The Purpose of Research

Different types of research, what

they are used for, their pros and
cons.
In relation to the music industry.

Contents
Types of Research
Quantitative
Qualitative
Methods of Research
Secondary
Primary
Data Gathering Agencies
Self-gathered
Purpose of Research
Audience Research
Market Research
Production Research
Bibliography

Types of research

Quantitative (figures - sale numbers, online hits)

Quantitative research is research in which the information you
are collecting numerical value not subjective or opinionated.
Once these results have been collected, they can be expressed
as figures, averages, percentages or in a visual way such as
charts. It is done with relatively large numbers of people.
Quantitative research can be gathered quickly and efficiently
through surveys, meaning that researchers can take very large
samples in order to get a more accurate and representative set
of results, able to condense and present their information
exactly the same way whatever their sample size.
It is also easy to compare different result, as well as repeat the
survey with a different sample to prove reliability through
repeatability.
An example of a pieces of quantitative data in relation to the
music industry, is that Adeles Hello video has been viewed
over 1 billion times on YouTube, and reached this milestone in
88 days these numbers are directly comparable to those of
other songs and videos.
Things such as sales of an album, viewing figures of a music
video on TV or online, or attendance to concerts can be
measured and then expressed as statistics and graphs.
Sources: 1 2 + 3
http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/marketresearch/what-is-quantitative-researchhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_(Adele_song)

Qualitative (opinions - song reviews, fan sites)

Qualitative research and information is concerned with
opinions, rather than hard numbers it collects information that
is not measurable, qualitative research cannot be expressed as

numerical figures. It done with relatively small numbers of

people.
It is most commonly collected through interviews, in which
people are asked questions about how they view certain things
(being an artists overall image, or perhaps a new song in
particular), and what emotional responses they get from them,
followed by further questions delving into why they gave those
answers.
Whereas quantitative research will find out what number of
people buy something like an album, or what proportion of
certain people approve of one, qualitative research can get you
in depth details about how people perceive things, why this is,
and how you can use this to your advantage (both in the kind of
music being made by an artist, and how it is
advertised/distributed.
Because of the nature of how it is collected, it takes much
longer to collect that quantitative research. Because of the
opinionated nature of the research, the results it gleans are
also highly subjective and open to interpretation.
Sources: 4 + 5
http://www.snapsurveys.com/blog/what-is-the-differencebetween-qualitative-research-and-quantitative-research/
http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/explore-fourmethods-for-collecting-qualitative-research
Methods of Research
Secondary (internet, print sources)
In the simplest terms, secondary research is accessing
information that has already been gathered using information
from research conducted by other people from where it has
been published in print or online.
This method of research is beneficial because all of the hard
work has essentially been done for you a music distribution
company can be saved the hassle of finding out for themselves

what platforms are best for effectively reaching a teenage

audience, without having to spend time asking or observing
them themselves. However secondary research can never be
totally specific to your needs, you can find many answers, but
you are restricted to the answers to questions that others have
asked, so you also are unlikely to make any brand new or
ground-breaking discoveries. For example, in the music
industry, you can use secondary research to find out what a
particular target audience wants from an artist, but you cannot
find detailed, bespoke information about what they think of
your artist or song.
Sources : 6 + 7
http://www.knowthis.com/data-collection-low-cost-secondaryresearch/what-is-secondary-research
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_research
Primary (questionnaires + focus groups, observations)
Primary research is, in contrast to secondary research
conducted by somebody else, research that you conduct
yourself. It allows you to gather very specific information, on
problems or topics that very little research already exists for, in
the music industry primary research can let you find out
peoples thoughts and opinions specifically on a brand new
song.
This research can be gathered in different ways, by using
questionnaires or focus groups to ask people questions, or by
observations (such as making note of the age of different
people that turn up at a concert).
While it is much more specific, (any research done on an artist
in particular is directly applicable to them without ambiguity or
room for error) primary research is much more time consuming
that secondary, and requires the planning and expertise to
figure out what questions been answering and the time and

expenses it takes to conduct the research, as well as the

expertise to interpret all of the results.
Sources: 8 + 9
http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/food-standardsagency/market-research-and-consumer-protection/primary-andsecondary-research.html
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/559/
Data gathering agencies (RAJAR, BARB?)
These are large companies which conduct research and gather
raw information, to provide other companies with, in the
intention of providing credible and objective information.
Like secondary information, using research conducted by a
Data Gathering Agency is much less time consuming and costly
than conducing primary research, with the added benefit of
knowing that the information comes from a source that is both
credible and non-biased.
One such agency is Radio Joint Audience Research the official
body in charge in the UK of measuring radio audiences. They
provide data for advertising companies and companies that are
directly involved in radio with a wealth of highly accurate,
unbiased, and consistent information compiled from all of their
resources, such as viewing figures and viewing demographics
at different times of day and throughout the year, allowing
comparisons to be drawn.
Sources: 10 + 11
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/collection+agency
http://www.rajar.co.uk/index.php
Self-generated (records of events, observations)
Self-generated research is research that has not been
conducted by any third parties, in which you have personally
gone out and decided what you want to find out, how, and done
it yourself. This can be quicker than having primary research

conducted by a third party, can be more cost effective, and

allows for the exact type of research that you want to be
completed in the way that you want it to be, you as a
researcher are fully in control, of the research and over
scheduling.
Self-generated research can be primary or secondary, with you
personally conducting surveys or finding pre-existing sources.
Draw backs include the lack of expertise and input from others,
which is often especially important at the stage where you
reach a conclusion based upon the results gathered, as this
needs to be done objectively, which might be harder to do if
you have conducted the research from inception through to
completion.
Source: 12
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/self-generated

Purpose of Research [what are these and why are they

important to the industry]
Audience Research
The purpose of audience research is to find out more about
your target audience and how to specifically target them with
your products and marketing. It is any form of communication
research based on a segment (specific group of people) based
upon factors such as age, social class and gender.
This method of research allows marketing to be more audience
specific and tailored specifically to appeal, boosting sales of
CDs, merchandise and concerts. It allows the greater depth of
understanding that primary research encourages, as well as
subtleties such as specific types of language chosen when the
audience are expressing their opinions.
One drawback is that the results gained this way are often
biased, as leading questions can very easily be put to the
interviewees in order to give those commissioning the research

the answers they want to hear, which badly affects the

reliability of the results.
There is also something known as Observers Paradox to bear
in mind, because people are very likely to behave differently
and give different answers when they know that they are being
observed, and that somebody is carefully recording what they
say. The paradox is that, by the observer being present, they
are affecting what it is that they are observing.
Sources: 13, 14, 15 and 19
http://www.slideshare.net/AnnieRose95/audience-research22808080
http://www.watchingdance.org/research/audience_research/
https://blogonlinguistics.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/observersparadox/
Market Research
The purpose of market research is to find out if there is a
demand for your product and the way that it is going to be sold
weather there is a gap in the market, where there is demand
for something but not many products supplying this demand, or
if the market is flooded by similar products, and you will
therefore need to make yours stand out with a Unique Selling
Point in order to get noticed and sell well in the market. It
informs everything, from exactly what you produce, to how you
distribute it.
Sources: 16, 17, 18 and 19
http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/market-research
https://www.esomar.org/knowledge-and-standards/marketresearch-explained.php
Production Research
The purpose of production research is to find out how much a
product is going to cost to make, to ensure that enough funds
are in place to make it happen, and to be able to anticipate how

profitable the product is going to be. Alongside market

research, it tells you how commercially viable your product is
going to be. It gathers information on incoming and outgoing
costs.
For an album production, outgoing costs include the budget of
the album itself, how much it will cost to produce, as well as the
cost of distributing and advertising in appropriate media.
Income costs is the money coming into the project while
production in still ongoing, which can be gathered by hosting
publicity stunts, through merchandising, or through sponsorship
deals, such as product placement within the music videos for
the albums track, or by having the artist publicly endorse a
product.
Sources: 18 and 19
http://marketandproductionresearch.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/m
arket-and-production-research.html
https://kingb94.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/the-purpose-ofaudience-research-market-research-and-production-research/

Bibliography
1) http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/marketresearch/what-is-quantitative-research2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_(Adele_song)
4) http://www.snapsurveys.com/blog/what-is-the-differencebetween-qualitative-research-and-quantitative-research/
5) http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/explorefour-methods-for-collecting-qualitative-research
6) http://www.knowthis.com/data-collection-low-costsecondary-research/what-is-secondary-research
7) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_research
8) http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/food-standardsagency/market-research-and-consumerprotection/primary-and-secondary-research.html

9) https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/559/
10)
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/collection+agency
11)
http://www.rajar.co.uk/index.php
12)
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/self-generated
13)
http://www.slideshare.net/AnnieRose95/audienceresearch-22808080
14)
http://www.watchingdance.org/research/audience_res
earch/
15)
https://blogonlinguistics.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/o
bservers-paradox/
16)
http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/marketresearch
17)
https://www.esomar.org/knowledge-andstandards/market-research-explained.php
18)
http://marketandproductionresearch.blogspot.co.uk/2
011/10/market-and-production-research.html
19)
https://kingb94.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/thepurpose-of-audience-research-market-research-andproduction-research/