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Music, musicians and information seeking behaviour: A case study on a community concert band

Petros A. Kostagiolas (Department of Archive and Library Science, Ionian University, Corfu, Greece)
Charilaos Lavranos (Department of Music Studies, Ionian University, Corfu. Greece)
Nikolaos Korfiatis (Institute for Informatics and Mathematics, Johan-Wolfgang-Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany)
Joseph Papadatos (Department of Music Studies, Ionian University, Corfu, Greece)
Sozon Papavlasopoulos (Department of Archive and Library Science, Ionian University, Corfu. Greece)

Journal of Documentation

ISSN: 0022-0418

Article publication date: 12 January 2015

3415

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine information seeking behaviour targeted to music information seeking by amateur musicians, accompanied with empirical evidence from a survey on a community concert band. While several studies in the literature have examined information seeking in the context of hedonic motives (e.g. entertainment oriented), music information can also be used for utilitarian purposes by providing amateur musicians the necessary tools to improve their skill and become better in their practice.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature on music information seeking and an empirical study on members of an amateur concert band are presented. The theoretical construct of the survey is informed by Wilsons’ macro model of information seeking behaviour. This is employed in order to understand information motives and needs, as well as obstacles in information seeking of musicians.

Findings

Musicians seek information not only for entertainment but for educational purposes as well as for the acquisition of certain music works. The use of the internet for information seeking as well as the gradual adoption of online social networks has provided access to new musical resources within the digital music networks.

Originality/value

A person-centred approach for information seeking behaviour is studied and adapted for musicians. The survey provides new information behaviour results for designers of music information spaces which in turn are creating a new model of the relationship between music and society.

Keywords

Citation

Kostagiolas, P.A., Lavranos, C., Korfiatis, N., Papadatos, J. and Papavlasopoulos, S. (2015), "Music, musicians and information seeking behaviour: A case study on a community concert band", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 71 No. 1, pp. 3-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-07-2013-0083

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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