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Practice, Power and Learning in UK Recorded Music Companies Rick Colbourne Judge Business School, St. Catharine’s College University of Cambridge A thesis submitted to the University of Cambridge in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2011 Scientia est potentia Sir Francis Bacon, Religious Meditations, Of Heresies, 1597 Practice, Power and Learning in UK Recorded Music Companies Declaration Except for commonly understood and accepted ideas, or where specific reference is made, the work in this dissertation is my own and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration. The work has not previously been submitted in part or in whole to any university for any degree or other qualification. In accordance with the regulations of the Judge Business School, the dissertation contains no more than 80,000 words of text. Rick Colbourne © Rick Colbourne 2010 i Practice, Power and Learning in UK Recorded Music Companies Acknowledgements I wish to express my gratitude to Jochen Runde for his hard work, support and encouragement on my behalf and for understanding my needs. I would like to thank those friends and colleagues who were prepared to read and comment on previous drafts of chapters, who were willing to answer my questions and who reviewed early drafts of this dissertation. My sincere appreciation goes to Silvia Gherardi, Bente Elkjaer, Elena Antonacopoulou, Tara Fenwick, Anders Örtenblad, Stephen Billett, Stewart Clegg, John Allen, Theodore Schatzki, Chris Grey and David Ashton. I would also like to thank Maggie Crowe, Director of Events and Charities at the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Keith Jopling, Director of Research at the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) special thanks to Mairin Gannon, Sally Shields and Gill Tacchi who facilitated access to their organizations and generously hosted my research efforts. Finally, thanks to Paul Kattuman and Aidan Vining, Dedication To Michel and Esmée, without whose on‐going patience, support, understanding and sacrifices this would not have been possible. © Rick Colbourne 2010 ii Practice, Power and Learning in UK Recorded Music Companies Abstract Practice, Power and Learning in UK Record Companies This thesis adopts a practice‐based approach to understanding how power, knowledge and knowing intermingle in organizations to facilitate/constrain individual access to opportunities for knowing‐in‐practice (learning). It explores how organizational mechanisms and technologies of regulation (re)construct and (re)produce organizational dimensions of knowledge as power/knowledge resources by which intermingling modalities of power are enacted to continuously sanction and (re)constitute individual meanings and identities. © Rick Colbourne 2010 iii Practice, Power and Learning in UK Recorded Music Companies Table of Contents 1 Introduction: Recorded Music Industry Challenges 1 1.1 UK Recorded Music Industry 2 1.2 Record Company Functions 6 1.3 Music in the Spotlight 12 1.4 Summary and Conclusion 16 2 Theorizing Power 20 2.1 Agency‐Structure 20 2.2 Power over, Power to and Beyond 21 2.3 Beyond Power over and Power to 34 2.4 Summary and Conclusion 49 3 Learning in Organizations 55 3.1 Organizational Learning: Behaviourist, Cognitivist and Humanist Conceptions 57 3.2 Workplace Learning: Social and Constructivist Conceptions 76 3.3 Summary and Conclusion 89 4 Studying Power and Learning in Practice 92 4.1 Positivist vs. Interpretivist Philosophical Orientations 94 4.2 Interpretivist Case Study Methodology 97 4.3 Reliability and Validity 98 4.4 Research Strategy 104 4.5 Data Collection 112 4.6 Data Management, Analysis and Interpretation 119 4.7 Ethics 124 4.8 Summary and Conclusion 126 5 Becoming a Music Industry Practitioner 127 5.1 Pre‐Career Music Genre‐based Identities 128 5.2 Recorded Music Industry Career Practices 130 5.3 Framework for Analysis: Practice, Power and Learning 138 5.4 Mediating Power/Learning Tensions 146 5.5 Summary and Conclusion 148 6 Case Study One: SonyBMG 150 6.1 Individual Knowing 152 6.2 Human Resource Practices 156 6.3 Senior Executive Practice 170 6.4 Summary 175 7 Case Study Two: Warner Music Group 177 7.1 Individual Knowing 178 © Rick Colbourne 2010 iv Practice, Power and Learning in UK Recorded Music Companies 7.2 Human Resource Practices 184 7.3 Management Practice 197 7.4 Senior Executive Practice 199 7.5 Summary 202 8 Case Study Three: Universal Music Group 203 8.1 Individual Knowing 204 8.2 Human Resource Practices 208 8.3 Senior Executive Practice 229 8.4 Summary 231 9 Conclusion 233 9.1 Strengths and Limitations of Research 238 9.2 Implications for Future Research 241 10 Afterword 244 11 References 250 © Rick Colbourne 2010 v Practice, Power and Learning in UK Recorded Music Companies Tables Table 1‐1: Company UK Market Share (% Unit Sales) 2 Table 1‐2: UK Retail Values 3 Table 1‐3: Increased Market Share for Non‐Traditional Outlets 4 Table 1‐4: Single Track Downloads 4 Table 1‐5: Record Company Functions and Responsibilities 8 Table 1‐6: Music Industry Research 14 Table 2‐1: Modalities of Power 47 Table 3‐1: Behaviourist Conceptions 59 Table 3‐2: Cangelosi & Dill ‐ Organizational Stressors 61 Table 3‐3: Cognitivist Conceptions 64 Table 3‐4: 4I Framework 69 Table 3‐5: Humanist Conceptions 71 Table 3‐6: Five Disciplines 72 Table 3‐7: Social Learning Conceptions 78 Table 3‐8: Constructivist Conceptions 84 Table 4‐1: Positivist & Interpretivist Assumptions 95 Table 4‐2: Research Design and Philosophical Orientations 96 Table 4‐3: Theoretical Case Selection Strategies 97 Table 4‐4: Interpretivist Considerations for Reliability 99 Table 4‐5: Interpretivist Considerations for Construct Validity 101 Table 4‐6: Interpretivist Considerations for Internal Validity 102 Table 4‐7: Interpretivist Considerations for External Validity/Generalization 103 Table 4‐8: Pilot Study Outcome: Final Research Protocol 106 Table 4‐9: Methodological Decisions: Research Strategy/Design 107 Table 4‐10: Gender, Ethnicity & Higher Education 113 Table 4‐11: Level in Organization 114 Table 4‐12: Function in Organization 114 Table 4‐13: Industry Experience (Years) 115 Table 4‐14: Organizational Experience (Years) 116 Table 4‐15: Organizational Documents 117 Table 4‐16: Researcher Generated Documents 118 Table 4‐17: Data Management, Analysis and Interpretation 120 Table 4‐18: Coding Data 123 Table 5‐1: Pre‐Career Activities 128 Table 5‐2: Independent Career Practice: Identity, Knowledge, Knowing and Power 133 Table 5‐3: Academic Career Practice: Identity, Knowledge, Knowing and Power 135 Table 5‐4: Professional Career Practice: Identity, Knowledge, Knowing and Power 137 Table 5‐5: Allen's Modalities of Power 141 Table 5‐6: Three Organizational Dimensions of Knowledge 143 Table 5‐7: Three Individual Dimensions of Knowing 144 Table 5‐8: Employee Lifecycle Framework 147 Table 6‐1: SBMG Merger 150 Table 6‐2: SBMG ‐ Individual Dimensions of Knowing 153 Table 6‐3: SBMG ‐ Individual Dimensions of Knowing 154 Table 6‐4: SBMG ‐ Organizational Learning Curriculum 158 Table 6‐5: SBMG ‐ HR Projects, Tasks & Actions ‐ Performance Management 160 Table 6‐6: SBMG ‐ Technology of Regulation Performance Reviews Q&A 161 Table 6‐7: SBMG ‐ Developmental Discussion Guidelines 161 Table 6‐8: SBMG ‐ Behaviour Descriptions 166 Table 6‐9: SBMG ‐ Technology of Regulation OCEAN Factor Analysis Tool 169 Table 6‐10: SBMG ‐ Organizational Effectiveness Survey 171 Table 6‐11: SBMG ‐ Ideas and Vision Groups 172 © Rick Colbourne 2010 vi Practice, Power and Learning in UK Recorded Music Companies Table 6‐12: SBMG ‐ Vision Group Presentation 173 Table 6‐13: SBMG ‐ Organizational Dimensions of Knowledge 174 Table 7‐1: WMG ‐ Acquisition, Lay‐offs and Mergers 177 Table 7‐2: WMG ‐ Individual Dimensions of Knowing 179 Table 7‐3: WMG ‐ Individual Dimensions of Knowing 181 Table 7‐4: WMG ‐ Individual Dimensions of Knowing 182 Table 7‐5: WMG ‐ (Pre)Recruitment, Selection and Engagement 186 Table 7‐6: WMG ‐ Organizational Learning Curriculum 189 Table 7‐7: WMG ‐ Organizational Learning Curriculum 192 Table 7‐8: WMG ‐ Performance Reviews 192 Table 7‐9: WMG ‐ Organizational Learning Curriculum 194 Table 7‐10: WMG ‐ Situated Curriculum 197 Table 8‐1: UMG ‐ Knowing the Recorded Music Industry 204 Table 8‐2: UMG ‐ Knowing the Network of Relations 205 Table 8‐3: UMG ‐ Knowing How to Participate in Emerging Practices 206 Table 8‐4: Polydor Group/UMG ‐ Organizational Dimensions of Knowledge 209 Table 8‐5: UMG ‐ Individual Development Curriculum 213 Table 8‐6: UMG ‐ Training Plans and Talent Review Process [policy document] 214 Table 8‐7: UMG ‐ Organizational Curriculum Development Phase 217 Table 8‐8: UMG ‐ Meyers‐Briggs Team Workshop 218 Table 8‐9: UMG ‐ WINS Negotiation Course 221 Table 8‐10: UMG ‐ Consultative Selling Course 222 Table 8‐11: UMG ‐ Executive Development Curriculum 225 Table 8‐12: UMG ‐ Self Assessment 227 Table 8‐13: UMG ‐ Executive Development Skills Inventory 228 Table 8‐14: UMG ‐ EDP Invitation and Debrief Documents 230 © Rick Colbourne 2010 vii Practice, Power and Learning in UK Recorded Music Companies Figures Figure 1‐1: UK CD Prices 2001‐2006 (£) 3 Figure 1‐2: # of Jobs in UK Music Industry 2002‐2006 6 Figure 1‐3: Generic Record Company Structure and Functions 7 Figure 1‐4: Challenges by Record Company Function 10 Figure 1‐5: Current State: Global Recorded Music Industry 16 Figure 2‐1: Sovereign Power 23 Figure 2‐2: Elite Proxy Coalition 24 Figure 2‐3: Legitimate Domination 25 Figure 2‐4: Behaviourist Power – Overt Episodic 26

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