Amy Stewart 16 / MAY / 2011

Design the creative industry of the next 21 years.

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Brief

AMY STEWART / WARP

Important Issues

Design the creative industry of the next 21 years.

Questions /

How do I imagine artists of the future will shape their careers and reach people?How would we like to experience artist’s work?How will artisit’s work be valued by audiences?

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Considering /

Innovative ways of generating income for their artists.How to create lasting online and offline communities.

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AMY STEWART / WARP

Past // The Role of Record Labels

Insight

In the past a record labels’s role was to find new artists/musicians to sign, produce hard copies of their music on vinyl or CD-Rom, promote the artist and the release of their music, and also distribute the merchandise. Their was a hierarchy of communication, the record label (at the top) established which artists would be popular, and consum-ers passively listened & purchased.

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AMY STEWART / WARP

Present // Open Source Culture

Insight

+B log

Rip / Music is downloaded from online music platform onto computer music databases, such as ‘itunes’.

Mix / Tracks are then ‘sampled’ and mixed together forming a new sound or a completely new track.

Burn / The new tracks are then uploaded to either a blog, social network, forum or online music platform.

Today, since the introduction of the Internet, and the shift from analog to digital the distribution of culture goods is more fluid, and everyone is able to download music. This can either be purchased from itunes, or illegally downloaded for free from forums, torrent sites, and more. Whilst Music production skills are also bettered via the internet, as amateurs & professionals learn via user-to-user tutorials. Allowing enthusiasts and professionals to download a track (Rip), deconstruct its separate layers, sample specific layers, and reconstruct them into a new or modified version (Mix). Then its uploaded to the internet or written to a CD (Burn) for redistribution. This process is repeated over and over leaving the record label with a decrease in sales, and unable to keep track of the new developments of what has become an underground/online music scene, both of which are a result of Open Source Culture.

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AMY STEWART / WARP

Present // Online Platforms & Pastimes

Insight

Today a large majority of amateurs and listeners as well as the majority of professional musicians split their online activity across a number of platforms. Above shows a number of examples of these platforms as well as some of the related creative hobbies (Animation & Music Production) Warp fans may take part in, involving open source influences. With todays social media technology, users are able to create links and share them between different sites, and platforms. For example you could create a track on your computer software, and upload it to Facebook, your blog and Soundcloud, trafficking users to different platforms.

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AMY STEWART / WARP

How Warp’s Role has shifted

Insight

The influence of Open Source Culture has meant that consumers of music are no longer passive listeners. They are informed, willing and prepared to do more with digital culture products. And by remaking and sharing, users are creating greater variation and nuance. Meaning that new developments and shifts in trends are happening outside of the Record Label’s control. Today there it is the Record Labels job to listen, encourage and harness this re-combination of knowledge.

P res ent Influenc e

P a s t Influenc e

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AMY STEWART / WARP

What are others doing?

Insight

Vevo is an example of a company which is recognising consumers pro-active involvement with the consumption of music, harnessing their multi-platform lifestyle and providing a dynamic community for music lovers to explore and share likes and dislikes.

Alpines are a band who have put open distribution and community at the heart of their group, and use these elements as catalysts to build growth and awareness. They have received most of their success through others re-mixing their work, creating a larger reach.

ALPINES //“Re-introduced through remixes via Souncloud”

VEVO // “Music Evolution Revolution”

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AMY STEWART / WARP

What does this mean for Warp?Solution

Emergent digital community networks organised around music are driving dramatic changes in the way music is experienced and used. Warp has the opportunity to create a community of its own, with an already strong existing fan base, and popular signed artists, it has the tools to promote the pooling of knowledge between them. By releas-ing the royalties for samples and edits of tracks and films to subscribing users, digital content can be made avail-able for re-mix. This cultivates the contribution of fans in an area where the development can be harnessed by Warp through advanced consumer data analysis showing what is resonating with people. It would also bring a regular and predictable income for Warp. As well as opportunity for innovation, growth, efficiency, collaboration and value creation.

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AMY STEWART / WARP

How it will FunctionSolution

The platform ‘ReWarp’ would involve users subscribing to what would allow them open access to their favourite artists deconstructed tracks, and open conversation with other like-minded enthusiasts who are able to react and re-mix yours and others tracks. Each user would have their own profile, where they can list what Warp artists their listening to, what they like about their music, and upload any re-mixed versions of the tracks they have constructed with Warps released samples. User-to-user conversation is encouraged through forums on the profiles. Meaning that Warp are able to become central to the transmutibilty of the music scene rather than an outsider looking in.

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AMY STEWART / WARP

Marketing & Tangible Elements //Solution

The bulk of profits will come from the tangible elements that will unite ReWarp’s users outside the online commu-nity. ReWarp events and merchandise will allow users to identify themselves within the group and feel part of the scene, creating intrigue and demand around the community, and a chance to experience the latest and most popu-lar re-mixes that have developed out of it, but with Warp’s name remaining above it.

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Summary

AMY STEWART / WARP

Important Issues

The creative industry of the next 21 years.

Answers /

Artists will be inspiration for the collaboration and innovation amongst ReWarp users.Users of ReWarp will experience artists work integrated alongside their own creative development.ReWarp audiences will be empowered by the opportunity to re-mix their favourite artists work into their own.

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Considering /

Artists will generate income through reliable profits from user subscription to ReWarp and its events.ReWarp will create a lasting online and offline community.