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MIP11
Media Products and Production
PP 711
Varieties in Defining Media Products: Rethinking Theoretical Approaches Between Traditional and Innovative Media
D. Voci
1
, P. Przybylski
2
, F. Güngör
3
, K.D. Altmeppen
2
, M. Karmasin
4
, B. von Rimscha
5
1
Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt, Media and Communication Studies, Klagenfurt, Austria
2
Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, School of Journalism, Eichstätt-Ingoldstadt, Germany
3
University of Zurich, Mass Communication and Media, Zurich, Switzerland
4
Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt / Austrian Academy of Sciences, Media and Communication Studies, Vienna, Austria
5
Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Department of Communication, Mainz, Germany
Digitisation, convergence and globalization currently expose (media) society to considerable changes, notably affecting the media industry and its funda‑
mental characteristics. This becomes particularly evident when trying to provide a sound and currently valid definition of media products. Posts on Face‑
book, tweets, user generated content, blogs, and others: Are these contents to be called“media products”? Product characteristics, production processes and
the producers have changed. Community members, bloggers, and potentially the entire audience become content producers themselves. The digitisation
of trade, production, and distribution promotes the transnationalisation of media markets where various media products/components might be unbun‑
dled, re-combined and easily exchanged crossing national and cultural as well as technical and narrative borders. How are media products to be defined
against this background? Is it legitimate to refer to the term media “products” at all? The proposed paper aims at redefining this definitional concept by
systemising existing definitions and by proposing a different term that embraces multiple notional levels. In fact, already before the digital revolution
there hasn’t been a general assent about how to define a “media product”. Existing definitions might be grouped around four theoretical perspectives:
(1) Economic Perspective: media products are seen as quasi-public goods that are constituted by intangible as well as tangible components and that are
tradable on both the recipient and the advertising markets. (2) Journalistic Perspective: media products are measured by the criterion of customer value, i.e.
the journalistic content is the constituting element of media products and has a multiply higher societal value (merit good) than entertainment products.
(3) Legal Perspective: media products are those products protected by media law (e.g. image protection, copyright, press protection). (4) Socio-cultural Per‑
spective: media products are defined due to their function in society (entertaining or informative function, critics and control, watchdog). These approaches
demonstrate inadequacy when confronted with the new trends sketched above. For example, how might all the non-commercial, user generated content
on YouTube be placed along the proposed perspectives? And what about media rights, formats, and licences that are traded across borders transcending
exiting legal definitions – are they to be considered “media products”? The debate is bedevilled when settled within the context of the management and
economics of cross-border media communication. Our contribution results from a larger research project that aims at analysing structures, goals, and strat‑
egies of media companies acting globally. It is this context we are focussing on. Thus, our intent is to visualize all distinguishing features and approaches
in defining media products in a matrix in order to provide a new definition of “media products”. We propose to renounce a one-dimensional definition in
favour of a multilevel concept that considers the hybrid nature of media (their materiality and immateriality; being economic and cultural goods as well as
service and trade goods; the different value of content and its bearer), the variety of product and content types, and the differences in outcomes of various
organisations. Eventually, we suggest to use“media offering”as an overarching term that captures the complex nature of media.
PP 712
Theorising Derivative Artworks from a Social-Economic Perspective
Y. Jiao
1
, K. Segers
1
1
Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Communication Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
In recent years, discussions on derivative artworks have reflected the growing interest of economists, cultural specialists, practitioners and public-policy
makers in the subject. Derivative artworks, due to its hybrid attribute of cultural goods and creative products, has become one of the important subsectors
in Cultural Industries (CIs). Looking into derivative artworks can maximize its social-economic effects, improve our understanding of the micro operation
of CIs, and facilitate the policy-making towards the CIs. Despite a multitude of research that has been undertaken in the field of CIs, very limited academic
studies have been conducted on derivative artworks. Currently the research on derivative artworks mainly exists in copyright law literature since the deriva‑
tive artworks are intrinsically IPR (intellectual property law) related. Other articles discuss arts-related topics, such as aesthetic experience of artworks, arts
evaluation, but not derivative artworks specifically. However, given the growing attention to derivative artworks sector, it is the time to liberate the concept
of derivative artworks from a legal point of view. The main purpose of this paper is to contribute to the theoretical thinking of derivative artworks and
broaden its theorisation from a social–economic perspective. We will examine the derivative artworks as a product of CIs based on two questions: (1) what
are the attributes of derivative artworks? (2) what impacts can the development of derivative artworks bring to society? A review of relevant literature is
used to conceptualise the derivative artworks. Theories from political economy, radical media research and culture studies are explored in order to identify
the values of derivative artworks to the economy and the community. First, we explore the historical development of derivative artworks. Then, we define
derivative artworks by articulating its connotation and classifying the categories. At last, the significance of derivative artworks is evaluated from economic,
social and cultural aspects. We come to three conclusions based on the aforementioned analysis: (1) the derivative artwork is a blanket term defining a cre‑
ative work that modifies, appropriates, and/or adapts an original, previously created first work. A derivative artwork is not a reproduction of the original;
instead, the derivative artwork is a substantial creation independent from the first, which links the artistic connotation of the first to the commodity; (2)
the derivative artworks can be categorised differently depending on the classification criteria; (3) the derivative artworks, as the commercial exploitation
of the original artwork, will undoubtedly provide considerable economic benefits to the local community. Moreover, it can eliminate the distance between
the ‘abstract’art pieces and the daily life, thereby disseminating the social and cultural values and the democratisation of the arts. In addition, purchasing
derivative artworks is not only acquisition of the products per se, but also implies an access to and the consumption of the original artworks, which conse‑
quently help to enhance aesthetic cognition of the public.