In this study we explore the potential benefits of a design thinking approach for improving the health of the music industry. We discuss the usefulness of the lab method in facilitating collaborations between education, research, and the professional field. This study highlights the importance of innovation and experimentation in the industry, and notes that students are well-positioned to provide fresh perspectives on business processes. According to one industry partner, creativity of this kind represents the future of the music industry.
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The digital era has brought about profound changes in how music is created, distributed, and consumed, posing a need for modernizing the Dutch collective management system of music copyright to match the rapidly changing digital music industry. This study aims to identify the key stakeholders and their perceptions of the Dutch system of collective management of music copyright. Utilizing qualitative document analysis, the study examines a range of public and non-public documents, including income statements, annual reports from Collective Management Organizations (CMOs), and contracts between publishers and creators. The research is further enriched by twenty-four semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders such as composers, lyricists, music publishers, copyright lawyers, and CMO executives. The findings of the study highlight several issues like the outdated IT systems and the lack of data standardization within the system. The research also notes a contrast in organizational effectiveness: major publishers are well-organized and unified in their negotiations with Digital Service Providers (DSPs) and CMOs, effectively advocating for their rights. However, music copyright holders, despite their legal homogeneity, are either unorganized or ineffectively aligned, displaying diverse interests and varying levels of access to information, as well as differences in norms and values prioritization. The study is grounded in the economics of collective management (ECM) and makes a significant academic contribution to this field by introducing new empirical findings to ECMs core constructs and integrating theoretical perspectives. The research offers valuable insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers, aiming to foster a more equitable music copyright management system in the digital context.
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Het proefschrift gaat in op de werkwijze, het belang en het gedrag van muziekuitgevers, de pioniers van de muziekindustrie. Sinds de uitvinding van de boekdrukkunst geven muziekuitgevers composities uit op bladmuziek of licenseren zij deze. Door het succes van de grammofoonplaat werden de uitgevers een eeuw geleden uit het centrum van de macht van de muziekindustrie verdreven door de platenmaatschappijen die de geluidsopnames van muziek gingen exploiteren. De verborgenheid van de muziekuitgeversbranche komt enerzijds voort uit de onduidelijke positie van de muziekuitgevers in de culturele waardeketen van de muziekindustrie en anderzijds door de historische wirwar aan rechten. Opvallend genoeg is er weinig wetenschappelijke aandacht geweest voor deze industrie zeker in tegenstelling tot de aandacht voor de platenmaatschappijen, dit onderzoek hoopt daar verandering in te brengen. Machtige positie door digitalisering van muziek Het proefschrift van Wierda is een longitudinale studie die een periode van honderd jaar omvat. Muziekuitgevers verwerven een deel van het auteursrecht van een liedje, indien de componist muziek wenst uit te geven. Door deze wijze komt de uitgever voor de componist op zodat ze beide inkomen uit het intellectueel eigendom vergaren als of het liedje op plaat verschijnt of live ten gehore wordt gebracht. Muziekuitgevers wensen mede ten behoeve van de componist, inkomen te vergaren. Waar ook maar muziek geconsumeerd wordt eisen zij het recht van gebruik op. Dit kan zijn bij live entertainment, televisie, internet en games. Het bijzondere volgens het proefschrift is dat door de digitalisering na honderd jaar dynamiek de uitgevers weer in belang toenemen, doordat de handel in de fysieke geluidsdragers van de platenmaatschappijen tanende is. De muziekindustrie neigt naar een ‘rights industry’ waarin qua werkwijze de uitgevers al eeuwen in gespecialiseerd zijn. De huidige uitgevers kenmerken zich dan ook als ondernemers die weer dichter tegen de componist aankruipen en zich op deze wijze dynamisch profileren in de nieuwe tijd.
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Cross-Re-Tour supports European tourism SME while implementing digital and circular economy innovations. The three year project promotes uptake and replication by tourism SMEs of tools and solutions developed in other sectors, to mainstream green and circular tourism business operations.At the start of the project existing knowledge-gaps of tourism SMEs will be researched through online dialogues. This will be followed by a market scan, an overview of existing state of the art solutions to digital and green constraints in other economic sectors, which may be applied to tourism SME business operations: water, energy, food, plastic, transport and furniture /equipment. The scan identifies best practices from other sectors related to nudging of clients towards sustainable behaviour and nudging of staff on how to best engage with new tourism market segments.The next stage of the project relates to two design processes: an online diagnostic tool that allows for measuring and assessing (160) SME’s potential to adapt existing solutions in digital and green challenges, developed in other economic sectors. Next to this, a knowledge hub, addresses knowledge constraints and proposes solutions, business advisory services, training activities to SMEs participating. The hub acts as a matchmaker, bringing together 160 tourism SMEs searching for solutions, with suppliers of existing solutions developed in other sectors. The next key activity is a cross-domain open innovation programme, that will provide 80 tourism SMEs with financial support (up to EUR 30K). Examples of partnerships could be: a hotel and a supplier of refurbished matrasses for hospitals; a restaurant and a supplier of food rejected by supermarkets, a dance event organiser and a supplier of refurbished water bottles operating in the cruise industry, etc.The 80 cross-domain partnerships will be supported through the knowledge hub and their business innovation advisors. The goal is to develop a variety of innovative partnerships to assure that examples in all operational levels of tourism SMEs.The innovation projects shall be presented during a show-and-share event, combined with an investors’ pitch. The diagnostic tool, market scan, knowledge hub, as well as the show and share offer excellent opportunities to communicate results and possible impact of open innovation processes to a wider international audience of destination stakeholders and non-tourism partners. Societal issueSupporting the implementation of digital and circular economy solutions in tourism SMEs is key for its transition towards sustainable low-impact industry and society. Benefit for societySolutions are already developed in other sectors but the cross-over towards tourism is not happening. The project bridges this gap.
The Dutch hospitality industry, reflecting the wider Dutch society, is increasingly facing social sustainability challenges for a greying population, such as increasing burnout, lifelong learning, and inclusion for those distanced from the job market. Yet, while the past decades have seen notable progress regarding environmental sustainability and good governance, more attention should be paid to social sustainability. This concern is reflected by the top-sector healthcare struggles caused by mounting social welfare pressure, leading to calls by the Dutch government for organizational improvement in social earning capacity. Furthermore, the upcoming EU legislation on CSRD requires greater transparency regarding financial and non-financial reporting this year. Yet, while the existing sustainability accreditation frameworks offer guidance on environmental sustainability and good governance reporting, there must be more guidance on auditing social sustainability. The hospitality industry, as a prominent employer in the Netherlands, thus has a societal and legislative urgency to transition its social earning capacity. Dormben Hotel The Hague OpCo BV (Dormben) has thus sought support in transitioning its social sustainability standards to meet this call. Hotelschool, the Hague leads the consortium, including Green Key Nederland and Dormben, by employing participatory design to present a social sustainability accreditation framework. Initially, Dr. David Brannon and Dr. Melinda Ratkai from Hotelschool The Hague will draft a social sustainability accreditation framework informed by EFRAG. Subsequently, Erik van Wijk, from Green Key Nederland, the hospitality benchmark for sustainability accreditation, and Sander de Jong, from Dormben, will pilot the framework through four participatory workshops involving hospitality operators. Later, during a cross-industry conference, Dr. David Brannon and Dr. Melinda Ratkai will disseminate a social sustainability toolkit across their academic and industry networks. Finally, conference and workshop participants will be invited to form a social sustainability learning community, discussing their social earning capacity based on the revised sustainability accreditation.
The growing use of digital media has led to a society with plenty of new opportunities for knowledge exchange, communication and entertainment, but also less desirable effects like fake news or cybercrime. Several studies, however, have shown that children are less digital literate than expected. Digital literacy has consequently become a key part within the new national educational policy plans titled Curriculum.nu and the Dutch research and policy agendas. This research project is focused on the role the game sector can play in the development of digital literacy skills of children. In concrete, we want to understand the value of the use of digital literacy related educational games in the context of primary education. Taking into consideration that the childhood process of learning takes place through playing, several studies claim that the introduction of the use of technology at a young age should be done through play. Digital games seem a good fit but are themselves also part of digital media we want young people to be literate about. Furthermore, it needs to be taken into account that digital literacy of teachers can be limited as well. The interactive, structured nature of digital games offers potential here as they are less dependent on the support and guidance of an adult, but at the same time this puts even more emphasis on sensible game design to ensure the desired outcome. The question is, then, if and how digital games are best designed to foster the development of digital literacy skills. By harnessing the potential of educational games, a consortium of knowledge and practice partners aim to show how creating theoretical and practical insights about digital literacy and game design can aid the serious games industry to contribute to the societal challenges concerning contemporary literacy demands.