WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/research/westminsterresearch My generation: examining the music tastes and commercial opportunities within the new audience of 40-59 year olds in the UK Julia Jones Faculty of Media, Arts and Design This is an electronic version of a PhD thesis awarded by the University of Westminster. © The Author, 2015. This is an exact reproduction of the paper copy held by the University of Westminster library. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Users are permitted to download and/or print one copy for non-commercial private study or research. Further distribution and any use of material from within this archive for profit-making enterprises or for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. Whilst further distribution of specific materials from within this archive is forbidden, you may freely distribute the URL of WestminsterResearch: (http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/). In case of abuse or copyright appearing without permission e-mail [email protected] MY GENERATION: EXAMINING THE MUSIC TASTES AND COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE NEW AUDIENCE OF 40-59 YEAR OLDS IN THE UK J. JONES PhD 2015 MY GENERATION: EXAMINING THE MUSIC TASTES AND COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE NEW AUDIENCE OF 40-59 YEAR OLDS IN THE UK JULIA JONES A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University of Westminster for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 2015 My Generation: Examining the music tastes and commercial opportunities within the new audience of 40-59 year olds in the UK ABSTRACT This thesis provides an original contribution to the academic discourse regarding music taste. It also offers commercial recommendations relating to the use of rock/pop music in engaging the current cohort of middle class consumers aged 40-59 in the UK. The continuing academic debate regarding music taste has largely revolved around the concepts of habitus, cultural capital, social class and legitimate culture (Bourdieu, 1984) and later contrasting theories regarding the cultural omnivore (Peterson et al 1992). Recent UK research (Bennett et al 2009, Savage & Gayo 2011, Savage 2013) identified ‘music generations’ and provided evidence of a continuing divide between two distinct genres: classical and contemporary (rock/pop). They identified ‘experts’ within the current 40-59 aged middle class cohort as those most likely to be possible omnivores and therefore worthy of further research. This thesis focused on that socio-demographic group. Previous studies employed attitudinal surveys to investigate preferences. This thesis provides an original contribution to the discourse through a new investigation of music taste using a previously unstudied data set – a quantitative analysis of 20 years of official UK music sales data (1993-2012). This analysis was supplemented with additional qualitative data collected during participant observations over a three year period. The analysis of this data supports a generational shift in music taste towards rock pop, particularly visible in the current cohort of 40-59 year olds who grew up post 1960s, where lifelong music taste across all classes appears to have been formed during an era dominated by popular music culture. This thesis did not find support of the omnivore theories. Instead a new ‘legitimate’ rock pop music canon may be developing within this genre, suggesting that the middle classes in particular are expanding the social definition of cultural capital and legitimate taste as their preferred genre receives increasing social acceptance as a legitimate cultural art form. Julia Jones, PhD Thesis, University of Westminster, London My Generation: Examining the music tastes and commercial opportunities within the new audience of 40-59 year olds in the UK Finally this thesis discusses the immediate commercial opportunities that this lifelong rock/pop taste of the current 40-59 middle class demographic in the UK offers businesses, and how innovation could increase the engagement of that affluent and sizeable audience. The research suggested that this taste for rock pop related to new artists in that genre as well as the original artists of the 1970s and 80s that the generation had grown up with. Julia Jones, PhD Thesis, University of Westminster, London My Generation: Examining the music tastes and commercial opportunities within the new audience of 40-59 year olds in the UK TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction - The Music Industry, Marketing and Taste 1 1.2 Introducing the main academic focus and findings 2 1.3 Overview of the thesis chapters 6 1.4 Contributing to the academic discourse regarding music taste. 8 1.5 Using the key concepts to formulate the research questions. 9 Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Introduction 12 2.2 Music industry, marketing & the 50 year old consumer 14 2.3 A review of music taste concepts and theories 31 2.4 Consumer marketing & the 50 year old demographic 74 Chapter 3 Research Methodology 3.1 Limitations of The Previous Taste Research 93 3.2 Defining and Testing The Music Taste Research Questions 96 3.3 Research Methodology 100 Chapter 4 An Empirical Analysis of UK Music Sales Julia Jones, PhD Thesis, University of Westminster, London My Generation: Examining the music tastes and commercial opportunities within the new audience of 40-59 year olds in the UK 4.1 Introduction 115 4.2 Music Choice By Demographic 118 4.3 Music Choice By Socio-Economic Group 133 4.4 Additional industry data 141 Chapter 5 A Qualitative Analysis of Music Taste: Rock/Pop vs Classical 5.1 Introduction 148 5.2 Examining the music taste of the 40-59 ABC1 cohort in the UK. 149 5.3 Chapter Conclusion 179 Chapter 6 A Qualitative Analysis of Music Taste: Classic Rock/Pop vs Current Rock/Pop 6.1 Introduction 186 6.2 The Anniversary Event Series Case Study Review 186 Chapter 7 Music Taste Formation During Youth: ‘The New Music Canon’ 7.1 Introduction 197 7.2 Growing up in the 1960s/70s 197 7.3 Growing up in the 1970s/80s 211 Julia Jones, PhD Thesis, University of Westminster, London My Generation: Examining the music tastes and commercial opportunities within the new audience of 40-59 year olds in the UK 7.4 The relevance of music lessons during childhood 224 7.5 I Like Music: Music Streaming Birthday Cards – A Lifetime of Music 227 7.6 Chapter Conclusion 230 Chapter 8 Leveraging Rock/Pop Taste For Commercial Returns 8.1 Introduction 232 8.2 Case Study Review 1: Generation Music Club 233 8.3 Case Study Review 2: I Like Music 238 8.4 Business Review 1: Generation Music Club 240 8.5 Business Review 2: I Like Music 246 8.6 Chapter Conclusion 250 Chapter 9 Conclusions 9.1 Achieving the Practical Aims of the Project: Providing recommendations to practitioners through an academic research project 251 9.2 Delivering an original academic contribution to the existing discourse 251 9.3 Methodological Contribution of the Research 252 9.4 Empirical Contribution: Quantitative Analysis of Music 253 Julia Jones, PhD Thesis, University of Westminster, London My Generation: Examining the music tastes and commercial opportunities within the new audience of 40-59 year olds in the UK 9.5 Theoretical Contributions: Taste and Taste Formation 258 9.6 An updated definition of ‘cultural capital’. 263 9.7 Theoretical and Practical Contribution: Marketing Theory and Commercial Practice 270 9.8 Limitations of the Study and Recommendations for Future Research 271 Chapter 10 Appendices 10.1 The Genesis Suite: marketing examples 273 10.2 Generation Music Club: marketing examples 281 10.3 I Like Music: marketing examples 284 10.4 Semi-structured interview example format 287 Chapter 11 Bibliography Julia Jones, PhD Thesis, University of Westminster, London TABLE OF FIGURES Fig 2.1 Taking Part Survey 2008/9 (Arts Council / DCMS) p.13 Fig 2.2 Taken from the BPI Handbooks and Office for National p.15 Statistics (2012/3) Fig 2.3 Summary of UK music expenditure by older p.16 demographics (BPI, 2009) Fig 2.4 UK Population (ONS, 2012) p.17 Fig 2.5 Highest grossing touring artists (Billboard/Pollstar, 2013) p.18 Fig 2.6 BPI / Official Charts Company Annual UK Sales Chart p.20 2014 Fig 2.7 Official Charts Company Data 2014 p.22 Fig 2.8 The Genesis Suite - Product Development Assumptions p.24 Fig 2.9 The Genesis Suite - front cover artwork p.26 Fig 2.10 The distribution of cultural modalities (Gayo-Cal et al., p.54 2006) Fig 2.11 The distribution of socio-demographic variables (Gayo- p.54 Cal et al., 2006) Figs Saga magazine’s circulation & readership figures 2012 & p.80 2.12 & 2013 2.13 Fig 4.1 Music Consumption in the UK (BPI, 2011) p.116 Fig 4.2 Analysis of BPI sales data 1993 – 2012. - Music Choice p.120 in the 40-59 year old demographic (Classical vs Rock/Pop) Fig 4.3 Analysis of % of music expenditure 40+ demographics p.121 including linear trend line.(1999 – 2012) Fig 4.4 Analysis of sales figures across all demographic groups p.122 aged 20+ (classical vs contemporary) Fig 4.5 Music choice across genres (% of music expenditure in p.123 2012) Fig 4.6 Music choice by demographic group (Classical) – 1995 – p.124 2009 Fig 4.7 Music Choice (% of spend by 40-49 demographic) p.127 Fig 4.8 Music Choice excluding rock/pop genre p.128 Fig 4.9 Music choice of the 50-59 demographic p.129 Fig 4.10 Music choice excluding rock/pop genre in the 50-59 p.130 demographic