Additional Terminology

Convergence 
-Coming together of multimedia digital technologies allowing audio, video, graphics, games and animation (eg iphone)
or
- Coming together of institutions (eg EMI bought up by Sony & Universal)

Synergy- 
-The coming together of two media texts to benefit them both eg: a film and its soundtrack will be released

Conglomerate- 
-An international company with a wide and varied range of commercial interests

Globalisation- 
-The growing tendency of industrial and commercial companies to merge and operate on an international rather than regional basis

Vertical Intragration
-The takeover of companies operating at different stages of the production/distribution/exchange - in musicopoly this let you operate 50% more efficiently

Horizontal Integration 
-The merger of competing companies from the same line of business (ie if itunes & Spotify merged) and involved at the same level of activity

Major Record Label-
-They are the 'Big Three' music companies which are Sony/BMG, Universal and Warner Brothers

Subsidiary Label-
-A company controlled by a holding or parent company (ie Syco & Sony)

Independent Label-
-Not connected to a major company (ie XL or Ninja Tune)

Niche Audience- 
-A targeting of a small but significant group of consumers with a media product directed specifically at their interests

Mainstream Audience-
-The uncontroversial, generally accepted attitudes, beliefs and values of the majority population

Fans-
-Someone who has a strong interest and belief in the band or artist

Prosumers
-Audience as active participantants in the process of both PROducing and conSUMING of media texts

Consumption- 
-Buying/downloading/streaming/filesharing music, paying for live convert tickets etc

Web 2.0- 
-The second phase of the internet, where the focus shifts from people receiving information and services to people creating and sharing material (music 2.0 is related to this)

Download-
-The practise of selecting and receiving digital information from an online source on a computer, as opposed to sending it by upload

Streaming- 
-A method of relaying data over a computer network as a steady continuous stream, allowing playback to proceed while subsequent data is being received

Peer to Peer-
-The sharing of media material between two parties in an equal relationship

Piracy-
-Distribution of media material that infringes copyright law

Portability / Miniaturisation- 
-The quality of being light enough to be carried (iphone & Djay app anyone?)

Sampling- 
-the technique of digitally encoding music or sound and reusing it as part of a composition or recording - you have done this with your mash ups

Artists and Repertoire (A&R)- 
-Is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label. They use your followers/friends on social media now to make this judgement

Record Deal - Contract - Royalties- 
-A recording deal is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist or group, where the artist makes a record or series of records for the label to sell and promote

Distribution- 
-Promoting music and getting it into shops, on the radio and downloaded for payment

Plugging / Marketing- 
-The transmission of information about a media text to a target audience in such a way as to maximise its appeal to that audience