The Dynamics of Chart Success in the U.K. Pre-Recorded Popular Music Industry

In this paper we investigate the dynamics of chartsuccess in the U.K. pre-recorded popular music industryover the period 1980 to 1993 using the British albumchart listings. We find that the incidence of chartsuccess is substantially skewed to the right, whethermeasured by total weeks spent per artist, averageweeks spent per album, or the total number of albumslisted per artist. We subsequently investigatepossible determinants of the length of chart survivalof albums in order to determine what may be drivingthe observed skewness. Our results indicate that thetype of album, seasonal demand, and initial popularityplay an important role in ensuring continued chartlisting of an album.     

Museums in the U.K.: Some Evidence on Scale and Activities

This paper reviews the availability and quality of statistical evidence on the structure, visitor patterns and funding of the museum sector in the U.K. The policy context is discussed and the implications for cultural economics are reviewed.     

The Economics of Monomedia and Cross-Media Expansion: A Study of the Case Favouring Deregulation of TV and Newspaper Ownership in the U.K.

Since the early 1990s, regulators across the globehave faced increasing pressure from media firms toliberalise domestic media and cross-media ownershiprestrictions. Based on empirical research carried outin the U.K., this paper examines the ``economic' case putforward in favour of deregulation. Findings suggestthat, although factors other than size will affectperformance, there is generally a strong and positivecorrelation between the market share and the operatingprofitability of firms involved in either televisionor radio broadcasting or newspaperpublishing. But, with regard to cross-media ownershipof television and newspapers, there is nocompelling evidence that diagonal integration bringsabout inherent synergies, economies of scope or othereconomic benefits. Thus, whereas a variety ofeconomic efficiency gains may be available to justifya relaxation of restrictions over monomedia expansion,few such benefits can be found in support ofderegulating cross-ownership of television andnewspapers.     

评彭林教授的《评《周代乡乐考论》》

本刊夏之卷发表了李婷婷的文章《周代乡乐考论》,秋之卷又发表了彭林的文章《说乡乐、房中之乐与无乐——评〈周代乡乐考论〉》,由此引发了对周代乡乐问题的讨论。本期我们在"学术争鸣"专栏同时发表李婷婷的《评彭林教授的〈周代乡乐考论〉》和罗艺峰的《关于〈周代乡乐考论〉和彭林先生的批评》两文,以期将讨论引向深入。本刊热诚欢迎对此感兴趣的学界同仁撰写文章,参与对这一问题的讨论。     

The U.S. Radium Industry: Industrial In-house Research and the Commercialization of Science

A fierce debate ensued after the announcement in 1913 in the U.S.A. that all rights and ownership of radium-bearing ores found on public land would be reserved by the government. At stake was the State monopolization of radium that pitted powerful industrialists with radium claims, mainly in the Colorado area, against the Bureau of Mines and prestigious physicians who wished to reserve radium for medical uses. This article describes the strategies of one of the biggest U.S. radium industries that dominated the radium market, created huge customer bases, and legitimized their role within the scientific community. In contrast to the European “radium situation,” radium extraction, production, and marketing in the United States was controlled by the industry; and industrial in-house research was clearly separate from that done in academic circles. The production of knowledge was ready-made in the factory and was entangled with commercial orders and advertising patterns.

The Role of Competition in the Rise of Baroque and Renaissance Music

Section 1 introduces the hypothesis that competition among neighboring states may favor cultural innovation, and it surveys the available quantitative evidence. Section 2 starts from the assumption that European instrumental music had its breakthrough during the Baroque era and that the most famous composers came from the two countries characterized by the highest degree of political fragmentation: Italy and Germany. It suggests that political fragmentation has promoted musical composition and performance in several ways. The average duration of employment is proposed as a proxy for competition on the demand side. Section 3 shows that the most famous Italian and German composers of the Baroque period changed their employers significantly more often than their French and British counterparts did. Moreover, the Reformation led to musical competition between the Catholic and Protestant churches. Section 4 argues that competition for composers has also been important in other periods of European history – including competition between the Church and the courts. It shows that composers moved no less in the Renaissance than in the Baroque. Section 5 raises the question whether European music may also be said to express a competitive spirit. JEL classification: Z11     

音乐与爱情的交响

在浙江省政府举办的外国专家“西湖友谊奖”颁奖仪式上,有一位来自乌克兰的小伙子格外引人注目：年轻、英俊、挺拔。金色飘逸的长发下,闪烁着一双淡蓝色的眼睛,五官玲珑俊秀,眉宇之间英气逼人,言谈举止散发出艺术家的才情和灵气。     

萧远:中国电影音乐的杰出组织者

正记得在2005年6月举行的"纪念中国电影百年华诞庆典"大会上,一位和蔼慈祥的老太太上台领奖,引来全体与会者长时间的掌声和欢呼声,她就是85岁的萧远,大会授予她中国电影音乐组织贡献奖。在台上与她同时获奖的电影音乐界的作曲家、指挥家、词作家、歌唱家都是大名鼎鼎的人物:贺绿汀、王云阶、雷振邦、瞿希贤、陈传熙、尹升山、刘炽、乔羽、黄准、吕其明、王立平、郭兰英、胡松华、李双江、赵季平等。惟独萧远不为观众所熟悉。可她为中国电影音乐作出了     

The Evolution of Free-Lance Music Composition, 1650–1900

Using qualitative histories and coded data on 645 composers born between 1650and 1849, this article traces the evolution of free-lance activity by musiccomposers over the course of two centuries. Contrary to widely advancedsuppositions, many composers were pursuing free-lance composition as the 17thcentury ended, although more for opera than instrumental music writing. Fromthat time on, free-lance composition expanded steadily, replacing employmentby the church and the nobility. A growing number of composers also acted asimpresarios in organizing their own opera or concert performances. Composersearned their bread in many other ways too. There were clear rising trends intheir employment as private orchestra directors and conservatory professors.     

Intellectual property rights and U.S. information goods exports: the role of imitation threat

Trade in information goods is particularly sensitive to the strength of intellectual property rights (IPR) and encounters an apparently different pattern of imitation threat compared with manufacturing trade, but the information goods trade–IPR nexus is less systematically investigated. This article analyzes whether and how U.S. information goods exports are sensitive to national differences in IPR protection and the degree of threat-of-imitation from the dynamic perspective. Employing the technique of instrumental variables for a dynamic panel model to consider the hysteretic effect and controlling the endogeneity problem, the empirical results show that the strength of the importing country’s IPR protection overall exhibits a trade-enhancing effect, supporting the standpoint that stronger IPR protection will induce more trade. Moreover, we adopt the piracy rate as a proxy for threat-of-imitation to examine its role on the information goods trade–IPR nexus. Empirical findings validate the prevalence of the market expansion effect wherever the degree of imitation threat of importing countries is high or low, because the technology level and production cost of reproduction are very low. It implies that the existing theory on threat-of-imitation may not apply to the information goods trade.

周代乡乐考论——先秦诸乐考之一

周代乡乐四见于《仪礼》,最权威、最全面、最流行的诠释是东汉郑玄注和唐代贾公彦疏;但郑玄注又存在着一定的模糊性,促发了后人理解和认识的歧异。乡乐虽与无算乐、房中之乐有关联,但在演奏篇章、演奏用场、演奏方式以及演奏的乐器诸方面,都有着明显的独特之处。乡乐的娱情性,较之房中之乐要强得多,但又不及无算乐那么放任、自由。