Abstract

This paper introduces the theoretical and methodological background for the analysis of the functions and use of the personal web pages by musicians. The paper presents briefly the expectations for democratizing the communication in general and the artistic communication in particular - expectations expressed in a more or less systematic way in different fields (communication studies, sociology, economics, and political science).

It also presents in broad strokes various approaches and indicates that the research on internet and the arts neglects to explore the attitude of the artists themselves and the ways they make use of it. To address this shortcoming, the paper presents the results of an exploratory study that implemented a test model to analyze interactivity in the websites of musicians.

The data analysis - resulted from 22 websites of Greek musicians using the test model - indicates that in the sample of this study there are some dominant features: monologue, the clear role differentiation in the communication with the audiences, the low control of the communication process and its content by the audiences, the clear trend to conserve intermediation through already established institutions of artistic communication. The study concludes that the musicians of this sample see the internet as a cultural marketing tool rather than as a new medium that offers a wide range of new possibilities to the artists and their audiences. Finally, the paper presents the future orientation of the research. The empirical research presented in this paper contributes to the study of the internet and its impact on the cultural field.