Harris+T.+Focus+Group+Report

Harris T. TO: Proximity Music Team FROM: Tyler Harris DATE: March 27, 2010 SUBJECT: Focus Group Report

This is my report on the focus group session I ran with college undergraduates and college graduates ages 18 to 25. The session ended with the conclusion that Generation-Y is not concerned with breaking piracy laws whereas college graduates have concerns, therefore, college students are more likely than college graduates to pirate their music.
 * Focus Group Rationale**

The Internet has completely changed the music industry. Music can no longer be protected with copyright, and more people than ever are downloading music for free. The old business models have become ineffective. Our focus group sessions were designed to determine exactly how Gen-Y consumers are getting their music. Information from these sessions will allow us to advise Proximity clients on how to best utilize music sites to connect with Gen-Y.


 * Setting and Participants**

The focus group session took place on March 23, 2010 and composed of three undergraduate males, one college graduate male, and one college graduate female:

· Cindy, 25, college graduate (graphic design major) · David, 24, college graduate (engineering major) · Jordan, 18, college freshman (biology major) · Adam, 20, college sophomore (mass communication major) · Todd, 20, college junior (history major)


 * Session Topics**

The following topics were covered during the focus group session:

__How they learn about, and obtain new music__

When asked how they learned of new music, all of the participants claimed that they learned of new music from the radio and their friends. Jordan, Todd and Adam said that most of the music in their library came illegally, meaning it was downloaded or copied from friends. BitTorrent and Vuze were the two sites they said they used most often. Jordan said “with these music downloading sites, it is so easy and tempting to pirate my music; why would I pay for music when I can download it for free?” Cindy and David claimed that they wanted to support the artist, so they purchased CD’s at a store or buy the individual track(s) on iTunes. Both Cindy and David said that they were not sure how to download their music illegally, but if they knew how to do so, they would possibly download some of their music.

__Music piracy laws__

When asked how they felt about the music piracy laws, Adam, Todd and Jordan stated that “the laws are ridiculous” and that “the artists already make too much money”. Cindy and David are concerned with the laws, and understand the consequences if they are caught. Obeying the law is important to Cindy and David, therefore, they would be cautious as to the amount of music they download.

__Supporting the artist__

When asked if the participants go to concerts to support an artist, all agreed that if they like the artist enough, they would attend their concert to support them. Todd was the only participant who said that when he goes to a concert, he does not like to purchase the merchandise there. Todd claimed that “I spent so much money already for the ticket, if I want to get merchandise there, I will get it outside, the artist does not need any more of my money.” The participants agreed that, they would purchase a CD of their favorite artist or group to support them.

__How they prefer to pay for music__

When asked how they pay for their music, Todd, Adam and Jordan claimed that they rarely pay, but if they do, they would prefer iTunes, based on selectivity. Cindy claimed that she would only buy songs on iTunes because it is very convenient and there is money saved due to the fact that you have the option to purchase one song at a time. David also pays for almost all of his music, and he prefers to buy the entire album. David claimed “I like buying the album in a store. I like the cover artwork and I hate the idea that when you buy a single song, you don't get to appreciate the entire album.”

The group session concluded that:
 * Findings**

· The availability and accessibility of downloading music illegally is more common in college, than it is out of college · Technology today has made it very easy to download music for free · Students in college tend to care less about the music piracy laws then college graduates · Generation-Y will find other ways to support an artist they like, by attending concerts and/or purchasing their merchandise.

The session yielded very interesting results. A significant conclusion reached was that the participants that were currently in college were much more likely to pirate their music than college graduates. This may be due to the fact that there is availability and easy access to programs and accessibility to friends who also pirate music. These findings may be due to the fact that college students have more limited funds than college graduates. Generation-Y shows no signs of slowing down their use of pirating music because they are not afraid of, or intimidated by, music piracy laws.