Arts Management Commons^™

Luxury Of Entertainment: Positioning Live Events As Third Places, Kelsie T. Martin

Honors College Theses

This study examines the shift of live entertainment into a luxury commodity and its implications for social accessibility and cultural participation. Rising ticket prices, dynamic pricing models, and industry consolidation restrict access to concerts and festivals to higher-income audiences, as seen through companies such as Live Nation. This increasing trend in the entertainment industry contradicts the original purpose of live entertainment and music events as a shared cultural experience.

By incorporating Ray Oldenburg’s theory of “third places,” this research explores how live events can function as inclusive social spaces that foster community, belonging, and social connection. Using an applied case …

From Altamont To Astroworld: An Analysis Of Management Issues In Large Scale Music Festivals, Jennifer Morriss

Honors College Theses

The most common problems in music festivals can largely be broken into two categories: risks to the individual and risks on a grand scale. It is the responsibility of event managers to consider how to best keep everyone safe and maintain proper organization. Risks to the individual are often things like substance use and abuse, harm reduction, and sexual assault or harassment. Meanwhile, broad risks tend to be issues of evacuation and emergency management, crowd safety, stampedes, and casualties or violence. It is crucial to reflect on prior common safety and security issues when setting out to produce a large …

Influence Of Socioeconomic Status On Access To And Success Within The Dance Industry, Stephanie C. Mihali

Honors College Theses

The following thesis examines how socioeconomic factors, specifically location, education, income, and social capital, affect access to and success within the dance industry in the United States. While talent is viewed as the primary driver of success in dance, this research reveals that structural inequities shape career opportunities and outcomes for dancers. The study was prompted by a lack of critical discourse around socioeconomic barriers in the field of dance. Through a combination of survey data and secondary analysis of historical research, the study highlights how those from higher-income families and urban areas benefit from greater access to training, resources, …

It's A Bitter Sweet Symphony: Licensing Complexities And Copyright Law In The Music Industry., Sadie Lorence

Honors College Theses

Historically, there has consistently been tension in the music industry between the ideas of ownership and accessibility. This past semester, I researched the history of copyright law and how it has evolved in regard to the licensing of musical works. I have conducted a content analysis of The U.S. Copyright Act in the last century to gain insight into its evolution and advancements. After I gathered an adequate understanding of intellectual property law within the realm of the music industry, I focused my case study research on one milestone example of copyright law’s relationship to issues of licensing and ownership …

A Live Performance Guide: Building A Concert, Genevieve White, Genevieve White

Honors College Theses

Many are unaware of the production process when it comes to live performances in the Music Industry. While the obvious barriers of obtaining a time, place, and performer can be easily concluded, many outside of the industry fail to consider other components that contribute to successful performances. The attainment of proper contracting, performance licenses, and music materials are just a few examples of the thought and preparations that go into planning and accomplishing a successful concert.

This project, from conception to execution, was intended to further my knowledge of live performance through the utilization of classroom education and industry experience. …

Television Strategies In Digital Media: How The Tonight Show Has Transformed In The Age Of Digital Distribution, Julia Hansen

Honors College Theses

Digital Media has impacted the ways in which people consume and engage with media, and this change influences the strategies of television networks, from content style, production practices, and distribution methods. This study explores the implications of digital media in television strategies through the examination of NBC’s The Tonight Show, first through a comparative analysis of historical host, Johnny Carson, to the show's most recent host, Jimmy Fallon. This analysis found that the two hosts have contrasting personalities which cater well to the audiences of their time. Additionally, it was discovered that the programming of the show has grown more …

The Death Of Print Magazines In Fashion: The Fight To Stay Relevant During The Digital Era And A Look At The Future Of Fashion Print Magazines, Mary Shannon Donnelly

Honors College Theses

We have found ourselves in a digital era. For the past ten years, the public’s Internet usage per day has skyrocketed across all age groups, which in turn, has had an effect on the print industry (e.g. books, magazines, newspapers). As technology has progressed, many have turned to online magazines and journals to receive their fashion news. Given this rapid advance in digital technology, in my honors thesis, I plan to focus on the effect of digital media on print, specifically in the context of fashion magazines. Specifically, I will explore the history of the fashion magazine, its efforts to …

Rock On: The State Of Rock Music Among Generation Z, Gianna Cicchetti

Honors College Theses

Rock music is a significant part of American culture and has always had ties to the socialization of the youth since its rise in the 1950s. Many musicians and music journalists have pushed forth the opinion that the genre is “dead” as its relevance in young adult culture has faded away in favor of different genres of mainstream music. However, rock artists have seen more success and virality in the past few years. This is primarily true through the social media platform TikTok, the largest platform of its kind with most young people as part of its userbase. The following …

Covid-19 & Broadway: A Comparative Analysis Of The Shifting Marketing Strategies Of Playbill And The Broadway League, Leah Gaffney

Honors College Theses

On March 12th, 2020, all Broadway productions closed their theaters due to the declaration of the Covid-19 global pandemic. This shutdown led to companies in the Broadway industry transitioning to nontraditional marketing strategies. This paper will outline how the Covid-19 pandemic led to changes in strategic marketing decisions and compare the motivations of these decisions for two Broadway companies: Playbill and The Broadway League. Previous literature denotes changes to marketing strategies as a result of other historic events in the
industry, and current news sources provide industry insight into the campaign discussions.Primary research will be conducted through one-on-one structured interviews …

Theater And Covid-19: Examining How The Pandemic Financially Affected Production Crew Members In The Theater Industry, Abigail Jasak

Honors College Theses

Since the beginning of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted many aspects of almost every industry worldwide. This paper will cover the financial effect that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on production crew members working within the theater industry. Research will be conducted through literature review, evaluating similar historical events and current discussions throughout the industry, and one-on-one structured interviews with production crew members who were financially impacted by the pandemic. The main goal of this thesis is to examine the different financial situations of production crew members and determine if management and production companies within the industry were …

Pandemic Theater: An Analysis Of Issues That Arose During Covid-19 And The Solutions Applied, Erica Jurus

Honors College Theses

The Coronavirus pandemic put a halt to the theater industry for almost eighteen months, and just now is the industry re-emerging with innovative ideas and suggestions for how it wants to distribute productions. A combination of the entertainment business and intellectual property law, the purpose of this review is to investigate the question of “what changes need to be made to CBAs and licensing laws to allow for this type of content to continue?” Through a content and legal analysis of emergency authorizations and agreements, as well as pre-existing copyright and distribution laws, this thesis outlines how the pandemic forced …

Who’S Watching: The Accuracy Of Forecasting Broadcast Tv Audience Demand Using Advertising Prices, Niyati Gandhi

Honors College Theses

Broadcast and cable networks are struggling to keep up with the multitude of entertainment options available today, including but not limited to streaming services. However, these networks still play a role in the entertainment landscape. In order to maintain their role, they must first assess which shows deliver higher ratings and why. Ratings indicate audience demand for a particular show, which can be unpredictable. Regardless, networks sell commercial spots to advertisers at predetermined prices based on their expectations of future ratings, or demand. As such, this research paper focuses on broadcast networks and investigates two questions: Are broadcast networks able …

Intellectual Property In The Digital Streaming Age: How Music Becomes A Lawsuit, Alexandra Tasev

Honors College Theses

A mix of both entertainment business and law, the purpose of this review is to address the question of “are current copyright laws and procedures too restrictive of new and smaller-name artists from entering the market?” Through a law review and analysis of the history of copyright law, this thesis outlines the issues new, smaller music artists face as a result of rapid digital evolution paired with a slow-moving legal system. Failing to amend the current standards for dealing with old copyright cases will cause further issues with the growing popularity of digital platforms like YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify, and TikTok. …

Can A Personal Passion For The Environment Create A Shift In The Event Industry?, Emily Latshaw

Honors College Theses

Global warming and its detrimental effects are evident in all aspects of life. Event companies, a serious offender in this, have begun implementing sustainable practices into their events. Previous literature has extensively studied the effects of events on the environment, as well as potential mitigations and ways to lessen said effects. While past scholarship focused on the events, there has been minimal research done on the event managers. There is reason to believe that some event planners, who have an innate desire to be sustainable, can help the event industry become more environmentally-focused. The purpose of this study is to …

The Show Must (Not) Go On: The Effects Of Covid-19 On New York’S Broadway Professionals, Lucy Yezulinas

Honors College Theses

Live events have been drastically impacted during the coronavirus pandemic, especially Broadway. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the struggles being faced by Broadway professionals as a result of Covid-19 and Broadway shutting down. As for the methodology, it was decided to interview various Broadway professionals about their experience working in the industry during a worldwide pandemic. The main areas of focus were financial and psychological repercussions. The analysis section discusses the negative financial impact of the shut down, the impact of not having the 2020 Tony awards, as well as the psychological impact on unemployment. …

The Lack Of Asian American Representation In American Pop Music, Victoria Noriega

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze why there are fewer East and Southeast Asian Americans in the American pop music industry compared to other ethnicities and to see what factors influence these statistics. The data analyzed consisted of five interviews, all of whom were involved in the music industry as either musicians or managers. Data from the most recently signed artists to the top three major music companies, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group, was also analyzed to see the most popular genre signed and most frequent ethnicity signed. From the data gathered from …

An Examination Of Contemporary Christian Music Success Within Mainstream Rock And Country Billboard Charts, Megan Marie Carlan

Honors College Theses

Ranging from inspirational songs void of theological language to worship music imbued with overt religious messages, Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) has a long history of being ill-defined. Due to the genre’s flexible nature, many Christian artists over the years have used vague imagery and secular lyrical content to find favor among mainstream outlets. This study examined the most recent ten-year period of CCM to determine its ability to cross over into the mainstream music scene, while also assessing the impact of its lyrical content and genre on the probability of reaching such mainstream success. For the years 2008-2018, Billboard data …

The Practically Perfect Tale As Old As Time: A Comparative Analysis Of The Branding Of Beauty And The Beast And Mary Poppins, Cayley Plotkin

Honors College Theses

The Walt Disney company and all of its heavily branded mastermind keep much of its planning and strategy under wraps from the general public. Although it has been observed amongst fans and business people how Disney markets their products and what their strategy looks like, it has not been compared between two similar projects that have followed the same strategic path. This paper will examine and compare the branding strategies of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Mary Poppins” from screen to stage and back to the screen again in hopes to better understand why one title may take in more …

Performing Arts Labor Unions And Young Industry Professionals: An Analysis Of Current And Future Relations, Caroline Thompson

Honors College Theses

This thesis surrounds the evolving topic of unionization, particularly within the performing arts industry. As trends and regulations develop that tend away from labor organization, with an increase in non-Equity professional opportunities and the enforcement and growth of legislation such as Janus vs. AFSCME and state-by-state right-to-work laws, unions such as the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) have more reason to market themselves than ever before. This thesis aims to examine the relationship between AEA and young theatre industry entrants, aged 18-25. The study, furthermore, employs an in-depth analysis of the AEA’s social platforms, with particular focus on Instagram, Twitter and …

‘Yellowface’: An Exploration Of Hollywood’S Film History With The Yellow Race, Kelly Ng

Honors College Theses

This study explores the history behind Hollywood’s relationship with the depiction of Asians and Asian Americans in film. Through tracking examples of Hollywood’s use of yellowface and whitewashing in movies from the 1920s into modern day, the study explores the historical and financial reasons behind controversial casting decisions, and how they affect the perceived image of Asians in America. In exploring the quantitative aspect, three films created within the last five years that were known to have participated in whitewashing were chosen and analyzed critically and financially. The data from these three movies were then used in comparison to Crazy …

The Pursuit Of Happiness: Asian Americans In Music, Belinda Ung

Honors College Theses

It is critical that we observe the expanding Asian American landscape in the context of today’s evolving music business. The purpose of this research paper is to analyze how and to what extent parental expectations, peer pressure, and levels of self-identity affect the career outcomes Asian Americans in their pursuit of music careers. The data analyzed consisted of five personal interviews, all of whom are involved in music production and/or performance. It was concluded that familial pressure impacted participants more so than peer pressure in their adolescence and self-identity became a more influential factor in adulthood. Additionally, the advancement of …

Purchase Decisions For Bookish Boxes: Influence Of Instagram, Sabrina Shen

Honors College Theses

No abstract provided.

Southern Steam Prints: Large Scale, Relief Printmaking, Allison Mueller

Honors College Theses

Southern Steam Prints, a steamroller printmaking festival for Georgia Southern University I directed and organized. The project helped create community involvement in printmaking as an art form, gained notoriety for the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art and especially the Print, Paper, and Book Arts Program. The project taught valuable skill mastery in relief print techniques, commercialism, and leadership for the kinds of event that artists plan, jury, and participate in, in the professional world. The Southern Steam Prints festival took place on April 23, 2016. Artworks created at the event were exhibited at the Center of Art and Theater …