Music Market Notations

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Music is loved worldwide, but the average listener might not dwell too deeply on the business side of the music industry. The web project ‘Music (Market) Notation’ provides an easily digestible overview of the different revenue streams in the music industry over the years, from 2011 until 2023 – ideal for those with a casual interest in recent music history, or newcomers looking to join the business.

Music (Market) Notations is a word play on the phrase ‘music notations’, with the song in question being the sonification of the U.S music market. The project uses a variety of tools, such as HTML, CSS, javascript, the sonification software TwoTone, and illustrations. This project is an audiovisual experience of the different revenue streams in the music industry, in the form of a website. Since the subject matter involves music, the standard music notation visual is used as a scatter plot graph that also represents the sonification of total music revenue in the U.S from 2011 until 2013. Each year has its respective pie chart for deeper analysis and research. The pie chart form was specifically chosen to show revenue distribution due to the motif of circles in the music industry. For example, stadiums for live music performances are often rounded. Physical copies of music, such as the CD and vinyl are circular, and streaming, popularized through Spotify, also has an easily recognizable circular icon with curved motifs. Aside from the audiovisual medium, a temporal aspect is added through the use of javascript interactivity. As the sonification plays, the music note for the respective year is highlighted and the pie chart shifts, allowing for an animated view of shifting revenue streams across the years.

The colour scheme and font choice were chosen to appeal fresh, youthful, and trendy.

Works Cited

Altman, Rick. “The Material Heterogeneity of Recorded Sound.” Sound Theory Sound Practice, edited by Rick Altman. Routledge, 1992, pp. 15–31.

IFPI. “Recorded Music Market Revenue Worldwide from 2005 to 2023, by Source (in Billion U.S. Dollars).” Statista, Statista Inc., 21 Mar 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/292081/music-revenue-worldwide-by-source/

Live Nation. “Live Nation Entertainment’s Concert Revenue from 2008 to 2023 (in Billion U.S. Dollars).” Statista, Statista Inc., 22 Feb 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/193710/concert-revenue-of-live-nation-entertainment-since-2008/