Fokko Schulz Research

I am Fokko Schulz from Germany. After my civilian service I enrolled in the Philipps-University of Marburg, where I earned my bachelors degree in media and communication sciences, followed by studies at the University of Hamburg. At that university, I did master’s-level work in information and communication technologies, media economics, and media politics. To this end, I completed a master’s thesis entitled Digitale Musikdistribution – Medienkonzerne, Musikportale und Tauschbörsen im Wandel (Digital Music Distribution—Media Companies, Portals for Music, and Peer – to – Peer Systems in Flux). During my civilian service (required by German law) and university studies, I obtained valuable experience in, and knowledge of, the international media and communications industry. I did this by working in several audio production studios, and at an Internet services company. My passion is the Internet and its potential to facilitate collaboration in media production.

My proposed project is titled Audio Production in Change – Online Audio Collaboration as a new Production Method. Its purpose is to explore the effects of this new form of Internet-based work on the media industry and its professionals. My project consists of four phases: (1) theory and preparation, (2) empirical research, (3) manuscript preparation, and (4) manuscript revision.

For the first phase (theory and preparation), I plan to use the concepts of three seminal works, then build upon them. The first is CSCL-Compendium (Haake et al. 2004). This is an interdisciplinary work on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). It focuses on online collaboration methods used in educational systems. The second is Die digitale Mediamorphose des Musikschaffens (The Digital Mediamorphosis of Music Making) (Smudits 2004). This interdisciplinary case study explores the effects of digitalization on Austrian audio professionals. The third is Sozialpsychologie des Internets (Social Psychology of the Internet) (Döring 2003); among others it sets forth a theory of social information processing originally developed by Joseph Walther. This theory is applied only to Internet chat communication, but could be extended and adapted on new multi-media collaborative situations. Using the theories set forth in these works as a foundation, I am familiarizing myself with Americas approach to the subject of online audio collaboration, while on currently evaluating new economic, technical, and cultural developments in this field world-wide.

The second phase of this project requires gathering, analyzing, and synthesizing in-depth information on he effects of online audio collaboration. The technique I would use is the guideline-based Interview with experts; it was initiated by Michael Meuser and Ulrike Nagel in ExpertInneninterviews (Interviews with Experts) (2005). Unlike traditional, journalistic interviewing, it focuses on the subject, and not the personality, of the person being interviewed. It also facilitates the comparison of qualitative data. I have already begun this process through a group of contacts in the U.S., in Germany, and New Zealand. As the process continues, I would refine and re-focus the information-gathering techniques as appropriate. All collected interview information would be formatted and analyzed using a computer-supported evaluation process created by Udo Kuckartz in Einführung in die computergestützte Analyse qualitativer Daten (Introduction to the Computer-Aided Analysis of Qualitative Data)(2006). Of course, this collected and analyzed information would, in turn, form the basis for further analyses on the advantages and disadvantages of online audio collaboration and its effects on the media industry and its professionals. This data, understanding, and insight would be of significant professional benefit to me professionally— and to the scientific community as well.

The third phase— creating the manuscript— must realize the goal of synthesizing the theoretical and empirical research elements. I have a strong desire to show connections of the parts to the whole, and to help point the way for new efforts in this arena. Credible, easily understood documentation is essential in his regard.

The fourth phase— revision and review of the manuscript— should involve, among other things, a formal verifying of the research results. This would help realize the goal stated in the above paragraph, of showing connections of the parts to the whole. It also is crucial to the professional credibility of the project.

Concurrent with the four phases explained above would be frequent reviews of the applicable publications— both online and paper— to incorporate relevant new knowledge and data into the project.

To summarize the benefits of my proposed project: (1) There is currently no such study that explores the effects of online audio collaboration on the media industry and its professionals. (2) The findings of this study would contribute to international research in media and communication science and potentially point the way to production methods. (3) The results would clearly delineate to the practitioners of this new form of audio production, its relative advantages and disadvantages.

Presently, I am working on an article on on-line music communities from Steinberg Media Technologies and Digital Musician Net in collaboration with Jörg Beckmann (Steinberg) and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

—Fokko Schulz