Text 1The live music festival business is growing in event size and genre variety. With so many consumer options, organizers...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The live music festival business is growing in event size and genre variety. With so many consumer options, organizers are finding ways to cement festival attendance as a special experience worth sharing. This phenomenon is linked to the growing 'experiential economy,' where many find it gratifying to purchase lived experiences. To ensure a profitable event, venues need to consider the overall consumer experience, not just the band lineup.
Text 2
Music festival appearances are becoming a more important part of musicians' careers. One factor in this shift is the rising use of streaming services that allow access to huge numbers of songs for a monthly fee, subsequently reducing sales of full-length albums. With this shift in consumer behavior, musicians are increasingly dependent on revenue from live performances.
Based on the texts, both authors would most likely agree with which statement?
Consumers are more interested in paying subscription fees to stream music than in attending music festivals in person.
Consumers' growing interest in purchasing experiences is mostly confined to the music industry.
Changing consumer behaviors are leading to changes in music-related businesses.
The rising consumer demand for live music festivals also generates higher demand for music streaming platforms.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| The live music festival business is growing in event size and genre variety. |
|
| With so many consumer options, organizers are finding ways to cement festival attendance as a special experience worth sharing. |
|
| This phenomenon is linked to the growing 'experiential economy,' where many find it gratifying to purchase lived experiences. |
|
| To ensure a profitable event, venues need to consider the overall consumer experience, not just the band lineup. |
|
| Music festival appearances are becoming a more important part of musicians' careers. |
|
| One factor in this shift is the rising use of streaming services that allow access to huge numbers of songs for a monthly fee, subsequently reducing sales of full-length albums. |
|
| With this shift in consumer behavior, musicians are increasingly dependent on revenue from live performances. |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Visual Structure Map:
TEXT 1: Festival Industry Perspective
[Festival business growing] → [Competition → focus on experience] → [Part of broader experiential economy] → [Must prioritize overall experience for profit]
TEXT 2: Musician Perspective
[Festival appearances more important for musicians] → [Streaming reduces album sales] → [Musicians depend more on live performance revenue]
Main Point: Both texts show how changing consumer behaviors are transforming different aspects of the music industry - festivals and musician revenue strategies.
Argument Flow: Text 1 explains how consumer demand for unique experiences is driving festival organizers to rethink their approach beyond just booking bands. Text 2 shows how consumer adoption of streaming services has reduced album sales, making live performances increasingly crucial for musicians' financial survival. Both texts demonstrate adaptation to shifting consumer preferences.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to find a statement that both authors would agree with based on their respective texts.
What type of answer do we need? A point of agreement or shared perspective between the two passages.
Any limiting keywords? 'Both authors would most likely agree' - this means the answer must be supported by evidence from both texts, not just one.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Looking at both texts, we can see some common themes
- Text 1 shows how consumer preferences for experiences are changing how festival organizers operate their businesses
- Text 2 shows how consumer adoption of streaming is changing how musicians approach their careers and revenue
- Both texts demonstrate that shifts in what consumers want or how they behave are forcing changes in music-related businesses
- The right answer should capture this shared theme about consumer behavior driving changes in the music industry, rather than focusing on specific details that only appear in one text
Consumers are more interested in paying subscription fees to stream music than in attending music festivals in person.
- Claims consumers prefer streaming subscriptions over attending festivals
- Text 1 doesn't discuss streaming preferences and actually suggests festivals are growing
- Text 2 mentions streaming but doesn't compare it to festival attendance
Consumers' growing interest in purchasing experiences is mostly confined to the music industry.
- Claims interest in purchasing experiences is mostly confined to the music industry
- Text 1 specifically mentions the broader experiential economy, indicating this trend extends beyond just music
Changing consumer behaviors are leading to changes in music-related businesses.
- States that changing consumer behaviors lead to changes in music-related businesses
- Text 1 shows consumer demand for experiences changing how festival organizers operate
- Text 2 shows consumer streaming behavior changing how musicians approach their careers
- Both texts clearly demonstrate this cause-and-effect relationship
The rising consumer demand for live music festivals also generates higher demand for music streaming platforms.
- Claims festival demand generates streaming platform demand
- Neither text establishes this connection between festivals and streaming
- The texts treat these as separate consumer behaviors, not linked demands