Division of labour in songwriting across different musical genres: an economic analysis

Jelle Van der Laan

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Composition of songwriting teams have taken many forms over the years, from solo writers to duos to teams consisting of more than ten co-writers. The aim of this thesis is to analyse whether there are differences in the average size of songwriters’ team depending on the musical genre. Furthermore, the aim is to uncover the characteristics of the genres that lead to the differences in team size. The study of team size is relevant for the music industry since songwriters, labels and/or publishers can learn from best practices outside of their own genre’s boundaries. Moreover, the relevance extends beyond the songwriting industry to evaluate industry characteristics that lead to different optimal team sizes, for example in team entrepreneurship. The analysis uses Billboard chart data to quantitatively study the differences in team size across genres. The results indicate that more traditional genres have a lower average number of songwriters per song compared with more modern genres. The explanation given is that more modern, fast-paced genres benefit more from specialisation than more traditional and slower paced genres.

Abstract:

Composition of songwriting teams have taken many forms over the years, from solo writers to duos to teams consisting of more than ten co-writers. The aim of this thesis is to analyse whether there are differences in the average size of songwriters’ team depending on the musical genre. Furthermore, the aim is to uncover the characteristics of the genres that lead to the differences in team size. The study of team size is relevant for the music industry since songwriters, labels and/or publishers can learn from best practices outside of their own genre’s boundaries. Moreover, the relevance extends beyond the songwriting industry to evaluate industry characteristics that lead to different optimal team sizes, for example in team entrepreneurship. The analysis uses Billboard chart data to quantitatively study the differences in team size across genres. The results indicate that more traditional genres have a lower average number of songwriters per song compared with more modern genres. The explanation given is that more modern, fast-paced genres benefit more from specialisation than more traditional and slower paced genres.

Keywords

Songwriting, Specialisation, Team Size, Team Entrepreneurship

Keywords

Songwriting, Team Size, Team Entrepreneurship, Specialisation

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 11. 5. 2022

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 20. 6. 2022
• Supervisor: Marek Hudík
• Reader: Gabriela Koľveková

Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze

Master programme:
International Management