The value of communication in the pop music industry: The value communication practitioners provide for artists and the communicative value independent artists provide for themselves.

Abstract: The value of communication in the pop music industry In this study, we aim to examine communication, and mainly promotion, within the pop music industry. The purpose is to investigate the value communication practitioners provide for artists and what communicative value independent artists provide for themselves. It can be argued that the relevance of communication practitioners within the music industry is not as evident anymore because of new digital innovations that make it easier for independent artists to manage their own communication. Not much academic research has been conducted within the subject, and none of the studies we found focuses on value. Applying a qualitative method and conducting semi-structured interviews with both communication practitioners as well as independent artists, we have been able to pinpoint patterns and discrepancies in order to establish themes of value in our analysis. With support from our theoretical framework and empirical material we have created two new value models and drawn meaningful conclusions that contribute with knowledge to the field of strategic communication and digital media. Our results show that there is value in both receiving help from a communication practitioner and managing your own communication as an independent artist. We conclude that the main value of receiving help from a communication practitioner is the increased opportunity for exposure and success. The main value of managing your own communication as an independent artist is the feeling of full control, involvement and freedom.