{"id":14810,"date":"2020-07-27T08:23:53","date_gmt":"2020-07-27T13:23:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=14810"},"modified":"2025-12-02T16:24:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T21:24:03","slug":"how-to-process-music-industry-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-to-process-music-industry-data\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Process Music Industry Data"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Practical Guide to Turning Raw Music Industry Data into Reliable, Useful Intelligence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The following information on music industry data is excerpted from the Berklee Online graduate course Data Analytics in the Music Business<\/a><\/em>, written by Liv Buli<\/a>, and currently enrolling.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The end goal of working with data is to reach actionable insights and intelligent recommendations. In other words, we want to be able to use this data and information in a manner that allows us to confidently predict outcomes and take action based on what we think will happen. We want to reach larger audiences while spending less money, market our artists in the most efficient way possible, sell more albums, and rack up more streams. We can use data to get us there, but first we have to access and process that data responsibly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exactly how we get from unstructured data to actionable intelligence is presented in a simple (though surprisingly complex once you start digging in) chart known as the Data Pyramid. Let\u2019s get into it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet the Data Pyramid<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Each layer of the pyramid represents a stage in the analysis or application of data, from the raw data we start with (where we will inevitably spend most of our time), to the actionable insights we can derive once we arrive at the intelligence level. In order to truly understand its value as a framework,
let\u2019s take a closer look at each individual layer and its meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data Layer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Data<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The fundamental layer of the data pyramid is, perhaps unsurprisingly, data<\/strong>. At this point we are talking about how we collect unstructured, raw data points, and how we evolve that collection when DSPs (digital service providers, like Spotify, iTunes, etc.) or social networks become mainstream.
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Let\u2019s not forget that MySpace was the most popular (legal) online network for music-sharing when companies like Next Big Sound got their start, that Spotify only just launched in the US in 2012, and that Instagram only really took off as a platform for artists in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the music industry, we\u2019re generally talking about the following data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n