Research Experience

After extensive research on the library databases and the interweb I was able to find some good primary resources for paper. My topic is the collapse of the record industry and it's effects on musicians and record store owners. At first I was going to focus my paper solely on the effects it had on local musicians and store owners; however, I soon realized that if narrowed my topic to that extent I would mostly be relying on dated articles and personal interviews. So naturally I decided to focus on the effects the collapse is having on larger bands and major record chains as well as those closer to home.

My sources cover the topic from two perspectives. One perspective is that of the industry insiders and the other from the musicians or record store owners. Most of the sources present both perspectives at some point in the article which is emphasized depends on the source. The sources that are national publications tend to focus on the industry first and those effected second whereas the sources from local media outlets tend to focus mostly on those effected.