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Reflection Paper
Disrupt, Disintermediate, Disseminate: Twitter and the Music Industry
Tyler Budd
Submitted to the Department of Global Entertainment and Music Business
of Berklee College of Music
In partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts
Benjamin Constantini, Academic Supervisor
Emilien Moyon, Program Director
June 26, 2014
Contents
Summary of Work………………………………………………………………...1
The Process…………………………………………………………………..……2
The Next Step……………………………………………………………………...3
Results: How did this align with the student’s expectations?……………………..3
Contribution to the Discipline and Professional Development……………………4
Impact on the Student Completing the Work ……………………………………..5
Other……………………………………………………………………………….5
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………….6
Appendix…………………………………………………………………………..7
Summary of Work
"just setting up my twttr. 9:50 PM March 21, 2006”
-‐
@Jack Dorsey, Twitter Co-Founder1
The aforementioned quotation may soon feature the most defining characters
representing the grand narrative of a generation. Since its “tipping point” at the
entertainment conference South by Southwest Interactive in early 2007, the microblogging service of 140-character fame has become increasingly synonymous with daily
life.2 This has been complimented by the global trend towards mobile technology,
perpetuated by unparalleled levels of accessibility. Twitter has propelled itself into the
forefront of social, political and economic change. Twitter’s user-generated content has
been adopted by both the private and public sectors. Today, Twitter acts as a global
medium of communication for the masses.3
This work will take an analytical and critical approach in evaluating the
theoretical concepts and applicability of the third party application Twitter and its use
within the music industry.
To this end, it is evident that Twitter is a significant player within both the global
and cultural sphere. Adding to this effect is the trend of the global adoption by way of
mobile technology, as characterized by its high levels of accessibility.4 Although Twitter
1
Douglas, N. "Twitter blows up at SXSW Conference." Gawker, 2007.
Douglas, N. "Twitter blows up at SXSW Conference." Gawker, 2007. and Gladwell, M. The Tipping
Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. New York, New York: Little, Brown and Company,
2006.
3
Diriöz, A O. "Twitter and the Middle East." Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies 5(1) (2013): 6775.
4
Diriöz, A O. "Twitter and the Middle East." Center for Middle Eastern Strategic. 67-75.
2
initially emerged through the realm of entertainment, it has seen wide scale growth and
public embracement, as is evident through the development of Jeremy Benthem’s
“Panopticon” as a tool of autonomy.5 It is through this development as a disruptive
technology and growth into a social imperative that the entertainment industry has begun
utilizing the data collected by Twitter users to disintermediate the artist discovery
process. As such, data is now becoming a complimentary tool within this process, as
expressed through the Twitter and 300 Entertainment partnership as well as the
implementation of real-time socially influenced music charts.6 In order to create a better
standing for success, it is important that this process is complimented with an education
of the public and artist community to accurately and truly benefit listeners, the artist and
repertoire portfolio and emerging music content creators.
The Process
The process of completing the assignment was relatively straight-forward.
However, one of the major challenges faced was arriving at a finite topic for the
culminating experience. Originally, the project was going to be centralized around a more
hands on approach, dedicated on the marketing and design of music content. This was to
be focused on a project that another student was also working on, which would have
complimented both of our efforts quite well.
5
Benthem, J. The Panopticon Writings. London, United Kingdom: Verso, 1995.
Smirke, R. "Lyor Cohen Unveils 300 Partnership With Twitter During Midem Keynote." Billboardbiz,
February 02, 2014. And Billboard "Billboard Twitter Real-Time Charts FAQ" Billboard.
http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/japan/export-import.html (accessed June 13, 2014).
6
Page 2
Unfortunately, this did not come to fruition and my interest then shifted towards
the possibility of working with Berklee ICE through its’ partnership with 300
Entertainment and Twitter Music. Do to unforeseen circumstances, the project was
pushed back in the academic schedule to begin this coming September. This area was of
great interest and as such, I was able to apply certain aspects of the proposed project into
the development of my current culminating experience. Additionally, I drew upon some
of the resources mentioned in previous interviews and meetings, like the works of
Malcom Gladwell and design inspirations of Alex Cornell. It was the adaption of these
efforts that led me to my current research project; Disrupt, Disintermediate ,
Disseminate: Twitter and the Music Industry.
The current project was able to draw on a considerable amount of social theory as
well as a more applied approach by building off of the concepts explored Gladwell’s
Tipping Point. This was accomplished through the creation of my own infographic using
inspirational elements of designer Alex Cornell.
In terms of the development of the final project, I was able to better time manage
my efforts by creating a timeline that accounted for research, writing, peer editing and
design.
Overall, I felt as though the process went relatively smoothly once a final topic
was decided upon. Although, it is also important to note that the previous attempts at
alternate topics also played a significant role in arriving at this conclusion. These items
functioned almost like building blocks or it’s own mini ‘tipping point’ arriving at the
summation of an idea (the research topic).
Page 3
The Next Step
The next step is expanding upon the ‘Future Research’ section of my paper
(accompanied by the infographic I created) as a framework to help discover and develop
the idea of a new category of influencers. Therefore, the concept of ‘scalability’ will play
a pivotal role in taking the next step forward in this process. This will most likely require
the assistance of outside help, as my skill set is limited in terms of creating a scalable
algorithm (even though the theoretical and basic mathematical principles are there). I will
therefore have to determine if this project is something that I wish to remain in the
academic sphere or a step towards to creating something that has the potential to be
monetized and thus enter into the commerce space. If this commercial action were to
proceed, it would prove beneficial to find a support system both in terms of capital and
knowledge based systems.
However, from a purely design perspective, the concept of creating high impact
visuals will continue to be a vehicle in which I will continue to explore. I find that visuals
create better engagement, build resonance and evoke greater retention from audiences.
Thus, developing these skills will prove very complimentary towards professional
development and future efforts.
Results: How did this align with the student’s expectations?
I believe the work aligned nicely with my expectations with the project. Unfortunately, a
possible partnership with Ayasdi (a topographic analytic firm) did not work out in time
for the project, which could have addressed the concerns of scalability for future
development.
Page 4
Contribution to the Discipline and Professional Development
I believe this work contributes to the recent trends towards more analytical based
processes within the music industry. However, I feel the major contribution of this work
is not solely focused on the representation of trends and data, but explaining ‘why’ these
action may occur and ‘what’ these social transactions mean within a larger social sphere..
In terms of professional development, the process of researching, collecting data
and drawing meaningful conclusions always presents a direct correlation between
academic and non-academic efforts. It is a skill that will constantly require effort to
improve and build upon. Additionally, the nature of this paper by being both social and
technology oriented, required constant attentiveness to an evolving landscape with the
introduction of new information in order to ensure greater levels of accuracy and holism
within the work.
Furthermore, this work also enabled me to explore relationships with individuals
within the industry relating to the topic. Over the course of the process, I was able to
speak with Panos Panay of Berklee ICE’s program, who suggested I take a look at
Gladwell’s work, Ayadsi Incorporated a topical data analysis firm and Alex Cornell,
former Creative Director of FireSpotter Labs (Google Ventures).
Page 5
Impact on the Student Completing the Work
I feel as though completing this work has had a positive impact. The technology
portion of the work, created a habit of staying up to date on blog, trade publications and
new research articles. While the social theory portion allowed me to revisit some of my
previous efforts acting as a content re-familiarization, but also allowed me to look at the
work through a different lens. By being removed from the discipline for over a year, it
allowed me to better aggregate and streamline the content in terms of applicability, but
also enabled a more free flow of ideas instead of being constrained by the nuances and
limitations of some of the social theories used ( in terms of in-depth analysis). Overall, I
felt as though this work acted as a capstone to my academic experience. Although
learning is an ongoing effort, I felt like the work drew upon both my undergraduate and
graduate specializations and complimented the process well.
Other
One of the largest benefits of the Culminating Experience was the opportunity to
collaborate with other students final projects. I played a variety of roles varying from
web design, motion graphics (VFX), the creation of band merchandise, photoshoots and
videography ( examples of these items can be found in the Appendix section of the
work). I feel as though the collaboration with other students allowed me to address other
skill sets that did not necessarily fit within the parameters of my project. As a result, I
was able to create a greater learning experience for myself , as well as the satisfaction of
developing, creating new ideas and watching them evolve through the work of others.
Page 6
Bibliography
Benthem, J. The Panopticon Writings. London, United Kingdom: Verso, 1995.
Diriöz, A O. "Twitter and the Middle East." Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies
5(1) (2013): 67-75.
Douglas, N. "Twitter blows up at SXSW Conference." Gawker, 2007.
Gladwell, M. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. New
York, New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006.
Smirke, R. "Lyor Cohen Unveils 300 Partnership With Twitter During Midem Keynote."
Billboardbiz, February 02, 2014. And Billboard "Billboard Twitter Real-Time Charts
FAQ" Billboard. http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/japan/exportimport.html (accessed June 13, 2014).
Appendix
Appendix A: Manuel Delgado - Two Web Designs, Third-Party Graphics and
Merchandise Examples
Page 8
Appendix B: Alex Morancy - Videography, VFX and Motion Graphics Example
Page 9
Appendix C: Jeremy Carrion – Photoshoot and Graphic Design Example
Appendix D: Dan Omphroy - Live Photoshoot Example
Page 10
Disrupt, Disintermediate, Disseminate: Twitter and the Music Industry
Tyler Budd
Submitted to the Department of Global Entertainment and Music Business
of Berklee College of Music
In partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts
Benjamin Constantini, Academic Supervisor
Emilien Moyon, Program Director
June 26, 2014
Contents
Summary of Work………………………………………………………………...1
The Process…………………………………………………………………..……2
The Next Step……………………………………………………………………...3
Results: How did this align with the student’s expectations?……………………..3
Contribution to the Discipline and Professional Development……………………4
Impact on the Student Completing the Work ……………………………………..5
Other……………………………………………………………………………….5
Bibliography……………………………………………………………………….6
Appendix…………………………………………………………………………..7
Summary of Work
"just setting up my twttr. 9:50 PM March 21, 2006”
-‐
@Jack Dorsey, Twitter Co-Founder1
The aforementioned quotation may soon feature the most defining characters
representing the grand narrative of a generation. Since its “tipping point” at the
entertainment conference South by Southwest Interactive in early 2007, the microblogging service of 140-character fame has become increasingly synonymous with daily
life.2 This has been complimented by the global trend towards mobile technology,
perpetuated by unparalleled levels of accessibility. Twitter has propelled itself into the
forefront of social, political and economic change. Twitter’s user-generated content has
been adopted by both the private and public sectors. Today, Twitter acts as a global
medium of communication for the masses.3
This work will take an analytical and critical approach in evaluating the
theoretical concepts and applicability of the third party application Twitter and its use
within the music industry.
To this end, it is evident that Twitter is a significant player within both the global
and cultural sphere. Adding to this effect is the trend of the global adoption by way of
mobile technology, as characterized by its high levels of accessibility.4 Although Twitter
1
Douglas, N. "Twitter blows up at SXSW Conference." Gawker, 2007.
Douglas, N. "Twitter blows up at SXSW Conference." Gawker, 2007. and Gladwell, M. The Tipping
Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. New York, New York: Little, Brown and Company,
2006.
3
Diriöz, A O. "Twitter and the Middle East." Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies 5(1) (2013): 6775.
4
Diriöz, A O. "Twitter and the Middle East." Center for Middle Eastern Strategic. 67-75.
2
initially emerged through the realm of entertainment, it has seen wide scale growth and
public embracement, as is evident through the development of Jeremy Benthem’s
“Panopticon” as a tool of autonomy.5 It is through this development as a disruptive
technology and growth into a social imperative that the entertainment industry has begun
utilizing the data collected by Twitter users to disintermediate the artist discovery
process. As such, data is now becoming a complimentary tool within this process, as
expressed through the Twitter and 300 Entertainment partnership as well as the
implementation of real-time socially influenced music charts.6 In order to create a better
standing for success, it is important that this process is complimented with an education
of the public and artist community to accurately and truly benefit listeners, the artist and
repertoire portfolio and emerging music content creators.
The Process
The process of completing the assignment was relatively straight-forward.
However, one of the major challenges faced was arriving at a finite topic for the
culminating experience. Originally, the project was going to be centralized around a more
hands on approach, dedicated on the marketing and design of music content. This was to
be focused on a project that another student was also working on, which would have
complimented both of our efforts quite well.
5
Benthem, J. The Panopticon Writings. London, United Kingdom: Verso, 1995.
Smirke, R. "Lyor Cohen Unveils 300 Partnership With Twitter During Midem Keynote." Billboardbiz,
February 02, 2014. And Billboard "Billboard Twitter Real-Time Charts FAQ" Billboard.
http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/japan/export-import.html (accessed June 13, 2014).
6
Page 2
Unfortunately, this did not come to fruition and my interest then shifted towards
the possibility of working with Berklee ICE through its’ partnership with 300
Entertainment and Twitter Music. Do to unforeseen circumstances, the project was
pushed back in the academic schedule to begin this coming September. This area was of
great interest and as such, I was able to apply certain aspects of the proposed project into
the development of my current culminating experience. Additionally, I drew upon some
of the resources mentioned in previous interviews and meetings, like the works of
Malcom Gladwell and design inspirations of Alex Cornell. It was the adaption of these
efforts that led me to my current research project; Disrupt, Disintermediate ,
Disseminate: Twitter and the Music Industry.
The current project was able to draw on a considerable amount of social theory as
well as a more applied approach by building off of the concepts explored Gladwell’s
Tipping Point. This was accomplished through the creation of my own infographic using
inspirational elements of designer Alex Cornell.
In terms of the development of the final project, I was able to better time manage
my efforts by creating a timeline that accounted for research, writing, peer editing and
design.
Overall, I felt as though the process went relatively smoothly once a final topic
was decided upon. Although, it is also important to note that the previous attempts at
alternate topics also played a significant role in arriving at this conclusion. These items
functioned almost like building blocks or it’s own mini ‘tipping point’ arriving at the
summation of an idea (the research topic).
Page 3
The Next Step
The next step is expanding upon the ‘Future Research’ section of my paper
(accompanied by the infographic I created) as a framework to help discover and develop
the idea of a new category of influencers. Therefore, the concept of ‘scalability’ will play
a pivotal role in taking the next step forward in this process. This will most likely require
the assistance of outside help, as my skill set is limited in terms of creating a scalable
algorithm (even though the theoretical and basic mathematical principles are there). I will
therefore have to determine if this project is something that I wish to remain in the
academic sphere or a step towards to creating something that has the potential to be
monetized and thus enter into the commerce space. If this commercial action were to
proceed, it would prove beneficial to find a support system both in terms of capital and
knowledge based systems.
However, from a purely design perspective, the concept of creating high impact
visuals will continue to be a vehicle in which I will continue to explore. I find that visuals
create better engagement, build resonance and evoke greater retention from audiences.
Thus, developing these skills will prove very complimentary towards professional
development and future efforts.
Results: How did this align with the student’s expectations?
I believe the work aligned nicely with my expectations with the project. Unfortunately, a
possible partnership with Ayasdi (a topographic analytic firm) did not work out in time
for the project, which could have addressed the concerns of scalability for future
development.
Page 4
Contribution to the Discipline and Professional Development
I believe this work contributes to the recent trends towards more analytical based
processes within the music industry. However, I feel the major contribution of this work
is not solely focused on the representation of trends and data, but explaining ‘why’ these
action may occur and ‘what’ these social transactions mean within a larger social sphere..
In terms of professional development, the process of researching, collecting data
and drawing meaningful conclusions always presents a direct correlation between
academic and non-academic efforts. It is a skill that will constantly require effort to
improve and build upon. Additionally, the nature of this paper by being both social and
technology oriented, required constant attentiveness to an evolving landscape with the
introduction of new information in order to ensure greater levels of accuracy and holism
within the work.
Furthermore, this work also enabled me to explore relationships with individuals
within the industry relating to the topic. Over the course of the process, I was able to
speak with Panos Panay of Berklee ICE’s program, who suggested I take a look at
Gladwell’s work, Ayadsi Incorporated a topical data analysis firm and Alex Cornell,
former Creative Director of FireSpotter Labs (Google Ventures).
Page 5
Impact on the Student Completing the Work
I feel as though completing this work has had a positive impact. The technology
portion of the work, created a habit of staying up to date on blog, trade publications and
new research articles. While the social theory portion allowed me to revisit some of my
previous efforts acting as a content re-familiarization, but also allowed me to look at the
work through a different lens. By being removed from the discipline for over a year, it
allowed me to better aggregate and streamline the content in terms of applicability, but
also enabled a more free flow of ideas instead of being constrained by the nuances and
limitations of some of the social theories used ( in terms of in-depth analysis). Overall, I
felt as though this work acted as a capstone to my academic experience. Although
learning is an ongoing effort, I felt like the work drew upon both my undergraduate and
graduate specializations and complimented the process well.
Other
One of the largest benefits of the Culminating Experience was the opportunity to
collaborate with other students final projects. I played a variety of roles varying from
web design, motion graphics (VFX), the creation of band merchandise, photoshoots and
videography ( examples of these items can be found in the Appendix section of the
work). I feel as though the collaboration with other students allowed me to address other
skill sets that did not necessarily fit within the parameters of my project. As a result, I
was able to create a greater learning experience for myself , as well as the satisfaction of
developing, creating new ideas and watching them evolve through the work of others.
Page 6
Bibliography
Benthem, J. The Panopticon Writings. London, United Kingdom: Verso, 1995.
Diriöz, A O. "Twitter and the Middle East." Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies
5(1) (2013): 67-75.
Douglas, N. "Twitter blows up at SXSW Conference." Gawker, 2007.
Gladwell, M. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. New
York, New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006.
Smirke, R. "Lyor Cohen Unveils 300 Partnership With Twitter During Midem Keynote."
Billboardbiz, February 02, 2014. And Billboard "Billboard Twitter Real-Time Charts
FAQ" Billboard. http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/japan/exportimport.html (accessed June 13, 2014).
Appendix
Appendix A: Manuel Delgado - Two Web Designs, Third-Party Graphics and
Merchandise Examples
Page 8
Appendix B: Alex Morancy - Videography, VFX and Motion Graphics Example
Page 9
Appendix C: Jeremy Carrion – Photoshoot and Graphic Design Example
Appendix D: Dan Omphroy - Live Photoshoot Example
Page 10
