The value of online

At every music conference and in every music industry discussion, both within practice as well as in academia, it is commonly acknowledged that "the game has changed". Downloading, video and music streaming, social media and crowdfunding have opened up new alleys to the music industry. What is lacking from most of these discussions is how to measure the online presence and how to convert this presence into an economic value. This is the focus of current research conducted by the Inholland University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with BUMA Cultuur, the Dutch music export organization (also the organizer of events such as Eurosonic Noorderslag and Amsterdam Dance Event). The aim of this study is to come up with a method to measure the value of online for pop musicians. We will present recent findings from our study and would like to open the discussion with the audience on this topic and their own experiences.