Abstract
This chapter reviews the book’s key themes, summarizes best practices and productive strategies for musical artists, rethinks the nature of the audience, characterizes the enabling and constraining nature of digital technology, and offers recommendations for sustainable cultural industry. At its crux, this chapter argues we might better characterize the audience as accomplices to the artist. This revision informs future digital engagement, interrogates the tension between structure and agency, and highlights areas that prioritize community sustainability, including audience growth, technical support, financial support, and socio-emotional support. The link between sharing and value in the contemporary music economy is explored and, finally, the importance of non-profits and government support for robust and sustainable creative culture is recognized.
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Notes
- 1.
For further information on industry-related economic exchange, see Sisario, B. (2016, Sept. 11). Amazon and Pandora to gauge music’s value in the internet age. The New York Times.
- 2.
For further information on industry-related economic exchange, see Witt, S. (2015). How music got free: A story of obsession and invention. New York: Penguin.
- 3.
For further information on streaming services and artist revenue streams, see Byrne, D. (2013, Oct. 11). Barely surviving, a Guardian op-ed. The Guardian. Sanchez, D.A. (2017, May 16). Exclusive report: Spotify artist payments are declining in 2017, data shows. Digital Music News. Resnikoff, P. (2017, May 26). Spotify settles $200 million class-action lawsuit against songwriters (Updated). Digital Music News.
- 4.
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Ray, M.B. (2017). Artists and Accomplices. In: Digital Connectivity and Music Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68291-4_5
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