Consumer Power In Musical Product Development and Production

I’ve had the idea to research the title of this post. I feel as though this would be a viable area to study in that the role of consumers in manufacturing is probably already somewhat studied. Translating this general area into a form which applies to musical item production wouldn’t be difficult. 

GENERAL OUTLINE I wouldn’t focus on the power of performers, or large figures in the musical community (i.e Slash, Satrianni, general artist signature models), as the role of the manufacturer in predicting the will of the market is far less interesting to me. I feel as though this would be too based in economics as well. I would like to focus more on general consumers; how their active participation affects the design and production of equipment. I will likely be specific to guitars, stompboxes, and amplifiers, as to narrow the study to a viable scale. CASE STUDY, GENERAL IDEAS Chapman Guitars is a local guitar manufacturer whose designs are entirely decided by the public. People vote on new model designs, which include shape, electronics, and finishes, and the most popular are made and sold. I could use this company as a case study, and hopefully interview the owner, Rob Chapman, to generate some first hand research.

I would also like to look into the effect of forums, social media, and other general online presence on the reputability of particular brands/ models. How this unofficial feedback affects current and future production. It would be useful to discover whether there is a way to measure a manufacturer’s engagement with their user base.

The ‘reissue’ is a very noteworthy phenomenon. The romanticisation of 'vintage’ gear, and how the tones of old may cause modern manufacturers to reissue old gear instead of innovating with new designs. Furthermore, it may be that boutique, smaller companies are more likely to innovate with new technologies and sounds as they do not have a ‘classic’ sound to call back to. At least, not without obliquely using another manufacturer’s design.

Lastly, how players modify and change the stock parts and functions of their equipment. How these changes may be adopted by manufacturers.  CONCLUSION I feel as though the above reasons certainly justify this area as a field of study, albeit slightly broad and ill-defined. I’m sure with research I can narrow my area down, and perhaps even come up with a question. However, for now I am content with this area as a platform to dive into research.

Edit: What I want to study is called ‘participatory design’, which is where all involved in the product (designers, customers, partners, CEO’s e.t.c.) contribute to the design process. I’m sure I can find enough to study on this topic, and relate it to my specific field.

Change in Study Subject

My initial subject of study was going to be the development of cymbal-making across the 1900′s to the present day. Besides my own personal interest in the topic, I believed this would be an appropriate area of study because of cymbal-making’s rich history. Some of the earliest records of cymbals are over a thousand years old, found as depictions in ancient cultures (Khanzadyan, 1959). Furthermore, as there are fewer than ten major factories of production across the world (Shayt 1989: p.35), I did not think it would be too ambitious a topic to cover thoroughly. 

Zildjian and Sabian are the two leading cymbal manufacturers in the current era, whose colourful past is documented in my first reading, “Manufacturing Secrecy: The Dueling Cymbalmakers of North America”. While divulging a reasonable amount of information on the general cymbal-making process, the article also reveals that the precise nature of each company’s techniques are closely guarded trade secrets (Ibid: p.39). The reluctance to share specific techniques and processes is a quality found in all of the other main companies (Paiste, Meinl, Istanbul, IFIP). While I already knew this was the case, I was not aware of how rigorously guarded this kind of information is. As a result, I believe the study of the evolution of cymbal-making is not appropriate for study, as there isn’t enough concrete or specific information available to the general public. While limited tours of factories are allowed (Shayt took part in one of these tours), the information revealed is nothing that I would not be able to glean from my own research.

My next step is to find another area of study. I may look into how drumming has changed the production of cymbals, or the response of manufacturers, but I would also need to quantify what makes this a unique area of study against the development of guitar production, or DAWs, or any other musical entity. 

References:

Khanzadyan, E. 1959. Haykakan hin erazhshtakan gortsikner (Ancient Armenian musical instruments). In: Works of state historical museum of Armenia. [Online]. (5) pp. 62-93. Yerevan: State Museum of Armenia. 

Shayt, D.H. 1989. Manufacturing Secrecy: The Dueling Cymbalmakers of North America. The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology. 15(1), pp.35-53. [Accessed 15 October 2017]. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40968162

Thoughts on Essay topics

Fusion Study This would begin with defining what fusion music is, and what fusion music isn’t. I would go on to find and study examples of successful and failed fusion-music projects, especially artists that begin as more monomusical and develop into the fusion style. This would include the perception of fusion music by both the common music fan, and by other artists. This would be a fairly broad topic. I doubt there is enough specific literature on what I’m trying to study, but that lack of specificity may allow me to put any vaguely related literature into a point of view that fits my study.    I could use this study to develop my own ideas of playing with the fusion of indie/ emo styles with hardcore/ extreme metal; this could mean helping me decide how to fuse these styles, and whether I should at all. It could also help me with how to frame the music I create; whether it should be branded as fusion, or whether I should eschew the term entirely.