Contents

Quantitative research
Qualitative research
Research methods
secondary research
primary research
data gathering research
self generated, audience, market and production research

Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is research into numbers and figures this is usually
presented in the form of a chart as it generalises results. Data is collected in a
variety of ways the most popular way being surveys. This type of research was
originally developed by scientists look study nature events and their consistency.

The pros of using this type of research is that is very easy to generalise, the
larger the sample the easier it is to generalise. This means that researchers can
use huge sample to get a more accurate spread of representation not run into
problems when generalising the results. A second benefit is that that due to the
numerical element of this type of research it means that you can easily replicate
and compare results to earlier studies. The researcher Kruger said in 2003
quantitative methods allow us to summarize vast sources of information and
facilitate comparisons across categories over a period of times. When using
quantitative research it is easy to avoid biased answers as all the questions are
closed (so yes, no or multiple choice questions) as that is the only way to collect
purely numerical data.
However there are some cons to using quantitative data for research. Because it
is purely in a numerical form it could be argued that what you can take from the
results are limited as the route of what the researcher were actually trying to
achieve is unclear. Whereas when collecting peoples personal opinions this
problem does not occur. This is because a select amount of answers could force
someone to answer the most applicable answer instead of what they actually
want to say.
This research despite this is still useful within the music industry. For example it
allows record labels to find who has access to possible outlets for their product,
therefore helping to guide the promotional progress to the most accessible outlet
for example. And coming from a blunter financial side of the music industry it
can show companies how much money theyre actually making and whether or
not they should keep the artist or drop them.
Qualitative research
Qualitative research is the process of gathering people thoughts and feelings and
opinions. This involves asking open ended questions to find out in detail how
each individual truly feels. This form of research is usually carried out through
focus groups and face to face interviews instead of survey based. This is because
you cannot read someones feelings through a survey and also someone could
potentially lie about who they are which could affect the results whereas in a
focus group or face to face interview this would be impossible. Some research
blogs can be uses as a form of research as people voice their opinions about
topics online and it promotes discussion.
There are many benefits to qualitative research especially in the music industry.
Like for example it allows producers and record executives to view what real
people actually feel about their product. Some people have even formed careers
out of producing a form of qualitative research like Anthony Fantano or as he is
known online TheNeedleDrop who producers video reviews of his thought on
major and also niche albums and tracks. Whereas quantitative research is very
cold and without feeling qualitative research instead shows people the rea life
reactions and thought and feelings on their product so in context in a focus group
setting you could play the audience at track and watch their reactions if its a sad
song they might like forlorn if its happy theyll start smiling. Qualitative research
provides a deeper level into who and how the audience reacts.
However there are some cons to using qualitative research, it is too time
consuming to perform this type of research on a large sample instead it can only

be performed on individuals and small focus groups, if you sued a larger sample
in a focus group setting it would be hard to get a conversation going and harder
to read the reactions of the people involved individually. However the fact this
study requires a small sample to be effective means therefore that the results
are hard to generalise. It is also very hard to make accurate comparisons
between research studies of this nature as answers will be dependent on location
and also the researchers questions. For example if a researcher asked a focus
group in reading the same questions as a focus group in Henley the answers
might be different due to the socio economic state and the personalities and life
style of the people in Henley VS Reading. Qualitative is more about sparking a
discussion then measuring popularity for example so when preparing for a focus
group it is important to be prepared to ask new questions to get deeper into the
conversation than just asking the pre-set questions.
Methods of Research
Secondary Research
Secondary research is research that you have not done but that you have
collected from another study this can be found from places like the internet and
books for example.
The best part of secondary research is that it is easy to get hold of and use. We
can access other data quickly via the Internet or books. The fact it is easily
accessible makes it less time consuming as opposed to carrying out the study
yourself from scratch. However the problem with this is the reliability, can you
trust the person who carried out this study? For example Wikipedia is written by
users themselves so can you treat everything that is said as fact? Another
benefit would be that it is incredibly cost effective form of research, as you do
not have to conduct the observation yourself. Secondary data collection is often
used in to find out what has been done and so therefore guides the primary
research stage, however the secondary research found may have the exact
answer you already need so there will not need to be any more research
conducted. For example if music researchers were wanting to find out how many
times their single has been sold over a week by conducting primary research, the
secondary research they do might reveal the answer already.
As with all forms of research, secondary data collection also has its problems.
The problem with this kind of research is that most of the time the data doesnt
exactly match what the researcher wants, the results might be similar but not
exact. For example if music researchers were looking to find out what age group
listen to rap, however on the internet there is research answering that question
but for with different parameters, it is similar but does not answer the question
for the researcher. Data found on the Internet or in books may also be out of date
if you were looking for modern results.
Primary
Primary research is data that you have collected yourself. So if a research team
was using a survey they would need to conduct it personally. This is also done in
the form of focus groups, interviews and other techniques like ethnographic
research

There are many pros to this research; the researcher has complete control over
what is going on. For example the method chosen as well as the sample size and
content of discussion. This means the question/what the researcher wanted to
achieve is directly answered. This is also a benefit because your results are
unique to your study. Primary data focuses specifically on what the researcher
wants.
On the other hand primary data collection is very time consuming, the entire
planning process has to be carefully thought out in order to achieve exactly what
is needed, researchers then have to take to go and conduct this research
themselves. And the after that they have to analyse and generalise theresults (if
necessary). Primary research also has potential to be quite costly. This is because
funding is needed in both the planning and the carrying out processes.
Data gathering agencies
Data gathering agencies are organizations who collect information in its raw
untouched form and make it available. However they are careful to only reveal
the data to reliable trustworthy companies as the information they provide could
be misused. An example of this would be RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research).
They are the official body for collecting radio ratings in the UK. It is owned by
both BBC and RadioCentre and they set the research specification and there data
can be seen by other companies looking for similar information.
There are many benefits to data gathering agencies, reliability is a main positive
to this kind of research. When you get data off these agencies you know
reliability is likely to be incredibly high as it is the only thing the company
actually does, whereas with a lot of secondary research there is always a concern
as to whether it is trustworthy or not anyone could of potentially done conducted
study. As with any form of secondary research it is fast to get a hold of and
relatively cheap. Making it easier than doing the research yourself and more cost
effective.
Self-Generated
Self-generated research is research you gather without using any external
sources. There are many different methods you can use such as questionnaires,
focus groups and setting up your own internet forums. Self-generated data
means you can tailor the study exactly the way the you want specifically for
your project. This means it is more time efficient as you spend no time looking
for help to co ordinate your research. self generated research works best when
performing a smaller study as if it was performed on a larger scale it would be
harder to truly gather all the data without some help. This research can be both a
form of primary and secondary research. In the case of primary research you can
personally organize a focus group but you can also read a book to help you find
answers too. This means that this kind of research has both the advantages that
the two types of research also have, such as having full control over what
questions you ask for example. As well as the benefit of it being potentially
cheap. You can also personally schedule the research yourself. As you are the
only person involved in the research project you can time your research around
yourself. However, self-generated research can cause problems later down the
line in the study. For example it is hard to maintain complete independence

especially in the final stages and conclusion as you may lack the knowledge to
effectively complete the study so outside help is then required.
Audience Research
Audience research is any type of research conducted on a specific group of
people. the data is recorded in the way the behave, their preferences, attitudes
and interests. These audiences selected tend to be based on qualities such as
gender, age, ethnicity, sexualitty etc. The reson behind this type of research is
that it provides a detailed insight into who your audience is and what they tend
to like as a whole. There are a multitude of benefits for this kind of research, one
is that your advertising strategies are tailored towards your audience specifically
as you have spoken to your TA personally and so know all about them so can
make decisions based on this knowledge. to put this in the context of the music
industry the more effective your advertising campaign, the more likely it is to
increase the sales of a single, album or tour. As with any form of primary
research, this type of research allows researchers to find out exactly what is
needed, as well as get a greater understanding due to the depth primary
research encourages. Audience research also tells the companies what their
audience thinks of an artist for example from audience research it could be
apparent that a large group of middle aged people in a city have the same view
on a particular artist. Furthermore making it easier to find out how to market the
product. However problems with audience research are that it is expensive and
time consuming as the researcher has to gather the audience and prepare a
focus group and plan in great detail what is wanted from the study. This can also
lead to bias as the phrasing of the researchers questions could lead the
discussion to much so could provide answers that the company wants to hear as
opposed to raw honest answer. And finally because this type of research can only
effectively be performed on a small group of people it is not an accurate
representation of everyone.
Market Research
Market Research is the process of gathering and analysing information about a
product or idea. this research is conducted so people can build a highly effective
campaign which can increase sales. Market research is key to a company's
success as if it conducted correctly it can boost sales significantly as it enables
you to identify who your audience is, why they like your product, waht other
products to do they like to apply it to the music industry why do they like
someone elses song over yours how can you improve on your products to grab
the TA's attention? This allows researchers to set targets based on expansion and
sale opportunities.
Despite the large amount of benefits that this research offers there are still a few
cons. the worst one is cost. Primary market research costs a large amount of
money to perform as surveys need to be written and distributed, data gathering
companies need to be selected and hired. Also it is highly time consuming as
preparation needs to be done before it can go underway. the next step is analysis
which again is expensive and time consuming as professionals are needed to
study and prepare the results. All this effort and money could potentially be a
waste of time if a relevant answer is not found.

However if the time and money is fruitful it can be extremely important to the
music industry and help show artists and labels what they need to do to succeed.
Production Research
Production research is research which helps give information on the
characteristics of a product. It focuses on how something is made as opposed to
what it actually is. A music video is designed to promote a single and provide
deeper insight into the song for the audience, so its the producers job to obtain
research on how an audience feels about a video and what the song says to
them personally which could help guide the message shown through the video.
Media products are an investment. Therefore in order to get the most value and
obtain the biggest profit from this product production research is needed to
ensure that everything runs smoothly. Production research means you have a
clear plan as opposed to just making it up as you go along essentially, it also
allows producers to gain ideas from other people which can help make a more
balanced video and inspire new creative thought based of someone else's idea.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Quantitative
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http://archive.learnhigher.ac.uk/analysethis/main/quantitative1.html Qualitative
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Secondary http://www.thisisglobal.com/radio/capital-fm/audience/
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http://http.knowthis.com/data-collection-primary-researchmethods/primaryresearch-advantages http://www.slideshare.net/EddieGuy/music-videoquestionnaireprimary-research-16339421 http://www.knowthis.com/datacollection-primary-researchmethods/primary-research-disadvantages Data
Gathering Agencies http://www.intelligence.gov/mission/data-gathering.html
http://www.rajar.co.uk/ http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/benefits-of-datacollectionservices-and-why-it-is-important Self-Generated
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/self-generated
http://www.slideshare.net/MrMightyMcD/research-unit-booklet Audience Research
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Market Research http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/market-research
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