competence and capability as a tool for competitive advantage. Two such artists are discussed here.
The first was collaboration between two artists, James Murphy and Patrick Gunderso. They started a project which uses computer algorithms to turn tennis matches into music. Working with developers from the United States Open (US Open) tennis tournament, Murphy transformed games, serves, sets and matches into lurching, bleepy volleying of electronic music (Michaels, 2014:1). Grow (2014:1) adds that this was achieved using the pieces, which sound like free-form synthesizer video-game jams, with rhythms in streaming real time on the US Open website. The original songs are catalogued by date and the players in the match with
visual annotations of when a player scored a point and when the rounds end. The match begins and the track commences with beats that are balanced and intense, yet equal just like the players, without instruments clearly taking the lead. The music pulses steadily until the last half of the track, when the instruments begin to break form as one player takes the lead. The track ends with a soft, high-pitched whistle that sends the defeated player off the court (Grow, 2014:2). Similarly, when an unpopular player beats a top ranked player, the higher noise levels create a series of simple, sweet opening notes that gradually transform into unexpectedly intense, mature songs. Grow (2014:1) notes that the 14 experimental music pieces were created by “remixing” the tournament matches and including weather changes, crowd reactions and hollow point hooks; none which could be achieved in the traditional music industry. This is an experimental genre of electronic music derived from raw data from the tennis matches. The collaborating artists built their own synthesizer-like-interface to tweak each component of the music (Michaels, 2014:2).
This collaboration substantiates the discussion on technology clockspeed, response and flexibility by showing the use of tools to create innovation in music as well as competitive advantage and uniqueness by collaborating to compose a song formulated from volleying at a tennis match.
The second scenario displays the effectiveness of supply chain competence and capability in the industry. With his 2014 Grammy nominated album, Lazaretto; Jack White recorded, pressed and distributed the world’s fastest record in under four hours. Ross (2014:1) adds that the artist accomplished the task in three hours, fifty five minutes and twenty one seconds and raced off to his record label to engage in the distribution process. In addition to this compelling innovation, his release of the album Lazaretto on “Ultra LP” broke conventional vinyl records. According to Gordon (2014:2) the innovative vinyl entails:
A 180 gram vinyl;
two vinyl only hidden tracks hidden beneath the centre labels (this has never been done before previously);
one hidden track plays at 78RPM and one plays at 45 RPM, making this a 3-speed record;
Side A plays from the outside in (in the history of vinyls, they plays from the inside out;
dual-groove technology: plays an electric or acoustic intro depending on where the needle is dropped. The grooves hence meet the body of the song.
There is a matt finish on Side B which portrays the appearance of an un-played 78 RPM record.
Both sides end with locked grooves;
The vinyl is pressed in a seldom-used format flat edged format;
The dead wax area on Side A contains a hand etched hologram, the first of its kind on a vinyl record;
Absolutely zero compression was used during recording, mixing and mastering;
It has a different running order from the compact disc version; and
The LP uses some mixes that are different from those used on the CD and digital versions.
These are remarkable achievements that were accomplished by means of technological innovations. Previously the average time spent recording an album was measured in months.
The traditional value chain treats information as a supporting element of the value-adding processes (recording, reproduction, packaging, promotion, marketing and distribution activities) and not as a source of value. In contrast, a virtual value chain is present when value-adding steps are performed through and with information. For digital music distribution, the product is digital and not physical. Hence the product itself becomes the information. Organisations that create value with digital assets are likely to obtain income through an infinite number of transactions because a song is recorded once, but in its digital medium it can be duplicated or replicated and distributed an infinite number of times at a low cost (Fox, 2004:204). On the other hand, a song recorded once and sold a multitude of times results in increased profits for e- tailers or the artist.
These operational processes are interrelated and provide retailers with the tools they need to be competitive in the marketplace. The ability of service providers and peer-sharing websites to compete through a combination of marketing and operational functions creates competitive advantage by providing what the customer demands. In the music industry, the pull effect is the result of consumer demand for digital music content, and the quicker the service provider obtains and provides the digital content wanted by customers, the more likely it is that they will retain their customer. At present, there are numerous Internet websites where music can be downloaded legally or illegally, for a fee or free of charge. The onus is now on service providers to attract and retain their customer base. Using the operational processes discussed above, retailers and service providers could be at the forefront of product and service design, thereby creating value within the supply chain and enabling continuous improvement.