Co-Creation and the Digital Choir

It has been argued that marketing should not be regarded simply as a managerialist function – something which exists to further the interests of management or share holders – but can be a way of introducing telling questions concerning the relationships between consumers and producers, the social context of practice and the interactions of identity groups (such as managers, workers and consumers) (Brownlie et. al., 1999; Saren, 2015). This more critical approach questions the nature and role of the consumer. In traditional ways of thinking, consumers are the relatively passive ‘recipients’ of products or services which are marketed towards them – the producers and marketers being in the active roles. An alternative view is that consumers are also active and it might be argued that this is increasingly so in a digitally-influenced music ‘industry’ where the distinctions between a number of identity positions has become blurred and contested. For example, the role of expert critic has been challenged by the rise in ‘customer reviews’ and the broadcast of consumer opinions which appear to influence purchasing decisions. This shift would not have been possible without digital media which provide the opportunity to broadcast opinions.

In parallel, the distinctions between production and consumption of music itself has also been dynamic. In some genres, such as art music, classical and jazz, there is a separation between performer and audience based, at least in part, on proficiency and skill in playing. The investment of time, money and talent to achieve proficiency is considerable and hence there are significant barriers to movement between the identities (Gabor, 2013; Higgins, 2012). However, in other genres, such as folk music and the DIY movement which draws on a ‘punk ethic’ that ‘anyone can have a go’, it could be argued that being a performer relies less on musical proficiency and more on a form of authenticity claim which relates to cultural connections. Such cultural connections can be, for example, to a tradition of music located in a particular place and social history or to a set of attitudes and socio-political positions (Deane and Mullen, 2013). For example, a performance of traditional folk songs may be related to values such as cultural inheritance, emotional connection, accent and embodiment of the culture (Nettl, 2005) rather than ‘purity’ of vocal technique.

These parallel movements in music (Beech and Broad, 2017) and marketing (Saren, 2015) can both relate to co-production or co-creation in which value is created through the participation of both producers and consumers and in so doing their identity positions are also altered to entail aspects of the other. Our focus is on a process of co-creation which is radical in combining the input of expert professionals and participants with limited and no music skill and limited linguistic ability.

St Andrews Voices is Scotland’s festival of vocal and choral music. The festival runs each October and incorporates diverse performances of opera, lieder, jazz, folk and sacred music. A considerable portion of the festival entails a classic mode of production and consumption, but in addition there are other performances such as master classes and audience sing-along films.

Our focus in this study, however, is the educational outreach of the festival. This part of the activity takes a different approach, focusing on co-production in which children and members of the community are involved in contributing to the making of music. One example was a project called ‘Happy’ in which community members contributed to making a song and film. The focal example we will use in this chapter takes this a step further and would not have been possible without the use of digital technology. Children from the broad geographical area who have disabilities were facilitated to co-create a piece of music to be played in the festival. A composer of electronic music, Duncan Chapman, enabled the children to record sounds using an app on ipads. The children do not have the physical ability to play conventional instruments and some have limited language skills, but they were able to record vocal sounds and elements of song which could then be used in producing soundscapes of beauty. This has both produced music of quality and enjoyment and joyfulness for the participants and audience.

The chapter will explore in detail the co-creative process, the impact for the participants and the musical outcome, and will discuss the enabling role of technology in gathering the sounds, editing and producing the outcomes.



References

Beech, N. and Broad, S. (2017, forthcoming) Ethnomusicology in Cunliffe, A. and Cassell, C. (eds) The Handbook of Qualitative Business and Management Research Methods. London: Sage.

Brownlie, D., Saren, M., Wensley, R. and Whittington, R. (1999) Rethinking marketing: Towards critical marketing accountings. London: Sage.

Deane, K. and Mullen, P. (2013) Community Music in the United Kingdom in Veblen, K.K., Messenger, S.J., Silverman, M. and Elliott, D.J. (eds) Community Music Today. Plymouth: Rowan and Littlefield.

Gabor, E. (2013) ‘Tuning’ the body of the classical musician. Qualitative Research in Organisations and Management, 8(3): 206-223.

Higgins, L. (2012) Community Music in Theory and in Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Nettl, B. (2005) The Study of Ethnomusicology: Thirty One Issues and Concepts. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Saren, M. (2015) Consumers and Marketing in Beech, N. and Gilmore, C. (eds) Organising Music. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.