Company: “Soundtrack Your Life With Spotify”

March 19, 2015March 20, 2015Leave a comment

“People haven’t always been there for me, but music has”

Taylor Swift (Good Reads)

(Video Credits David A. Cox)

Whether you’ve got your head in your dissertation, you’re commuting to work at 6am or you and your housemates are cranking up the tunes before Cheesy Tuesday’s there is always room for music within our everyday lives; I always seem to find somewhere for it to go.

Enter Spotify.

Company Spotify Logo (photo credits Brands of the World)

Launched in 2008 in Sweden, this company enable its users to access a vast array of music for free, create personal playlists and connect with other users. For those with a more lucrative wallet, you can enjoy the luxury of downloaded music without the need for the internet.

‘Year 9 Tunes’ – a friend’s playlist I follow on Spotify

Ekinsmyth (2011) comments on everyday spaces becoming a key focus amongst scholars. The role that Spotify plays in shaping such spaces can be seen through the user’s ability to fill their own personal space with their personal music choice. Users of Spotify can also follow other users, see their personalized playlists and with a huge range of music available I am confident in suggesting even those with the most obscure of music tastes will find something they will enjoy.

Perhaps you might want to tune into my playlist ‘Chill Time’?

An important consideration to make in the example of Spotify, is its technological aspect. There is no denying the ever shifting and evolving nature of the creative industries as new technologies and ideas are born (Potts et al. 2008). It’s pretty extraordinary, if we step back and look at it, that we can access personally selected music, from a range of genres, artists and decades, all using just one programme. Furthermore, companies such as Spotify are said to contribute to unconventional economic spaces, in this case ‘aspatially’ in cyberspace (Ekinsmyth, 2011). Indeed, the days of walking to the record shop to purchase the latest single on a vinyl record (what? I hear you say…) are long gone.

As my good friend Taylor states above – music is always there for you. No, no…Spotify is always there for you. Or at least for its 20million users…

Photo Credits PRNewser

Spotify. Music for everyone. Music for ME.

References

Ekinsmyth, C. (2011). Challenging the boundaries of entrepreneurship: The spatialities and practices of UK ‘Mumpreneurs’. Geoforum, 42(1), 104-114

Good Reads http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1036517.Taylor_Swift (last accessed 20.03.2015)

Potts, J., Cunningham, S., Hartley, J., & Ormerod, P. (2008). Social network markets: a new definition of the creative industries. Journal of cultural economics, 32(3), 167-185.

Newspaper Article: Music, A Truly ‘CLASS’-ical Hobby

March 12, 2015March 20, 2015Leave a comment

“Music has always been transnational; people pick up whatever interests them, and certainly a lot of classical music has absorbed influences from all over the world”

Yo-Yo Ma (Inspirational Stories)

The newspaper article ‘Class, race and classical musical’ written by Candace Allen for the Guardian in April 2014.

‘The White Sea’ photo credits John Stiwell

It has been suggested that the word “creativity” has changed considerably over many years (Hausman, 1998; Negus and Pickering, 2000); whilst this might be true, the above article questions whether creativity in practice has seen as much change. The article touches on how historically ‘serious musicians of colour went into jazz and later pop’ and indeed this seems to be somewhat true of modern day society. Edensor and Millington (2009: 104) comment on Christmas Lights being a reflection on one’s creativity and in-turn class with those from a middle-class background having distinctly different displays to those from a working class. It is evident that debates surrounding class and the creative economy stem far wider than just classical music.

Bromley (2000: 51) comments more widely on class in the UK stating how it is now ‘a ghost in the machine of contemporary British politics, the great “unspoken” ‘. People don’t want to talk about it. People don’t want to accept it.

But it’s happening.

Whilst my previous blog posts have been more positive about the creative economy, the negative side of this industry is highlighted in this article. The fact remains that still today in modern society, some are excluded from such opportunities to develop their own individual ‘vernacular creativity’. Indeed and in my opinion unfortunately this view is also shared and agreed with by academics; Edensor et al. (2009: 7) states that ‘the most uncreative class here seems to be the abject working class’. Sure, in an ideal world class, race and a person’s background wouldn’t matter. But evidently it does. Perhaps it is not so much a problem with classical music being considered a ‘middle-class’ interest, but instead it is portrayed as being un-cool by people of a lower class; these ideas (mentioned in the article) have been explored by Hannigan, 1999 (cited in Edensor et al. 2009).

International Star Yo-Yo Ma

There are however exceptions to this seen ‘norm’. Yo-Yo Ma is an internationally renowned cellist. Born to Chinese parents in Paris and later moving to New York, music has been a part of his life since he was just 4 years old; more interesting however is his contribution to the creative economy beyond his career. As stated on his website Mr. Ma is ‘strongly committed to educational programmes that not only bring young audiences into contact with music but also allow them to participate in its creation’. I think this is a perfect example of what Allen is suggesting in her article in that education could be the primary root for music within an individual’s life. So yes Yo-Yo Ma is seemingly breaking away from the tradition of the white-middle class indulging in classical music; hopefully one day class won’t need to be discussed or considered when seeking to engage with the creative world.

References

Bromley, R. (2000) ‘The Theme That Dare Not Speak Its Name: Class and Recent British Film’, in S. Munt (ed.) Cultural Studies and the Working Class: Subject to Change, pp. 51–68. London: Cassell.

Edensor, T., & Millington, S. (2009). Illuminations, class identities and the contested landscapes of Christmas. Sociology, 43(1), 103-121.

Edensor, T., Leslie, D., Millington, S., & Rantisi, N. (Eds.). (2009). Spaces of vernacular creativity: rethinking the cultural economy. Routledge.

HAUSMAN, C. (1998) ‘Creativity: Conceptual and historical overview’, in Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, ed. M. Kelly, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Inspirational Stories http://www.inspirationalstories.com/quotes/t/yo-yo-ma/%20 (last accessed on 20.03.2015)

NEGUS, K. & PICKERING, M. (2000) ‘Creativity and cultural production’, International Journal of Cultural Policy, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 259–282.

Maker: Creative Craftsmanship and The Case of William Piper

March 5, 2015March 20, 2015Leave a comment

“Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind.” Johannes Brahms (About Education)

William Piper with one of his hand-made violins (photo credits ‘Worcester Arts Trail’)

Since 1965 William Piper has been making, restoring and repairing string instruments in the West Midlands. Having had my own violin repaired by William at his workshop in the Jinney Ring Craft Centre I caught up with him the other day. Using his own words, William is known to be a ‘serious violin maker’; he explained to me this is because he makes violins on a regular basis unlike others who are more irregular within this sector of the creative economy.

A snap from my recent visit to the Jinny Ring

Now I don’t know the first thing about how a violin is made, however the video below, produced by John James might help you out a bit. Filming Piper for over 9 months, this 4 minute video shows the production of a violin from start to finish.

During the video William exclaims how ‘violin makers are very much judged by their purfling which is the inlay strip which goes around’. For me, this is a perfect example of what Drake (2003: 520) describes as being ‘something more than product branding’. Speaking more generally about his violin designs Piper describes himself as a ‘copiest’ taking his violin designs from the likes of ‘Stradevari’ and ‘Joesph Gweneri’; examples seen below. Here his own design of purfling is being used to add an individual mark; it can therefore be seen how William is being inspired by the quality of tradition, yet ‘seeking contemporary and innovative designs’ (Drake, 2003: 520).

Example of a Joseph Gweneri Violin

Example of a Stradavari Violin

Smith (1774) states how craftsmanship and skill are transferable; however this is contested by Epstein (1998) who claims this to undermine both the complexity of skills required in pre-industrial crafts a well as the difficulties in training an apprentice from the expertise point of view. William himself, started his craftsmanship career as an apprentice in Birmingham working for ‘Sydney Evans’; the success story that is William Piper exemplifies such disagreement with Smith as correct. Had he not had his training there is a chance his inspiring instrument craftsmanship may not have reached the potential seen today.

Picture taken by me outside William’s Workshop

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport state how the creative industries in the UK account for £1 in every £10 of exports from the UK (DCMS, 2013). William told me how he buys all his own logs, from English grown maple trees and after 1 month of construction, his violins are ready to be sold for an average price of £3000. Piper is internationally renowned and his instruments are now played all over the world; having sold over 700 instruments, there is no denying the input that he has had on the creative economy not just on a local scale and the Jinney Ring Craft Centre but also on international scale.

I would like to thank William for the work he has done on my own violin and for taking the time to talk to me about his work. Long may his great craftsmanship continue and who knows, maybe one day he will teach me how to make a violin!

References

About Education http://musiced.about.com/od/beginnersguide/a/bg.htm (last accessed on 20.03.2015)

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2013) (DCMS, GOV.UK) https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/making-it-easier-for-the-media-and-creative-industries-to-grow-while-protecting-the-interests-of-citizens

Drake, G. (2003). ‘This place gives me space’: Place and Creativity in the Creative Industries. Geoforum, 34(4), 511-524

Epstein, S. R. (1998). Craft guilds, apprenticeship, and technological change in preindustrial Europe. The Journal of Economic History, 58(03), 684-713

Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations [1774], edited by E. Cannan. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1974.

Product: Classical Music – The Invasion of Personal Space

February 20, 2015March 20, 2015Leave a comment

“Neither a loft degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (About Education)

Being a violinist myself, classical music has always been part of my life; I’m not ashamed to admit that Mozart is increasingly becoming a regular artist found on my Spotify playlist. Why you might ask? Why would I swap that catchy bassline given to us by Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Funk’ for the likes of Beethoven? Perhaps it’s me. Perhaps I’m weird.

Whilst this might be true, I challenge you to take a look at your everyday encounter with music. As Frith (2003: 36) exclaims ‘thanks to the radio and the record player and the tape machine, music is now the soundtrack of everyday life’. If we think about where such devices are being listened to, for example in the car, we are now interested in the ‘space’ in which music is consumed. Despite many struggles amongst geographers to understand the concept of space, Massey (1992: 262) identifies space as being socially constructed rather than space being defined as ‘an arena within which the social takes place’. So how does all this talk about space play its part in not just the music sector of the creative economy, but specifically classical music? Well, as previously said, I challenge you to consider your space. Classical music is not just enjoyed by those who seek its enjoyment, it’s everywhere. I predict that we are all guilty of enjoying classical music even without realising it; at a unconscious level some might say.

Product of Prokofiev’s Creativity: ‘Dance of the Knight’s’ from the Romeo and Juliet Suite

Pieces of music are the product of someone’s creativity and this is true of Sergei Prokofiev’s ‘Dance of the Knights’ from the Romeo and Juliet ballet suite. To some, this may mean absolutely nothing, just another composer and yet another piece of the same old classical music. To others, they will have enjoyed either playing or listening to this music. I guess it comes down to how in-touch and willing one is to engage with this form of music.

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) composer of Dance of the Knight’s

But what if I put this to you differently. What if I re-phrase everything I’ve just said and introduced you to the product in question as the theme tune for BBC’s television show The Apprentice.

Ah…

Yes. This well-known, theme song is in fact the product of one composer’s creative thoughts in 1935. What is being seen here is what Florida (2003) (in reference to the radio) describes as the transformation of domestic space and furthermore the increasingly blurred boundaries between the public and the private. In this way people are able to consume classical music without this being their primary intention. Furthermore, Frith (2002) comments on how nowadays the making and listening to music is rarely a separate occasion; instead it is incorporated into our everyday lives. . This can also be linked to our personal space in the home (or wherever we might be watching The Apprentice) and how this is almost invaded with classical music through the media. In spite of his undoubted contribution to the study of the creative industries, I do have to disagree with Flordia’s (2003) idea that hypothetically speaking, if television were to be abolished, this would have no impact on the classical music world. Prokofiev’s product and example of classical music being used in a way which reaches a further audience, television marks a key contributor to such industries.

References:

About Education http://musiced.about.com/od/beginnersguide/a/bg.htm (last accessed 20.03.2015)

Florida, R. (2003). Cities and the creative class. City & Community, 2(1), 3-19

Massey, D. (1999). Space‐Time,‘Science’and the Relationship between Physical Geography and Human Geography. Transactions of the institute of British Geographers, 24(3), 261-276.

Frith, S. (2002). Music and everyday life. Critical Quarterly, 44(1), 35-48

Event: ‘Goodnight and Thank You’

February 16, 2015March 20, 2015Leave a comment

“In the world of musical theatre, if everyone says it’s a good idea, you wonder why nobody has done it before.” Tim Rice, (Brainy Quote)

My love of musical theatre was experienced in a new light in January. I swapped the shining lights of New York’s Broadway and London’s West End to experience what is commonly known to be an ‘ammeter’ performance. This production of ‘Evita’ showcased by Exeter University Footlight’s Society told the captivating story set in Argentina, of young Eva Peron’s rise to fame and political success. Amateur in this case being used to identify that this production was put on by students rather than professionals; it is not a reflection on the quality of performance.

Most have experienced musical theatre in one form or another; whether this be catching the last song of ‘Mama Mia’ on the TV or making thattrip to the theatre at Christmas; I would anticipate most have encountered this sector of the creative economy at some point. But have we ever stood back and really looked at and tried to understand how such shows are created? This latest trip to Exeter’s Northcott Theatre helped me to understand that…

…for me, musical theatre is unique.

As suggested by Markusen et al. 2008 different creative industries (for example music, art and film) all compete with each other for a consumers time and income. In this production various sectors from the creative industry came together to put on this spectacle; as well as principle parts, the production saw both a dance ensemble and a general ensemble. A further vital part of the musical was the band in ensuring the success of each performance; here 19 members of various music groups united for this one off special occasion in a performance of one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s creative masterpieces. This exemplifies the uniqueness of musical theatre; in the case of this production of Evita there was no competition needed. With there being something within the show that could appeal to a lot of different people, dancing, live music, acting, singing, costume design and lighting/sound work a large range of people were attracted to the show and its success could be seen through its record breaking ticket sales.

This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up un

Figure 1. Music for Evita written by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Caterrall et al. (1990) comment on how theatre presents opportunities to interact with other students that everyday life may not give them the opportunity to do. In the case of Evita and more specifically the Footlights society, students from across many disciplines within the university come together through the medium on musical theatre. In turn they establish a new community through the medium of the creative economy.

Like most industries, the creative economy is often used to provide an income; for some musical theatre is a career choice. We don’t often consider amateur performances to come into any sector, indeed such performances are often seen as a hobby. However, the Footlights society is an example of what McCarthy (2001) describes as a volunteer sector. This production of Evita came from students volunteering both their time and money therefore Footlight’s provide an excellent example of this section of the creative economy. My experience of seeing this production re-produces geographical ideas suggesting that the performing arts are an increasingly vital part of what Towse (2011) defines as the ‘Creative Industries’.

References

Brainy Quote http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/timrice677955.html (last accessed on 20.03.2015)

Catterall, J., Chapleau, R., & Iwanaga, J. (1999) Involvement in the arts and human development: General involvement and intensive involvement in music and theater arts. Champions of change: The impact of the arts on learning, 1-18.

Markusen, A., Wassall, G.H., DeNatale, D., & Cohen, R. (2008). Defining the creative economy: Industry and occupational approaches. Economic development Quarterly, 22 (1), 24-25

McCarthy, K. F. (2001). The performing arts in a new era. Rand Corporation

Towse, R. (Ed.). (2011).A handbook of cultural economics. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Emily's Encore

Discovering the musical creative economy through a geographical lense

Company: “Soundtrack Your Life With Spotify”

Newspaper Article: Music, A Truly ‘CLASS’-ical Hobby

Maker: Creative Craftsmanship and The Case of William Piper

Product: Classical Music – The Invasion of Personal Space

Event: ‘Goodnight and Thank You’