Correlation between music and nationality - Research Paper Example

? Assignment Assignment Introduction: A survey was conducted by addressing questions relating to music to people belonging to different backgrounds and nationalities in order to get their response on the kind of music they listen to and how they came about listening to the different kinds of music. Music is something that people from all backgrounds listen to as they say that music surpasses all barriers and brings people closer. Thus, the aim of this survey was to find out the number of listeners of different genres of music, the kind of music they are willing to purchase and their modes of purchase. This survey can also be of help as research to industries and agents scouting for musical talent because it might help in providing them information regarding the genres that a particular group of people listen to or the target group that they should cater to for selling various kinds of music, and also to ensure the rise of the music genres that are at an all time low by understanding what music is on the verge of becoming extinct and thus coupling it with another genre to give it a different feel, in order to revive their cultures and bring about appeal among the people, as talked about in an article relating to how cultures are brought together by musical influences. (Markman, A) Firstly, I have made an effort to bring the survey to people belonging to different nationalities in order to get an idea of the kind of music that people listen to all over the world and not confined to a particular geographical territory. The breakup of the nationalities is as follows; 17 people belong to Britain, 3 people from China, 2 South Koreans, 3 Indians, 1 individual each from France, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Portugal and Poland. The age group that the survey was taken from, included people between the ages of 15 and 50 with the breakup as 10 people between the ages 15 and 20, 9 people between the ages 21 and 25, 3 people between 26 and 30 and 31 and 40 respectively and 4 people between the ages 41 and 50. Out of the 30 respondents who took time out to fill in the survey, 19 people were males and 11 females. The main method used to gather the information involved a survey that is, filling a survey regarding the type of music one listens to and how. Findings: Based on the research it was found that Oriental and Ballad music are on the decline as none of the respondents prefer to listen to these genres. This was inferred by the survey that was taken by me, where most people, when asked if they listened to Oriental or Ballad music replied with a negative answer. The most loved genre out of all the possible options was pop music liked by British, Indians, Chinese as well as the French. This was followed by rock music liked by the British, Indian, Polish and Nigerian respondents. Country and classic music followed these two genres and techno, reggae, house and jazz have few followers, mostly in Britain. Respondents also mentioned other music genres such as bollywood, dance and metal music as part of their taste. Most respondents, that is 41% of the total number, chose the internet as the medium through which they downloaded and listened to music, thus choosing their laptops as opposed to radio players and their mobile phones. A significant number of respondents, to be specific, 37% of the number of survey takers, have also mentioned purchasing CDs to listen to music but it must be understood that using the radio, with 18% listening to it on a regular basis, or cassettes, followed by a mere 4% of the total number of respondents, are on the decline, which is very well understood, taking into account the technology driven world we live in today. (Spotify For Bollywood) When asked what attracted the respondents to the kind of music they prefer to listen to, majority replied that the voice of the artist was what did the trick. Judging by this, it may be understood by house and techno music, or ballads that do not have a voice singing in them and are purely instrumental are on the decline, and why pop music is so widely loved and acclaimed. A mellifluous voice of the artist was followed by the lyrics and the meaning of the song. Other respondents chose the rhythm of the music as what attracts them towards a particular song. The lesser chosen options were the band or the artist, as people tend to listen to what sounds good as opposed to who is singing it. Most respondents prefer listening to music in the English language with almost 63% of the total number of survey takers. This was followed by a 13% preference towards Hindi or bollywood music, which can be understood by the rise in Indians and the spread of their culture and influence over the world. 8% people also like listening to music in Spanish and Tamil with 5% liking French music and the rest of the 3% with a liking towards Italian music. The respondents were also asked their view regarding contemporary music to which only 3% replied with an excellent. A majority of 66% think contemporary music is good with 24% thinking that it could be better and is not bad and a 7% of the total number thinking it is poor in its appeal to the masses. (Music Tastes Link to Personality) It was found that the sales of English music is high with 15% followed by Spanish music at 3% and Indian, Tamil and African music at an all time low of only 1% of buyers. This also gives an idea of the kind of music people like to buy, not taking into account what their nationality might be. Discussion: By taking a survey from people belonging to different backgrounds and nationalities it may be understood that music sung in different languages does not necessarily have to be heard by people belonging to that particular nationality or speaking that language. Music has words and lyrics as well as rhythm that people find appeal towards which also helps in bringing them closer to each other; this was understood as I found that people of various nationalities liked listening to music that was not necessarily sung in the language that was native to them. Most people listen to absolutely anything, a stark example being the viral song ‘Gangnam Style’ belonging to Korean pop artist Psy because of the catchy beats and the chorus that the entire world has taken a liking to. On the popular website You Tube, the song has almost 806.3 million views. This proves that most people like pop because of the fast beats that it has and the peppy music helps them dance and have a good time. Pop music is also a great genre to be played in clubs where people go to take their troubles off their mind. Music is played almost everywhere from the radio to the television. However most people like listening to music on the internet on websites and either downloading from secure websites or buying them from websites like iTunes because it is more convenient than going to the store and rummaging through CDs and DVDs. People love listening to music anywhere they might be and there are different kinds of genres for different moods and different kinds of people. Cassettes and CDs are decreasing day by day and this shows us the interest that people have in using the internet and their laptops to listen to music. Moreover, most people prefer to listen to music on their iPods or MP3 players on the go while they are travelling or doing some work because of the convenience that it has as compared to putting on a cassette and manually forwarding to the song of one’s choice. Also, there are some genres of music that are facing a fast decline that need to be revived by understanding the needs and wants of the listeners; for example since reggae music is at an all time low, maybe the genre could be mixed with something like pop that most people like listening to. A genre created out of the mix of the two would help young artists find an innovative platform as well as help listeners to understand and like genres that might otherwise get extinct today. In conclusion, it may be understood and inferred from the survey taken of people belonging to different nationalities that music is something that has transcended all barriers because English and American people like listening to Bollywood music as much as Indians love American pop music or vice versa, for example. It does not matter what one’s nationality or native language may be, people like listening to music because they feel connected to it. Genres like ballads and oriental music however are on a decline, and closely following these genres is reggae music. Genres like rock and pop are widely listened to, world over on the other hand. Moreover, an explanation of the sources where people find their music has also been provided ranging from CDs to the internet. Therefore, a successful survey on music, its various types, and the kind of listeners each genre has and other such questions have been answered. References Markman, A. (n.d.). Why We Like People Who Share Our Taste In Music. Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-markman-phd/music-preferences-and-relationships_b_922051.html Music Tastes Link to Personality. (2008, September 5). BBC [UK]. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7598549.stm. Spotify For Bollywood: Selling Music On Demand To 1.2 Billion People - Forbes. (2012, June 28). Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2012/06/28/spotify-for-bollywood-selling-music-on-demand-to-1-2-billion-people/ Survey taken by 30 respondents. Read More