Research Task

Media In The Online Age

By Nigel Richardson
 Unsigned band.
• Doncaster based.
• Followed for a few years.

• Area (used to be called Area 15).

 Web 2.0
• Area have been around for 5 years now, but only over the past
few have they really come into shape and their own fashion.
• They use social networking sites such as Facebook and mostly,
Myspace as that deals with the music side of things better and
more than the rest.
• They also have there own place on Last.Fm amongst other
places. They also get regular play on Radio stations that are
internet based. 
• They keep in regular contact with their fans by posting bulletins
and blogs on Myspace and also using blogger to keep their fans
up to date. 
• They also tend to reply to every message that is sent to them
via Myspace or Email.
 Fan Sites
• There are fan sites galore for the band from the
intensive and extensive touring they have been doing for
the past 5 year or so. From Sheffield to Berlin, Area
have fans that are supporting them throughout. 
• A positive of fan sites is that they get to spread the
music to a wider range of people and therefore spreading
the ever popular fan base.
 Consuming of Music
• Area give away there music for free via Demo's at gigs
and free downloads from there own website. Also, you
can upload your own songs onto Myspace, which once
again allows you to listen to a song for free by the artist,
but you can't download it.
• Same principle with Last.Fm
 Signed band.
• From Wakefield.
• Witchita (independent record label, london).

• The Cribs.
 Web 2.0
• The Cribs use Myspace and Twitter primarily for fan
interaction. They also have a blog on their own personal
site that they use from time to time to fill the fans in
with what is happening. 
• Using Web 2.0 sources like these make the audience feel
part of the band and part of something special.
 Fan Sites
• Myspace
• Bebo
• Facebook (fan pages)
• Forums
 Consuming of Music
• You can find music from The Cribs on
iTunes/Amazon/Last.Fm and other
downloading/streaming websites. 
• Also they have music on there own site and also on there
Myspace/Facebook.
• Downloads can also be made from the forums where fans
can choose to share there music.
• Torrents.
 Arctic Monkeys 
• Although the Arctic Monkeys are known for coming the internet and building up a
fanbase from the social networking site, Myspace, it has recently emerged that
none of the Arctic Monkeys members created the page. It was done by there
fans (Matt the drummers brother) and had music uploaded from the free Demo's
that they used to give away at their gigs. 
• Torrents were created online (probably the most well known one is Beneath the
Boardwalk which is a 18 track strong download with B-Sides and earlier Demo's)
and made available for people around the world to download.
• Music was uploaded to Myspace and there music was streamed by millions across
the globe. 
• Too this day, Arctic Monkeys still claim they have nothing to do with Myspace and
the internet fanbase that was created, but one thing is for sure, that they played
a part. 
• By giving there music away for free, they allowed fans to distribute their music
for them. In giving their music away at gigs, it helped them out in a sense, as they
didn't have to put themselves out as much, seen as fans were finding them online
and downloading there music, rather than having to travel gigging to the arse end
of nowhere.