights within the nightclub to potential consumers. Themed nights are known as club nights, and the organisations and individuals that undertake the task of promoting them to potential consumers are known as promoters (Moss, S, 2009). KBA (1994) stated that promoters were a very important entity in the nightclub scene, they often set trends and are responsible for generating ideas for events, usually involving some form of entertainment, and often at their own expense. Moss (2009) identified that promoters were often used where competition between nightclubs was fierce. So called ‘student-cities’ (those cities that experience a boost in population during ‘term-time’ from college and university students), are one such example where a large demographic of residents of nightclub age are often heavily promoted to by nightclub promoters keen to attract custom.

The nightclub industry is a saturated and highly competitive marketplace (Skinner, Moss, G and Parfitt , 2005), effective target market segmentation, is therefore very important (Dibb, Stern and Wensley, 2002). Within student cities competition is the most fierce at the beginning of the academic year (in the UK this is usually September), and at the beginning of new terms after vacation periods such as Christmas and Easter. During this time, promoters are highly active, with many forms of visible promotion in key locations around student cities, such as: outside universities; within halls of residence; and on footpath areas where there are a large number of students passing by. Such promotion is designed to entice new customers, and to reinforce brand awareness amongst existing customers (Moss, S, 2009).

When promoting products, organisations and events to students, it is important to target new students when they first arrive (Fakharzadeh and Todd, 2010). This gives the opportunity to develop brand awareness before students form relationships with rival entities. Useful locations to target students with flyers include ‘dorm halls, dining halls…and next to vending machines’ (Campion Devney, 1991, p.59). Hayden (2006) additionally suggests student resource centres such as libraries, and university literature racks.

Nightclubs often portray a fun and ‘sexy’ image, which has been capitalised upon by nightclub promoters in their promotional materials, this is demonstrated in the figure below. This has also been capitalised upon by third party companies who have used nightclubs to showcase their products, some examples include Applebelly and Lycos, who went in to partnership to promote the online dating service Love@Lycos within nightclubs (Anon, 2001). Sepe, Ling and Glantz (2002) concur, and in their research into tobacco promotions in nightclubs, they found that promoters used ‘very attractive’ dancing girls, and ‘provocative games’ designed to entice young potential smokers, (p.415). In research by Moss, G, Parfitt and Skinner (2008) into gender and nightclub visitation ‘men identified the opposite sex as the critical factor in the decision to select a venue…in this research one male focus group respondent suggested that the number of women…was important ‘for single lads definitely’’ (p.69). Shapiro (2006) identified that nightclubs were promiscuous venues where young people would often meet to form sexual unions. Haralambos and Holborn (2004) identified that the demographic of young people who visit nightclubs as being at an experimental stage in their lives, where risk-taking and adventure form a central part of their behaviour.

Examples of nightclub promotional materials that use sexual imagery. Source: Santana, (2010).

Nightclubs compete against their rivals on a number of levels, any of the products they have may form the basis of competition. Refurbishment and reinvention of popular nightclubs is commonplace, this is to maintain interest amongst client groups whose tastes change over time (Haussman, 2008). Keeping repeat customers is especially challenging for nightclubs, particularly with their young adult target market (Nancarrow, Nancarrow and Page, 2002), although continual re-invention is not realistic for many venues, and therefore other means of competing including those related to pricing and promotion are the norm (Moss, G, Parfitt and Skinner, 2008). However, it has also been found that regular nightclub patrons who are highly involved with a particular club, brand or organisation are less likely to be swayed into visiting competitor venues on the basis of price or drinks promotions (Beatty and Kahle, 1988). Nightclubs are a service industry, and there is a great deal of service industry marketing literature on the importance of service quality (Skinner, Moss, G and Parfitt , 2005).

The methods by which promoters communicate with potential customers varies from traditional paper based media such as posters and flyers, to electronic media such as social networking websites and email (Moss, S, 2009). In 2006, London nightclub owner Mint Group shifted its promotional focus from traditional flyers to email marketing, and in doing so appointed a specialist e-marketing company to be responsible for sending out 60,000 emails per week to the Mint group’s customer database (Anon, 2006). ‘Brand management and communication are evolving at lightning speed’ (Lehu, 2007, p.3), this is exemplified by the relatively recent uptake of online social media (particularly Facebook) by club promoters to build brands based around their club nights and to use social media as a cost-effective and relatively easy way to reach a potential audience with a promotional message. Those aged 35 and under are the primary target segment of social media marketers (Tiltman, 2009), many of this demographic are also the primary target segment of club promoters, making online social media an ideal promotional medium. The adoption of such technological marketing mediums gives a modern image, and can lead to increased sales (Anon, 1996). ‘Kids are interested in the same things they’ve always been interested in, they’re just expressing it via different channels. Chances are that if you don’t understand today’s consumer, you didn’t really understand yesterday’s’ (Tiltman, 2009).

It is clear that in a highly competitive marketplace a strong promotional strategy is essential for the survival of both nightclubs and club nights, in what has become a buyers-market, where consumers are presented with many choices, by which to spend their leisure pound. Not only do nightclubs need to compete as physical venues against other venues, promoters need to compete against other promoters in promoting their particular club nights. Promotional materials are often the primary means by which potential customers may learn of club nights, so therefore adopting a strategy that targets the correct people, using appropriate promotional media is an essential aspect in the business of nightclub and club night promotion.

Bibliography

Anon. (1996) Tech marketing increases sales for two companies. Marketing News. 14^th March, 1996, p.2.

Anon. (2001) Marketing latest. Marketing. 5^th March, 2001, p.10.

Anon. (2006) Mint group to ditch flyers for email strategy. Precision Marketing. 27^th January, 2006, p.3.

Campion Devney, D. (1991) Organizing special events and conferences: A practical guide for busy volunteers and staff. Sarasota, Florida, Pineapple Press.

Dibb, S., Stern, P. and Wensley, R. (2002) Marketing knowledge and the value of segmentation. Marketing Intelligence and Planning. Volume 20, Issue 2, pp. 113 – 119.

Fakharzadeh, C. and Todd, M. (2010) Student organization leadership. Infinity Publications.

Hackley, C. and Tiwaskul, R. (2006) Entertainment marketing and experiential consumption. Journal of Marketing Communications. Volume 12, Issue 1, pp. 63 – 75.

Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. (2004) Sociology themes and perspectives. 6^th ed. London, Collins.

Haussman, G. (2008) New Vegas nightlife: The hottest of the hot spots. TravelAgent. 27^th October, 2008, pp.50 - 52.

Hayden, C.J. (2006) Get clients now: A 28 day marketing program for professionals, consultants and coaches. New York, AMACOM.

KBA. Trend influence marketing program. April 14, 1994. cited in Sepe, E., Ling, P. and Glantz, S. (2002) Smooth moves: Bar and nightclub tobacco promotions that target young adults. American Journal of Public Health. March 2002, Vol. 92, No.3, pp. 414 – 419.

Kotler, P. (1994) Marketing management: Analysis, planning, implementation and control. 8^th Edition. Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

Lehu, J.M. (2007) Branded entertainment. London, Kogan Page.

Moss, G., Parfitt, S. and Skinner, H. (2008) Men and women: Do they value the same things in mainstream nightclubs and bars? Tourism and Hospitality Research. Volume 9, Issue 1, pp. 61 – 79.

Moss, S. ed. (2009) The entertainment industry: An introduction. Wallingford, CAB International.

Nancarrow, C., Nancarrow, J. and Page, J. (2002) An analysis of the concept of cool and its marketing implications. Journal of Consumer Behaviour. Volume 1, Issue 4, pp. 311 – 322.

Santana, D. (2010) DJ Emir design services. [Internet] Englewood, Colorado, DJ Emir. URL available from: Accessed 20^th August, 2010.

Sepe, E., Ling, P. and Glantz, S. (2002) Smooth moves: Bar and nightclub tobacco promotions that target young adults. American Journal of Public Health. March 2002, Vol. 92, No.3, pp. 414 – 419.

Shapiro, P. (2005) Turn the beat around: The secret history of disco. New York, Faber and Faber.

Skinner, H., Moss, G. and Parfitt, S. (2005) Nightclubs and bars: What do customers really want?. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Vol. 17, Issue 2, pp. 114 – 124.

Tiltman, D. (2009) Why there’s more to digital than skinny jeans and trips to nightclubs. Media. 19^th November, 2009, p.7.

Nightclub Products

2010-10-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

According to Kotler et al (1999) a product is ‘anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need. It includes objects, services, persons, places, organizations and ideas’ (p.11). Kotler’s definition and theories of product are widely accepted and referred to in a variety of texts including Lancaster and Reynolds (2004); Morgan and Pritchard (2001) and Swarbrooke (1995) who also applies theories from Kotler (1994) to his own research. In his work Swarbrooke (1995) applies Kotler’s theories, which were principally aimed at manufacturing industries to visitor attractions and service industries with regards to ‘levels of product’, identifying three distinct product levels, these are:

· core products – the main benefits that a consumer derives from purchasing a product, i.e. what they truly seek from the product;

· tangible products – this is what the consumer is actually buying into, and from this will gain the core product, and;

· augmented products – these are ancillary goods and services that the consumer is also buying into, which influence their decision as to whether to buy into a product, but they are typically not perceived to be the ‘main’ product by the consumer.

(Swarbrooke, 1995, pp. 39-41).

Through application of the above theory about product levels to nightclubs, the following figure has been created to demonstrate what nightclub consumers are actually buying into, in terms of product levels.

Levels of product for a nightclub. Source: Author, based upon Swarbrooke (1995, figure 3.2, p.40).

From the above figure, it is clearly demonstrated that the core product, which clubbers are buying into, is the atmosphere within the venues that they are visiting, and the emotions that they will experience during their visit. The atmosphere within a nightclub directly affects the emotions that clubbers experience during their visit, and for the vast majority of clubbers the emotions that they seek are typically ‘light-hearted’ and positive, including enjoyment, happiness, excitement, lust and love (Moss, S, 2009).

Club nights are typically given a theme, which will include the type of music on offer, who the DJs playing the music are, internal club décor, external promotional branding (including flyers) and other entertainment including dancers and performers from artists such as singers and fire-breathers. Themes are designed to appeal to a particular market segment and contribute to the tangible and augmented products on offer as perceived by consumers. Besides the theme of a given club night, other tangible products such as the physical club infrastructure will also play a part in the decision making process of consumers in their choice of venue. This may include the dimensions and layout of a club or a part of a club, such as the dancefloor and bars, other augmented products such as toilets and cloak room facilities may also play a part in the decision making process.

Skinner, Moss, G and Parfitt (2005) carried out a study in which they examined customer attitudes to a variety of aspects of nightclub service offerings, in this study they carried out focus groups and a questionnaire, their findings indicated that nightclub visitors were looking for originality, unique features, and value within the product offering. In this research, 49% of male students stated that alcohol pricing was important to encourage repeat visitation to nightclubs, and 52% of female students stated that music and entertainment was an important factor when deciding upon a choice of venue.

Bibliography

Kotler, P. (1994) Marketing management: Analysis, planning, implementation and control. 8^th Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Edition.

Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Saunders, J. and Wong, V. (1999) Principles of marketing. 2^nd European Edition. London, Prentice Hall.

Lancaster, G. and Reynolds, P. (2004) Marketing. Basingstoke, Palgrave-Macmillan.

Morgan, N. and Pritchard, A. (2001) Advertising in tourism and leisure. Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann.

Moss, S. ed. (2009) The entertainment industry: An introduction. Wallingford, CAB International.

Skinner, H., Moss, G. and Parfitt, S. (2005) Nightclubs and bars: What do customers really want?. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Vol. 17, Issue 2, pp. 114 – 124.

Swarbrooke, J. (1995) The development and management of visitor attractions. Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann.

A Brief History of Nightclubs

2010-10-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

Venues that would now be classified as nightclubs first began to appear in the early 20^th Century, in both Europe and the USA. These venues sold alcohol (sometimes illegally) and promoted entertainment in the form of: live music and song (jazz and swing was popular in the 1920s and 1930s); dancing girls often performing burlesque routines; and various other small stage performers including magicians, freak shows and comedy, which often came under the term ‘vaudeville’ (Trav, 2005) and today would be considered ‘variety’ sketches (Walmsley, 2009).

Throughout the 20^th Century nightclubs grew in number and variety, with a rapid growth from the 1950s (post second world war austerity) as emergent youth cultures flourished along with their desire to consume and showcase products including fashion and music associated with their image and lifestyle (Laughey, 2006). The 1960s saw many young people gathering in venues to listen and dance to rock and roll music, both from live bands and played by disc jockeys, these venues became known as discotheques (Wald, 2009). The 1970s heralded a new era of rapid growth for nightclubs as discotheques and new rhythmic music forms for dancing to, developed a new emergent popular culture – that of disco. The term discotheque was abbreviated to disco, disc jockeys became known as DJs and musically disco moved away from it’s original rock and roll influences and bread new dance crazes, fashions and trends including bright colours, garish sequined outfits and even roller skating. Discos began to theme their venues around their fashionability, and included light effects such as strobes and moving / flashing coloured lights, and later dry ice for smoke effects (Broughton and Brewster, 2006). New technologies allowed DJs to play records to audiences without interruption to the music flow through the use of mixers, disco music that was made for dancing was a popular new genre, and the integration of electronica and ‘black’ music influences such as funk, soul and reggae lead to new hybrid music forms emerging, the most successful arising in the late 1970s – hip hop (Broughton and Brewster, 2006; Shapiro, 2005). Hip hop became popular in discos due to it’s association with the very flamboyant breakdancing, allowing the audience and customers to become a recognised part of the entertainment offering.

Throughout the 1980s dozens of new musical genres and sub-genres emerged, as identified by Moss (2009), these included garage, goth, house, indie, raga and techno (p.40). For each of these genres, hordes of fans actively sought out specialist musical nights. From hip hop and electro various offshoots of new music emerged, but in terms of nightclub culture the most renowned of these came from Chicago in the mid 1980s – house music. This was purely electronic, highly rhythmic, and uncomplicated music, often with minimal vocals that was made for dancing (Saunders, 2007). It was first embraced by gay audiences amongst whom electro was already popular, but soon took a hold in discos in major urban centres in Europe and the USA (Norris, 2008). Discos began to re-image themselves as trendy dance venues. The term disco was eventually dropped and venue promoters began to refer to their venues as nightclubs. Laser light effects began to be used by venues to demonstrate their modern image and ability to create ambience and atmosphere within the venues.

Students were not considered a significant customer segment by nightclubs until the 1980s. Up until this era students may have attended specialist music nights in relatively small numbers (in comparison to today), but (using the UK as an example) students would often mainly frequent their own university’s Student Union venues. In the UK, the 1980s saw the emergence of ‘student nights’ at town centre nightclubs in student towns and cities. These were typically held midweek on a weekly basis, and would include cheap drink offers to attract custom, and customers having to show some form of identification that proved they were students. Student nights were generally used by nightclub owners to take-up unused club capacity during the mid-week lull when venues would have otherwise been closed, and therefore not making money (MINTEL, 2008a).

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the rise of house music hybrids with faster heavier beats and bass, the most popular of which became known as techno. The popularity of techno amongst club patrons, lead to the rise of the rave scene, and from this many new musical sub-genres that fused techno with other musical forms emerged. Nightclubs offered an increasing range of specialist music nights, often attracting dedicated followers from afar. Around this era, the term nightclub was abbreviated to club, by those venues and club promoters who saw themselves as being generally more stylish than ‘mainstream’ high street venues. The term club was then often associated with nightclubs that offered specialist dance music, and their patrons became known as ‘clubbers’ (Chatterton and Hollands, 2003).

New musical forms prove most popular amongst young people (Laughey, 2006), students began to be recognised as a growth customer segment during the 1990s (MINTEL, 2008b). In many UK student cities, clubs were being increasingly frequented by students at weekends and on nights not specifically aimed at students, as students began to satisfy a demand to consume new dance music forms. A greater integration of students and ‘locals’ began to take place in the nightclub environment. This was further exacerbated during the late 1990s, when changes were made to student funding in the UK by governments, meaning that student grants were replaced by student loans. This lead to an increasing number of university students living at home, and studying at their local university, rather than traveling to other towns and cities (MINTEL, 2008b), with a knock-on effect being an even greater integration of students and locals within the nightclub environment.

The 1990s heralded an era of growth for club brands associated with specialist dance music genres. A number of ‘mega-brands’ emerged from what were somewhat humble beginnings, such as Ministry of Sound, Gatecrasher and Cream (Broughton and Brewster, 2006; MINTEL, 2008a; Norris, 2008). These brands spawned branches throughout the UK and even globally. In towns and cities around the UK, many local entrepreneurs emerged, keen to take on these clubbing giants with their own imitation nights in club venues. This was particularly apparent in student cities, where a newly recognised market of young people who were keen to visit nightclubs during the midweek period, were beginning to abandon their traditional Student Unions for something more trendy (MINTEL, 2008b). By the turn of the Millennium the traditional ‘student nights’ at nightclubs had all but disappeared, and many nightclubs began to open almost every night, promoting different musically themed nights on various nights of the week, to audiences who were mostly (but not entirely) made up of students. A typical venue may have offered several different musically themed nights with mainstream chart and pop, house and techno, rock and heavy metal, and indie / alternative music on different nights of the week. Some venues became renowned for being specialists in particular music genres only (Moss, S, 2009).

In the 2000s, new music forms such as basslines, dub-step, RnB and electro (a new version of the music using an old name) have gained mass appeal amongst young audiences. In student cities, entrepreneurs who are keen to cash in on this are in competition with like minded individuals, to promote and fill nights at venues across the city (Moss, S, 2009). This promotion takes many forms, and will be further discussed later in this study.

‘Having peaked with an estimated value of more than £1.6bn in 2003, the UK nightclub industry hasn’t reached the same heights in recent years’ (Anon, 2008, p.14). This is primarily due to changes in the licensing act, which allowed pubs and bars to stay open later into the night. Owens (2006) states that the change to the Licensing Act (2003) (which came into force in November 2005) that allowed pubs and bars to stay open later than 11:00pm, and for nightclubs to potentially go on until the following day, has changed the habits of clubbers with 25% not leaving home before 11:00pm, (prior to the Licensing Act (2003) coming into force only 4% of clubbers came out after 10:00pm). Just over 40% of clubbers now leave home between 9:00pm and 10:00pm. This has seen the number of regular nightclub visitors decline, although students remain an important demographic (Moss, G, Parfitt and Skinner, 2008). May and Chaplin (2007) noted that nightclubs were popular amongst undergraduate students and those of student age, who would stay out later than older adults who instead preferred bars. Due to increasing competition from nightclubs and other leisure-time service providers, nightclub venues often have an increasingly short life cycle, with a life expectancy of less than five years (Haussman, 2008). Nightclubs face a continual need to evolve, the average age in the UK is 40, by 2025, more than a third of Britons will be over 55, nightclubs will need to adapt to this or face an uncertain future (Anon, 2008).

There is no official industry sanctioned typology of nightclubs. Owens (2006) generally categorises nightclubs by their capacity, including Superclubs with capacities of 1,500 and above, Mid market clubs with capacities from 600 to 1,500, small clubs with capacities of less than 600, and chameleon clubs which may also operate as bars and pubs. Moss (2009) takes an alternative approach instead classifying nightclubs by their physical environment, theming and product offering, these include: gay clubs (with a largely gay customer base and gay iconographic theming); live music venues (where bands and artists rather than DJs are the main providers of music); mainstream clubs (commercial ‘high street’ venues); niche music clubs (that specialise in particular music genres); strip clubs (adult entertainment venues); superclubs (extremely large venues with many different themed rooms and DJs); supperclubs (that provide food as part of the core product offering); ultra lounges (dark venues with a relaxed ambience, neon lighting and music played at lesser volumes); and warehouse / rave venues (venues that are used periodically for very large scale club events) (pp.67-68).

Bibliography

Anon. (2008) It’ll never fly nightclubs. Management Today. August, 2008, p.14.

Broughton, F. and Brewster, B. (2006) Last night a DJ saved my life: 100 years of the disc jockey. London, Headline.

Chatterton, P. and Hollands, R. (2003) Urban nightscapes. London, Routledge.

Haussman, G. (2008) New Vegas nightlife: The hottest of the hot spots. TravelAgent. 27^th October, 2008, pp.50 - 52.

Laughey, D. (2006) Music and youth culture. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press.

May, R. and Chaplin, K. (2007) Cracking the code: Race, class and access to nightclubs in urban America. Qual Sociol. Number 31, pp. 57 – 72.

MINTEL. (2008a) Nightclubs – UK. London, MINTEL International Group.

MINTEL. (2008b) Student lifestyles – UK. London, MINTEL International Group.

Moss, G., Parfitt, S. and Skinner, H. (2008) Men and women: Do they value the same things in mainstream nightclubs and bars? Tourism and Hospitality Research. Volume 9, Issue 1, pp. 61 – 79.

Moss, S. ed. (2009) The entertainment industry: An introduction. Wallingford, CAB International.

Norris, R. (2008) Paul Oakenfold: The authorised biography. London, Corgi Books.

Owens, S. (2006) Pubs, clubs and restaurants: The impact of the new Licensing Act together with a difficult trading environment and other new legislation on capital and rental values of UK nightclubs. Journal of Retail and Leisure Property. Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 341 – 353.

Saunders, J. (2007) House music: The real story. Milton Keynes, PublishAmerica.

Shapiro, P. (2005) Turn the beat around: The secret history of disco. New York, Faber and Faber.

Trav. D.S. (2005) No applause – just throw money: The book that made vaudeville famous. London, Faber and Faber.

Wald, E. (2009) How the Beatles destroyed rock ‘n’ roll: an alternative history of American popular music. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Walmsley, B. (2009) Staged story and variety. pp 18 – 38. in Moss, S. (2009) The entertainment industry: an introduction. Wallingford, CABI.

Nightclub Visitor Survey

2010-07-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

If you have been automatically redirected to this page after completing a survey on nightclub visitation, thank you very much for taking this time to complete the survey. If you have stumbled upon this page by other means please feel free to complete the linked survey - only if you ever visit nightclubs though (even infrequently, and any kind of nightclub), the survey is here: http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/lsif/the/surveys/10moss/nightclubs.htm

The aim of the survey is to assess which promotional mediums influence potential visitors to become actual visitors to nightclubs, I have a particular interest in flyers and flyering activity, and will be publishing the results of this survey in September on this blog.

Entertainment Management Students Need a High Level of Employability Skills

2010-06-12T08:36:00.001-07:00

The word ‘employability’ has been widely used in academia since the publication of the Dearing Report in the UK in 1997. Prior to the Dearing Report a number of terms and phrases were (and still are) used to describe the qualities to which both ‘employability skills’ and ‘soft skills’ has commonly become an umbrella term for. These include: key skills; transferable skills; personal skills; interpersonal skills; and more recently entrepreneurial skills. Hind and Moss (2005) identify ‘employability skills’ as being a collective term for all of the above. However, Yorke (2006, p.1) identifies that employability in higher education (HE) is about much more than skills alone, stating that employability is a ‘set of achievements which constitute a necessary but not sufficient condition for the gaining of employment…and is strongly aligned with the academic valuing of good learning’.

It is a personal observation from working with partner institutions in Europe and Africa that ‘employability’ as an academic term and concept has taken time to filter beyond UK shores into higher education institutions (HEIs) and is still often unheard of. Even the recognition of the need for non-subject specific soft skills development is seemingly not globally prevalent amongst HE providers (Andrews and Higson, 2008), despite the fact that industry is continuously seeking improved soft skills from graduates (Doctorjob, 2002; BBC, 2006; BBC, 2008). The manner by which soft skills are taught and assessed varies greatly from one institution to another. Institutions that teach Entertainment Management courses need graduates with a range of highly developed soft skills, particularly when dealing with customers in the service sector, where the face of an employee may be regarded as the face of the company (Denny, 2009).

Entertainment Management at HE level is a specialist course in business and management that contextualises content to the entertainment industry, and is designed to develop learners into becoming future managers. Entertainment management courses generally blend three learning strands:

· pure business disciplines such as marketing, finance and human resources;

· specialist industry knowledge relating to the vast entertainment industry and its eighteen unique sectors that deliver entertainment to audiences predominantly in three ways - via the media, within visitor attractions, and at live events (Moss, 2009);

· and employability skills development including: the development of academic disciplines such as essay writing and presentation technique; personal and interpersonal skills including communication skills; group working ability; selling and negotiation skills; entrepreneurship and career development skills.

At Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) all undergraduate Entertainment Management students start developing their portfolio of employability skills at the beginning of the course. A first year module has been developed – ‘Employability & Management Skills’ (EMS) to initiate this process. EMS includes a variety of assessment, learning and teaching strategies to facilitate the students’ skills development. Micro-teaching is a key component of the learning strategies used with work related management scenarios providing the focus for a theatre role play exercise. Peer assessment is used in a creative way to provide rapid and immediate feedback to the students on the development of their skills. This lays the foundation for further development of employability skills beyond level one where they are integrated and embedded into the students’ curriculum in module learning outcomes that are tested through assessment at all levels of the course.

A number of other teaching and learning strategies in relation to employability and soft skills development are deployed within the entertainment management curriculum at LMU. These are briefly summarised below:

· specific ‘management’ modules where students learn effective management techniques for the industry;

· specific modules relating to entrepreneurship and creativity, including ‘An Introduction to Enterprise and Small Business’ and ‘Entrepreneurship in the Creative and Cultural Industries’;

· work placements in the first and second year of 80 hours each, during which students must complete key skills audits and self development reflective portfolios;

· optional practical work experience in year three on a 48 week industrial placement;

· in the final year, students work as entertainment industry management consultants to solve work-related problems that are set by real entertainment organisations in the module ‘Entertainment Consultancy Project’;

· students complete progress files and develop personal development plans to support their learning and skills development at each level of their course;

· and through the provision of extensive online resources, including ‘Skills for Learning’, which is a website dedicated to employability and soft skills development, as well as extensive facilities provided within ‘X-Stream’ the university’s virtual learning environment (Hind, Moss and McKellen, 2006).

The approach to skills development at LMU strongly embraces the pedagogy behind employability, as identified by Yorke (2006) in terms of ‘good learning’ and student achievement that takes place outside of the traditional classroom setting, particularly with the involvement of external partners through placements and the all-important exposure to ‘real’ people in industry.

The true added value of entertainment management education will need ‘to be drawn from a shift towards skill provision, as pure technical knowledge expires fast and is more easily accessible than ever before from the internet’ (Rundshagen, 2010). The entertainment industry is a skills-hungry service industry, and those within entertainment education must meet the skills demand of the labour market. Ultimately for providers of entertainment management education, the success of their graduates in securing and maintaining employment will be the real test of this.

References

Andrews, J. and Higson, H. (2008) Graduate employability, ‘soft skills’ versus ‘hard’ business knowledge: A European study. Higher Education in Europe. Vol. 33, Issue 4, December 2008, pp. 411 – 422.

British Broadcasting Corporation. (2006) Graduate demand outstrips skills. [Internet] London, BBC. URL available from Accessed 1st November, 2006.

British Broadcasting Corporation. (2008) Graduate literacy 'worries firms'. [Internet] London, BBC. URL available from < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7494172.stm> Accessed 1st June, 2010.

Denny, R. (2009) Motivate to win. 3^rd ed. London, Kogan Page.

Doctorjob. (2002) Ill Communication. Doctorjob. Summer 2002, p.4.

Hind, D. and Moss, S. (2005) Employability skills. Sunderland, Business Education Publishers.

Hind, D., Moss, S. and McKellen, S. (2006) Innovative Assessment Strategies for Developing Employability Skills into the Tourism and Entertainment Management Curriculum at Leeds Metropolitan University. The 20^th Businet Annual Conference. Berlin, November 2006.

Moss, S. (ed.) (2009) The entertainment industry: an introduction. Wallingford, CABI.

Rundshagen, V. (V.Rundshagen@ews-koeln.de), 26^th March 2010. AW: Employability survey. Email to S. Moss (s.moss@leedsmet.ac.uk).

Yorke, M. (2006) Learning and employability, series one: employability in higher education: what it is – what it is not. York, Higher Education Academy.

Issues in Contemporary Entertainment and Arts Management (ICrEAM) Database is Launched

2010-05-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

ICrEAM can be found at http://www.icream.eu , it is a contemporary issues and news database that has been created for students, academics, researchers and those working in the field of entertainment / arts management - or a related discipline including leisure, events, tourism, cultural studies, creative industries, and media studies.

It is designed to provide up to date links to (mostly) contemporary news articles in the various sectors of the entertainment industry. ICrEAM was established by staff and students on the BA (Hons) Entertainment Management at Leeds Metropolitan University in May 2010, and will be a continually growing resource, where entertainment and arts management related articles will be summarised and linked to according to the sector(s) of the entertainment industry that the article most relates to.

We are ALWAYS looking to work with new academic partners in the fields of entertainment and arts management globally, if you would like to get involved in ICrEAM please do get in touch, using the email address at the top of this page. You can also suggest links for ICrEAM using the form linked here, we also have an ICrEAM Facebook Page on which you can suggest links for us to add to ICrEAM, please 'Like' our Facebook Page and suggest links on the page's wall.