Design interventions at a systemic level; a provocative concept for the music industry

Abstract

This master thesis was executed in collaboration with marketing agency Maak. Maak expressed an interest in offering services to independent music artists. The objective of this thesis is to show stakeholders how value can be reinterpreted and distributed to balance value streams in the music industry. This goal is achieved by developing a thought provoking concept. The process involved two main research phases and a design phase. In the first research phase the music industry was mapped out. Subsequently the decision was made to focus on the streaming industry, especially on Spotify. To form the basis of the design phase, all the insights from the previous two research phases were assembled and distilled to create the following four design principles: Artist empowerment; lower barriers to entry for independent artists User involvement; Collectivism, collaboration and co–operation to be reflected in design, critical listeners to become part of the creative process Stimulate independent artists Playlist improvement; Restore the importance of the user-generated playlist; currently playlists are generally either impersonal or biased - or both: Algorithmic playlists; no human involved Editorial playlists; More and more people dependent on a small group of editors DSP’s push their own playlists; User-generated playlists are becoming devalued as they are becoming harder to find. Research question: How can we redesign the music industry to balance value streams? Answer: Make music streaming more social. Why: Direct Streaming Platforms constrict the relationship between creators and their audience. Goal: Make streaming more social for independent/DIY creators. Create direct, intimate interactions and foster those connections. The design phase consisted of ideation and concept development of three concepts. After which, one concept was chosen to focus on. In turn this concept was named “Lister”. Lister is a music community platform which allows users to discover, and exchange ideas about, music based on similar taste, in a social way. Lister was validated in various ways and has been through several iterations as a result. It is well-supported by music industry professionals that were involved in the process. It shows signs of having potential and there could be justification for further research to better define the concept, to establish different needs and values amongst stakeholders and a launch strategy.