<div style="text-align:center; padding:40px;"><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><h1 style="color:#06aea8;">SAMPLE DIGITAL CAPABILITIES DESCRIPTOR FOR MUSIC INDUSTRY (1)</h1><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><P style="color:#ffffff;">Ian Rogers, School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, July 2017.</p><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --></div>
Overview of Approach to Developing the Music Industry Descriptors

Affordance theory defines a technology in terms of the uses, interactions and possibilities that the technology affords to its users; and affordances can be categorised – according to their potential for achieving outcomes – as Functional, Perceptual, Maintenance and Contextual (Best 2009; Evans et al. 2017). These categories of affordance have been adapted in this project and re-named as Functional, Perceptual and Adaptive, to reflect the fact that contextual application does not constitute a separate affordance and to differentiate known and unknown contexts. For the purposes of this project, affordances are categorised and defined as follows:

Functional affordances relate to the operation of technology; this includes naming, knowing and operating the features of a technology/technologies to perform tasks.

Perceptual affordances relate to interpretation and being discerning about technology tools and practices for their suitability and in-context operation in known contexts.

Adaptive affordances relate to imagining, adapting and extending technology use in previously unexplored and emerging contexts; this requires some functional knowledge/skills and perceptual experience.

(Source: adapted from Best 2009; Evans et al. 2017; Fray et al. 2017)

The Functional, Perceptual and Adaptive capabilities are hierarchical but integrated. Adaptive capabilities are underpinned by some Functional knowledge/skills and Perceptual experience.

Literature and industry consultation has informed development of this first Digital Capabilities Descriptor for Music Industry, in sample domains of External Communication, Meta-Learning and Collaboration.

DIGITAL CAPABILITIES DESCRIPTOR FOR MUSIC INDUSTRY (APPROACH 1)

Three sample domains are proposed for music industry graduates: external communication; meta-learning and collaboration. These are explained below, with examples of functional, perceptual and adaptive capabilities within each domain.

1. External Communication Domain

RMIT’s Bachelor of Arts (Music Industry, BP047) students are called upon to perform tasks once considered solely the domain of marketing and PR professionals. The contemporary music industries in Melbourne are populated by a network of micro-enterprises that routinely employ or provide work placements for our students. These small team environments need workers with up-to-date knowledge of various social media platforms, an ability to ‘self-start’ content production and competencies in optimisation and post-publication analysis.

Functional affordance/capabilities

Social media software:

Operate a range of social media software packages relevant to audiences; establish connections; publish content; engage interactively.

Strategic marketing:

Name and define concepts and actions related to the core rudiments of marketing.

Perceptual affordance/capabilities

Social media software:

Direct social media applications to fulfil marketing requirements: build personal following; disseminate stories to audience; develop content and storytelling techniques appropriate to medium.

Strategic marketing:

Interpret audience and traffic data; create semi-automated content curation; time management; understand social metrics and engagement measures; differentiate between good and bad strategies.

Adaptive affordance/capabilities

Social media software:

Differentiate strategically between platforms: select platforms appropriate to both stories and audiences; tell stories in ways that maximise the potential of different platforms – media and audiences.

Strategic marketing:

Make strategic decisions based on metrics and value in collaboration with co-workers; clear explanation of strategy.

2. Meta-Learning Domain

Recent Australian music industries research point to graduates requiring a suite of skills related to employment flexibility and mobility (see Bartleet, et al, 2012). Internal case studies drawn from BP047’s internship course and the school’s InPlace database speaks to a demand for rapid digital skills acquisition and retraining. This is particularly pertinent to music software platforms or sections thereof.

Functional affordance/capabilities

Training:

Name and describe a range of training technologies; manage operation of training platforms as a learner; understand workflow in relation to training.

Perceptual affordance/capabilities

Training:

Evaluate training technologies for relevancy; manage for time and attention; apply learning to current workflow.

Adaptive affordance/capabilities

Training:

Curate and rapidly complete training on various platforms; extend learning into experimentation and innovation within workflow.

3. Collaboration Domain

The Australian music industries thrive on social capital. It’s commercial success stories are, for the most part, long extension out of hobbyist and pro-am practice (Rogers, 2013). As such, an ability to collaborate and operate effectively within highly social or group-based environments is essential to both creative success as well as commercial viability. The various industries that comprise Australian music are vast in their differing skill-sets and aptitudes.

Functional affordance/capabilities

Project management:

Document sharing, Gantt charts, excel, shared calendars, google doc/drop box.

Perceptual affordance/capabilities

Project management:

Project management software; data sharing and hierarchy; timeliness; automated documentation and record keeping.

Adaptive affordance/capabilities

Project management:

Iterative processes; customised tools.

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