Focusing our improvements
We’re improving our digital services here at PRS for Music, and are pulling together to update the products that our members, staff and customers use on a daily basis.
To find out where we could improve our services, we needed to understand what the journey of a piece of music looks like from a member’s point of view.
To do this, we conducted an in depth research project called the Field Studio. We observed and interviewed our members in their homes, at live performances, rehearsals and studios, and with our results began to map out a journey. We used our office walls to shape the visualisation of this, starting with creating a piece of music, right up to getting paid for it. We call it the PRS Journey Map.
What's on the map?
The key steps in the journey of a piece of music:
- Creating music: Finding inspiration, writing and collaborating through to registering a piece of music
- Establishing value of music: Scouting, setting up relationships, contracts and negotiations and registration
- Using and performing music: Planning and licensing, performing and using music and registering its usage
- Impact and value: Finding out how your music has been used, receiving payment and asking questions/making claims
Main activities
Starting out with “creating music” and finishing with “impact and value”, we observed and discussed the actions that our members take as part of their musical journey (bordered in purple on the image above).
Pain points
The problems or “pain points” our members identified at each stage are highlighted as areas for us to focus on (bordered in red). They refer to struggles they may have with our current systems, or problems with the wider industry.
Ideas
During the Field Studio, we explored ideas with our members, ideas that aim to solve their problems and improve the PRS for Music experience (bordered in green). Some of these ideas have been identified as potential game changers; concepts that are innovative, exciting and could have a real impact on the industry (yellow lightbulbs).
It is important to note that our Journey Map is not set in stone. We continue to strive to make the piece as representative as possible and work closely with members to ensure this happens. The next step for the team is to work out how these ideas fit into the wider strategy for PRS for Music.
Our Journey Map helps to ensure that the improvements we make solve real problems. Stay tuned for more information on our developments.
Written by
Tamsen Wallis
