Globalization and Media - Essay Example

?Globalization and Music Introduction Music as literature is a document of people’s way of living and reflects much of their culture in a given time.The evolution of music from the ancient times up to the age of globalization has proven that music, like lifestyle, undergoes changes as time goes on. The United States, having Hollywood, is the center of movie and entertainment. This gave American artists the opportunity to reach out to a larger and more diverse audience as they make their music records internationally. Local music artists around the world dream of being in Hollywood in pursuit of international success and recognition which made the world even smaller as it is. The influence brought about by globalization in the music industry underscores the intercultural influence, the problems on piracy, and impact on locally produced music around the world. Hollywood as Center of Globalized Music A place in the United States called Hollywood is almost entirely synonymous to talent, fame, and glamour. This is still true if looking at the history of the birthplace of global music. Hollywood in 1915 spells out the “professional [and] polished recorded entertainment” (Williams 1). Ever since, Hollywood is a center of musical dream and fame. Nowadays, its capacity to reach the global audience is an advantage to influence their message, trend, and philosophy. The dawning of modern technology has increased this capacity, that in a span of minutes, the audience from the other side of the globe would be able to listen to a new song performance. This speedy access of American music has threatened the locally produced music from other countries. Although foreign artists can enter into the Hollywood realm, their percentage is discriminate and cannot prove an exchange of culture in music. More so, the musical performance of these foreign artists is of American standard and influence. In this note, the so called ‘globalization of music’ becomes questionable. Globalization of music may be existing, but it is globalization without true multiculturalism. According to Ferreira and Waldfogel, the concept of internationalization led countries to have bilateral trade in goods; free market controlled by the government in such a way that it would also protect the sales of the local goods. However, even if in the presence of such agreement, the local music industry still fears to be eaten up by dominant countries. Figure 1 of Appendix A shows the status of international music with respect to its country between the years 2003-2007. It clearly shows that the American music, dominates the rest of the local music industries in the international market. Its nearest contender according to statistics, United Kingdom, is shown to be too distant to be actually called a competitor. As stated earlier, the ability of the American artists to have a larger share of audience stemmed from Hollywood’s extensive market share. Multimedia has helped the success of the American music into the international scene. Figure 2 of Appendix A shows the latest report of the International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) on the top selling songs last 2010. Noticeably, all of the said songs and albums were produced in the United States which serves as a proof that American songs dominate the international airwaves. The songs on the list all made international success and made the country as “the largest digital music market in the world” (IFPI, 12). Since the radio is not the only means of distributing music and the internet is readily available for anyone to use, the influence brought about by the internationalization of music has become phenomenal. Such influence and fast access of music helped raise global awareness through charity-run music; however the downside of modern music videos spread throughout the continents. Globalized Music and Its Influence Sparks rise from the glamour of what has been called “models” of influence in the media. Through music, one can express message and sentiments that could trigger more commentaries from listeners whose purpose for music is beyond mere entertainment. It can be recalled that in 1985, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie wrote a song called “We Are the World” which was sung by the most influential singers in that time and collectively known as USA for Africa. The song is written to administer help to Africa in its strife for poverty, malnutrition and hunger, and disease. The group USA for Africa garnered an estimated $47 million (Glave) which they used to aid financial help for Africa. Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World” is also of the same purpose, this time for people living in countries of social unrest, especially in Burundi. It became a worldwide hit just like the former and became theme songs for some charity organization worldwide. One is James Bulger Center for Bullied Children which uses the song as a fund raiser. The organization is concerned about educating bullied children “who cannot attend mainstream school,” and supports them to other aspects in their lives including emotional and financial support (Miles). Not all of the songs with the same genre of the previously mentioned are meant for charity use, some are message of concern and encouraging self-reflection. For instance, the group Black Eyed Peas debut their career with a song called “Where is the Love?” which has several inputs of what are happening in the real world beyond money-making, media influence, and violence. The explicit observations depicted in the lyrics are perhaps the reason why it reached the top spot in song charts around the world. In the aforementioned ‘better’ influence, there are also succeeding negative influences brought about by music, especially that it has gone global. The influence it brought affected not only the listeners in the United States but throughout the world. What is more alarming that the present genres of music, especially on hip hop are a potential market distributor of degraded sex and violence. In an article in New York Times written by Tara Parker-Pope, it is found out that the average hours of teenagers in listening music is 2.4. The risk would include the exposure of children and young adolescents on music which encourages explicit sexual acts. According to the article, “nearly 9 out of 10” adolescents own an MP3 or other music player at home. The accessibility of the youth to these media could have effects and would be able to develop risky behaviors. In a study conducted by University of Pittsburgh, the music genre to have most sexual and violent content is rap music; where 77% denotes sexual acts. On the other hand, pop music has the least percentage of music with such message, with only 9% (Pope). The study also found out that aside from sexual activities, there are 24% of songs which depict alcohol use and substance abuse; a part where modern teenagers are associated with. The study concluded that compared to other entertainment mediums, music perhaps is the most powerful which can influence the teenager’s behaviors and thinking. Music accessibility brought about by globalization of media might as well explain the findings of Dr. Nick Nauert that 700,000 teenage pregnancies occur in the United States every year and about 25% of adult females have certain sexually transmitted diseases; and music influence has something to do with it (Nauert). Moreover, Nauert also asserts that “compared to those with the least exposure to lyrics describing degrading sex,” audience of music with sexually explicit lyrics are as twice as likely to have sexual intercourse. In addition to these findings, Bhattacharya also noted that exposure to violent lyrics of songs would also trigger violent social behaviors. The report states that “some rap and heavy metal, are cathartic in venting aggression”; musical themes which are gaining popularity among the youth nowadays. Psychological tests and face to face observations were made in this study and found out that people who are exposed to music with violent lyrics “scored higher on aggression” rating standard. This is especially alarming considering that American music already conquers the international scene. The wider audience share of these kinds of music genres have, the more it is likely to influence people, especially the youth who are vulnerable to negative media influences. The free market for music around the world is clearly a start for artists to achieve international success. Consequently, listeners would be able to realize other culture’s nature and expression in terms of musical style. The success of international performances proved this since the artists’ audiences are not condensed in their area, but rather scattered all around the globe. This sounds very interesting to have a wider selection of music to listen. However, its implications to local culture should be taken as a serious concern. Through a more dominant music culture in the west, the so-called “diversity in music” around the world remains to be questioned. According to Crane and Kawasaki, “the international music industry has been dominated by an oligopoly for decades” (106). If such argument would be true, then the “diversity in music” is just an illusion. Diversity in music means the coming together of different cultures presenting their music internationally. What is happening right now is not ‘globalization’ in the real sense but more of influence of a dominant culture. In addition to Crane and Kawasaki’s claim, Richard Letts the principal investigator of the Music Council in Australia informed that More than 80% of the US$38billion revenues of the global record industry go to the five “major” transnational record corporations” (2). This would be opposite to what has been contended in the first part of this paper that globalization would encourage amateur music producers and retailers to make more business, since they know that it takes great effort and capital to win over the preference of the public. The said “transnational record corporation” is settled in the U.S.A., Japan, and Europe. These three countries are well known for their technological and political power which makes sense that the recording companies belonging to this corporation would be an international hit. Furthermore, Letts report that the corporation “carr[ies] an international pop music across the globe... homogenising musical preferences of audiences in most countries” (2). For instance, Music Television or MTV is based not only just in the United States but also in Asia and Europe. The emergence and continuing popularity of MTV Asia explains that many Asians “embrace Western culture” particularly to those who belongs to the middle and upper class (Artz and Kalimpour 240). Aside from financial background, the likelihood for Asians to embrace more of western music is their ability to speak English. It has been found out that majority of the English-speaking Asians spend a lot of time in the internet which makes them closer to western music influence (Artz and Kalimpour 240). This has brought a new wave of music fanatics around the world, leaving the local music in danger. In the case of Australia, local music artists are failing to outsell foreign acts. In a report from ABC News, international stars such as “Eminem, Bon Jovi, and Lady Gaga” use to appear after the local Australian artists on the list last year, but as of the moment, a reverse thing is happening. More Australian youth are into global artists rather than their own, however, Australian artists remain to be optimistic that their local audience would be able to appreciate their own music. Established local music entertainment such as the one in India, also called Bollywood, is also affected with this crisis, although it can be a good thing since Bollywood music has strong roots and the effect of globalization could only be creolization of music and not complete alteration such as the Bhangra beat which is a “combination of disco and Indian music” (Dutt 10). If seen positively, this could be an opportunity of Indian music to grow and produce new kind of music that could be an asset to the future of Indian music. On Piracy Despite of the popularity of music among its audience, the music industry is facing torment from the same thing that brought its globalized quality: technology. It is no doubt that technology brings out the best in the music business. The quick access of technology for music inspired young amateur music businessmen to put up a potential business venture. Technology makes everything easy, and this poses not just the benefits but also serve as a warning for music producers around the world. Music piracy is one of the reasons why music artists and producers nowadays are having a hard time earning back their capital since more people prefer to have song copies for free or at the lowest price--it is the illegal purchase or stealing of copyrighted music materials. Piracy could be a benefit for the audience but is completely lethal for the people working in the music industry, the taxpayers, and the listeners themselves. In the United States alone, there is about $12.5 Billion lost in the economy, disposing 71,000 jobs every year, due to low income rate of most music businesses (Jones). The said loss in income is blamed with the world wide music piracy on different means: internet, copying, and leaks from the recording studios before a certain new song is released. What the consumers are usually unaware of, is that piracy also affects them, although not in a very direct manner. The domino effect of music piracy affects the producers, the artists, retailers, the employees of the retailers and the country’s problem of unemployment. Piracy is especially harmful for first-timers in the music arena, the new comers of retail music industry and their employees, including their families since it is the basic source of income is nabbed through piracy. The advent of the internet and music burning also set the table for copyright infringement. Firth and Marshall identified 7 kinds of piracy in the music industry which are: counterfeiting, pirating, bootlegging, tape trading, CDr burning, and file sharing. These seven piracy methods are classified according to the medium of which a certain song property is copied. For example, bootlegging is copying of songs “that has never been released” by the recording company. The copying might have been done during concerts or “studio out-takes” (191). However the piracy is produced or distributed, its impact to the artists and the producers are just as fatal. Of the seven piracy methods mentioned, CD burning and sharing might be the most common and often used type of piracy. The two methods actually need the help of the internet or a certain downloading software in order to have and multiply the song copy for illegal use or distribution. Synthesis and Conclusion The example presented in Australia is not solitary. The flight of western music is defying the true meaning of globalization, as a diverse-friendly concept which enriches cultural knowledge and begins to appreciate diversity. Local cultures would be deprived of appreciation from their own people, as they begin to forget the kind of music their country would locally produce. Globalization, just like any trend history has experienced has its own pros and cons. The benefits of globalization especially on music would be the opportunity of worldwide audience to have wider selection of music favorites and getting to realize various expressions in music. On the other hand, alongside with technology, other people would use this opportunity from music fans to unauthorized selling and distributing of songs through the different forms of piracy. Since the music industry has gone global, the effects of music piracy also have macro effects, and it would be difficult to deal with this problem because of immediate accessibility of the internet. The arrival of globalization has introduced new kind of opportunities for aspiring music artists. The international scene of music is supposed to be an avenue to show local culture around the world and make it as an asset to outstand. While there is nothing wrong with globalizing music to extend influence and appreciate the work of other cultures, keeping the musical identity is far more than just relating to music’s entertainment value; it is about preservation of culture. The use of technology to make one’s native culture be known to the world is an opportunity; however, through digital piracy, nothing can be gained but loss of finances and employment. Upon considering these ideas, two conclusions can be made. First, technology is the aid of unifying musical identities but could also be a potential risk for global capital. Second, globalization in music is still in a rather awkward state particularly that it does not really idealize the real meaning of diversity, as what globalization is trying to impose. Works Cited Artz, Lee and Kamalipour, Yahya R. The Globalization of Corporate Media Hegemony. New York: State University of New York. Print. Bhattacharya, Shaoni. "Violent Song Lyrics Increase Aggression." NewScientist. NewScientist.com, 04 May 2003. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. . Crane, Diana, and Kenichi Kawasaki. Global Culture: Media, Arts, Policy, and Globalization. New York: Routledge. Print. “Michael Jackson’s Heal The World Released to Support New Liverpool James Bulger Centre for Bullied Children.” Liverpool News. Liverpool Daily Post.co.uk, 08 Oct. 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. . Dutt, Sagarika. India in a Globalized World. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Ferreira, Fernando, and Joel Waldfogel. "Pop Internationalism: Has half a Century of World Music Trade Displaced Local Culture?" Vox. VoxEU.org., 29 May 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. . Firth, Simon, and Lee Marshall. Music and Copyright. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Print. Glave, Judie. "USA for Africa Readies for First Mercy Mission." Gainesville Sun 17 May 1985: 56. Print. International Federation of Phonographic Industry. “IFPI Digital Music Report 2011: Music at a Touch of Button.” IFPI. IFPI, 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 11 Mar 2011. . Jones, K.C. "Music Piracy Costs U.S. Economy $12.5 Billion, Report Reveals." Information Week. UBM Tech., 22 Aug. 2007. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. . Letts, Richard. "The Effects of Globalisation on Music in Five Contrasting Countries: Australia, Germany, Nigeria, the Philippines and Uruguay." International Music Council. International Music Council, Oct. 2003. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. . “Local Acts Fail to Outsell Global Music Stars.” ABC News. ABC, 07 Jan. 2011. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. . Nauert, Rick. "Song Lyrics Influence Sexual Behavior." PsychCentral. Psych Central, 26 Feb. 2009. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. . Miles, Tina. "Michael Jackson's Heal the World Released to Support New Liverpool James Bulge Center for Bullied Children." Liverpool Daily Post. Liverpool Daily Post, 08 Oct. 2009. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. . Pope, Tara Parker. "Under the Influence of...Music?" New York Times. New York Times, 05 Feb. 2008. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. . Williams, Paul Gregory. The Story of Hollywood. USA: www.thestoryofhollywood.com. Appendix A Figure 1: Music trade shares and GDP shares, 2003-2007 (Ferreira and Waldfogel). Figure 2: Best selling global digital singles of 2010 (IFPI 13). Read More