ABSTRACT
This chapter undertakes a critical revision of the 360 degree assumption. It asserts that digitization does not turn the production scene completely upside down. Based on empirical evidence, it shows that the diversification of trial-and-error routines follows implicit rules created by limited sets of individual and collective orientations, preferences, and pre-set artistic or economic interests. Hence, artists, producers, and labels develop strategies that allow them to stick to their original orientations while they adapt to shifting technologies and related articulations of demand. The concept of 'sonic capital' is introduced as a way of understanding how these artists, producers, and labels adapt to these changes. For independent artists and labels, a 360 degree orientation might even be a poor option. Hence, it is still unclear if we are facing a transitory phase of 'trial and error' activities or lasting outcomes of sustainable market strategies. As it stands, more close-up empirical observation of emerging production models and their context is necessary.
