Late Night Television and Its Impact on the Music Industry Via Album Sales and Social Media

Author

Matthew Robin, Syracuse University

Degree Type

Honors Capstone Project

Date of Submission

Spring 5-1-2012

Capstone Advisor

Ulf Oesterle, Assistant Professor, Bandier Program

Honors Reader

David Rezak, Director, Bandier Program

Capstone Major

Music Industry

Capstone College

Visual and Performing Arts

Audio/Visual Component

no

Capstone Prize Winner

no

Won Capstone Funding

no

Honors Categories

Professional

Subject Categories

Arts Management | Broadcast and Video Studies | Communication Technology and New Media | Music | Social Media

Abstract

Experiential learning has been a large part of my college experience. My work experiences have allowed me to understand the music industry in a very unique way. One experience was my semester in Los Angeles, where I worked at Jimmy Kimmel Live! It was there that I was able to see the influence that these shows could have on musical guests and vice versa. The late-night landscape is as booming as it ever has been, with many different outlets for talent. I wanted to demonstrate that the process of getting an artist on a late-night show is a very cyclical pattern. These shows bring guests on in order to portray a certain image to their audience, but at the end of the day, the bigger concern is that the musical guest’s image is aligned with the show in the viewer’s eyes.

This paper will analyze the impact of late-night television musical performances in terms of albums sales and social media. Social media metrics were measured, focusing on the impact on the interaction artists have with fans and how shows utilize these to market the show. I also focused on what extra publicity an artist can get from a performance on late-night television such as blog posts about a performance. I conducted research over a six-week period analyzing the major late night shows and their musical guests. I analyzed how the show advocated for artists and I also analyzed how the artists made their fans aware.

There has been no definitive research done on this particular subject, to show how late-night television has such an effect on music bought and how fans interact with artists. I have addressed these issues because of connections I have made as well as my own personal knowledge of the subject. Many have noticed the trend as several industry publications within the last two years have started to address the intersection of music and late-night television.

Through my own personal experience, I have been a true believer in the power of television to be a powerful exposure tool for an artist to utilize. In my study, I hypothesize that the exposure these artists experience through this medium can increase album sales and the artist’s social media following. My methodology relied on real-time data and how each aspect plays a small yet significant role in an artist’s career.

Throughout this paper, I hope you will come to understand why I believe and why it is proven that this medium is an effective way for an artist to connect with his/her fans and reach new audiences never seen before. It’s something very unique and should be valued highly.

Recommended Citation

Robin, Matthew, "Late Night Television and Its Impact on the Music Industry Via Album Sales and Social Media" (2012). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 156.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/156

Creative Commons License

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